  This paper investigates how the measurement of geometrical features of
structures obtained from ballistic deposition of objects with complex shapes,
particularly neuronal cells, can be used for characterization and analysis of
the shapes involved. The experiments were performed on both synthetic
(prototypes) and natural shapes. Two measurements were considered, namely the
surface roughness and the critical percolation density, with the former
providing better discrimination of shape characteristics for alpha and beta
neuronal cells of cat retina.
