Method for encoding a 3D mesh model that comprises a plurality of connected components, said connected components having repeated geometric features, the method comprising steps of automatically analyzing the 3D mesh model, wherein the analysing comprises: - determining connected components of the 3D mesh model; - normalizing said connected components, the normalizing of a connected component comprising normalizing an orientation and a scale of said component; - comparing the normalized connected components to each other for discovering repeated geometry patterns, each repeated geometry pattern being representative of a repeated geometry feature, each connected component being represented by an identifier of the corresponding repeated geometry pattern, called geometry pattern identifier, and transformation information for reconstructing the connected component from said corresponding repeated geometry pattern, the transformation information comprising at least a center, scale factors and orientations axes of said connected component, the orientation axes and scale factors of all connected components being respectively clustered and, the centers of the connected components being compressed by organizing them using a space tree wherein, each leaf node records a geometry pattern identifier, a cluster identifier of orientation axes, called orientation axes cluster identifier, an orientation residual corresponding to said center, a cluster identifier of scale factors, called scale factor cluster identifier, and a scale factor residual corresponding to said center; compressing each repeated geometry pattern using a 3D mesh encoder, wherein each repeated geometry pattern is identified by a geometry pattern identifier; entropy encoding each connected component as represented by its respective geometric pattern identifier, position of the center, scale factor cluster identifier, scale factor residual, orientation axis cluster identifier and orientation residual. - determining connected components of the 3D mesh model; - normalizing said connected components, the normalizing of a connected component comprising normalizing an orientation and a scale of said component; - comparing the normalized connected components to each other for discovering repeated geometry patterns, each repeated geometry pattern being representative of a repeated geometry feature, each connected component being represented by an identifier of the corresponding repeated geometry pattern, called geometry pattern identifier, and transformation information for reconstructing the connected component from said corresponding repeated geometry pattern, the transformation information comprising at least a center, scale factors and orientations axes of said connected component, the orientation axes and scale factors of all connected components being respectively clustered and, the centers of the connected components being compressed by organizing them using a space tree wherein, each leaf node records a geometry pattern identifier, a cluster identifier of orientation axes, called orientation axes cluster identifier, an orientation residual corresponding to said center, a cluster identifier of scale factors, called scale factor cluster identifier, and a scale factor residual corresponding to said center; <EOS>