A Survey of Computer-Based Deformable Models

Abstract

This paper presents a survey of the research carried out to date in the area of computer-based deformable modelling. Due to their cross-disciplinary nature, deformable modelling techniques have been the subject of vigorous research over the past three decades and have found numerous applications in the fields of machine vision (image analysis, image segmentation, image matching, and motion tracking), visualisation (shape representation and data fitting), and computer graphics (shape modelling, simulation, and animation). Previous review papers have been field/application specific and have therefore been limited in their coverage of techniques. This survey focuses on general deformable models for computer-based modelling, which can be used for computer graphics, visualisation, and various image processing applications. The paper organizes the various approaches by technique and provides a description, critique, and overview of applications for each. Finally, the state of the art of deformable modelling is discussed, and areas of importance for future research are suggested.