The dimension of bivariate spline spaces of smoothness r for degree \(d\geq 4r+1\) (Q1103799)

Spaces of piecewise polynomials of degree d defined over a triangulation of a polygonal domain and possessing r continuous derivatives globally are considered. Morgan and Scott constructed a basis in the case where \(r=1\) and \(d\geq 5\). The purpose of the paper is to extend the dimension part of their result to \(r\geq 0\) and \(d\geq 4r+1\). The authors use Bézier nets as a crucial tool in deriving the dimension of such spaces.