Parametric Curves & Surfaces

Introduction to Computer Graphics

CSE 470/598
Arizona State University
Dianne Hansford
Overview
What is a parametric curve/surface?
Why use parametric curves & surfaces?
Bzier curves & surfaces
NURBS
Trimmed surfaces
OpenGL library
What is a parametric curve?
Recall functions from calculus ...

Example: y = 2x 2x
2

Parametric curves
give us more flexibility
x
y
=
x
2x 2x
2
To illustrate, we
plot graph of function
What is a parametric curve?
2D parametric curve takes the form
x
y
f(t)
g(t)
Where f(t) and g(t)
are functions of t
=
Example: Line thru points a and b
x
y
(1-t) a
x
+ t b
x

(1-t) a
y
+ t b
y
=
Mapping of the real line to 2D: here t in [0,1] line segment a,b
What is a parametric curve?
3D curves defined similarly
x
y
z
f(t)
g(t)
h(t)
=
Example: helix
x
y
z
cos(t)
sin(t)
t
=
Bzier Curves
Polynomial parametric curves
f(t), g(t), h(t) are polynomial functions
Bzier curve b(t)
Bzier control points b
i
Bzier polygon
Curve mimics shape of polygon

t in [0,1] maps to curve between polygon
b(0) = b
0
and b(1) = b
n
figure: degree n=3 (cubic)
Bzier Curves
Examples
linear: b(t) = (1-t) b
0
+ t b
1
quadratic: b(t) = (1-t)
2
b
0
+ 2(1-t)t b
1
+ t
2
b
2
cubic: b(t) = (1-t)
3
b
0
+ 3(1-t)
2
t b
1

+ 3(1-t)t
2
b
2
+ t
3
b
3
Bernstein basis B
i
n
(t) = {n!/(n-i)! i!} (1-t)
n-i
t
i
n=1
n=2
n=3
Bzier Curves

Bzier Curves
Bzier points and Bernstein basis
Nice, intuitive method to create curves
Variable display resolution
Minimal storage needs
Bzier Curves
Bzier points and Bernstein basis
Monomial basis: 1, t, t
2
, t
3
,....
ex: quadratic a(t) = a
0
+ t a
1
+ t
2
a
2

a
0
is point on curve
a
1
is first derivative vector
a
2
is second derivative vector

Not very practical to design curves with!
nice, intuitive method to create curves
Compare to
at t=0
Bzier Curves
local and global parameter intervals
Piecewise Bzier curves global parameter u
e.g., time
[u0,u1]
[u1,u2]
Each curve evaluated for t in [0,1]
If specify u in global space
then must find t in local space
t = (u-u0) / (u1-u0)
figure: 2 quadratic curves
Bzier Curves
Piecewise Bzier curves
Conditions to create
a smooth transition
Filled squares are
junction Bezier points
-- start/endpoint of a curve
Bzier Curves in OGL
Basic steps:
Define curve by specifying
degree, control points and
parameter space [u0,u1]
Enable evaluator
Call evaluator with parameter u in [u0, u1]
Specify each u:
glEvalCoord1*()

Autocreate uniformly spaced u:
glMapGrid1*()
glEvalMesh1()
glMap1*()
or
Color and texture available too!
Bzier Curve Evaluation
de Casteljau algorithm
another example of repeated subdivision
On each polygon leg,
construct a point in the
ratio t : (1-t)

b
n
0
(t) is point on curve
figure: n=3
What is a parametric surface?
3D parametric surface takes the form
x
y
z
f(u,v)
g(u,v)
h(u,v)
Where f,g,h are bivariate
functions of u and v
=
mapping u,v-space to 3-space;
this happens to be a function too
Example:

x(u,v) =
u
v
u
2
+ v
2
Bzier Surface (Patch)
Polynomial parametric surface
f(u,v), g(u,v), h(u,v) are polynomial functions
written in the Bernstein basis

Bzier surface b(u,v)
Bzier control points b
ij
Bzier control net
Bzier Surface
Structure
v
(0,0)
u
(1,1)
b
00
b
33
b
30
b
03
u
v
Bzier Surface
Properties
boundary curves
lie on surface

boundary curves
defined by
boundary polygons
Bzier Surface
Properties
Nice, intuitive method for creating surfaces

Variable display resolution

Minimal storage
Bzier Surface
Multiple patches
connected smoothly
Conditions on control net
similar to curves
difficult to do manually
Bzier Surface
Display
wireframe
shaded
choose direction
isoparametric curves
OGL: glMap2*, glEvalCoord2*
glMapGrid2, glEvalMesh2
OGL: triangles & normals
created for you
NURBS
Non-uniform Rational B-splines
B-splines are piecewise polynomials
One or more Bezier curves /surfaces
One control polygon
Rational: lets us represent circles exactly
GLU NURBS utility
Trimmed Surfaces
Parametric surface with parts of the
domain invisible
Jorg Peters UFL group
GLU Trimmed NURBS utility
Surf
Lab
domain
References
The Essentials of CAGD
by Gerald Farin & DCH, AK Peters
http://eros.cagd.eas.asu.edu/%7Efarin/essbook/essbook.h
tml
Ken Joys CAGD notes (UC Davis)
http://graphics.cs.ucdavis.edu/CAGDNotes/homepage.html
Jorg Peters UFL SurfLab group
http://www.cise.ufl.edu/research/SurfLab/index.html
OpenGL Red Book Chapter 12