Approximation of B-Spline Geometries With Lower Degree Representations

Exchange of data between geometric modeling systems of different inherent capabilities frequently requires approximate conversion of high degree, piecewise, polynomial curves and surface patches to lower degree representations. The objective of this work is to provide reliable methods for the approximation of high-order B-spline curves and surface patches by low-order B-spline representations. Our method guarantees a prespecified accuracy at all isoparametric points of the curve and patch, a critical feature for accurate exchange of data.