The Essentials of CAGD

by Gerald Farin & Dianne Hansford

published by AK Peters, Ltd. 2000
248 pages, ISBN: 1-56881-123-3

New print run available 2013 -- errata incorporated
(Look for CRC Press as the publisher)

The Essentials of CAGD is an introduction to the basic concepts of Computer Aided Geometric Design (CAGD). It is aimed at non-mathematicians and could be used as an undergraduate text in Geometric Modeling. It covers the basic concepts of Bezier curves and surfaces as well as their B-spline generalizations. It covers applications such as least squares methods and subdivision surfaces. The book contains over 200 illustrations and numerous numerical examples on 248 pages.

The figures are not included as window dressing, in fact they play an important role in bringing the reader to a robust understanding of the mathematics. However they are not only instructional, they are also fun!

For example, on the right is an example of font design. This happens to be the Chinese character for 'big'. Under this figure is the character used for creating a curve on a surface (cons).

Below we have something on the lighter side, a B-spline lollipop!