Iterative Production

If the distribution patterns are not explicitly given, but their spatial statistical characteristics are known (see Sect. 3.5), then random-number generators can be applied for their production.

This can be implemented in two ways: either points are generated one after the other and then inserted into a point set, until the given specification is reached, or a point set is changed in such a way that its statistical characteristics corre­spond to given values. Both procedures are outlined shortly in the following. The first procedure class is termed iterative, the second adaptive.

Подпись: Poisson distributionПодпись: Dart-Throwing algorithmПодпись: Poisson disk distributionAn approximation of a Poisson distribution can be generated iteratively by a random generator, in that each coordinate is selected randomly indepen­dent from the others. The mean per region is determined by the number of points, divided by the area surface. Algorithms of this type are also called Dart­Throwing algorithms.

Such a distribution can also be generated directly: a random process gener­ates a radial increasing Poisson distribution at a given point density A after the following scheme [141]: we require independent and equally distributed unit vectors ei as well as independent and equally distributed numbers vi є [0, ..1]. The points pi are generated over

Подпись: / qi ' nA eu A > 0, i = 1, 2,. - ln Vi, qi+i = qi - ln Vi+i Подпись: piwhere

The point set has then the density A and is arranged according to the increasing radius. Variations of this procedure can be used also for the production of other distributions; for example a spatial anisotropy can be modeled by a change of the unit vectors ei.

To create a Poisson disk distribution is somewhat more complicated. Due to the local characteristic of the points – no other point may be within a specified radius r around each point – direct production is difficult. Here, a variant of the dart-throwing technique can be applied.

Again points are added iteratively to the point set; now, however, the system checks whether each point to be inserted is located within a disk surrounding

one of the so far given points. If not, then the point is inserted; otherwise it is rejected. The procedure works well for distributions whose point densities are so low that the Poisson disk criterion with given r can be easily satisfied. If, however, many points are already present in the point set, the fact that only a few positions are available for other points slows down the efficiency of the algorithm rapidly.

Updated: October 1, 2015 — 6:04 pm