Computer Aided Ferret Design

Abstract

Ferrets are amusing, flexible creatures that have been under represented in computer models. Because their bodies can assume almost any curved shape, splines are the natural tool for modelling ferrets. Surface pasting is a hierarchical method of modelling with spline surfaces, where features are added onto a base surface. Existing surface pasting techniques are limited to modelling rectilinear shapes. Using the task of modelling a ferret as a driving force, I propose a method of pasting cylinders in world space; I looked at methods for reducing distortion of pasted features; and I created a method for pasting trimmed features to allow for features that do not have the rectilinear shape of standard pasting. With my methods, modelling ferrets with surface pasting is easier, and the resulting models are closer to a real ferret.