MATHEMATICAL REPRESENTATION
OF CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Parametric equations and their developments are presented in vector form.
Review of Vector Algebra
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the equation and endpoints of a line that passes through a point P1 parallel to an existing
line and is trimmed by point P2
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Relate the CAD/CAM command to their mathematical foundation that finds
the distance between a point and a line.
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
However, this is an inefficient way due to computing the
trigonometric functions in the equation for each point.
A less computational method is to write above Eq. in an
incremental form.
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the radius and the center of a circle whose diameter is given by two points.
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the radius and the center of a circle passing through three points
The unit vectors defining the directions of these chords in
space are known and given by
To find the center of the circle, the following three equations
can be written
Each of these vector equations implies that the
component of a vector radius in the direction of any of the
three chords is equal to half the chord length.
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the radius and the center of a circle passing through three points
Expanding and rearranging the equations in a
matrix form yields
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the center of a circle that is tangent to two known lines with a given radius.
The unit vectors can be defined as
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the center of a circle that is tangent to two known lines with a given radius.
This vector equation can be solved for either u or v
Substituting this value in previous Eq.
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the radius and the center of a circle passing through three points
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
Find the center of a circle that is tangent to two known lines with a given radius.
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF ANALYTIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
Continuity Requirement
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
Classification of Synthetic Curves
Interpolator Curve
Approximator Curve
Types of Synthetic Curves
Hermite Curve
Bezier Curve
B-Spline Curve
PARAMETRIC REPRESENTATION OF SYNTHETIC CURVES
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
Parametric spline curves are defined as piecewise polynomial curves with a certain order of continuity. A
polynomial of degree N has continuity of derivatives of order (N – 1).
Splines draw their name from the traditional draftsman’s tool called “French curves or splines.”
The parametric cubic spline curve (or cubic spline for short) connects two data (end) points and utilizes
a cubic equation.
A cubic spline hence has a fixed degree i.e. 3.
Required Data to draw the curve
• Starting and end points.
• Tangent vectors at starting and end points.
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
The parametric equation of a cubic spline segment is given by
where u is the parameter and Ci are the polynomial (also called algebraic) coefficients.
In scalar form this equation is written as
This equation can also be written in a matrix form as
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
The tangent vector to the curve at any point is given by differentiating Eq. with respect to u to give
In order to find the coefficients Ci, consider the cubic spline curve with the two endpoints P0 and P1 shown in
Fig. Applying the boundary conditions (P0, P'0 at u = 0 and P1, P'1 at u = 1),
Solving these four equations simultaneously for the coefficients gives
Substituting and rearranging gives
Blending Function
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
Control of Cubic Spline Curve
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
Given a set of n points P0, P1, …, Pn–1 and the two end tangent vectors
P'0 and P'n–1 , connect the points with a cubic spline curve.
For curvature continuity between the first two segments, we can
write
P''(u1 = 1) = P''(u2 = 0)
Hermite Curve or Hermite Cubic Spline or Cubic Spline
Advantages:
• Calculations are easy.
Disadvantages:
• More Data Pts are required.
• Due to the tangent vectors shape prediction is difficult.
• Degree of curve is always fixed.
• Local control of curve is not possible.
Bezier Curves
Bezier curves and surfaces are credited to P. Bezier of the French car firm Renault who developed (about 1962) and
used them in his software system called UNISURF which has been used by designers to define the outer panels of
several Renault cars.
Advantages of the Bezier curve over the cubic spline curve are:
• The shape of Bezier curve is controlled by its defining points only.
• First derivatives are not used in the curve development as in the case of the cubic spline. This allows the
designer a much better feel for the relationship between input (points) and output (curve).
• The order or the degree of Bezier curve is variable and is related to the number of points defining it; n + 1
points define an nth degree curve which permits higher-order continuity. This is not the case for cubic
splines where the degree is always cubic for a spline segment.
• The Bezier curve is smoother than the cubic spline because it has higher-order derivatives.
➢ Cubic splines are based on interpolation techniques.
➢ Curves resulting from these techniques pass through the given points.
➢ Approximation techniques produce curves that do not pass through the given data points. Instead, these points are
used to control the shape of the resulting curves.
➢ Bezier and B-spline curves are examples based on approximation techniques.
Bezier Curves
• The Bezier curve is defined in terms of the locations of n + 1 points.
• They form the vertices of what is called the control or Bezier characteristic polygon which uniquely defines the
curve shape as shown in Fig.
• Only the first and the last control points or vertices of the polygon actually lie on the curve.
• The other vertices define the order, derivatives and shape of the curve. The curve is also always tangent to the
first and last polygon segments.
• The order of defining the control points changes the polygon definition which changes the resulting curve shape
consequently.
Bezier Curves
Mathematically, for n + 1 control points, the Bezier curve is defined by the following polynomial of degree n:
where P(u) is any point on the curve and Pi is a control point. Bi,n are the Bernstein polynomials. The Bernstein
polynomial serves as the blending or basis function for the Bezier curve and is given by
where C(n, i) is the binomial coefficient
Bezier Curves
Bezier Curves
Bezier Curves
Bezier Curves
For Hermite Curve
Bezier Curves
Bezier Curves
Characteristics of the Bezier curve
The characteristics of the Bezier curve are based on the properties of the Bernstein polynomials and can be
summarized as follows:
• The curve interpolates the first and last control points, that is. it passes through P0 and Pn if we
substitute u = 0 and 1 in Eq.
• The curve is tangent to the first and last segments of the characteristic polygon.
