3D Shape Matching for Retrieval and Recognition

Nowadays, multimedia information such as images and videos are present in many aspects of our lives. Three-dimensional information is also becoming important in different applications, for instance, entertainment, medicine, security, art, just to name a few. It is therefore necessary to study how to properly process 3D information taking advantage of the properties that it provides. This chapter gives an overview of 3D shape matching and its applications in shape retrieval and recognition. In order to present the subject, we opted for describing in detail four approaches with good balance among maturity and novelty, namely, the PANORAMA descriptor, spin images, functional maps, and Heat Kernel Signatures for retrieval. We also aim at stressing the importance of this field in areas such as computer vision and computer graphics, as well as the importance of addressing the main challenges on this research field.