Occlusion reducing transformations for three-dimensional detail-in-context viewing

• US 20020122038A1
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Published: 09/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mind Fusion, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: IDELIX Software Inc. (Lat49 Media Inc.)
• Inventors: Cowperthwaite, David
• Granted Patent: US 6,798,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/40 Hidden part removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2004 Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

In a data processing system that executes a program of instructions, a method for generating a detail-in-context presentation of a three-dimensional information representation comprising the steps of selecting a object-of-interest in the information representation; selecting a viewpoint; selecting a path from the viewpoint to the object-of-interest; and, displacing objects in the information representation away from the path to locations within the information representation where the objects remain visible when viewed from the viewpoint yet do not occlude the object-of-interest when viewed from the viewpoint to thereby generate the detail in context view.

Claims

1. A Computer implemented process for generating a detail-in-context presentation of a three-dimensional information representation comprising the steps of:

a) selecting a object-of-interest in said information representation;

b) selecting a viewpoint;

c) selecting a source path path from said viewpoint to said object-of-interest; and

d) displacing objects in said information representation away from said source path to locations within said information representation where substantially all display objects remain visible when viewed from said viewpoint and do not occlude said object-of-interest when viewed from said viewpoint, to thereby generate said detail in context presentations.

2. The method of claim 1, step (d), and her comprising the steps of:

e) for each of said objects, calculating a direction vector between said object and the nearest point on said source path path;

f) for each of said objects, calculating the magnitude of said direction vector;

g) for each of said objects, calculating a displacement vector having the same direction as said direction vector and having a magnitude based on said magnitude of said direction vector and given by a transformation function; and

,

h) for each of said objects, displacing said object in the direction of said displacement vector a distance given by the magnitude of said displacement vector.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said transformation function is such that objects located closest to said source path are displaced the furthest and objects originally lying further away from said source path are displaced in successively smaller increments such that a smooth transition is eventually made to objects that are located far enough away from said source path as to require no displacement for occlusion avoidance purposes.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said transformation function includes a detail-in-context distortion basis function.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said source path is a plane.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said plane is parallel to a plane containing a vector from said viewpoint to said object-of-interest.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said plane is perpendicular to a plane containing a vector from said viewpoint to said object-of-interest.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said plane is rotated with respect to a plane containing a vector from said viewpoint to said object-of-interest.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the distribution of said transformation function across a plane perpendicular to a vector from said viewpoint to said object-of-interest is modified by a shaping function.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said shaping function is operable to spatially contain the operation of said transformation function.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said shaping function is constant.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said shaping function is Gaussian.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said shaping function is linear.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein said shaping function is a user defined curve.

16. The method of claim 4 wherein said object-of-interest is the focus of said detail-in-context distortion basis function.

17. The method of claim 4 wherein said detail-in-context distortion basis function is linear.

18. The method of claim 4 wherein said detail-in-context distortion basis function is Gaussian.

19. The method of claim 4 wherein said detail-in-context distortion basis function is hemispherical.

20. The method of claim 4 wherein said detail-in-context distortion basis function is inverse hemispherical.

21. The method of claim 4 wherein said detail-in-context distortion basis function is trigonometric.

22. The method of claim 4 wherein said detail-in-context distortion basis function is user defined.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the distribution of said transformation function along said source path parallel to a vector from said viewpoint to said object-of-interest is defined by a distribution function.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said distribution function is a z-axis distribution function.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said distribution function is constant.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said distribution function is linear.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said linear distribution function continues through said three-dimensional data representation thereby isolating said object-of-interest.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein said distribution faction is short linear.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein one end of said short linear distribution action terminates at said object-of-interest.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein said distribution function is truncated.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said distribution function is truncated at said object-of-interest.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said truncated distribution function includes a cap around said object-of-interest.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said cap is hemispherical.

34. The method of claim 23 wherein said distribution function is a user defied curve.

35. The method of claim 2 wherein said magnitude of said displacement vector as given by said information function is defined by a distance metric.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said distance metric is Euclidean.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein said distance metric is Lp.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein said distance metric is super-quadratic.

39. The method of claim 35 wherein said distance metric is user defined.

40. The method of claim 1 wherein said object-of-interest is a plurality of objects-of-interest.

41. A data processing system for occlusion avoidance and detail-in-context viewing of three-dimensional information representations including an input device, a central processing unit, memory, and a display wherein said data processing system has stored therein data representing sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method of claims 1 through 40 to be performed.

42. A computer software product containing sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method of claims 1 through 40 to be performed.

43. An integrated circuit product containing sequences of instructions which when executed cause the method of claims 1 through 40 to be performed.

44. The use of the method of claim 1 to obtain an unobstructed view of a stored object in a display of the contents of a warehouse.

45. The use of claim 44 wherein said stored object is an inventory item.

46. The use of claim 44 wherein said display is an electron display.

47. The use of claim 44 wherein said display is a print-out.

48. The use of claim 44 wherein said warehouse is a shipping vessel.

49. The use of the method of claim 1 to obtain an unobstructed view of a person in a display of a group of people.

50. The use of claim 49 wherein said display is an electronic display.

51. The use of claim 49 wherein said display is a print-out.

52. The use of the method of claim 1 to obtain an unobstructed view of a component within a three-dimensional drawing.

53. The use of claim 52 wherein said drawing is a mechanical design drawing.

54. The use of claim 52 wherein said drawing is an engineering drawing.

55. The use of claim 52 wherein said drawing is a drawing of an automobile engine.

56. The use of the method of claim 1 to obtain an unobstructed view of a node in a three-dimensional network topology.

57. The use of claim 56 wherein said network topology is a computer network.

5. The method of claim I wherein said source path is a line.