Speaker:
Maurizio Paolini

Title:
A software code to manipulate apparent contours

Abstract:
Given a smooth compact embedded surface in 3D, its
apparent contour is a 2D sketch that corresponds to
the jump set of a function that counts the number
of intersections of the surface with lines orthogonal 
to a given plane.  This jump set is then completed by
adding appropriate informations on its arcs.

We want to understand if two surfaces are isotopic
from their apparent contour, which seems to boil down
to defining an appropriate set of "topological 
modification rules" that transform a contour without
affecting the isotopy of the corresponding surface.

Our software project "appcontour" (hosted on sourceforge)
should provide an environment for dealing with 
apparent contours and such rules.

(jount work with Giovanni Bellettini and Valentina Beorchia).