An Algorithm for Monotone Piecewise Bicubic Interpolation

Abstract

This paper describes an algorithm for monotone interpolation to monotone data on a rectangular mesh by piecewise bicubic functions. In [SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 22 (1985), pp. 386–400] the authors developed conditions on the Hermite derivatives that are sufficient for such a function to be monotonic. The present paper rewrites some of these conditions and presents a much simpler five-step algorithm for satisfying them that produces a visually pleasing monotone interpolant. The result of the algorithm does not depend on the order of the independent variables nor on whether the inequalities are swept left-to-right or right-to-left.