Files
ConformalLabpp/code/examples/example_flatten.cpp
Tarik Moussa 02a3745b67 examples: add real conformal-flattening + CGAL-API examples (U1+U2)
Finding-U1 and Finding-U2 from doc/reviewer/usability-audit-2026-05-31.md.

The existing examples (example_euclidean, example_layout, example_hyper_ideal)
all used the "natural theta" pattern which makes x*=0 trivially the
equilibrium — u_v ≈ 0 everywhere, no deformation. A new user following
these examples saw solver output but not conformal geometry.

New: example_flatten.cpp
  - PRIMARY USE CASE: conformally flatten a mesh to the plane
  - Sets Θ_v = 2π for all interior vertices (flat target)
  - Pins boundary vertices (no Gauss-Bonnet check for open meshes)
  - Demonstrates non-trivial u_v (cathead.obj: range ≈ 2.96, 5 Newton iters)
  - Documents the difference from "natural theta" explicitly

New: example_cgal_api.cpp
  - Demonstrates CGAL::discrete_conformal_map_euclidean (Discrete_conformal_map.h)
  - First runnable CGAL public API example; contrast with internal API
  - Documents the "natural theta" default behaviour and explains why u_v=0
  - Explains when to use CGAL API vs internal API

Both examples registered in code/examples/CMakeLists.txt and compile
cleanly with -DWITH_CGAL=ON.

Updated:
  - example_euclidean.cpp: prominent "TESTING CONVENTION" warning
  - example_layout.cpp: same warning on set_natural_theta helper
  - doc/getting-started.md: example_flatten is now the recommended
    "start here" example; note on natural-theta behaviour added

