Using Genetic Algorithms to Optimise Triangle Strips

There is an ever increasing demand for higher levels of visual detail in graphical applications, particularly in computer games and applications employing visualisation. Triangle strips have been commonly used to optimise the rendering of large geometric meshes. This paper investigates the process of generating optimal triangle strips through the use of genetic algorithms (GA), to remove the need for special knowledge of the intended hardware platform. Two methods – L-System encoding and parameter tuning of an established algorithm were implemented and tested. The results of this work show that over an extended period of time, solutions can be achieved that are comparable to existing triangle stripping techniques, but the best results were obtained from using the GA to tune the parameters of an existing triangle stripping algorithm