Geometry creation tool

• US 20060230351A1
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HNTB Holdingss Limited
• Original Assignee: HNTB Corporation (HNTB Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Stehle, Tommy Allen, Sohl, Shawn Dewayne, Herman, Glen Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 7,847,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/700
• 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

Developing from a drawing an information-presenting interface that includes one or more display objects having variable display characteristics is provided for by receiving information from a graphics file that describes the drawing; identifying object data from the information; using the object data to render a set of definable objects that are situated to resemble the drawing; and wherein the definable objects can be associated with attributes such that the attributes can be used to present the display objects, and the display characteristics of the display objects, which the display objects correspond to the definable objects, can vary according to received situational input.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for developing from a drawing an information-presenting interface that includes one or more display objects having variable display characteristics, the method comprising:

receiving information from a graphics file that describes the drawing;

identifying object data from the information;

using the object data to render a set of definable objects, wherein the definable objects are situated to resemble the drawing; and

wherein the definable objects can be associated with one or more attributes such that the attributes can be used to present the display objects, and the display characteristics of the display objects, which the display objects correspond to the definable objects, can vary according to received situational input.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the one or more display objects are objects to ultimately be depicted on a dynamically updateable user interface.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the variable display characteristics include audio characteristics and visual characteristics.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein said visual characteristics include a color, a fill pattern, a blinking status, and a texture.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein said graphics file includes a vector-based file.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein identifying said object data includes parsing said information.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein said object data includes graphics primitives described by said information.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein said definable objects are objects associated with a redrawn rendition of the information in said graphics file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said attributes include one or more of:

a name designation; and

/or

a grouping designation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said grouping designation includes one or more of:

a polygon designation;

a segment designation; and

/or

a route designation.

11. The media of claim 1, wherein said situational data includes traffic data.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the traffic data includes roadway data comprising one or more of:

traffic speed;

performance data gathered from one or more roadway sensors;

video from one or more traffic cameras;

incident data;

road closures;

construction information;

detour information;

traffic operations data from databases;

dispatch data including computer-assisted dispatch data from one or more law-enforcement agencies;

audio information including audio information from highway advisory radio(s);

road-condition information;

weather data;

location-specific data;

text from one or more dynamic message signs; and

roadway geometry.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said groups include one or more of the following:

a group of polygons to form a segment;

or

a group of segments to form a route.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said conditional-display attribute includes a visual characteristic and/or an audio characteristic.

24. The method of claim 1 where the one or more presentations includes at least one of:

a logic diagram;

a traffic route;

a construction sequence; and

combinations thereof.

25. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing the method of claim 24.

13. A computer-implemented method for developing an information-presenting interface from a drawing, the method comprising:

receiving information from a graphics file describing the drawing;

identifying object data from the information;

based on the object data, rendering a set of definable objects;

providing for the reception of attribute indications that designate attributes to be associated with the definable objects; and

providing for the reception of instructions to group the definable objects into one or more groups that share at least one conditional-display attribute.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said graphics file is a vector-based graphics file.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein rendering said set of definable objects includes presenting said definable objects on a user interface that exposes one or more components to receive attributes to be associated with said objects.

18. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing the method of claim 13.

19. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of converting a stagnant drawing into at least a portion of a dynamically updatable user interface, the method comprising:

providing one or more drawing files that includes drawing information that describes stagnant-drawing objects of the stagnant drawing;

using the drawing information, presenting on a user interface a set of attribute-receivable objects that are consistent with the drawing data;

exposing a set of options to associate attributes with the attribute-receivable objects;

associating the attributes with the attribute-receivable objects; and

creating a dynamically updateable user interface that includes depictions of dynamic objects that correspond to the attribute-receivable objects and that are associated with one or more variable characteristics, wherein the one or more variable characteristics can change incident to receiving situational data.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein said drawing information includes ASCII information.

21. The media of claim 20, wherein said drawing information includes information within a computer-aided drafting (CAD) file.

22. The media of claim 19, wherein said dynamically updateable user interface is system independent.

23. A computer-implemented method for presenting information, the method comprising:

providing a set of graphics primitives;

associating attribute information to at least a portion of the graphic primitives;

grouping the graphic primitives into one or more logical groupings; and

creating one or more presentations using the grouped graphic primitives.