Spline Interpolation

Click to add control points — compare linear, cubic, and Catmull-Rom splines

Linear
Natural Cubic
Catmull-Rom
B-Spline

Natural cubic splines minimize the "bending energy" ∫(f″)²dx — the smoothest possible interpolant. Catmull-Rom splines pass through control points with local tangent control. B-splines offer a basis with compact support for smooth approximation.