Interactive boolean operations on surfel-bounded solids

Abstract

In this paper we present an algorithm to perform interactive boolean operations on free-form solids bounded by surfels. We introduce a fast inside-outside test to check whether surfels lie within the bounds of another surfel-bounded solid. This enables us to add, subtract and intersect complex solids at interactive rates. Our algorithm is fast both in displaying and constructing the new geometry resulting from the boolean operation.We present a resampling operator to solve problems resulting from sharp edges in the resulting solid. The operator resamples the surfels intersecting with the surface of the other solid. This enables us to represent the sharp edges with great detail.We believe our algorithm to be an ideal tool for interactive editing of free-form solids.