B-spline-like bases for C2 cubics on the Powell–Sabin 12-split

Abstract

For spaces of constant, linear, and quadratic splines of maximal smoothness on the Powell–Sabin 12-split of a triangle, the so-called S-bases were recently introduced. These are simplex spline bases with B-spline-like properties on the 12-split of a single triangle, which are tied together across triangles in a Bézier-like manner. In this paper we give a formal definition of an S-basis in terms of certain basic properties. We proceed to investigate the existence of S-bases for the aforementioned spaces and additionally the cubic case, resulting in an exhaustive list. From their nature as simplex splines, we derive simple differentiation and recurrence formulas to other S-bases. We establish a Marsden identity that gives rise to various quasi-interpolants and domain points forming an intuitive control net, in terms of which conditions for C0-, C1-, and C2-smoothness are derived.