Polygonal model

Mosaic, or facetted, models simulate 3D surfaces by approximating their geometry form with a set of flat polygonals (most often, triangles). Mosaic models of a general surface are used for:

Realistic visulaisation of a surface (body) on a computer screen (taking into account perspective, removing invisible faces that reflect material properties, overlapping of shadows from the sources of light)

Presenting 3D data in a neutral format to use in any application (including machine tools for rapid prototyping and fabrication)

Calculating other mash model representations (mash for finite element method, tetragonal basic mesh for subdivisional surfaces)

Quick definition of collusions between solid bodies

Mosaic models consist of a set of flat faces, each of which has it own normal line (to distinguish internal and external surface sides) and node coordinates. Mosaic models are superficial – they do not contain information on the volume and solid bodies.