Navigation system for a 3D virtual scene

• US 10,504,285 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Fitzmaurice, George, Matejka, Justin, Mordatch, Igor, Kurtenbach, Gord, Khan, Azam
• Primary Examiner(s): Pillai, Namitha
• Application Number:
  US12/200,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,121 Days
• Field of Search: 715230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

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 allows a user to place a point on a model surface that is used as a focus point for tool operations. The focus point is a geometry sphere that shows orientation and relative position of the view in the scene.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining that a user holds a pointing device in an activated state to place a tool in an active state, wherein the pointing device controls a position of a user-controlled cursor;

determining that the user-controlled cursor is over a portion of a model within a three-dimensional (3D) scene;

in response to determining that the user-controlled cursor is over the portion of the model, automatically displaying a center point sphere that represents a point within the 3D scene that is a projection of the user-controlled cursor onto the model within the 3D scene, wherein the center point sphere comprises a 3D geometric object; and

performing one or more operations relative to the point represented by the center point sphere to change the position of a view associated with the 3D scene.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying orientation axial rings on the center point sphere.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the center point sphere as partially transparent where occluding geometry resides in between a camera associated with the 3D scene and the center point.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a text descriptor associated with the center point sphere describing a function associated with the one or more operations.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the point to a center of the view when the one or more operations are related to a centering function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising zooming toward the point when the one or more operations are related to a zoom.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising orbiting around the point when the one or more operations are related to an orbiting function.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the view toward the point when the one or more operations are related to a forwarding function.

9. A system, comprising:

a display; and

a processor coupled to the display and configured to;

determine that a user holds a pointing device in an activated state to place a tool in an active state, wherein the pointing device controls a position of a user-controlled cursor;

determine that the user-controlled cursor is over a portion of a model within a three-dimensional (3D) scene;

in response to determining that the user-controlled cursor is over the portion of the model, automatically display a center point sphere that represents a point within the 3D scene that is a projection of the user-controlled cursor onto the model within the 3D scene, wherein the center point sphere comprises a 3D geometric object; and

perform one or more operations relative to the point represented by the center point sphere to change the position of a view associated with the 3D scene.

10. A non-transient computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to navigate a three-dimensional scene, by performing the steps of:

determining that a user holds a pointing device in an activated state to place a tool in an active state, wherein the pointing device controls a position of a user-controlled cursor;

determining that the user-controlled cursor is over a portion of a model within a three-dimensional (3D) scene;

in response to determining that the user-controlled cursor is over the portion of the model, automatically displaying a center point sphere that represents a point within the 3D scene that is a projection of the user-controlled cursor onto the model within the 3D scene, wherein the center point sphere comprises a 3D geometric object; and

performing one or more operations relative to the point represented by the center point sphere to change the orientation or position of a view associated with the 3D scene.

11. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising displaying orientation axial rings on the center point sphere.

12. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising displaying the center point sphere as partially transparent where occluding geometry resides in between a camera associated with the 3D scene and the center point.

13. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising displaying a text descriptor associated with the center point sphere describing a function associated with the one or more operations.

14. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising moving the point to a center of the view when the one or more operations are related to a centering function.

15. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising zooming toward the point when the one or more operations are related to a zoom.

16. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising orbiting around the point when the one or more operations are related to an orbiting function.

17. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising moving the view toward the point when the one or more operations are related to a forwarding function.

18. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the center point sphere is displayed at the point within the 3D scene that is a projection of the user-controlled cursor onto the model within the 3D scene.

19. The non-transient computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising, prior to determining that the user-controlled cursor is over the portion of the model, determining that a tool is in an active state.