Shape Optimization Using Reflection Lines

Abstract

Many common objects have highly reflective metallic or painted finishes. Their appearance is primarily defined by the distortion the curved shape of the surface introduces in the reflections of surrounding objects. Reflection lines are commonly used for surface interrogation, as they capture many essential aspects of reflection distortion directly, and clearly show surface imperfections that may be hard to see with conventional lighting. In this paper, we propose the use of functionals based on reflection lines for mesh optimization and editing. We describe a simple and efficient discretization of such functionals based on screen-space surface parameterization, and we demonstrate how such discrete functionals can be used for several types of surface editing operations.