SEQUINS and QUILLS: Representations for Surface Topography

Abstract

The shape of a continuous surface can be represented by a collection of surface normals. These normals are like a porcupine's quills. Equivalently, one can use the surface patches on which these normals rest. These in turn are like sequins sewn on a costume. These and other representations for information which can be obtained from images and used in the recognition and description of objects in a scene will be briefly described.