Navigation system for a 3D virtual scene

• US 10,025,454 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Fitzmaurice, George, Matejka, Justin, Kurenbach, Gord, Khan, Azam
• Primary Examiner(s): Chuang, Jung-Mu T
• Application Number:
  US12/200,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,610 Days
• Field of Search: 715810, 715856, 715811, 715834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A navigation system for navigating a three-dimensional (3D) scene that includes a model or object with which a user can interact. The system accommodates and helps both novice and advanced users. To do this, the system provides a first contact tool graphic that introduces a user to the types of navigation tools, their uses and the capabilities of their action tools. A graphical user interface is played on a display when a user initially starts navigation operations for navigating a three dimensional scene. The tool selection graphic includes a text graphic describing navigation tool behavior, a first graphic showing selectable navigation tools for new users, a second graphic showing selectable navigation tools for experienced users, tool description graphic selectable from the first and second graphics showing action tool details for a selected navigation tool comprising navigation tool shape, action tool location on the a circular tool position shape and tool functions, nd an associated tool graphic positioned adjacent the tool description graphic allowing selection of other tools of a set of task based tools associated with the tool description graphic.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a display; and

a processor coupled to the display and configured to;

generate a first graphic that includes a first wheel configured to allow a first user to navigate a software application, wherein the first wheel has a first plurality of activation zones, and each activation zone included in the first plurality of activation zones is associated with a different function in a first plurality of functions for navigating the software application,

generate a second graphic that includes a second wheel configured to allow a second user to navigate the software application, wherein the second wheel has a second plurality of activation zones that comprises a superset of the first plurality of activation zones, and a portion of the activation zones included in the second plurality of activation zones is associated with different functions in a second plurality of functions for navigating the software application that are not included in the first plurality of functions, and

display at least one of the first graphic and the second graphic,

generate a mini wheel, distinct from the first wheel and the second wheel, wherein the mini wheel is a miniaturized version of the second wheel and includes the second plurality of activation zones and corresponding functions from the first plurality and the second plurality of functions,

wherein the mini wheel has a third plurality of activation zones;

display the mini wheel as a pie menu at a position of a cursor, wherein the cursor is hidden when the mini wheel is displayed,

responsive to a first input, highlight a first activation zone located in the third plurality of activation zones that corresponds to a direction of a movement of an input device and highlighting a command that corresponds to the first activation zone,

responsive to a second input, display a tool cursor associated with the first activation zone and remove the mini wheel from the display,

responsive to a third input, execute a first function that is included in either the first plurality of functions or the second plurality of functions and is associated with the first activation zone to modify the software application, and

responsive to a fourth input, replace the displayed tool cursor with the mini wheel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first graphic further includes a text graphic describing a cursor tracking behavior of the first wheel, and wherein the second graphic further includes a text graphic describing a cursor tracking behavior of the second wheel.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the first graphic and the second graphic describes tool visibility key board key behavior.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first graphic further includes text graphics describing one or more functions associated with the different activation zones included in the first plurality of activation zones, and wherein the second graphic further includes text graphics describing one or more functions associated with the different activation zones included in the second plurality of activation zones.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mini wheel further includes a text graphic describing a second function in the first plurality or the second plurality of functions that is associated with the mini wheel.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to locate an instance of either the first wheel or the second wheel in a lower left corner of a view of a scene upon start-up.

7. A method for providing a mechanism for navigating a software application, the method comprising:

generating a first graphic that includes a first wheel configured to allow a first user to navigate a software application, wherein the first wheel has a first plurality of activation zones, and each activation zone included in the first plurality of activation zones is associated with a different function in a first plurality of functions for navigating the software application,

generating a second graphic that includes a second wheel configured to allow a second user to navigate the software application, wherein the second wheel has a second plurality of activation zones that comprises a superset of the first plurality of activation zones, and a portion of the activation zones included in the second plurality of activation zones is associated with different functions in a second plurality of functions for navigating the software application that are not included in the first plurality of function, and

displaying at least one of the first graphic and the second graphic,

generating a mini wheel, distinct from the first wheel and the second wheel, wherein the mini wheel is a miniaturized version of the second wheel and includes the second plurality of activation zones and corresponding functions from the first plurality and the second plurality of functions,

