Isogeometric analysis

Summary

Isogeometric analysis is a Galerkin method built on spline functions, such as B-splines and NURBS. The same functions describe the geometry and approximate the solution. It was proposed by Thomas Hughes and coworkers to connect computer-aided design directly with simulation. Geometries given by NURBS, such as circles and cylinders, are represented exactly, with no meshing error. The basis functions can be smoother than standard finite elements, which helps for higher-order equations. See the definition.