Approximate Bézier curves by cubic LN curves

In order to derive the offset curves by using cubic Bézier curves with a linear field of normal vectors (the so-called LN Bézier curves) more efficiently, three methods for approximating degree n Bézier curves by cubic LN Bézier curves are considered, which includes two traditional methods and one new method based on Hausdorff distance. The approximation based on shifting control points is equivalent to solving a quadratic equation, and the approximation based on L₂ norm is equivalent to solving a quartic equation. In addition, the sufficient and necessary condition of optimal approximation based on Hausdorff distance is presented, accordingly the algorithm for approximating the degree n Bézier curves based on Hausdorff distance is derived. Numerical examples show that the error of approximation based on Hausdorff distance is much smaller than that of approximation based on shifting control points and L₂ norm, furthermore, the algorithm based on Hausdorff distance is much simple and convenient.     

The dual bases for the Bézier-Said-Wang type generalized Ball polynomial bases and their applications

A unifying representation for the existing generalized Ball bases and the Bernstein bases are given. Then the dual bases for the Bézier-Said-Wang type generalized bases (BSWGB for short) are presented. The Marsden identity and the mutual transformation formulas between Bézier curve and Bézier-Said-Wang type generalized curve (BSWGB curve) are also given. These results are very useful for the applications of BSWGB curves and their popularization in CAGD. Numerical examples are also given to show the effectiveness of our methods.     

Conditions for coincidence of two cubic Bézier curves

This paper presents a necessary and sufficient condition for judging whether two cubic Bézier curves are coincident: two cubic Bézier curves whose control points are not collinear are coincident if and only if their corresponding control points are coincident or one curve is the reversal of the other curve. However, this is not true for degree higher than 3. This paper provides a set of counterexamples of degree 4.     

A planar cubic Bézier spiral

A planar cubic Bézier curve segment that is a spiral, i.e., its curvature varies monotonically with arc-length, is discussed. Since this curve segment does not have cusps, loops, and inflection points (except for a single inflection point at its beginning), it is suitable for applications such as highway design, in which the clothoid has been traditionally used. Since it is polynomial, it can be conveniently incorporated in CAD systems that are based on B-splines, Bézier curves, or NURBS (nonuniform rational B-splines) and is thus suitable for general curve design applications in which fair curves are important.     

Approximating rational triangular Bézier surfaces by polynomial triangular Bézier surfaces

An attractive method for approximating rational triangular Bézier surfaces by polynomial triangular Bézier surfaces is introduced. The main result is that the arbitrary given order derived vectors of a polynomial triangular surface converge uniformly to those of the approximated rational triangular Bézier surface as the elevated degree tends to infinity. The polynomial triangular surface is constructed as follows. Firstly, we elevate the degree of the approximated rational triangular Bézier surface, then a polynomial triangular Bézier surface is produced, which has the same order and new control points of the degree-elevated rational surface. The approximation method has theoretical significance and application value: it solves two shortcomings-fussy expression and uninsured convergence of the approximation-of Hybrid algorithms for rational polynomial curves and surfaces approximation.     

An extension of the Bézier model

In this paper, we first construct a new kind of basis functions by a recursive approach. Based on these basis functions, we define the Bézier-like curve and rectangular Bézier-like surface. Then we extend the new basis functions to the triangular domain, and define the Bernstein-Bézier-like surface over the triangular domain. The new curve and surfaces have most properties of the corresponding classical Bézier curve and surfaces. Moreover, the shape parameter can adjust the shape of the new curve and surfaces without changing the control points. Along with the increase of the shape parameter, the new curve and surfaces approach the control polygon or control net. In addition, the evaluation algorithm for the new curve and triangular surface are provided.     

Smooth polynomial approximation of spiral arcs

Constructing fair curve segments using parametric polynomials is difficult due to the oscillatory nature of polynomials. Even NURBS curves can exhibit unsatisfactory curvature profiles. Curve segments with monotonic curvature profiles, for example spiral arcs, exist but are intrinsically non-polynomial in nature and thus difficult to integrate into existing CAD systems. A method of constructing an approximation to a generalised Cornu spiral (GCS) arc using non-rational quintic Bézier curves matching end points, end slopes and end curvatures is presented. By defining an objective function based on the relative error between the curvature profiles of the GCS and its Bézier approximation, a curve segment is constructed that has a monotonic curvature profile within a specified tolerance.     

