Method and system for scaling control in 3D displays ("zoom slider")

• US 20040233222A1
• Filed: 12/01/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Volume Interactions Pte Ltd. (Bracco SPA)
• Original Assignee: Volume Interactions Pte Ltd. (Bracco SPA)
• Inventors: Lee, Jerome Chan, Poston, Timothy, Serra, Luis, Kockro, Ralf Alfons
• Application Number:
  US10/725,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20040233222A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/621
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

A system and method for controlling the scaling of a 3D computer model in a 3D display system include activating a zoom mode, selecting a model zoom point and setting a zoom scale factor are presented. In exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, a system, in response to the selected model zoom point and the set scale factor, can implements a zoom operation and automatically move a model zoom point from its original position towards an optimum viewing point. In exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, upon a user'"'"'s activating a zoom mode, selecting a model zoom point and setting a zoom scale factor, a system can simultaneously move a model zoom point to an optimum viewing point. In preferred exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, a system can automatically identify a model zoom point by applying defined rules to visible points of a displayed model that lie in a central viewing area. If no such visible points are available the system can prompt a user to move the model until such points become available, or can select a model and a zoom point on that model by an automatic scheme.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the scaling of a 3D computer model in a 3D display system, comprising:

activating a zoom mode;

selecting a model zoom point; and

setting a zoom scale factor;

wherein the system, in response to the selected model zoom point and the set scale factor implements the zoom operation and automatically moves the model zoom point from its original position towards an optimum viewing point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said 3D display system is stereoscopic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is implemented by a user via a mouse or other 2D position calculating computer input device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is implemented by a user via a sensor which can move in three dimensions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of the model zoom point is effected by signaling the system when a cursor or other indicator appears in front of the desired point on the displayed model.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein selection of the model zoom point is effected by signaling the system when a tool moving in the 3D display has its tip at the desired point relative to the model.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the model zoom point is selected by the system as the nearest model point visible to the user along the z-axis of the display space, wherein the z-axis is set to run through an optimum viewing point.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the model zoom point is selected by the system as a point in a crop box on the z-axis of the display space, wherein the z-axis is set so as to run through an optimum viewing point.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said model zoom point is one of the nearest such point to the user'"'"'s viewpoint, the farthest such point from the user'"'"'s viewpoint, and the centroid of a collection of such points that are in the crop box and on the z-axis.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the model zoom point is selected as a point in a crop box and in a magnification region.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the model zoom point is also a visible model point which is nearest to either an optimum viewing point or a user'"'"'s viewpoint.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the magnification region is made visible to a user as an opening in a contextual structure.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said contextual structure is a plane with a hole.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the hole'"'"'s shape is substantially one of a circle, an oval, an ellipse, a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a trapezoid, or any regular polygon.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein a user causes the motion of the displayed model or models necessary to produce said visible model point that is inside the crop box and on said z-axis.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the user causes said motion of the displayed model or models by at least one of grasping with a three-dimensional tool and dragging with a mouse.

17. The method of claims 1 wherein the location of said model zoom point is indicated to a user by the display of a small structure centered thereon.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said small structure is a small cross composed of lines and triangles, including or not including as a visible point the model zoom point.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the attention of the user is directed to the location of the model zoom point by a larger displayed contextual structure.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said contextual structure is a plane with a hole surrounding the model zoom point.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said plane is so rendered in a stereoscopic display as to appear to be translucently visible through other structures imaged in the display, regardless of whether said other structures are otherwise shown as opaque or translucent.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the zoom operation can be set to be implemented stepwisely or smoothly, as controlled by the user.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein each of the setting of the zoom scale factor and said stepwise or smooth implementation of the zoom operation can be controlled by one or more of the user'"'"'s voice, a mouse, a 3D tool or other device, a slider, a wheel, and increment/decrement buttons.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the zoom operation and the motion of the model zoom point are implemented substantially simultaneously.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the correspondence between the degree of zoom and the motion of the model zoom point is linear, adjusted to display the unzoomed size with the model zoom point at its originally selected location and to display the maximum degree of zoom with the Model Zoom Point at the optimum viewing point.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the system automatically activates a clipping box in the display for values above a defined threshold of a system load estimate.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein said moving of the model zoom point towards the an optimum viewing point is immediate to said optimum viewing point.

34. The method of claim 12, wherein the contextual structure is displayed in a stereoscopic display system using apparent transferred translucency.

28. A method of resizing 3D computer generated models in a 3D display system, comprising:

determining a position of a center of scaling point in response to user input;

determining a scaling factor to be applied to one or more 3D models in response to user input; and

simultaneously implementing the zoom operation and automatically moving the position of the center of scaling point from its original position a certain portion of a distance towards or away from an optimum viewing point depending upon said scaling factor.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein simultaneously with implementation of the zoom the model zoom point is immediately moved to an optimum viewing point.

30. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for controlling the scaling of a 3D computer model in a 3D display system, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to activate a zoom mode;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to select a model zoom point; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to set a zoom scale factor; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to, in response to the selected model zoom point and the set scale factor, simultaneously move the model zoom point from its original position towards an optimum viewing point.

31. The product of claim 30, further containing computer readable program code means for causing a computer to, simultaneously with implementation of the zoom, immediately move the model zoom point to an optimum viewing point.

33. The program storage device of claim 30, wherein said method further comprises, immediately move the model zoom point to an optimum viewing point simultaneously with implementation of the zoom.

32. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to implement a method to control scaling of a 3D computer model in a 3D display system, said method comprising:

activating a zoom mode;

selecting a model zoom point; and

setting a zoom scale factor;

wherein, in response to the selected Model zoom point and the set scale factor, moving the model zoom point from its original position towards an optimum viewing point.