Abstract
This paper examines projectively invariant local properties of smooth curves and surfaces. Oriented projective differential geometry is proposed as a theoretical framework for establishing such invariants and describing the local shape of surfaces and their outlines. This framework is applied to two problems: a projective proof of Koenderink?s famous characterization of convexities, concavities, and inflections of apparent contours; and the determination of the relative orientation of rim tangents at frontier points.