A planar cubic Bézier spiral

A planar cubic Bézier curve segment that is a spiral, i.e., its curvature varies monotonically with arc-length, is discussed. Since this curve segment does not have cusps, loops, and inflection points (except for a single inflection point at its beginning), it is suitable for applications such as highway design, in which the clothoid has been traditionally used. Since it is polynomial, it can be conveniently incorporated in CAD systems that are based on B-splines, Bézier curves, or NURBS (nonuniform rational B-splines) and is thus suitable for general curve design applications in which fair curves are important.