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 2924 5 2924 2924 5 2924 2924 5 2924