3D Mesh Segmentation Methodologies for CAD applications

D mesh segmentation is a fundamental process for Digital Shape Reconstruction in a variety of applications including Reverse Engineering, Medical Imaging, etc. It is used to provide a high level representation of the raw 3D data which is required for CAD, CAM and CAE. In this paper, we present an exhaustive overview of 3D mesh segmentation methodologies examining their suitability for CAD models. In particular, a classification of the various methods is given based on their corresponding underlying fundamental methodology concept as well as on the distinct criteria and features used in the segmentation process.