This work describes a new approach for the computation of 3D Fourier descriptors, which are used for characterization, classification, and recognition of 3D objects. The method starts with a polygonization of the object's surface. Next, a progressive mesh is constructed from the polyhedron using quadric-based polygonal surface simplification. Then, the same progressive mesh is exploited to efficiently reconstruct the original polyhedron onto the surface of a sphere, which is a necessary step for the computation of 3D Fourier descriptors. The mapping method is shown to be efficient and fast in projecting an arbitrarily shaped polyhedron onto a sphere surface.
