<i>habtools</i> : An R package to calculate <scp>3D</scp> metrics for surfaces and objects

Abstract

Abstract Technological advances in three imaging techniques have opened the door to advanced morphological analyses and habitat mapping for biologists and ecologists. At the same time, the challenge of translating complex 3D data into meaningful metrics that can be used in conjunction with biological data currently hinders progress and accessibility. We introduce habtools , an R package that provides R functions to efficiently calculate complexity and shape metrics from DEMs, 3D meshes and 2D shapes as well as some helper functions to facilitate workflow. We expect the functionality of habtools to continue to expand as new metrics and faster methods become available, and we welcome new contributions and ideas.