A Point Distribution Model requires first the choice of an appropriate representation for the data and then the estimation
of the density within this representation. Independent Component Analysis is a linear transform that represents the data in
a space where statistical dependencies between the components are minimized. In this paper, we propose Independent Component
Analysis as a representation for point distributions. We observe that within this representation, the density estimation is
greatly simplified and propose solutions to the most common problems concerning shapes. Mainly, testing shape feasibility
and finding the nearest feasible shape. We also observe how the description of shape deformations in terms of statistically
independent modes provides a more intuitive and manageable framework. We perform experiments to illustrate the results and
compare them with existing approaches.
Keywords Point distribution model - Shape Representation - Shape Description - Independent Component Analysis - Independent Modes of Variation
This work is supported by CICYT and EU grants TAP98-0631 and 2FD97-0220 and the Secretaría de Estado de Educación, Universidades,
Investigación y Desarollo from the Ministerio de Educación y Cultura de España.