Exponential splines and minimal-support bases for curve representation (Q419465)

The paper addresses the generation of curves under geometric restrictions from Computer Aided Geometric design field. The curve representation can be done either by subdivision schemes where the curve is described as the limit of a refinement process or by parametric schemes, where the curve is described continuously by some coefficients using basis functions. In this paper, a parametric curve representation model that can replicate ellipses as well as high order algebraic curves is meant. In order to give a characterization of the spline-like integer-shift-invariant bases capable to reproduce exponential polynomial curves, the authors prove that any compact-support basis function that reproduces a subspace of the exponential polynomials can be expressed as the convolution of an exponential \(B\)-spline with a compact support distribution. Further, they derive that the minimal-support basis functions of that subspace are linear combinations of derivatives of exponential \(B\)-splines. This characterization allows the author to develop fast multiresolution algorithms and to construct nonstationary subdivision schemes that have the same reproduction properties in order to represent closed geometric curves. In the last part, the proposed model is illustrated by identifying a basis with minimal support that reproduces ellipses and higher order harmonic curves.