A pseudopolynomial algorithm for Alexandrov's theorem

Abstract

Alexandrov’s Theorem states that every metric with the global topology and local geometry required of a convex polyhedron is in fact the intrinsic metric of some convex polyhedron. Recent work by Bobenko and Izmestiev describes a differential equation whose solution is the polyhedron corresponding to a given metric. We describe an algorithm based on this differential equation to compute the polyhedron to arbitrary precision given the metric, and prove a pseudopolynomial bound on its running time.