Mathematical Tools for Shape Analysis and Description (Synthesis Lectures on Visual Computing: Computer Graphics, Animation, Computational Photography and Imaging)

This book is a guide for researchers and practitioners to the new frontiers of 3D shape analysis and the complex mathematical tools most methods rely on. The target reader includes students, researchers and professionals with an undergraduate mathematics background, who wish to understand the mathematics behind shape analysis. The authors begin with a quick review of basic concepts in geometry, topology, differential geometry, and proceed to advanced notions of algebraic topology, always keeping an eye on the application of the theory, through examples of shape analysis methods such as 3D segmentation, correspondence, and retrieval. A number of research solutions in the field come from advances in pure and applied mathematics, as well as from the re-reading of classical theories and their adaptation to the discrete setting. In a world where disciplines (fortunately) have blurred boundaries, the authors believe that this guide will help to bridge the distance between theory and practice. Table of Contents: Acknowledgments / Figure Credits / About this Book / 3D Shape Analysis in a Nutshell / Geometry, Topology, and Shape Representation / Differential Geometry and Shape Analysis / Spectral Methods for Shape Analysis / Maps and Distances between Spaces / Algebraic Topology and Topology Invariants / Differential Topology and Shape Analysis / Reeb Graphs / Morse and Morse-Smale Complexes / Topological Persistence / Beyond Geometry and Topology / Resources / Bibliography / Authors' Biographies