Structuring 3D medial skeletons: A comparative study

Medial skeletons provide an effective alternative to boundary or volumetric representations for applications that focus on shape structure. This capability is provided by the skeletal structure, i.e., the curves and surfaces computed from centers of maximally inscribed balls by a process called structuration. Many several structuration methods exist, all having various challenges in terms of delivering a high-quality medial skeleton. This paper provides a first overview of existing structuration methods. We formally define the skeletal structure by giving its theoretical properties, and use these properties to propose quality criteria for structurations. We next review existing structuration methods and compare them using the established criteria. The obtained insights help both practitioners in choosing a suitable structuration method and researchers in further perfecting such methods.