B.Tech.

VII-Sem
CAD/CAM
• Textbooks:
• 1. CAD/CAM Principles and Applications by P N Rao
• 2. CAD/CAM by M. P. Groover and E. W. Zimmers
• 3. CAD/CAM/CIM by P Radhakrishnan, S. Subramanyan and V. Raju
• 4. Mastering CAD/CAM by Ibrahim Zeid
 Unit-I
INTRODUCTION

• CAD/CAM is a term which means computer aided design and computer

aided manufacturing.
• It is the technology concerned with the use of digital computers to
perform certain functions in design and production.
• Computer-aided design (CAD) can be defined as the use of computer
systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization
of a design.
• The computer systems consist of the hardware and software to perform
the specialized design functions required by the particular user firm.
• The CAD hardware includes the computer, one or more graphics
display terminals, keyboards, and other peripheral equipment.
• The CAD software consists of various CAD software eg. AutoCAD,
Catia, Unigraphics, solidworks,PTC Creo, Pro-E, Ansys, Nastran, Nisa,
Hypermesh etc.
• These softwares are used to create the model and perform various
types of analysis like static analysis, dynamic analysis, stress strain
calculation, heat transfer analysis, vibration analysis, fluid flow
analysis etc.
• These softwares are used in all such industry where design is involved
eg. automobile industry, aerospace.
• Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) can be defined as the use of
computer systems to plan, manage, and control the operations of a
manufacturing plant through either direct or indirect computer
interface with the plant's production resources.
• Various activities which comes under CAM are computer aided
process planning (CAPP), Material requirement planning (MRP),
Computer aided quality control (CAQC), Computer aided testing etc.
• In industry, CNC machines are mostly used to manufacture the
components.
• Some software eg. MasterCAM, Delcam, Catia, Unigraphics etc. which
is generally used for simulation of tool path and generating the CNC
part program.
• This part program can be directly used in CNC machine for machining
the workpart.
COMPUTERS IN INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURING
• The role of computers in manufacturing is classified into two groups:
1. Computer monitoring and control of the manufacturing proces
In this category are such applications where the computer is
directly interfaced with the manufacturing apparatus for monitoring
and control functions in the manufacturing process eg. CNC machine
for monitoring and controlling the operations.
2. Manufacturing support applications, which deals with the
preparations for actual manufacturing and post manufacturing
operations:
• In this category, all the support functions that computer can provide
for the successful completion of manufacturing operations.
• Computer aided design (CAD) - to develop the geometric model
• Computer aided design and drafting (CADD)- combining the CAD
function with drafting to generate the production drawings of the
part.
• Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) - computer software used to
develop the CNC part program
• Computer aided process planning (CAPP) - the use of computers to
generate the process plan for the complete manufacture of products
and parts.
• Computer aided tool design (CATD)- computer assistance to be used
for developing the tools for manufacture such as jigs, fixture etc.
• Computer aided planning- the use of computers for planning
functions such as material requirement planning, computer aided
scheduling etc.
• Computer aided quality control
 DESIGN PROCESS
• Before examining the several facets of computer-aided design, let us
first consider the general design process. The process of designing
something is characterized by Shigley as an iterative procedure,
which consists of six steps or phases:-
1. Recognition of need
2. Definition of problem
3. Synthesis
4. Analysis and optimization
5. Evaluation
6. Presentation
• 1. Recognition of need involves the realization by someone that a
problem exists for which some corrective action should be taken. This
might be the identification of some defect in a current machine
design by an engineer or the perception of a new product marketing
opportunity by a salesperson.

• 2. Definition of the problem involves a thorough specification of the

item to be designed. This specification includes physical and
functional characteristics, cost, quality, and operating performance.
• 3 & 4. Synthesis and analysis are closely related and highly interactive
in the design process. A certain component or subsystem of the
overall system is conceptualized by the designer, subjected to
analysis, improved through this analysis procedure, and redesigned.
The process is repeated until the design has been optimized within
the constraints imposed on the designer. The components and
subsystems are synthesized into the final overall system in a similar
interactive manner.
• 5. Evaluation is concerned with measuring the design against the
specifications established in the problem definition phase. This
evaluation often requires the fabrication and testing of a prototype
model to assess operating performance, quality, reliability, and other
criteria.
• 6. Presentation: The final phase in the design process is the
presentation of the design. This includes documentation of the design
by means of drawings, material specifications, assembly lists, and so
on. Essentially, the documentation requires that a design database be
created. Figure illustrates the basic steps in the design process,
indicating its iterative nature.
THE APPLICATION OF CAD SYSTEM FOR DESIGN
• The various design-related tasks which are performed by a modern
computer-aided design-system can be grouped into four functional
areas:
1. Geometric modeling
2. Engineering analysis
3. Design review and evaluation
4. Automated drafting
• These four areas correspond to the final four phases in Shigley's
general design process as shown.
Geometric modeling
The three types are:
1. 2D model
2. 2½D model
 3. 3D model:
(i) Wireframe model: edge representation of the object

