Subdivision surfaces for CAD - an overview

Subdivision surfaces refer to a class of modelling schemes that define an object through recursive subdivision starting from an initial control mesh. Similar to B-splines, the final surface is defined by the vertices of the initial control mesh. These surfaces were initially conceived as an extension of splines in modelling objects with a control mesh of arbitrary topology. They exhibit a number of advantages over traditional splines. Today one can find a variety of subdivision schemes for geometric design and graphics applications. This paper provides an overview of subdivision surfaces with a particular emphasis on schemes generalizing splines. Some common issues on subdivision surface modelling are addressed. Several key topics, such as scheme construction, property analysis, parametric evaluation and subdivision surface fitting, are discussed. Some other important topics are also summarized for potential future research and development. Several examples are provided to highlight the modelling capability of subdivision surfaces for CAD applications. q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.