Optimal multi-degree reduction of Bézier curves with G2-continuity

In this paper we present a novel approach to consider the multi-degree reduction of Bézier curves with G2-continuity in L2norm. The optimal approximation is obtained by minimizing the objective function based on the L2-error between the two curves. In contrast to traditional methods, which typically consider the components of the curve separately, we use geometric information on the curve to generate the degree reduction. So positions, tangents and curvatures are preserved at the two endpoints. For avoiding the singularities at the endpoints, regularization terms are added to the objective function. Finally, numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithms. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.