Fig. Wireframe model of fighter aircraft

Three-dimensional wire-frame representations of an object are
sometimes inadequate for complicated shapes.
(ii) Surface model
(iii) Solid model
Engineering analysis:

Finite element model of a plate

Finite-element analysis of aeroplane

Design review and evaluation
• Checking the accuracy of the design can be accomplished
conveniently on the graphics terminal using CAD software.
• The designer can zoom in on part design details and magnify the
image on the computer screen for close scrutiny.
• A procedure called layering is often helpful in design review.
• interference checking- This involves the analysis of an assembled
structure in which there is a risk that the components of the assembly
may occupy the same space.
• Kinematics- It provides the capability to animate the motion of simple
designed mechanisms such as hinged components and linkages. This
capability enhances the designer‟s visualization of the operation of
the mechanism and helps to ensure against interference with other
components.
Automated drafting
• Automated drafting involves the creation of hard-copy engineering
drawings directly from the CAD data base. Most CAD systems are
capable of generating as many as six views of the part eg.
orthographic view, sectional views, isometric view etc.
 PRODUCT CYCLE
Here we examine the various activities and functions that must be accomplished in the design and
manufacture of a product. We will refer to these activities and functions as the product cycle.
• The cycle is driven by customers and markets which demand the
product.
• Depending on the particular customer group, there will be
differences in the way the product cycle is activated. In some cases,
the design functions are performed by the customer and the product
is manufactured by a different firm. In other cases, design and
manufacturing is accomplished by the same firm.
• Whatever the case, the product cycle begins with a concept, an idea
for a product.
• This concept is cultivated, refined, analyzed, improved, and
translated into a plan for the product through the design engineering
process.
• The plan is documented by drafting set of engineering drawings
showing how the product is made and providing a set of
specifications indicating how the product should perform.
• This completes the design activities as shown in Figure.
• The next activities involve the manufacture of the product. A process
plan is formulated which specifies the sequence of production
operations required to make the product. New equipment and tools
must sometimes be acquired to produce the new product. Scheduling
provides a plan that commits the company to the manufacture of
certain quantities of the product by certain dates. Once all of these
plans are formulated, the product goes into production, followed by
quality testing, and delivery to the customer.
PRODUCT CYCLE OVERLAID WITH CAD/CAM
• The impact of CAD/CAM is involved in all of the different activities in the
product cycle, as shown in Figure.
• Computer-aided design and automated drafting are utilized in the
conceptualization, design, and documentation of the product.
• Computers are used in process planning and scheduling to perform these
functions more efficiently.
• Computers are used in production to monitor and control the
manufacturing operations.
• In quality control, computers are used to perform inspections and
performance tests on the product and its components.
• As shown in Figure, CAD/CAM is overlaid on virtually all of the activities and
functions of the product cycle.
• In the design and production operations of a modern manufacturing firm,
the computer has become a pervasive, useful, and indispensable tool.
Benefits of CAD/CAM
• Improved engineering productivity
• Shorter lead times
• Reduced engineering personnel requirements
• Customer modifications are easier to make
• Faster response to requests for quotations
• Improved accuracy of design
• Provides better functional analysis to reduce prototype testing
• Assistance in preparation of documentation
• Designs have more standardization
• Better designs provided
• Improved productivity in tool design
• Reduced training time for routine drafting tasks and NC part programming
• Fewer errors in NC part programming
 COMPUTER GRAPHICS
• CAD/CAM software is based on computer graphics.
• Vector Generation

• - The process of turning on the pixels.

