Improving on a timeless recipe

The bezier curve is a staple of CAD and computer graphics. Like Bic pens, the design is decades old and they're everywhere. You'll often find them as the default or only choice in various illustration and animation tools.

Conceived by Paul de Casteljau in 1959, and refined by Pierre Bézier in the 1960s at Renault, the enduring appeal of the bezier curve lies in its simplicity. While more sophisticated curves have been invented, and new ones continue to be proposed , these are limited to specific domains, like high-precision CAD or road design. In general use, the bezier stubbornly refuses to be dethroned, despite its shortcomings.

Hence bezier curves are a piece of legacy tech we appear to be stuck with.…