A three-dimensional parallel thinning algorithm is presented. This algorithm works in cubic grid with the 26-connectivity. It is based upon two topological numbers introduced elsewhere. These numbers allow us to check if a point is simple or not and to detect end points. The strategy which is used for removing points in parallel without altering the topology of the image is a strategy based upon subfields: the cubic grid is divided into 8 subfields which are successively activated. The use of 4 subfields is also considered. One major interest of the subfield approach is that it is `complete,' i.e., all simple points which are not considered as skeletal points are removed. The proposed algorithm allows us to get a curve skeleton, a surface skeleton as well as a topological kernel of the objects. Furthermore it is possible to implement it by using only Boolean conditions.

Date Published: 4 January 1995
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 2356, Vision Geometry III, (4 January 1995); doi: 10.1117/12.198601

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2356:
Vision Geometry III
Robert A. Melter; Angela Y. Wu, Editor(s)