SPHERE_CVT is a MATLAB library which iteratively approximates a centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT) on the unit sphere.
The CVT approximation algorithm used here is quite simple. We start with XYZ, an arbitrary set of points on the unit sphere. We compute the convex hull, from that the Delaunay triangulation, and from that the Voronoi diagram. Finally, we compute the centroids of the Voronoi polygons, and overwrite XYZ with this data. This iteration may be carried out repeatedly. While in the plane, the Voronoi cells all tend to the same shape and area, on a sphere there are certain constraints. A typical CVT, if it has properly converged, will generally have 12 pentagons, with the other polygons being hexagons. Cases in which polygons of degree 4 or 7 occur indicate that the iteration is not near enough to completion. Because of the occurrence of two polygonal shapes, the areas of the cells will tend to two separate values.
The code, as presented here, is quite preliminary. In particular, the process of converting the Delaunay information into information about the Voronoi polygons is inefficient. I suspect, though, that I can compute the centroids almost immediately, without having to go through the tedious process of determining the ordering of the Voronoi vertices that constitute each Voronoi polygon. If I can clear that up, then it should be possible to apply this simple algorithm to systems with hundreds of points.
The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the GNU LGPL license.
SPHERE_CVT is available in a FORTRAN90 version and a MATLAB version.
GEOMETRY, a MATLAB library which computes various geometric quantities, including grids on spheres.
SPHERE_CVT, a FORTRAN90 library which creates a mesh of well-separated points on a unit sphere using Centroidal Voronoi Tessellations.
SPHERE_DELAUNAY, a MATLAB program which computes the Delaunay triangulation of points on a sphere.
SPHERE_DESIGN_RULE, a FORTRAN90 library which returns point sets on the surface of the unit sphere, known as "designs", which can be useful for estimating integrals on the surface, among other uses.
SPHERE_GRID, a MATLAB library which provides a number of ways of generating grids of points, or of points and lines, or of points and lines and faces, over the unit sphere.
SPHERE_LEBEDEV_RULE, a dataset directory which contains sets of points on a sphere which can be used for quadrature rules of a known precision;
SPHERE_QUAD, a MATLAB library which approximates an integral over the surface of the unit sphere by applying a triangulation to the surface;
SPHERE_VORONOI, a MATLAB program which computes the Voronoi diagram of points on a sphere.
SPHERE_VORONOI_DISPLAY_OPENGL, a C++ program which displays a sphere and randomly selected generator points, and then gradually colors in points in the sphere that are closest to each generator.
SPHERE_XYZ_DISPLAY, a MATLAB program which reads XYZ information defining points in 3D, and displays a unit sphere and the points in the MATLAB 3D graphics window.
SPHERE_XYZF_DISPLAY, a MATLAB program which reads XYZF information defining points and faces, and displays a unit sphere, the points, and the faces, in the MATLAB 3D graphics window. This can be used, for instance, to display Voronoi diagrams or Delaunay triangulations on the unit sphere.
STRIPACK, a FORTRAN90 library which computes the Delaunay triangulation or Voronoi diagram of points on a unit sphere.
STRIPACK_INTERACTIVE, a FORTRAN90 program which reads an XYZ file of 3D points on the unit sphere, computes the Delaunay triangulation, and writes it to a file.
TOMS772, a FORTRAN77 library which is the original text of the STRIPACK program.
You can go up one level to the MATLAB source codes.
