Interactive texture mapping for polygonal models

Polygonal models have been widely applied in the community of CAD and computer graphics. Since a polygonal surface usually has no intrinsic parameterization, it is very difficult to map textures onto it with low distortion. In this paper, we present an efficient texture mapping algorithm for polygonal models. For each region to be mapped, the algorithm first constructs a B-spline patch with similar shape to surround the model. The mapped region is then projected onto the constructed B-spline patch to achieve a parameterization. By interactively controlling the B-spline patch, the user can conveniently decorate the surface of the model to meet his requirements. Both local and global texture mapping are discussed. The experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm has a great of potential applications in computer animation and virtual reality systems.