Abstract
Curves are important in computer graphics for two reasons:
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1.
The main task of computer graphics is to generate realistic-looking images. Most real objects are seen because they reflect light, so the computer has to simulate the way light is reflected from a surface. This requires a mathematical model of the surface of an object and such a model is normally based on a model for a single curve. An understanding of computer graphics should therefore start with curves, continue with surfaces, and include a model of light reflection from a surface.
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2.
Some important graphics problems are two-dimensional and can be solved with curves, without the need for surfaces and light reflection. Examples are computer art (drawing and painting), technical drawing, and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Clothes designers, for example, can benefit from a program that can draw general curves and that can later automatically cut material along a given curve. In fact, the fair cubic splines (Section 4.8.7) were originally developed to design and cut insoles and other shoe parts.
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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Salomon, D. (1999). Curves. In: Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1504-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1504-2_4
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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