Chapter 5: Quadratic and Cubic Bezier Curves

   



What Are Bezier Curves?

Bezier curves are named after Pierre Bézier (recently deceased), who invented them during the 1970s. Since Bezier curves can represent many non-linear shapes, they can be found in interesting applications, including PostScript for the representation of fonts. Search the Web for Bezier and you will find many Web pages with interesting demonstrations (some of which also require additional plug-ins). You'll also find computer programs written in C and Java, some of which are interactive, that demonstrate Bezier curves.

Cubic Bezier curves have two end points and two control points, whereas quadratic Bezier curves have two end points and a single control point. The x-coordinate and y-coordinate of a cubic Bezier curve can be represented as a parameterized cubic equation whose coefficients are derived from the control points and the end points. The beauty of SVG is that it allows you to define both quadratic and cubic Bezier curves via the SVG path element without having to delve into the mathematical underpinnings of Bezier curves. If you're interested in learning the specific details, you can browse the Web, where you'll find books and plenty of articles that cover this topic.



   



Fundamentals of SVG Programming. Concepts to Source Code
Fundamentals of SVG Programming: Concepts to Source Code (Graphics Series)
ISBN: 1584502983
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 362

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