• Two Vector Generation Algorithm (line generating algorithm)

1. DDA (Digital Differential Analysers)

2. Bresenham’s Algorithm
DDA ALGORITHM
BRESENHAM’S LINE DRAWING ALGORITHM
 ANTI-ALIASING LINES

• The computer generated image will have jagged edges and

incorrectly rendered fine detail or texture.
• Objects smaller than the size of the pixel may be lost while displaying.
• Anti-aliasing is the technique adopted to solve these problems.
• One technique is to increase the sampling rate by increasing the
resolution of the raster.
• Another method is to calculate the raster at higher resolution and
display it at lower resolution by averaging the pixel and attribute at
the lower resolution.
• In particular, when lines or edges do not necessarily align directly
with a row or column of pixels, that line may appear unsmooth and
have a stair-step edge appearance.
• Antialiasing utilizes blending techniques to blur the edges of the lines
and provide the viewer with the illusion of a smoother line.
 COORDINATE SYSTEMS
1. World Coordinate System (WCS): The default coordinate system
when the user starts the modelling is WCS.
2. User Coordinate System (UCS)
• Sometime it becomes difficult to define certain geometries if they are
to be defined from WCS.
• In such case, alternate coordinate system is defined relative to WCS.
This coordinate system is called user coordinate system or working
coordinate system.
• UCS can be defined by shifting the origin only or by combining the
origin with the orientation of the axes also.
3. Screen Coordinate System (SCS) or display
coordinate system:
• This refers to the actual coordinates to be used for displaying the
image on the screen.
• A 1024X1024 display has SCS with a range of (0,0) to (1024, 1024).
The center of the screen has coordinates (512, 512).
• This SCS is used by CAD/CAM software to display relevant graphics by
converting directly from WCS to SCS (physical device).
• Generally for a geometric model, there is a data structure to store its
geometric data (relative to WCS) and a display file to store its display
data (relative to SCS).
DATABASE STRUCTURES FOR GRAPHIC
MODELLING
• There are three ways in which data can be organized:
(1) hierarchical (2) network (3) relational database
• In a hierarchical model, data files are arranged in a tree like structure
which facilitates searches along branch lines; records are
subordinated to other records at a higher level.
• Starting at the root of the tree, each file has a one-to-many
relationship to its branches. A parent file can have several children.
• A good example of such an organization might be a parts list, in which
each product is composed of assemblies which are in turn composed
of sub assemblies and/or component parts.
• As an example of hierarchical database structure, the parts list of
lathe assembly is shown in Figure.
2. NETWORK DATABASE
• The network database is a combination of several hierarchies in
which child files can have more than one parent file, thereby
establishing a many-to- many relationship among data.
• A hierarchical model is actually a subset of a network model.
3. RELATIONAL DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (RDBMS)
• Data is organized in the form of a table for a large variety of
manufacturing applications.
• RDBMS system supports tabular structure of the data and a
relationship between them to access the stored information.
 TRANSFORMATION OF GEOMETRY
• Many of the editing features involve transformations of the graphics
elements or even the entire model. In this section, mathematics of
these transformations will be explained.
• Two-dimensional transformations
• To locate a point in a two-axis cartesian coordinate system, the x and
y coordinates are specified. These coordinates can be treated
together as a 1x1 matrix: (x,y). For example, the matrix (2, 5) would
be interpreted to be a point which is 2 units from the origin in the
x-direction and 5 units from the origin in the y-direction.
• This method of representation can be conveniently extended to
define a line as a 2 x 2 matrix by giving the x and y coordinates of the
two end points of the line. The notation would be

L= ⎡x1 y1 ⎤
⎣ x2 y 2 ⎦
Types of transformation
1. Translational transformation
2. Scaling transformation
3. Rotational transformation
4. Shear transformation
5. Reflection or Mirror transformation
1. Translational transformation
Translation involves moving the element from one location to another.
• EXAMPLE
• As an illustration of these transformations in two dimensions,
consider the line defined by two end points (1,1) and (2,4).
• Let us suppose that it is desired to translate the line in space by 2
units in the x direction and 3 units in the y direction. This would
involve adding 2 to the current x value and 3 to the current y value of
the end points defining the line.
• That is, The new line would have end points at (3, 4) and (4, 7). The
effect of the transformation is illustrated in Figure
2. Scaling transformation
• Scaling of an element is used to enlarge it or reduce its size.
• The scaling need not necessarily be done equally in the x and y
directions.
• For example, a circle could be transformed into an ellipse by using
unequal x and y scaling factors.
Concatenation of Transformations
• Many a times it becomes necessary to combine the individual
transformations to achieve the required results.
• In such case, the combined transformation matrix can be obtained by
multiplying the respective transformation matrices.
 Homogeneous Representation
• In order to concatenate the transformations, all the transformation
matrices should be of multiplicative type. The following form can be
used to convert the translation transformation into multiplication
form.
3. Rotational Transformation

