Preserving Traditional Handicrafts: A Novel Surface Flattening Algorithm of 3D Curved Patterns for Cylindrical Porcelain

The traditional 3D handicrafts hold immense cultural and artistic value, representing the rich creativity and imagination of the Chinese nation through its vibrant colors and intricate designs. Despite the widespread application of 3D flattening technology in manufacturing and other industries, it is rarely in the cultural heritage domain of traditional crafts. Currently, the technology focuses on surface meshes. To this end, this article introduces a novel surface flattening algorithm of 3D curved patterns for cylindrical porcelain. This algorithm focuses on the deformation of surface meshes and complete patterns. Specifically, this algorithm derives a series of orthogonal projection surface images by rotating the model in situ . These images are then subjected to meshing and affine transformations to approximate non-developable surface as developable one. The developable surface is further unfolded through projection transformations, resulting in a set of developable planes. This array of multi-view planes is utilized for image stitching, accomplished through extracting and matching feature points and image fusion. Sequentially stitching images from the center outward enhances stitching efficiency and mitigates issues such as misalignment. Experimental results affirm the algorithm’s effectiveness in flattening traditional 3D craft pattern surfaces, particularly those with concentric circles in their cross-sections. This algorithm aligns with the 2D images perceived by the human eye and meticulously preserves the original structure and characteristics of the curved surface patterns.