Isogeometric finite element data structures based on Bezier extraction of T-splines

We develop finite element data structures for T-splines based on Bezier extraction generalizing our previous work for NURBS. As in traditional finite element analysis, the extracted Bezier elements are defined in terms of a fixed set of polynomial basis functions, the so-called Bernstein basis. The Bezier elements may be processed in the same way as in a standard finite element computer program, utilizing exactly the same data processing arrays. In fact, only the shape function subroutine needs to be modified while all other aspects of a finite element program remain the same. A byproduct of the extraction process is the element extraction operator. This operator localizes the topological and global smoothness information to the element level, and represents a canonical treatment of T-junctions, referred to as 'hanging nodes' in finite element analysis and a fundamental feature of T-splines. A detailed example is presented to illustrate the ideas. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.