• In this transformation, the points of an object are rotated about the

origin by an angle Theta.
• For a positive angle, this rotation is in the counterclockwise direction.
This accomplishes rotation of the object by the same angle, but it also
moves the object.
• In matrix notation,
Reflection or Mirror Transformation
• Reflection is the mirror image of original object. In other words, we
can say that it is a rotation operation with 180°. In reflection
transformation, the size of the object does not change.
• The following figures show reflections with respect to X and Y axes,
and about the origin respectively.
 3D TRANSFORMATIONS
• 2D transformations can be extended to 3D by adding Z-axis
parameter.
 ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION
• The most common form of projection used in engineering drawings
is the orthographic projection.
 CLIPPING
• Clipping is very important element in the displaying of graphical
images.
• This helps in discarding the part of the geometry outside the viewing
window, such that all the transformations that are to be carried out
for zooming and panning of the image on the screen are applied only
on the necessary geometry.
• This improves the response of the system. For example, the image
shown inside the window with dark lines is the only part that will be
visible. All the geometry outside this window will be clipped (only for
display purpose).
 Clipping lines
• In order to carry out the clipping operation, it is necessary to know
whether the lines are completely inside the clipping rectangle,
completely outside the rectangle or partially inside the rectangle as
shown in Figure.
• To know whether a line is completely inside or outside the clipping
rectangle, the endpoints of the line can be compared with clipping
boundaries.
• For example, the line P1P2 is completely inside the clipping
rectangle, P3P4 and P9P10 are completely outside the clipping
rectangle, P5P6 is crossing the clipping boundary.
Cohen-Sutherland line Clipping Algorithm
• In this method all the lines are classified as to whether they are in,
out or partially in the window by an edge test.
• The end points of the line are classified as to where they are with
reference to the window by means of a 4-digit binary codes as shown
in Figure. The code is given by TBRL.
• The line is completely inside the window if both the end points are
equal to ‘0000’
• The line is completely outside the window if both the end points are
not equal to ‘0000’
• For those lines which are partially inside the window, they are split at
the window edge and the line segment is discarded outside the
window.
Sutherland- Hodgman polygon clipping algorithm
• The basic idea used in polygon clipping is that an n-sided polygon is
represented by n vertices.
• On each of the polygons, two tests are conducted.
• If the line (edge of the polygon) intersects the window edge, the
precursor point is added to the output list.
• If the next vertex is outside the window, discard it otherwise and add
to the output list.
• This process is repeated for all the edges of the polygon. The resulting
image is an m-sided polygon.
 UNIT-II
GEOMETRIC MODELING
•Geometric modeling involves the use of a CAD system
to develop a mathematical description of the
geometry of an object.
•Computer compatible mathematical representation of
the geometry of an object is called geometric model.
 GEOMETRIC MODELLING
• Two-dimensional
• Three-dimensional
The three principal classifications can be
• The line model (wireframe modelling),
• The surface model, and
• The solid or volume model
 GEOMETRIC MODELLING
• The line model or wireframe model is inadequate for representing the
more complex solids. It is also possible to draw some impossible solid
objects using wireframe modelling as shown in Fig.
• However, in view of the simpler manipulation methods used in organizing
the wireframe models, these are used in low-end designing and
manufacturing systems. Examples could be AutoCAD, Versa CAD, Personal
designer of Computer Vision
• The surface model is constructed essentially from surfaces such as planes,
rotated curved surfaces (ruled surfaces) and even very complex surfaces.
These are often capable of clearly representing the solid from the
