This paper provides a curvature-based algorithm to compute locally shortest geodesics on closed triangulated surfaces. These curves, which are called ``constrictions'', are useful for shape segmentation. The key idea of the algorithm is that constrictions are almost plane curves; it first finds well-located simple, plane, closed curves, and then slides them along the surface until a shortest geodesic is reached. An initial curve is defined as a connected component of the intersection between the surface and a plane going through an initial vertex. Initial vertices and planes are determined using approximations of surface curvature.

Keywords: geometry processing, surface, geodesic, curvature.

@inproceedings{Het05,
author = {Franck H\'etroy},
title = {Constriction Computation Using Surface Curvature},
booktitle = {Eurographics Short Presentations, August, 2005},
editor = {John Dingliana and Fabio Ganovelli},
organization = {Eurographics},
address = {Trinity College, Dublin, Irlande},
pages = {1--4},
keywords = {geometry processing, surface, geodesic, curvature},
month = aou,
year = 2005
}