Cubic polynomial A-splines: \(G^{1}, G^{2}\) and inflection point control (Q853231)

This article is focused on the construction of algebraic splines compounded from singular Bézier cubic segments that interpolate an additional intermediate point. Here, the control points of a Bézier cubic are used to derive barycentric coordinates associated to the Bezier cubic. Thus, four original vertices of the control polygon of a Bézier cubic are transformed to three vertices of a control triangle. In barycentric coordinates, it is possible to obtain an implicit expression of the Bézier cubic and to calculate the coordinate of its singular point easily. The authors derive the conditions for such position of inner Bézier control points that the cubic expressed in barycentric coordinates interpolates a point in the control triangle. Since these splines are only \(G^1\) continuous, the authors deal with the conditions for \(G^2\) continuity, too. Especially, the case when the curvature value in the connection points can be prescribed, is solved.