manufacturing point of view.
• This method is used more for specific non-analytical surfaces, called
sculptured surfaces, such as those used for modelling car bodies and ship
hulls. There are a number of mathematical techniques available for
handling these surfaces such as Bézier and B-spline surface.
Geometric Modelling
Geometric Modelling
 REQUIREMENTS OF GEOMETRIC MODELING
• 3D modelling eg. solid model, surface model allows engineers and
designers to build realistic computer models of parts and assemblies
using CAD software.
Various functions of geometric modelling
1. Design analysis
•Evaluation of areas and volumes
•Evaluation of mass and inertia properties
•Interference checking in assemblies
•Simulation
•Automatic mesh generation for finite element analysis
•drafting
2. Manufacturing
• CNC part program generation and verification
• parts classification
• Process planning
• Robot program generation
• 3D printing
 GEOMETRIC MODELS
Types of geometric models:
1. 2D model
2. 2½D model
3. 3D model:
(i) Wireframe model
(ii) Surface model
(iii) Solid model
 GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTION METHODS
1. Linear extrusion or translational sweep
2. Rotational sweep
Shell
Solid model based on constructive solid geometry (CSG)
scheme
For combining the primitives to form the complex solid model,
Boolean operators are used.
(i) Union (Addition)
(ii) Difference (Subtraction)
(iii) Intersection
CONSTRAINT BASED MODELLING
Types of constraints
(i) Under constraint
(ii) Fully constraint
(iii) Over constraint
CURVE REPRESENTATION
• Two types of curve:
(i) Analytic curve eg. Point, line, arc, circle
* represented by analytic equation eg. Line: y=mx+c
(ii) Synthetic curve eg. Cubic spline curve, Bezier curve, B-spline curve
* set of control points ( data points) are required to get the curve.
Bezier curve
CURVE REPRESENTATION
Curves can be represented mathematically in two ways.
(i) Nonparametric representation of curve
Nonparametric equations can be represented in two form.
(a) explicit form (b) implicit form
eg. equation of circle in nonparametric form
• Explicit form: X2 + Y2= R2 or Y2= R2 - X2 : Y = F(X)
• Implicit form: X2 + Y2- R2 =0 : F(X, Y)=0
(ii) Parametric representation of curve
One parameter is introduced eg. u and equation is represented in
terms of that parameter.
eg. equation of circle in parametric form
• X= R Cosα
• Y= R Sinα
• α is parameter
and α lies between o to 2π
Analytic Curve
Line
Non parametric equation of line
Y= mX + C
Parametric equation of line
P(u)= P1 + u( P2- P1)
X(u)= X1 + u(X2-X1)
Y(u)= Y1 + u(Y2-Y1)
Q. Determine the parametric representation of the line segment
between position vectors P1 [1 1] and P2 [4 5].
Ans:
Parametric representation of X & Y component of line is
P[u]=[X(u) Y(u)]
X(u)= X1 + u(X2-X1)
= 1+u(4-1)
=1 + 3u
Y(u)= Y1 + u(Y2-Y1)
= 1 + u(5-1)
= 1 + 4u
Circle
Ellipse
Parametric equation
Synthetic curves
Hermite cubic spline curve
Parametric equation of cubic spline curve
Bézier curve
•Bézier curve passes through the first and last control point.
•First polygon segment line and last polygon segment line is
tangent on the curve passing through first point and last
point respectively.
Bézier curve properties
•Bézier curve passes through the first and last control points
while it maintains proximity to the intermediate control
points. As such the entire Bézier curve lies in the interior of
the convex hull of the control points.
• First polygon segment line and last polygon segment line is
tangent on the curve passing through first point and last
point respectively.
•If a control point is moved the entire curve moves.
In matrix form
Order of continuity
B-spline curve
• B-spline curve has the flexibility of choosing the degree of the curve
irrespective of the number of control points.
• With four control points, it is possible to get a cubic Bézier curve,
while with B-spline curve one can get a linear, quadratic or cubic
curve.
• B-spline also uses the basis (blending) functions and the equation is of
the form
0 ≤ u ≤ umax
B-spline generates a single piecewise parametric polynomial curve through
any number of control points with the degree of the polynomial selected by
the designer.
• Where Ni,k (u) are the basis functions for B-spline curve.

