Geometric accuracy analysis in mesh-to-solid conversion for 3D anatomical models through Taguchi methodology

Three-dimensional reconstruction of anatomical models from clinical data faces challenges in maintaining geometric fidelity during the conversion of surface models to parametric solids. Mesh processing techniques, such as smoothing, remeshing, and polygon reduction, aim to optimize mesh quality but can lead to loss of geometric information. A methodology was developed to process 3D surface meshes and convert them into solids from both faceted and organic geometries. The impact of different processing parameters on mesh topology and post-conversion geometry was evaluated using the Taguchi methodology with an L16 orthogonal design, analyzing three factors: smooth factor, remesh, and polygon reduction percentage. The smooth factor had the most significant influence (p < 0.01), followed by remesh (p < 0.05), while polygon reduction was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conversion techniques produced significant differences (p = 0.0012), with faceted geometries yielding results closer to the target. Geometric deviation analysis using bidirectional Hausdorff distance demonstrated sub-millimetric discrepancies in all cases. Faceted models showed RMS values between 0.067 and 0.183 mm while organic models ranged from 0.076 to 0.225 mm with minimal deviation. Volumetric analysis revealed moderate reductions averaging 4.53 ± 2.88% for faceted and 4.98 ± 3.07% for organic geometries without volumetric expansion. Despite slightly higher sensitivity in organic models, deviations remained within acceptable tolerances for anatomical reconstruction and computational biomechanics, indicating preserved morphological fidelity after processing.

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