Decorating implicit surfaces, H. Pederson, Siggraph 95 pages 291-300. Computes (approximate) geodesics on the iso surface and uses these to create patches/iso parameter lines.

Scatter a bunch of points on the surface that are equidistant.

Shortest graph paths will now be (approximately) shortest paths, i.e., geodesics.

Use piece-wise linear approximations of the curve.

Minimize the covariant derivative (D alpha' / dt ) = alpha''(t) - N(t), i.e., how much the second derivative is twisting off the iso-parameter line.

To compute the interior iso-parameter lines, place a vector field on the patch. Minimize the difference in the angles between adjacent points, i.e., make the arrows point in the same direction. Boundary points are fixed.

Use the flows to place the geodesics.

Now make the isoparameter lines evenly spaced (minimize Green-Lagrange tensor).