• Ni,1 (u) = 1 if ui ≤ u ≤ ui+1

=0 otherwise

• where k controls the degree (k-1) of the resulting polynomial in u and also
the continuity of the curve. The ui are the knot values, which relate the
parametric variable u to the pi control points.
B-spline properties
• The plotting of B-spline curve is done by varying the parameter u over
the range of knot values (uk-1, un+1).
• The knot vector adds flexibility to the curve and provides better
control of its shape.
• Partition of Unity: For any knot span, [ui, ui+1],

• Positivity: Ni, k (u) ≥ 0 for all i, k and u.

B-spline properties
• Local Support Property:
Ni, k (u) = 0 if u ∉ [ui, ui+k+1]

This property can be deduced from the observation that Ni, k (u) is a
linear combination of Ni, k-1 (u) and Ni + 1, k-1 (u).
B-spline properties
• The curve follows the shape of the control points and lie in the convex hull of the
control points.
• B-splines exhibit local control, i.e., when a control point is moved only that
segment is influenced.
Surface Representation
Surface Representation
•The parametric equation of a surface (Fig. 4.62) is defined by
a set of three functions, one for each coordinate, as follows:
•p (u, v) = [x(u, v), y(u, v), z(u, v)]
•umin ≤ u ≤ umax, and vmin ≤ v ≤ vmax
•where u and v are the parameters for defining the surface in
the u-v plane.
Surface Representation

• umin ≤ u ≤ umax, and vmin ≤ v ≤ vmax

• where are the unit vectors along the x, y and z directions in the
cartesian space.

• Twist vector
26 September 2020 146
Types of surface

1. Analytic surface eg. spherical surface, plane surface,

ruled surface, surface of revolution

2. Synthetic surface eg. Bezier surface, B-spline surface,

coons surface, offset surface
Analytic Surface

Spherical surface
• The Cartesian representation of a spherical surface with radius r, can be defined
as a set of points (x, y, z) that satisfy the following equation:
• x 2 + y 2 + z2 = r 2
• The same surface in parametric form can be defined in terms of the angular
parameters φ and θ as
• x = r cos φ cos θ, where -π/2 ≤ φ ≤ π/2 and
• y = r cos φ sin θ, -π ≤ θ ≤ π
• z = r sin φ
 Surface of revolution
• Surface of revolution is generated by revolving a 2D closed curve
around an axis.
• Closed or open profile can also be used to generate surfaces of
revolution.
 Surface of revolution
• As shown earlier, the parametric equation of the entity to be rotated
is
P (u) = [x(u) y(u) z(u)]
• The parametric equation of the revolved surface will be a function of
the rotation angle φ in addition to u as shown in Fig 4.68. Hence any
point on the revolved surface is
Q (u, φ) = [x(u) y(u) cos φ y(u) sin φ]
Ruled Surface
• It is possible to choose any two curves which do not have to be of the
same degree with the same number of control points and the same
number of knots. To develop the parametric equation of the ruled
surface, consider the ruling ui, joining two points on the rails C1(u)
and C2(u). The equation of the ruling is
• P(ui, v) = C2 + v(C1i – C2i)
Generalizing the above equation, we get
• P(u, v) = C2(u) + v[C1(u) – C2(u)] = (1 – v) C2(u) + v C1(u)]
Parametric equation of ruled surface
P(u, v) = C2(u) + v[C1(u) – C2(u)] = (1 – v) C2(u) + v C1(u)]
Synthetic Surfaces
• The analytical surfaces discussed so far are simple, but do not have
sufficient flexibility for designers to work with.
• Synthetic surfaces offer designers with various tools that will help in
developing the desired surface shape.
Hermite Bicubic surface
• Four data points when connected by means of a bicubic equation is
called a Hermite bicubic surface.

• It is possible to expand in the matrix form as

• P(u, v) = UT [C] V 0 ≤ u ≤ 1, and 0 ≤ v ≤ 1

• Where U = [u3 u2 u 1]T, V = [v3 v2 v 1]T, and

Bézier surface
• Bézier surface is the extension of the Bézier curve.
Parametric equation

: 0 ≤ u ≤ 1, and 0 ≤ v ≤ 1

• where pij represents the rectangular array of control points (m + 1) ×

(n + 1) defining the vertices of the characteristic polyhedron of the
Bézier patch as shown in Fig. 4.72 for a 4 × 4 points
34
Bézier surface

• Bi,m(u) and Bj,n(u) are the ith and jth Bézier basis functions in the u-
and v- directions, respectively which are defined as follows:

• p(u, v) = UT [MB] [P] [MB]TV

Properties of Bézier surface
• Bézier surface passes through the control points at the four corners
of the control net.
• Convex Hull Property: A Bézier surface lies in the convex hull defined
by its control net. Convex hull in this case is formed by connecting the
furthest control points on the control polyhedron (Fig. 4.72).
• Bézier surface is tangent to the corner segments of the control
polyhedron.
• Manipulating the Bézier surface by changing some vertices of its
polyhedron or by keeping the polyhedron fixed and specifying
multiple coincident points of some vertices.
Properties of Bézier surface
• When the number of control points increases, the degree of Bézier
surface increases thereby decreasing the local control. This can be
compensated by making large surfaces as a combination of small
surface patches.
• This will help reduce the degree of the Bézier surface patch to
manageable value with local control. However care has to be taken to
see that appropriate continuity is maintained between surface patch
boundaries.