Controllable single-strip generation for triangulated surfaces

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a method to represent a given triangular model using a single triangle strip. Since this problem is NP-complete, we break the limitation by splitting adjacent triangles when necessary. The common edge is split at the mid-point, and the newly formed triangles are coplanar with their parent triangles. Hence, the resulting geometry of the model is visually and topologically identical to the original triangular model. Our method can develop any edge-connected oriented 2-manifold of arbitrary topology, with or without boundary, into a single strip. Our stripification method can be controlled to start and end at triangles incident on specific vertices. Further, an acyclic set of edges of the input model can be marked as "constraint edges" and our method can generate a single strip that does not cross over these edges, but still cover the whole model.