An Interactive Computer Graphics Approach to Surface Representation

An in teractive computer graphics method has been
developed for the rapid generation of arbitrary 
shaped three-dimensional surfaces.  The method is a synthesis
of spline theory and algorithms, an in teractive 
means for man-machine communication, and software for
static or dynamic graphics display.  The basic 
technique employed is a modified lofting method on
which sectional curves are represented by uniform 
B-splines and the surface is in terpolated between sections
by Cardinal splines.  Among the features of 
this method are algorithms which enable in teractive
modification of the B-spline representation of the 
sectional curves.  At all stages of the process, the
spatial information is graphically displayed to 
the user.  Complex surfaces can be created by the combination
of a number of shapes that have been separately 
generated and automatically joined.  The system has been
successfully in terfaced to a variety of analytical 
routines for structural, medical and graphical applications.

CACM October, 1977

Wu, Sheng-Chuan
Abel, J. F.
Greenberg, D. P.

computer graphics, three-dimensional surface representation,
splines, lofting,finite element input 
methods

3.20 3.23 3.34 8.1 8.2

CA771002 JB December 27, 1977  11:53 AM

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