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Published January 1, 1981 | public
Journal Article Open

Superquadrics and Angle-Preserving Transformations

Barr, Alan H.

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, a great deal of interest has developed in the use of computer graphics and numerical methods for three-dimensional design. Significant progress in geometric modeling is being made, predominantly for objects best represented by lists of edges, faces, and vertices. One long-term goal of this work is a unified mathematical formalism, to form the basis of an interactive and intuitive design environment in which designers can simulate three-dimensional scenes with shading and texture, produce usable design images, verify numerical machining-control commands, and set up finite-element meshwork for structural and dynamic analysis. A new collection of smooth parametric objects and a new set of three-dimensional parametric modifiers show potential for helping to achieve this goal. The superquadric primitives and angle-preserving transformations extend the traditional geometric primitives-quadric surfaces and parametric patches-used in existing design packages, producing a new spectrum of flexible forms. Their chief advantage is that they allow complex solids and surfaces to be constructed and altered easily from a few interactive parameters.

Additional Information

© Copyright 1981 IEEE. Reprinted with permission. I wish to thank Jeff Goldsmith for developing the depth buffer used for most of the illustrations, Bruce Edwards for technical assistance with the figures, and Louis Doctor for Figures 11 and 16. This article is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant ISP79-20240; any findings or opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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August 22, 2023
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October 16, 2023