Curves and Surfaces for CAGD, 5th Edition

Preface

Computer aided geometric design (CAGD) is a discipline dealing with computational aspects of geometric objects. It is best explained by a brief historical sketch.¹

Renaissance naval architects in Italy were the first to use drafting techniques that involved conic sections. Prior to that, ships were built “hands on” without any mathematics being involved. These design techniques were refined through the centuries, culminating in the use of splines—wooden beams that were bent into optimal shapes. In the beginning of the twentieth century, airplanes made their first appearance. Their design (or rather, the design of the outside fuselage) was streamlined by the use of conic sections, as pioneered by R. Liming [390]. He devised methods that ...