Abstract
The hodograph, which are usually defined as the derivative of parametric curve or surface, is useful far various geometric operations. It is known that the hodographs of Bezier curves and surfaces can be represented in the closed form. However, the counterparts of rational Bezier curves and surface have not been discussed yet. In this paper, the equations are derived, which are the closed form of rational Bezier curves and surfaces. The hodograph of rational Bezier curves of degree n can be represented in another rational Bezier curve of degree 2n. The hodograph of a rational Hazier surface of degree m×n with respect to a parameter can be also represented in rational Bezier surface of degree 2m×2n. The control points and corresponding weight of the hodographs are directly computed using the control points and weights of the given rational curves or surfaces.
