A proper segmentation of pen marking enhances shape recognition and enables a natural interface for sketch-based modeling from simple line drawing tools to 3D solid modeling applications; user input is otherwise restricted to draw only one segment per one stroke. In general, the pen marking segmentation is achieved by detecting the points of high curvature-called, segmenting points-and splitting the pen marking at those points. This paper presents a curvature estimation method, which considers only local shape information. The proposed method can therefore estimate curvature on-the-fly while user is drawing on a pen-input display, such as tablet PCs. q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.