Mesh simplification and approximation describes a class of algorithms that transform a given polygonal mesh into another mesh with fewer faces, edges, and vertices [Gotsman et al. 02, Luebke et al. 03]. The simplification or approximation procedure is usually controlled by user-defined quality criteria, which favor meshes that preserve specific properties of the original data as much as possible. Typical criteria include geometric distortion (e.g., Hausdorff distance, normals) or visual appearance (e.g., colors, features, etc.) [Cignoni et al. 98a].