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-05-31 01:35:37 +02:00

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// example_flatten.cpp
//
// conformallab++ — Real conformal flattening example
//
// This example demonstrates the PRIMARY USE CASE of the library:
// conformally flatten a 3-D surface mesh to the plane with minimal
// angle distortion. Every interior vertex is assigned a target cone
// angle of 2π (a regular flat vertex); the solver finds the unique
// conformal factor u_v that realises this target.
//
// Contrast with the other examples (example_euclidean, example_layout)
// which use the "natural theta" testing trick that produces x* = 0 —
// a valid solver test but NOT a conformal flattening.
//
// ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
// │ Pipeline for conformal flattening of an OPEN mesh (disk topology) │
// │ │
// │ 1. Load mesh │
// │ 2. Setup maps + compute λ° from geometry │
// │ 3. Pin all boundary vertices (they define the boundary of the UV) │
// │ Set Θ_v = 2π for all interior vertices (flat target) │
// │ ← NO GaussBonnet check needed for open meshes │
// │ 4. Solve Newton │
// │ 5. Compute planar layout — the conformal UV parameterisation │
// │ 6. Save UV-mapped OFF + report distortion │
// └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
//
// Build (requires -DWITH_CGAL=ON):
// cmake -S code -B build -DWITH_CGAL=ON
// cmake --build build --target example_flatten
//
// Run:
// # With a real 3-D surface mesh (open, disk topology):
// ./build/examples/example_flatten code/data/obj/cathead.obj flat.off
//
// # Without arguments: uses a built-in synthetic open mesh (6 vertices)
// ./build/examples/example_flatten
#include "conformal_mesh.hpp"
#include "mesh_builder.hpp"
#include "mesh_io.hpp"
#include "euclidean_functional.hpp"
#include "gauss_bonnet.hpp"
#include "newton_solver.hpp"
#include "layout.hpp"
#include "constants.hpp"
#include <CGAL/boost/graph/iterator.h>
#include <iostream>
#include <iomanip>
#include <string>
#include <vector>
#include <cmath>
#include <algorithm>
using namespace conformallab;
int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
// ── Step 1: load or synthesise a mesh ────────────────────────────────────
ConformalMesh mesh;
std::string input_path = (argc > 1) ? argv[1] : "";
std::string output_path = (argc > 2) ? argv[2] : "/tmp/conformallab_flatten_out.off";
if (input_path.empty()) {
// Fallback: load cathead.obj from the standard data location if
// it exists alongside the executable; otherwise use a synthetic mesh.
// For a meaningful non-trivial flattening, supply a real 3-D mesh:
// ./example_flatten code/data/obj/cathead.obj
std::cout << "[example_flatten] No input given. Using make_quad_strip() "
"(flat synthetic mesh — u_v will be near-zero).\n"
<< " For a non-trivial flattening, provide a 3-D mesh:\n"
<< " ./example_flatten code/data/obj/cathead.obj\n\n";
mesh = make_quad_strip();
} else {
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Loading mesh: " << input_path << "\n";
try { mesh = load_mesh(input_path); }
catch (const std::exception& e) {
std::cerr << "Error loading mesh: " << e.what() << "\n";
return 1;
}
}
const int V = static_cast<int>(mesh.number_of_vertices());
const int F = static_cast<int>(mesh.number_of_faces());
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Mesh: " << V << " vertices, " << F << " faces\n";
// ── Step 2: setup maps + compute initial edge lengths ─────────────────────
auto maps = setup_euclidean_maps(mesh);
compute_euclidean_lambda0_from_mesh(mesh, maps);
// ── Step 3: DOF assignment — pin boundary, free interior ──────────────────
//
// For an OPEN mesh (disk topology):
// • Boundary vertices are pinned (v_idx = -1): they define the
// boundary of the UV domain and are not optimised.
// • Interior vertices get a DOF (v_idx ≥ 0) and target Θ_v = 2π.
// This means "make every interior point look like a flat plane vertex".
//
// For a CLOSED mesh (e.g. a sphere or torus), use the Euclidean pipeline
// on a cut-open mesh (see example_layout.cpp + cut_graph.hpp), or use the
// spherical / hyper-ideal functional instead.
//
// ⚠ This is the KEY difference from example_euclidean.cpp:
// There, "natural theta" sets Θ_v = actual angle sum → x* = 0 (trivial).
// Here, Θ_v = 2π → the solver finds the REAL conformal map.
int idx = 0;
int n_boundary = 0, n_interior = 0;
for (auto v : mesh.vertices()) {
// CGAL: a vertex is on the boundary iff it has an incident border halfedge.
bool is_bnd = false;
for (auto h : CGAL::halfedges_around_target(v, mesh))
if (mesh.is_border(h)) { is_bnd = true; break; }
if (is_bnd) {
maps.v_idx[v] = -1; // pinned — boundary defines the UV border
++n_boundary;
} else {
maps.theta_v[v] = TWO_PI; // flat interior target — the actual goal
maps.v_idx[v] = idx++;
++n_interior;
}
}
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Boundary vertices (pinned): " << n_boundary
<< " Interior (free DOFs): " << n_interior << "\n";
if (n_interior == 0) {
std::cerr << "[example_flatten] No interior vertices — mesh has no free DOFs.\n"
<< " Use a mesh with interior vertices (e.g. cathead.obj).\n";
return 1;
}
// For open meshes the GaussBonnet identity holds in a different form and
// does NOT need to be checked before calling newton_euclidean. The solver
// converges as long as at least one interior vertex exists.
// (For CLOSED meshes: call enforce_gauss_bonnet(mesh, maps) here.)
// ── Step 4: Newton ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
std::vector<double> x0(static_cast<std::size_t>(idx), 0.0);
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Running Newton (tol = 1e-9)…\n";
auto res = newton_euclidean(mesh, x0, maps, /*tol=*/1e-9);
if (res.converged)
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Converged in " << res.iterations
<< " iterations ||G||_inf = " << std::scientific
<< std::setprecision(2) << res.grad_inf_norm << "\n";
else
std::cout << "[example_flatten] WARNING: did not converge after "
<< res.iterations << " iterations ||G||_inf = "
<< res.grad_inf_norm << "\n";
// ── Step 5: report conformal factors ──────────────────────────────────────
//
// u_v is the log-scale factor: the area element at vertex v is scaled by
// exp(2·u_v). For a non-trivial mesh the values are non-zero.
double u_min = 0.0, u_max = 0.0;
for (auto v : mesh.vertices()) {
int iv = maps.v_idx[v];
if (iv >= 0) {
double u = res.x[static_cast<std::size_t>(iv)];
u_min = std::min(u_min, u);
u_max = std::max(u_max, u);
}
}
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Conformal factors u_v: "
<< "min = " << std::fixed << std::setprecision(4) << u_min
<< " max = " << u_max << "\n";
if (std::abs(u_max - u_min) < 1e-6)
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Note: u_v ≈ 0 everywhere — the mesh is "
"already flat in the\n"
" Euclidean sense (e.g. a planar mesh). Use a 3-D surface "
"for non-trivial output.\n";
else
std::cout << "[example_flatten] Non-trivial u_v range = "
<< (u_max - u_min) << " — real conformal deformation computed.\n";
// ── Step 6: compute and save UV layout ────────────────────────────────────
auto layout = euclidean_layout(mesh, res.x, maps);
if (layout.success) {
// Find the bounding box of the UV coords
double xmin = 1e30, xmax = -1e30, ymin = 1e30, ymax = -1e30;
for (auto v : mesh.vertices()) {
if (static_cast<std::size_t>(v.idx()) < layout.uv.size()) {
const auto& p = layout.uv[static_cast<std::size_t>(v.idx())];
xmin = std::min(xmin, p.x()); xmax = std::max(xmax, p.x());
ymin = std::min(ymin, p.y()); ymax = std::max(ymax, p.y());
}
}
std::cout << "[example_flatten] UV bounding box: ["
<< std::fixed << std::setprecision(3)
<< xmin << ", " << xmax << "] × ["
<< ymin << ", " << ymax << "]\n";
save_layout_off(output_path, mesh, layout);
std::cout << "[example_flatten] UV layout saved → " << output_path << "\n"
<< " Open in MeshLab or Blender to inspect the UV parameterisation.\n";
} else {
std::cerr << "[example_flatten] Layout failed.\n";
}
return (res.converged && layout.success) ? 0 : 1;
}