source: GTP/trunk/Lib/Geom/shared/GTGeometry/README.txt @ 1526

Overview
--------

The GTGeometry project is a library that contains a set of features to work
with geometry. The library is mainly focused to the generation of LOD models. 
However it also supplies some extra features such as mesh simplification and
stripification.

This project compiles into a static library into:
        build/Debug/GTGeometry_d.lib
        build/Release/GTGeometry.lib


Features
--------
The features the GTGeometry include are:

- LodStrips: supplies a triangle strips-based LOD model for generic meshes.

--- LodStrips generation: used to generate a LOD model from a plain mesh.

--- LodStrips visualization: runtime module used to include LOD objects 
        into external applications.

- LodTree: supplies a LOD model developed to handle level of detail trees.

--- LodTree generation: used to generate a LOD tree model from a mesh repre- 
        sentation of the tree.

--- LodTree visualization: runtime module used to include LOD tree objects
        into external applications.

- Mesh Simplification: include two simplification algorithms to be used in external 
        applications. They are also used to generate the LOD models.

--- Geometry-based simplification: supplies a simplification algorithm designed 
        for game meshes: it can handle sub-meshes and vertex repetitions in the mesh.

--- Viewpoint-driven simplification: provides a simplification algorithm which uses
        a visual error metric. This is slower than the geometry-based one, but offers
        more accurate results.
        
- Foliage simplification: offers a foliage simplification algorithm based on leaf
        collapse operations. This is used internally by the LodTree generation module.

- Stripification: offers a stripification utility. This is used internally by the 
        LodStrips generation module.


Usage
-----

To compile the GTGeometry library into an application, the needed files in 
        GTGeometry/include
must be included, and the library GTGeometry{_d}.lib must be statically linked.