MOTIVATING  GEOMETRY THROUGH
COMPUTATION  AND  VISUALIZATION

funded by NSF-CCLI grant DUE-0126687

Principal Investigator
David L. Finn
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Finn's Page | CCLI Info | Applets | Materials | Course Notes | Publications
3D C1 Bezier Spline Applet
DIRECTIONS:   In this applet, you create a differentiable curve consisting of cubic segments. The applet uses the same algorithm as the C1 Bezier spline applet for two dimensional curves, and functions in the same manner as the 3D Bezier curve applet.

To create the curve in space, there are two views representing different projections of the curve onto a two dimensional plane. There is a perspective projection and a parallel projection. The button "PERSPECTIVE" allows you to toggle between the two different views. The text on the button tells you which view you are currently using. By clicking on the drawing panel, you place points on the plane x=1 (the image plane). By pressing, "A" you move the point in towards the camera (at the origin) directly on the line connecting the origin to point on the image plane. The point will not move, but the coordinates of the control point will change. By pressing "Z", you move the point away from the camera (at the origin) directly on the line connecting the origin and the point on the image plane. Again the point viewed, does not change but its coordinates do. In addition, you can rotate the curve by using the arrow keys, and zoom in and out using page up and page down.