Thread Subject:

compound ellipse

Hey guys:

I'm trying to write a function that generates a rather unusual shape. I am given four points on a cartesian coordinate system, with one point at (a, 0), one point at (-b, 0), one point at (0, c), and finally one at (0, -d). It is important to note that these points are not necessarily symmetric about the origin (0,0). I am trying to generate a shape in which each quadrant is an elliptical arc defined by the points that enclose that quadrant. For example, the upper-righthand quadrant contains a curve that is defined by the ellipse with semi-major and semi-minor axes a and c, respectively, and the lower-lefthand quadrant contans a curve that is defined by axes -b and -d. I would like to plot this onto a cartesian coordinate plane.

Thoughts?