On the conditions for the coincidence of two cubic Bézier curves

In a recent article, Wang et al. [2] derive a necessary and sufficient condition for the coincidence of two cubic Bézier curves with non-collinear control points. The condition reads that their control points must be either coincident or in reverse order. We point out that this uniqueness of the control points for polynomial cubics is a straightforward consequence of a previous and more general result of Barry and Patterson, namely the uniqueness of the control points for rational Bézier curves. Moreover, this uniqueness applies to properly parameterized polynomial curves of arbitrary degree.     

Necessary and sufficient conditions for rational quartic representation of conic sections

Conic section is one of the geometric elements most commonly used for shape expression and mechanical accessory cartography. A rational quadratic Bézier curve is just a conic section. It cannot represent an elliptic segment whose center angle is not less than π$\pi$. However, conics represented in rational quartic format when compared to rational quadratic format, enjoy better properties such as being able to represent conics up to 2π$2\pi$ (but not including 2π$2\pi$) without resorting to negative weights and possessing better parameterization. Therefore, it is actually worth studying the necessary and sufficient conditions for the rational quartic Bézier representation of conics. This paper attributes the rational quartic conic sections to two special kinds, that is, degree-reducible and improperly parameterized; on this basis, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the rational quartic Bézier representation of conics are derived. They are divided into two parts: Bézier control points and weights. These conditions can be used to judge whether a rational quartic Bézier curve is a conic section; or for a given conic section, present positions of the control points and values of the weights of the conic section in form of a rational quartic Bézier curve. Many examples are given to show the use of our results.     

Approximating conic sections by constrained Bézier curves of arbitrary degree

In this paper, an algorithm for approximating conic sections by constrained Bézier curves of arbitrary degree is proposed. First, using the eigenvalues of recurrence equations and the method of undetermined coefficients, some exact integral formulas for the product of two Bernstein basis functions and the denominator of rational quadratic form expressing conic section are given. Then, using the least squares method, a matrix-based representation of the control points of the optimal Bézier approximation curve is deduced. This algorithm yields an explicit, arbitrary-degree Bézier approximation of conic sections which has function value and derivatives at the endpoints that match the function value and the derivatives of the conic section up to second order and is optimal in the _L2$L_2$ norm. To reduce error, the method can be combined with a curve subdivision scheme. Computational examples are presented to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm for a whole curve or its part generated by a subdivision.     

Circle approximation using LN Bézier curves of even degree and its application

We present an approximation method of circular arcs using linear-normal (LN) Bézier curves of even degree, four and higher. Our method achieves G^m$G^m$ continuity for endpoint interpolation of a circular arc by a LN Bézier curve of degree 2m  , for m=2,3$m=2,3$. We also present the exact Hausdorff distance between the circular arc and the approximating LN Bézier curve. We show that the LN curve has an approximation order of 2m+2$2m+2$, for m=2,3$m=2,3$. Our approximation method can be applied to offset approximation, so obtaining a rational Bézier curve as an offset approximant. We derive an algorithm for offset approximation based on the LN circle approximation and illustrate our method with some numerical examples.     

Improved bounds on the magnitude of the derivative of rational Bézier curves

In this paper we derive some new derivative bounds of rational Bézier curves according to some existing identities and inequalities. The comparison of the new bounds with some existing ones is also presented.     

Triangular Bézier sub-surfaces on a triangular Bézier surface

This paper considers the problem of computing the Bézier representation for a triangular sub-patch on a triangular Bézier surface. The triangular sub-patch is defined as a composition of the triangular surface and a domain surface that is also a triangular Bézier patch. Based on de Casteljau recursions and shifting operators, previous methods express the control points of the triangular sub-patch as linear combinations of the construction points that are constructed from the control points of the triangular Bézier surface. The construction points contain too many redundancies. This paper derives a simple explicit formula that computes the composite triangular sub-patch in terms of the blossoming points that correspond to distinct construction points and then an efficient algorithm is presented to calculate the control points of the sub-patch.     