Bezier Curves
Characteristics of the Bezier curve
The characteristics of the Bezier curve are based on the properties of the Bernstein polynomials and can be
summarized as follows:
• The curve is symmetric with respect to u and (1 − u).
• Each control point is most influential on the curve shape at u = i/n.
• The curve shape can be modified by either changing one or more vertices of its polygon or by
keeping the polygon fixed and specifying multiple coincident points at a vertex
Bezier Curves
Characteristics of the Bezier curve
The characteristics of the Bezier curve are based on the properties of the Bernstein polynomials and can be
summarized as follows:
• A closed Bezier curve can simply be generated by closing its characteristic polygon or choosing P0
and Pn to be coincident
• For any valid value of u, the sum of the Bernstein functions “Bi, n ” associated with the control
points is always equal to unity for any degree of Bezier curve.
Bezier Curves
Characteristics of the Bezier curve
Bezier Curves
Characteristics of the Bezier curve
CONVEX HULL PROPERTY
A curve is said to have the convex hull property if it lies entirely within the convex hull defined by the
polygon vertices.
• The curve always lies inside its convex hull.
• The curve never oscillates wildly away from its, defining control points.
• If the polygon defining a curve segment degenerates to a straight line, the resulting segment must
therefore be linear. Thus a Bezier curve may have locally linear segments embedded in it, which is a
useful design feature.
Bezier Curves
DRAWBACKS OF BÉZIER CURVES
Bezier Curves
DRAWBACKS OF BÉZIER CURVES
Bezier Curves
DRAWBACKS OF BÉZIER CURVES
B-Spline Curves
• B-spline curves are the proper and powerful generalization of Bezier curves.
• It provide local control of the curve shape as opposed to global control.
• It provide the ability to add control points without increasing the degree of the curve.
• B-spline curves have the ability to interpolate or approximate a set of given data points.
• B-spline curves separates the degree of the resulting curve from the number of the given control
points.
The B-spline curve defined by n + 1 control points Pi is given by
• The parameter k controls the degree (k − 1) of the resulting B-spline curve and is usually
independent of the number of control points.
• The maximum limit of the parameter u is no longer unity as it was so chosen for Bezier
curves.
B-Spline Curves
The B-spline functions have the following properties:
Partition of unity:
Positivity:
Local support:
Continuity:
B-Spline Curves
The B-spline function also has the property of recursion which is defined as
The ui are called parametric knots or knot values.
B-Spline Curves
Find the equation of a cubic B-spline curve defined by the same control points
as
This cubic spline has k = 4 and n = 3.
(n + k + 1) knots are needed to create a (k - 1) degree curve defined by (n + 1) control points. Eight
knots are needed to calculate the B-spline functions.
B-Spline Curves
B-Spline Curves
B-Spline Curves
B-Spline Curves
B-Spline Curves
Characteristics of B-spline curves
• A nonperiodic B-spline curve passes through the first and last control points P0 and Pn+1 and is tangent to
the first (P1 − P0) and last (Pn+1 − Pn) segments of the control polygon, similar to the Bezier curve.
• The local control of the curve can be achieved by changing the position of a control point(s), using
multiple control points by placing several points at the same location, or by choosing a different degree
(k − 1).
B-Spline Curves
Characteristics of B-spline curves
• A nonperiodic B-spline curve passes through the first and last control points P0 and Pn+1 and is tangent to
the first (P1 − P0) and last (Pn+1 − Pn) segments of the control polygon, similar to the Bezier curve.
• The local control of the curve can be achieved by changing the position of a control point(s), using
multiple control points by placing several points at the same location, or by choosing a different degree
(k − 1).
• Increasing the degree of the curve tightens it.
B-Spline Curves
Characteristics of B-spline curves
• A nonperiodic B-spline curve passes through the first and last control points P0 and Pn+1 and is tangent to
the first (P1 − P0) and last (Pn+1 − Pn) segments of the control polygon, similar to the Bezier curve.
• The local control of the curve can be achieved by changing the position of a control point(s), using
multiple control points by placing several points at the same location, or by choosing a different degree
(k − 1).
• Increasing the degree of the curve tightens it.
• A second-degree curve is always tangent to the midpoints of all the internal polygon segments
B-Spline Curves
Characteristics of B-spline curves
• A nonperiodic B-spline curve passes through the first and last control points P0 and Pn+1 and is tangent to
the first (P1 − P0) and last (Pn+1 − Pn) segments of the control polygon, similar to the Bezier curve.
• The local control of the curve can be achieved by changing the position of a control point(s), using
multiple control points by placing several points at the same location, or by choosing a different degree
(k − 1).
• Increasing the degree of the curve tightens it.
• A second-degree curve is always tangent to the midpoints of all the internal polygon segments.
• If k equals the number of control points (n + 1), then the resulting B-spline curve becomes a Bezier
curve. In this case the range of u becomes zero to one.
B-Spline Curves
Characteristics of B-spline curves
• A nonperiodic B-spline curve passes through the first and last control points P0 and Pn+1 and is tangent to
the first (P1 − P0) and last (Pn+1 − Pn) segments of the control polygon, similar to the Bezier curve.
• The local control of the curve can be achieved by changing the position of a control point(s), using
multiple control points by placing several points at the same location, or by choosing a different degree
(k − 1).
• Increasing the degree of the curve tightens it.
• A second-degree curve is always tangent to the midpoints of all the internal polygon segments.
• If k equals the number of control points (n + 1), then the resulting B-spline curve becomes a Bezier
curve. In this case the range of u becomes zero to one.
• Multiple control points induce regions of high curvature of a B-spline curve.