Computing Vertex Normals from Polygonal Facets

Abstract The method most commonly used to estimate the normal vector at a vertex of a polygonal surface averages the normal vectors of the facets incident to the vertex considered. The vertex normal obtained in this way may vary depending on the tessellation of the polygonal surface since the normal of each incident facet contributes equally to the normal in the vertex. To overcome this drawback, we extend the method so that it also incorporates the geometric contribution of each facet, considering the angle under which a facet is incident to the vertex in question.