Curve-skeletons are thinned 1D representations of 3D objects useful for many visualization tasks including virtual navigation, reduced-model formulation, visualization improvement, animation, etc. There are many algorithms in the literature describing extraction methodologies for different applications; however, it is unclear how general and robust they are. In this paper, we provide an overview of many curve-skeleton applications and compile a set of desired properties of such representations. We also give a taxonomy of methods and analyze the advantages and drawbacks of each class of algorithms. CR Categories and Subject Descriptors: I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Geometry and Object Modelling -- Curve, surface, solid, and object representations;
Nicu D. Cornea, Deborah Silver, Patrick Min