Similar to images and videos, 3D models are now on their way to become the new form of digital media. They are extensively used in many fields including Computer-Aided Design (CAD), digital entertainment, molecular biology and education. Moreover, the world wide web supports their large scale accessibility and sharing. Consequently 3D models are becoming more and more ubiquitous.

The emergence of a new form of digital media has always been followed by tools for their storage and retrieval. This research project aims to develop new shape descriptors for content-based 3D model retrieval. A shape descriptor is a compact numerical representation which encodes the main features of a 3D model. It serves as a mean for indexation and comparison.