Pierre Étienne Bézier (September 1, 1910 – November 25, 1999) was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
engineer and patentor (but not the inventor) of the
Bézier curveIn the mathematical field of numerical analysis, a Bézier curve is a parametric curve important in computer graphics and related fields.Generalizations of Bézier curves to higher dimensions are called Bézier surfaces, of which the Bézier triangle is a special case.Bézier curves were widely...
s and
Bézier surfaceBézier surfaces are a species of mathematical spline used in computer graphics, computer-aided design, and finite element modelling.As with the Bézier curve, a Bézier surface is defined by a set of control points...
s that are now used in most
computer-aided designComputer-aided design is the use of computer technology for the design of objects, real or virtual. CAD often involves more than just shapes...
and
computer graphicsComputer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of pictorial data by a computer....
systems.
Born in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Bézier obtained a degree in
mechanical engineeringMechanical Engineering is an engineering discipline that was developed from the application of principles from physics and materials science. Mechanical engineering involves the analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of various systems...
from the
École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et MétiersThe École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers or ENSAM is one of the most famous French Engineering institute and grand établissement and a founder member of ParisTech .The major fields of study at the ENSAM are:...
in 1930. He earned a second degree in
electrical engineeringElectrical engineering, sometimes referred to as electrical and electronic engineering, is a field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after...
in 1931 at the
École Supérieure d'Électricité, and a doctorate in 1977 in
mathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
from the
University of ParisThe historic University of Paris was founded in the mid 12th century, likely between 1160 and 1170 , In 1970 it was reorganized as 13 autonomous universities...
.
He worked for
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world's fourth largest automaker. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault...
from 1933–1975, where he developed his
UNISURF UNISURF developed by Pierre Bézier at Renault in 1971, it was a pioneering surface CAD CAM system for car body design and tooling....
CAD
CAMComputer-aided manufacturing is the use of computer-based software tools that assist engineers and machinists in manufacturing or prototyping product components...
system.
From 1968–1979 he was Professor of Production Engineering at the
Conservatoire National des Arts et MétiersThe Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers , or National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, is a doctoral degree-granting higher education establishment operated by the French government, dedicated to providing education and conducting research for the promotion of science and industry...
.
In 1985 he was recognized by
ACM SIGGRAPHACM SIGGRAPH is the New York–based Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. It was founded in 1969 by Andy van Dam ....
with a `Steven A.
Pierre Étienne Bézier (September 1, 1910 – November 25, 1999) was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
engineer and patentor (but not the inventor) of the
Bézier curveIn the mathematical field of numerical analysis, a Bézier curve is a parametric curve important in computer graphics and related fields.Generalizations of Bézier curves to higher dimensions are called Bézier surfaces, of which the Bézier triangle is a special case.Bézier curves were widely...
s and
Bézier surfaceBézier surfaces are a species of mathematical spline used in computer graphics, computer-aided design, and finite element modelling.As with the Bézier curve, a Bézier surface is defined by a set of control points...
s that are now used in most
computer-aided designComputer-aided design is the use of computer technology for the design of objects, real or virtual. CAD often involves more than just shapes...
and
computer graphicsComputer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of pictorial data by a computer....
systems.
Born in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Bézier obtained a degree in
mechanical engineeringMechanical Engineering is an engineering discipline that was developed from the application of principles from physics and materials science. Mechanical engineering involves the analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of various systems...
from the
École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et MétiersThe École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers or ENSAM is one of the most famous French Engineering institute and grand établissement and a founder member of ParisTech .The major fields of study at the ENSAM are:...
in 1930. He earned a second degree in
electrical engineeringElectrical engineering, sometimes referred to as electrical and electronic engineering, is a field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after...
in 1931 at the
École Supérieure d'Électricité, and a doctorate in 1977 in
mathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
from the
University of ParisThe historic University of Paris was founded in the mid 12th century, likely between 1160 and 1170 , In 1970 it was reorganized as 13 autonomous universities...
.
He worked for
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, buses, tractors, and trucks. Due to its alliance with Nissan, it is currently the world's fourth largest automaker. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault owns the Romanian automaker Automobile Dacia and the Korean automaker Renault...
from 1933–1975, where he developed his
UNISURF UNISURF developed by Pierre Bézier at Renault in 1971, it was a pioneering surface CAD CAM system for car body design and tooling....
CAD
CAMComputer-aided manufacturing is the use of computer-based software tools that assist engineers and machinists in manufacturing or prototyping product components...
system.
From 1968–1979 he was Professor of Production Engineering at the
Conservatoire National des Arts et MétiersThe Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers , or National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, is a doctoral degree-granting higher education establishment operated by the French government, dedicated to providing education and conducting research for the promotion of science and industry...
.
In 1985 he was recognized by
ACM SIGGRAPHACM SIGGRAPH is the New York–based Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. It was founded in 1969 by Andy van Dam ....
with a `Steven A. Coons' award for his lifetime contribution
to computer graphics and interactive techniques.