Plumber: a method for a multi-scale decomposition of 3D shapes into tubular primitives and bodies

Plumber is a specialized shape classification method for detecting tubular features of 3D objects represented by a triangle mesh. The Plumber algorithm segments a surface into connected components that are either body parts or elongated features, that is, handle-like and protrusion-like features, together with their concave counterparts, i.e. narrow tunnels and wells. The segmentation can be done at single or multi-scale, and produces a shape graph which codes how the tubular components are attached to the main body parts. Moreover, each tubular feature is represented by its skeletal line and an average cross-section radius.