Hybrid polynomial approximation to higher derivatives of rational curves

In this paper, we extend the results published in JCAM volume 214 pp. 163-174 in 2008. Based on the bound estimates of higher derivatives of both Bernstein basis functions and rational Bézier curves, we prove that for any given rational Bézier curve, if the convergence condition of the corresponding hybrid polynomial approximation is satisfied, then not only the l-th (l=1,2,3) derivatives of its hybrid polynomial approximation curve uniformly converge to the corresponding derivatives of the rational Bézier curve, but also this conclusion is tenable in the case of any order derivative. This result can expand the area of applications of hybrid polynomial approximation to rational curves in geometric design and geometric computation.     

Computing the minimum distance between two Bézier curves

A sweeping sphere clipping method is presented for computing the minimum distance between two Bézier curves. The sweeping sphere is constructed by rolling a sphere with its center point along a curve. The initial radius of the sweeping sphere can be set as the minimum distance between an end point and the other curve. The nearest point on a curve must be contained in the sweeping sphere along the other curve, and all of the parts outside the sweeping sphere can be eliminated. A simple sufficient condition when the nearest point is one of the two end points of a curve is provided, which turns the curve/curve case into a point/curve case and leads to higher efficiency. Examples are shown to illustrate efficiency and robustness of the new method.     

Multi-degree reduction of tensor product Bézier surfaces with general boundary constraints

We propose an efficient approach to the problem of multi-degree reduction of rectangular Bézier patches, with prescribed boundary control points. We observe that the solution can be given in terms of constrained bivariate dual Bernstein polynomials. The complexity of the method is O(mn₁n₂) with m ? min(m₁, m₂), where (n₁, n₂) and (m₁, m₂) is the degree of the input and output Bézier surface, respectively. If the approximation—with appropriate boundary constraints—is performed for each patch of several smoothly joined rectangular Bézier surfaces, the result is a composite surface of global C^r continuity with a prescribed r ? 0. In the detailed discussion, we restrict ourselves to r ∈ {0, 1}, which is the most important case in practical application. Some illustrative examples are given.     

Iterative process for G-multi degree reduction of Bézier curves

In this paper, the issue of multi-degree reduction of Bézier curves with C¹ and G²-continuity at the end points of the curve is considered. An iterative method, which is the first of this type, is derived. It is shown that this algorithm converges and can be applied iteratively to get the required accuracy. Some examples and figures are given to demonstrate the efficiency of this method.     

Design and shape adjustment of developable surfaces

This paper presents two direct explicit methods of computer-aided design for developable surfaces. The developable surfaces are designed by using control planes with C-Bézier basis functions. The shape of developable surfaces can be adjusted by using a control parameter. When the parameter takes on different values, a family of developable surfaces can be constructed and they keep the characteristics of Bézier surfaces. The thesis also discusses the properties of designed developable surfaces and presents geometric construction algorithms, including the de Casteljau algorithm, the Farin–Boehm construction for G² continuity, and the G² Beta restricted condition algorithm. The techniques for the geometric design of developable surfaces in this paper have all the characteristics of existing approaches for curves design, but go beyond the limitations of traditional approaches in designing developable surfaces and resolve problems frequently encountered in engineering by adjusting the position and shape of developable surfaces.     

A note on iterative process for G-multi degree reduction of Bézier curves

In the paper [A. Rababah, S. Mann, Iterative process for G²-multi degree reduction of Bézier curves, Applied Mathematics and Computation 217 (2011) 8126-8133], Rababah and Mann proposed an iterative method for multi-degree reduction of Bézier curves with C¹ and G²-continuity at the endpoints. In this paper, we provide a theoretical proof for the existence of the unique solution in the first step of the iterative process, while the proof in their paper applies only in some special cases. Also, we give a complete convergence proof for the iterative method. We solve the problem by using convex quadratic optimization.