In 3D computer graphics, a Doo–Sabin subdivision surface is a type of subdivision surface based on a generalization of bi-quadratic uniform B-splines, whereas Catmull-Clark was based on generalized bi-cubic uniform B-splines. The subdivision refinement algorithm was developed in 1978 by Daniel Doo and Malcolm Sabin.[1] [2]
The Doo-Sabin process generates one new face at each original vertex, new faces along each original edge, and new faces at each original face. A primary characteristic of the Doo–Sabin subdivision method is the creation of four faces and four edges (valence 4) around every new vertex in the refined mesh. A drawback is that the faces created at the original vertices may be triangles or n-gons that are not necessarily coplanar.
Doo–Sabin surfaces are defined recursively. Like all subdivision procedures, each refinement iteration, following the procedure given, replaces the current mesh with a "smoother", more refined mesh. After many iterations, the surface will gradually converge onto a smooth limit surface.
Just as for Catmull–Clark surfaces, Doo–Sabin limit surfaces can also be evaluated directly without any recursive refinement, by means of the technique of Jos Stam.[3] The solution is, however, not as computationally efficient as for Catmull–Clark surfaces because the Doo–Sabin subdivision matrices are not (in general) diagonalizable.