In industries such as aerospace, automotive and shipbuilding, various mathematical models are used for the computer internal representation of curves and surfaces. Most of these industries have recently adopted B-Spline curves and surfaces to take advantage of their outstanding properties.
The B-Spline technique provides a high degree of flexibility in that it allows any order of continuity, including controllable discontinuity and local deformation ability. Compared to other methods, a B-Spline requires relatively little storage space and permits efficient evaluation, allowing direct manipulation of a curve or surface on an interactive graphics device.
The educational computer program B.SPLINE was designed to introduce designers to the B-Spline technique. B.SPLINE enables the user to generate and manipulate B-Spline curves using “rubber banding” on an Apollo computer. Since B-Spline surfaces are the logical extension of B-Spline curves, the use of B.SPLINE will provide designers with adequate knowledge to manipulate B-Spline surfaces.
B.SPLINE is currently used in the graduate curriculum of the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan.