Surface patch techniques for computational geometry

Abstract

A method and system for computer aided design (CAD) is disclosed for designing geometric objects, wherein interpolation and/or blending between such objects is performed while deformation data is being input. Thus, a designer obtains immediate feedback to input modifications without separately entering a command(s) for performing such deformations. A novel N-sided surface generation technique is also disclosed herein to efficiently and accurately convert surfaces of high polynomial degree into a collection of lower degree surfaces. E.g., the N-sided surface generation technique disclosed herein subdivides parameter space objects (e.g., polygons) of seven or more sides into a collection of subpolygons, wherein each subpolygon has a reduced number of sides. More particularly, each subpolygon has 3 or 4 sides. The present disclosure is particularly useful for designing the shape of surfaces. Thus, the present disclosure is applicable to various design domains such as the design of, e.g., bottles, vehicles, and watercraft. Additionally, the present disclosure provides for efficient animation via repeatedly modifying surfaces of an animated object such as a representation of a face.