New method for simplification of 3D scattered points

A new method for removing redundant points from 3D scattered point sets is presented. A novel point primitive, referred as Spherical Patch Point, is employed to approximate a 3D point and its vicinity. Due to the property of curvature, this new method can deliver similar visual quality with much less primitives in comparison with other point-based methods. Global illumination is used to render 3D models. The proposed simplification method is tested using large-scale point data, and the results verify its effectiveness. Using the new method can reduce 40% of the original points, meanwhile, ensures the similar visual appearances.