# MeshUDF: Fast and Differentiable Meshing of Unsigned Distance Field Networks

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.14549 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.14549/

## Key facts

- Cited by 76 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 27 of its 40 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 29 Nov 2021.

## Builds on (most cited first, 27 of 27)

- [Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.6980/) (2014)
- [ShapeNet: An Information-Rich 3D Model Repository](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03012/) (2015)
- [DeepSDF: Learning Continuous Signed Distance Functions for Shape Representation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1901.05103/) (2019)
- [Implicit Neural Representations with Periodic Activation Functions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.09661/) (2020)
- [Occupancy Networks: Learning 3D Reconstruction in Function Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.03828/) (2018)
- [Learning Implicit Fields for Generative Shape Modeling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.02822/) (2018)
- [Convolutional Occupancy Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.04618/) (2020)
- [Implicit Geometric Regularization for Learning Shapes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.10099/) (2020)
- [Neural 3D Mesh Renderer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.07566/) (2017)
- [SAL: Sign Agnostic Learning of Shapes from Raw Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.10414/) (2019)
- [DISN: Deep Implicit Surface Network for High-quality Single-view 3D Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.10711/) (2019)
- [Neural Unsigned Distance Fields for Implicit Function Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.13938/) (2020)
- [Multi-Garment Net: Learning to Dress 3D People from Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.06903/) (2019)
- [DIST: Rendering Deep Implicit Signed Distance Function with Differentiable Sphere Tracing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.13225/) (2019)
- [SMPLicit: Topology-aware Generative Model for Clothed People](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.06871/) (2021)
- [SALD: Sign Agnostic Learning with Derivatives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.05400/) (2020)
- [MeshSDF: Differentiable Iso-Surface Extraction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.03997/) (2020)
- [DeepWrinkles: Accurate and Realistic Clothing Modeling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1808.03417/) (2018)
- [DualSDF: Semantic Shape Manipulation using a Two-Level Representation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.02869/) (2020)
- [Controlling Neural Level Sets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.11911/) (2019)
- [Curriculum DeepSDF](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.08593/) (2020)
- [Neural Marching Cubes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.11272/) (2021)
- [Deep Implicit Surface Point Prediction Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.05779/) (2021)
- [Geodesic Convolutional Shape Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.04016/) (2018)
- [Learning Anchored Unsigned Distance Functions with Gradient Direction Alignment for Single-view Garment Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.08478/) (2021)
- [GarNet++: Improving Fast and Accurate Static3D Cloth Draping by Curvature Loss](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.10867/) (2020)
- [DeepMesh: Differentiable Iso-Surface Extraction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.11795/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 76)

- [SparseFlex: High-Resolution and Arbitrary-Topology 3D Shape Modeling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21732/) (2025)
- [NeuralUDF: Learning Unsigned Distance Fields for Multi-view Reconstruction of Surfaces with Arbitrary Topologies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.14173/) (2022)
- [Neural Signed Distance Function Inference through Splatting 3D Gaussians Pulled on Zero-Level Set](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.14189/) (2024)
- [CAP-UDF: Learning Unsigned Distance Functions Progressively from Raw Point Clouds with Consistency-Aware Field Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.02757/) (2022)
- [Surface Reconstruction from Point Clouds: A Survey and a Benchmark](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.02413/) (2022)
- [DrapeNet: Garment Generation and Self-Supervised Draping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.11277/) (2022)
- [NeUDF: Leaning Neural Unsigned Distance Fields with Volume Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.10080/) (2023)
- [Single-view 3D Scene Reconstruction with High-fidelity Shape and Texture](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.00457/) (2023)
- [Learning a More Continuous Zero Level Set in Unsigned Distance Fields through Level Set Projection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.11441/) (2023)
- [NeAT: Learning Neural Implicit Surfaces with Arbitrary Topologies from Multi-view Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12012/) (2023)
- [ISP: Multi-Layered Garment Draping with Implicit Sewing Patterns](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.14100/) (2023)
- [GeoUDF: Surface Reconstruction from 3D Point Clouds via Geometry-guided Distance Representation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.16762/) (2022)
- [Mesh-based Gaussian Splatting for Real-time Large-scale Deformation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.04796/) (2024)
- [DIG: Draping Implicit Garment over the Human Body](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.10845/) (2022)
- [Ghost on the Shell: An Expressive Representation of General 3D Shapes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.15168/) (2023)
- [Garment Recovery with Shape and Deformation Priors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.10356/) (2023)
- [UDiFF: Generating Conditional Unsigned Distance Fields with Optimal Wavelet Diffusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.06851/) (2024)
- [Robust Zero Level-Set Extraction from Unsigned Distance Fields Based on Double Covering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.03431/) (2023)
- [GarmentDreamer: 3DGS Guided Garment Synthesis with Diverse Geometry and Texture Details](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.12420/) (2024)
- [VRP-UDF: Towards Unbiased Learning of Unsigned Distance Functions from Multi-view Images with Volume Rendering Priors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.16396/) (2024)
- [Neural Vector Fields: Implicit Representation by Explicit Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.04341/) (2023)
- [GaussianUDF: Inferring Unsigned Distance Functions through 3D Gaussian Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.19458/) (2025)
- [WordRobe: Text-Guided Generation of Textured 3D Garments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.17541/) (2024)
- [PoNQ: a Neural QEM-based Mesh Representation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.12870/) (2024)
- [Multimodal Latent Diffusion Model for Complex Sewing Pattern Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.14453/) (2024)
- [Single View Garment Reconstruction Using Diffusion Mapping Via Pattern Coordinates](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.08353/) (2025)
- [DMesh++: An Efficient Differentiable Mesh for Complex Shapes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.16776/) (2024)
- [Neural Vector Fields for Implicit Surface Representation and Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.06552/) (2022)
- [DUDF: Differentiable Unsigned Distance Fields with Hyperbolic Scaling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.08876/) (2024)
- [Neural-ABC: Neural Parametric Models for Articulated Body with Clothes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.04673/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Unsigned Distance Fields (UDFs) can be used to represent non-watertight surfaces. However, current approaches to converting them into explicit meshes tend to either be expensive or to degrade the accuracy. Here, we extend the marching cube algorithm to handle UDFs, both fast and accurately. Moreover, our approach to surface extraction is differentiable, which is key to using pretrained UDF networks to fit sparse data.