Re: NSBezierPath geometry question...

FROM : Robert Clair
DATE : Mon Apr 11 23:54:51 2005

While we're being pedantic, we should also note that when the words
"Bezier curve" are uttered or written while discussing a graphics
system based on the PostScript imaging model it is almost always taken
to mean "uniform non-rational cubic Bezier curve" without further
elaboration (because, vestigial quadratics in some fonts aside, ...
that's all that's there).

> If you could construct Rational Bezier Curves they could represent
> circular arcs exactly.


Sure you could. You'd just have to use one of the NURBS libraries
floating around out there and draw them yourself instead of relying on
Quartz.  ;-)

The world of CAD has pretty much abandoned simple Bezier's for NURBS.
Graphic arts seems contend to stay with cubic Bezier's, probably
because they're just drawing pictures not modeling anything.

....Bob Clair