Computing and analysing convex deficiencies to characterise 3D complex objects

Entities such as object components, cavities, tunnels and concavities in 3D digital images can be useful in the framework of object analysis. For each object component, we first identify its convex deficiencies, by subtracting the object component from a covering polyhedron approximating the convex hull. Watershed segmentation is then used to decompose complex convex deficiencies into simpler parts, corresponding to individual cavities, concavities and tunnels of the object component. These entities are finally described by means of a representation system accounting for the shape features characterising them.