displaying the mini wheel as a pie menu at a position of a cursor, wherein the cursor is hidden when the mini wheel is displayed,

wherein the mini wheel has a third plurality of activation zones;

responsive to a first input, highlighting a first activation zone located in the third plurality of activation zones that corresponds to a direction of a movement of an input device and highlighting a command that corresponds to the first activation zone,

responsive to a second input, displaying a tool cursor associated with the first activation zone and remover the mini wheel from the display,

responsive to a third input, executing a first function that is included in either the first plurality of functions or the second plurality of functions and is associated with the first activation zone to modify the software application, and

responsive to a fourth input, replacing the displayed tool cursor with the mini wheel.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first graphic further includes a text graphic describing a cursor tracking behavior of the first wheel, and wherein the second graphic further includes a text graphic describing a cursor tracking behavior of the second wheel.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein one of the first graphic and the second graphic describes tool visibility key board key behavior.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first graphic further includes text graphics describing one or more functions in the first plurality of functions associated with the different activation zones included in the first plurality of activation zones, and wherein the second graphic further includes text graphics describing one or more functions included in the second plurality of functions associated with the different activation zones included in the second plurality of activation zones.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the second graphic further includes a text graphic associated with the at least one mini wheel and describes a second function associated with the mini wheel.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising locating an instance of either the first wheel or the second wheel in a lower left corner of a view.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to provide a mechanism for navigating a software application, by performing the steps of:

generating a first graphic that includes a first wheel configured to allow a first user to navigate a software application, wherein the first wheel has a first plurality of activation zones, and each activation zone included in the first plurality of activation zones is associated with a different function in a first plurality of functions for navigating the software application,

generating a second graphic that includes a second wheel configured to allow a second user to navigate the software application, wherein the second wheel has a second plurality of activation zones that comprises a superset of the first plurality of activation zones, and a portion of the activation zones included in the second plurality of activation zones is associated with different functions in a second plurality of functions for navigating the software application that are not included in the first plurality of function, and

displaying at least one of the first graphic and the second graphic,

generating a mini wheel, distinct from the first wheel and the second wheel, wherein the mini wheel is a miniaturized version of the second wheel and includes the second plurality of activation zones and corresponding functions from the first plurality and the second plurality of functions,

displaying the mini wheel as a pie menu at a position of a cursor, wherein the cursor is hidden when the mini wheel is displayed,

wherein the mini wheel has a third plurality of activation zones;

responsive to a first input, highlighting a first activation zone located the third plurality of activation zones that corresponds to a direction of a movement of an input device and highlighting a command that corresponds to the first activation zone,

responsive to a second input, displaying a tool cursor associated with the first activation zone and remove the mini wheel from the display,

responsive to a third input, executing a first function that is included in either the first plurality of functions or the second plurality of functions and is associated with the first activation zone to modify the software application, and

responsive to a fourth input, replacing the displayed tool cursor with the mini wheel.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first graphic further includes a text graphic describing a cursor tracking behavior of the first wheel, and wherein the second graphic further includes a text graphic describing a cursor tracking behavior of the second wheel.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein one of the first graphic and the second graphic describes tool visibility key board key behavior.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first graphic further includes text graphics describing one or more functions in the first plurality of functions associated with the different activation zones included in the first plurality of activation zones, and wherein the second graphic further includes text graphics describing one or more functions in the second plurality of functions associated with the different activation zones included in the second plurality of activation zones.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the mini wheel further includes a text graphic describing a second function in the first plurality or the second plurality of functions that is associated with the mini wheel.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to locate an instance of either the first wheel or the second wheel in a lower left corner of a view.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein a second mini wheel comprises a compact representation of the second wheel and includes a fourth plurality of activation zones, wherein the fourth plurality of activation zones are configured to perform one or more functions in both the first plurality of functions and the second plurality of functions.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising generating a first cursor selectable tab that causes the first graphic to be displayed, and generating a second cursor selectable tab that causes the second graphic to be displayed, wherein the first cursor selectable tab and the second cursor selectable tab are displayed simultaneously.