Manipulation of 3-dimensional graphical objects for view in a multi-touch display

• US 10,198,854 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kajiya, James Thomas, Wilson, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Al Kawsar, Abdullah
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lobo, Carl P
• Application Number:
  US12/541,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20110041098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,462 Days
• Field of Search: 715702, 715764, 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation

Abstract

A system described herein provides six degrees of freedom with respect to a three-dimensional object rendered on a multi-touch display through utilization of three touch points. Multiple axes of rotation are established based at least in part upon location of a first touch point and a second touch point on a multi-touch display. Movement of a third touch point controls appearance of rotation of the three-dimensional object about two axes, and rotational movement of the first touch point relative to the second touch point controls appearance of rotation of the three-dimensional object about a third axis.

Claims

1. A method that facilitates rendering a three-dimensional graphical object on a multi-touch display, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that a first member and a second member of a user are in contact with a surface of the multi-touch display with respect to the three-dimensional object that is graphically rendered thereon, the first member is in contact with the surface of the multi-touch display at a first touch point, and the second member is in contact with the surface of the multi-touch display at a second touch point, wherein at least one of the first touch point or the second touch point is outside the three-dimensional graphical object;

responsive to receiving the indication, establishing a first axis, the first axis extending through the first touch point and the second touch point;

responsive to receiving the indication, establishing a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, the second axis extending through the first axis at a point midway between the first touch point and the second touch point;

responsive to receiving the indication, establishing a third axis that is perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, the third axis being orthogonal to the surface of the multi-touch display and extending through an intersection of the first axis and the second axis, wherein the intersection of the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis is displaced from a centroid of the three-dimensional object;

subsequent to the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis being established, receiving an indication that at least one of the first member, the second member, or a third member is moved along the surface of the multi-touch display relative to at least one of the first axis, the second axis, or the third axis;

and causing the three-dimensional graphical object to appear to rotate and revolve in the multi-touch display about at least one of the first axis, the second axis, or the third axis based upon the indication that the at least one of the first member, the second member, or the third member is moved along the surface of the multi-touch display relative to the at least one of the first axis, the second axis, or the third axis.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that at least one of the first member or the second member is moved along the surface of the multi-touch display;

re-establishing the first axis and the second axis based upon a new location of the at least one of the first member or the second member on the surface of the multi-touch display; and

rotating and revolving the three-dimensional object about the third axis based upon the indication that the at least one of the first member or the second member is moved along the surface of the multi-touch display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the second member and the third member have been removed from the surface of the multi-touch display;

subsequent to detecting that the second member and the third member have been removed from the surface of the multi-touch display, receiving an indication that the first member of the user is moved along the surface of the multi-touch display in a third direction; and

causing the three-dimensional graphical object to appear to translate in a plane that is parallel to the surface of the multi-touch display in the third direction.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that at least one of the first member or the second member are moved along the first axis on the surface of the multi-touch display;

and altering view depth of the object based upon the indication that at least one of the first member or the second member has moved along the first axis on the surface of the multi-touch display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein movement of the at least one of the first member or the second member causes a distance between the first member and the second member to be increased, and wherein altering view depth of the object comprises decreasing the view depth of the object.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein movement of the at least one of the first member or the second member causes a distance between the first member and the second member to be decreased, and wherein altering view depth of the object comprises increasing the view depth of the object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that at least one of the first member or the second member is moved along the first axis on the surface of the multi-touch display;

and altering scale of the three-dimensional object based at least in part upon the indication that at least one of the first member or the second member has moved along the first axis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein movement of the at least one of the first member or the second member causes a distance between the first member and the second member to be increased, and wherein altering scale of the object comprises increasing the scale of the object.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein movement of the at least one of the first member or the second member causes a distance between the first member and the second member to be decreased, and wherein altering scale of the object comprises decreasing the scale of the object.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the third member is moved perpendicularly to the second axis along the surface of the multi-touch display; and

restricting rotation and revolution of the three-dimensional object to rotation and revolution about the second axis.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the first axis, the second axis, and the third axis based upon an order in time in which the first member, the second member, and the third member are placed in physical contact with the surface of the multi-touch display.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of pressure applied to the surface of the multi-touch display by at least one of the first member, the second member, or the third member; and

causing the three-dimensional graphical object to appear to rotate about the first axis based upon the indication of pressure.

13. A system that facilitates rendering a three-dimensional graphical object on a touch-sensitive display, the system comprising:

at least one processor;

and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving an indication that a first member, a second member, and a third member are in contact with a surface of the touch-sensitive display at a first touch point, a second touch point, and a third touch point, respectively, wherein at least one of the first touchpoint or the second touchpoint is outside the three-dimensional object;

establishing a first axis and a second axis based upon the first touch point and the second touch point, the first axis extending through first touch point and the second touch point, the second axis being perpendicular to the first axis, parallel with the surface of the touch-sensitive display, and extending through the first axis midway between the first touch point and the second touch point, neither the first axis nor the second axis extending through a centroid of the graphical object;

determining that the third touch point has moved along the surface of the touch-sensitive display in a first direction, the first direction being parallel to the first axis;

and causing the graphical object to appear to rotate and revolve about the second axis responsive to determining that the third touch point has moved along the surface of the touch-sensitive display in the first direction.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a mobile computing device comprises the at least one processor and the memory.

15. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform acts comprising;

detecting that a first member of a user has come into contact with a touch-sensitive display at a first location outside a three-dimensional object and at a first time, the three-dimensional object displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting that a second member of the user has come into contact with the touch-sensitive display at a second location outside the three-dimensional object and at a second time, wherein the second time is equal to or greater than the first time;

establishing a first axis and a second axis responsive to detecting that the first member of the user has come into contact with the touch-sensitive display and the detecting that the second member of the user has come into contact with the touch-sensitive display, the first axis established through the first location and the second location, and wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis, parallel to the touch-sensitive display, and extending through the first axis midway between the first location and the second location, neither the first axis nor the second axis extending through a centroid of the three-dimensional object;

subsequent in time to establishing the first axis and the second axis, detecting that a third member of the user has come into contact with the touch-sensitive display at a third location;

detecting that the third member moves along the touch sensitive display in a direction that is perpendicular to the second axis;

and causing the three-dimensional graphical object to appear to rotate and revolve in the touch-sensitive display about the second axis upon detecting that the third member moves along the touch sensitive display in the direction that is perpendicular to the second axis.