Filling holes in 3D meshes using image restoration algorithms

Abstract

This work describes a method for filling holes in a 3D mesh based on 2D image restoration algorithms. Since these algorithms need an image as input, the first stage of the method concerns a 3D to 2D transformation. By projecting the 3D surface onto a squared plane, a 2D image is generated in such a way that the depth information is stored in each grid. The image restoration algorithms are applied to it. Once the image has been repaired, the inverse transformation 2D to 3D is performed and the repaired 3D surface recovered. To test the method, artificial holes have been generated on a set of 3D surfaces. The goodness of the results has been measured from the comparison between the 3D original surfaces and the 3D repaired ones. An evaluation with commercial software has been carried out to show the validity of the method. The image restoration algorithms have been applied to 3D cultural heritage modeling with good results. Specifically, sculptures of the collection from the National Museum of Roman Art in Spain have been reconstructed.