Bézier surfaces are a species of
mathematical spline used in
computer graphics,
computer-aided design, and
finite element modeling. As with the
Bézier curve, a Bézier surface is defined by a set of control points. Similar to interpolation in many respects, a key difference is that the surface does not, in general, pass through the central control points; rather, it is "stretched" toward them as though each were an attractive force. They are visually intuitive, and for many applications, mathematically convenient.