MINIMUM ZONE SEPARATION FUNCTIONAL - THE SPATIAL CASE

The minimum radial separation measure associated with a convex polytop e is computed using basic geometric techniques and an exhaustive searc h procedure. The minimum volume difference center extends an analogous measure in the plane, and a new measure, the minimum surface-area dif ference, is defined and computed. The separation functionals associate d with perfect cubic forms and regular polytope shapes, as well as a g eneralized family of convex perfect form are computed for an arbitrary three-dimensional measurement data set. Examples are used to illustra te the methodology and computational experience is described. (C) 1997 The Franklin Institute. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.