How to select a loop on arbitrary meshes ?

[AntoineSfx]

Say you have Tommy, polyreduced to 20%. This is too easy for nice meshes, because you could most certainly follow the almost colinear edges and find the loop on the first try.

Now if you start from the elbow, how do you find a path that :

1/ is an edge loop

2/ is minimal with respect to some metric

3/ is non trivial

4/ goes all around the arm.

 

I can't find a good definition for the constraint 4.

I can find an intuitive definition , but it always looks like it's conflicting with constraint 2 and 3 

Do you think it translates to a well known computational geometry problem ?

I am on something that uses Find Shortest Paths and Labs Straight Skeleton 3d

[cushwa]

If the point count doesn't matter then you can use a knife tool to cut an edge loop where you want one. 

[AntoineSfx]

7 hours ago, cushwa said:

If the point count doesn't matter then you can use a knife tool to cut an edge loop where you want one. 

I was thinking of something that is non interactive, a.k.a VEX

I should have mentioned this