NURBS are a special kind of curve normally used in graphical applications such as Maya or 3D studio max where they are useful to represent highly complex visual models (Realist game characters, etc…)
The “fancy” name NURBS comes from Non-uniform rational B-spline…
NURBS curves are interesting because their shape can be controlled manually using « control points ».
When you move the control points, the shape of the curve changes.
The problem of NURBS is that they have more control points than other similar types of curves used in CAD or geometry modelling such as T-splines for example
(NURBS have 2 times more control points than T-splines)
a NURBS curve is defined by 3 parameters:
- its order
- a set of weighted control points
- a knot vector
NURBS curves are basically a generalisation of B-spline curves and Bezier curves and surfaces.
The main difference is that the control points in a NURBS curve are weighted by a coefficient « w », while B-splines assume this weight to be « 1 » at each control point.
For more information about NURBS, check this wikipedia article.
Want to understand how NURBS can have an impact on your FEA simulation?
Read my article about CAD formats and CAE Simulation:
CAD formats: Which one is the best for CAE?
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