The property BuildMethod specifies the method that is used to build a complete mortality curve from a finite set of death rates or survival probabilies. The table below gives the BuildMethods currently supported
| BuildMethod | Description |
|---|---|
| CONSTANT_FORCE | Between age nodes the force of mortality is constant |
| QUADRATIC_FORCE | Between age nodes the force of mortality is a quadratic function of age with curvature continuous across age nodes. |
| HYBRID_FORCE | Between age nodes the force of mortality is a quadratic function of age. Force does not vary as much as for QUADRATIC_FORCE but curvature is discontinuous across nodes. |
| HELIGMAN_POLLARD | Fit death probabilities using the 9-parameter Heligman-Pollard model. |
| SMOOTHED_ASDR | Build the curve using HYBRID_FORCE then smooth death rates using P-Splines. |
| CALIBRATED_SPLINE | Fit the curve with B-splines to maximise projection onto calibrated set of shapes. |
| HELIGMAN_POLLARD8 | Fit death probablities or death rates using the 8-parameter Heligman-Pollard model. |
| ADJUSTED_HELIGMAN_POLLARD8 | Build mortality curve by first fitting death probablities or death rates using the 8-parameter Heligman-Pollard model then adding spread to the force of mortality to match curve imputs. |
| NIDI | Fit death probablities or death rates using the 10-parameter model developed by the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute. |
| ELANDT_JOHNSON | Build mortality curve using using the Elandt-Johnson method. |
| CUBIC_SF | Interpolate survival fractions with cubic splines. |
| MOD_QUADRATIC_FORCE | Same as QUADRATIC_FORCE except the first two ages are used to fit the NIDI childhood model. |
| LINEAR_SF | Linearly interpolate survival fractions. |
| LINEAR_INVSF | Linearly interpolate the inverse survival fractions. |
| HERMITE_SF | Interpolate person-years lived and survival fractions with cubic Hermite splines. |
| HERMITE_FORCE | Interpolate person-years lived and survival fractions with piecewise linear force. |
| TOPALS | Build a curve using TOPALS regression |
| BRASS | Survival fractions are fitted using the Brass relational model |
| ABS_SPREAD | Between age nodes the force of mortality is a constant additive spread relative to a standard mortality curve. |
| REL_SPREAD | Between age nodes the force of mortality is a constant multiplicative spread relative to a standard mortality curve. |
| SVM | A non-parametric fit to mortality rates using Support Vector Machine regression |
| KERNEL_REGRESSION | A non-parametric fit to mortality rates using kernel regression |
| PTOPALS | A relational model that builds the mortality curve using TOPALS and P-Splines |
| PCLM | Expand an abridged death rates using the Penalised Composite Link Model |
| CODE | Fit death probablities or death rates using the 10-parameter CoDe model. |
For mortality objects with a DeathRatios subtable MultiDecBuildMethods build complete cause-specific mortality curves from a finite set of death ratios.