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A Few Good Lines: Suggestive Drawing of 3D Models
Author(s): Mario Costa Sousa, Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz.
Article: Computer Graphics Forum, Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 381--390, September,
2003.
[BibTeX] [DOI] 
Abstract:
We present a method for rendering 3D models in the traditional line-drawing style used in artistic and scientific illustrations. The goal is to suggest the 3D shape of the objects using a small number of lines drawn with carefully chosen line qualities. The system combines several known techniques into a simple yet effective non-photorealistic line renderer. Feature edges related to the outline and interior of a given 3D mesh are extracted, segmented, and smoothed, yielding chains of lines with varying path, length, thickness,gaps, and enclosures. The paper includes sample renderings obtained for a variety of models.
Ribbons: A representation for point clouds
Adam Runions, Faramarz Samavati, Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz.
The Visual Computer, Vol. 23, No. 9--11, pp. 945--954, September,
2007. [BibTeX]