[theveloped]

This will be amazing for shape optimization. As it seems one can describe various shapes with very little control points and parameters. Furthermore the relation between the control points and the final spline is very well behaved and thus great for use in an optimization. Great work!

[jacobolus]

What do you mean by “shape optimization”?

[theveloped]

It’s a field in engineering where optimization is used to optimize a engineering design for a certain purpose (e.g. a beam for stiffness).

Topology optimization is the broader field that allows topological changes to the design (e.g. the addition or removal of nodes). These optimization’s often have a solution that first have to be interpreted by an engineer to turn it into a manufacturable design.

A shape optimization performs optimization only of certain variables of a predefined design. The splines as described here seems to fit well for describing for instance sheet metal parts or cross-sections of beams.