Research

Journal Article – Computers and Graphics

Abstract

This paper investigates shape complexity measures and evaluates the relationships between these complexity measures with respect to correlations. The dataset consists of three collections. The first contains 1800 perturbed cube and sphere models classified into 4 categories. The second contains 50 shapes inspired from the fields of architecture and design with expert ground truths. Finally, the third contains data from the Princeton Segmentation Benchmark that contains 19 natural object categories.

We evaluate the performances of the methods by computing Kendall rank correlation coefficients for the orders produced by each complexity measure and the ground truths. Thus, this work is a quantitative and reproducible analysis that presents an improved means and methodology for the evaluation of 2D and 3D shape complexity.

Context

Shape complexity measures appear across several fields, such as psychology, design, and computer vision. In the context of 3D shapes, it is useful in shape retrieval, measuring neurological development and disorders, and in determining the processes and costs involved for manufacturing products, etc. Early work on shape complexity appears in the literature of experimental psychology as well as in literature related to design and aesthetics. For example, the classical aesthetic notions of “unity” and “variety,” or comparably, “order” and “complexity” are directly connected to the complexity of spatial objects.