The Catmull-Rom curve is popular with aircraft and ship hull designers — it passes directly through the data points or vertices on which it is based, as do point curves and B-splines Through Points. In general, the approximation is more accurate than with other methods.

Catmull-Rom curves avoid these problems:

• Point curves are flat between the first and second data points as well as between the next-to-last and last data points.
• With very irregular shapes, B-spline curves Through Points can develop unwanted loops.
  
  
  

  Line string in shape of square as the basis for B-spline: Through Points (left) and Catmull-Rom (right).