Prototype Modeling from Sketched Silhouettes based on Convolution Surfaces

Abstract This paper presents a hybrid method for creating three‐dimensional shapes by sketching silhouette curves. Given a silhouette curve, we approximate its medial axis as a set of line segments, and convolve a linearly weighted kernel along each segment. By summing the fields of all segments, an analytical convolution surface is obtained. The resulting generic shape has circular cross‐section, but can be conveniently modified via sketched profile or shape parameters of a spatial transform. New components can be similarly designed by sketching on different projection planes. The convolution surface model lends itself to smooth merging between the overlapping components. Our method overcomes several limitations of previous sketched‐based systems, including designing objects of arbitrary genus, objects with semi‐sharp features, and the ability to easily generate variants of shapes.