Process for selecting an object in a PLM database and apparatus implementing this process

• US 20070198581A1
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dassault Systemes SA
• Original Assignee: Dassault Systemes SA
• Inventors: Nonclercq, Arnaud, Delarue, Guillaume
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/36 Level of detail
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

The invention is directed to a process, an apparatus and a program for selecting an object in a PLM database containing modeled objects. The invention allows a user to rapidly display a view of the set of objects while allowing for selecting an object in the view, for example through movement of a pointer such as a mouse.

Claims

1. A process for selecting an object in a PLM database containing modeled objects, the process comprising:

providing a graphical user interface with a user-controlled pointer;

displaying on the graphical user interface a view of a set (20) of objects (21, 22, 23, 24) of the database, said view being a non-associative view;

determining the location of the pointer (32) in the view; and

searching the database and identifying to the user one object (24lf) according to the determined location.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying one object (24lf) comprises:

retrieving from the database the exact representation of said identified object (24lf).

3. The process of claim 2, wherein the step of identifying further comprises:

applying to non-identified objects of the non-associative view rendering parameters that are different from the rendering parameters of the identified object.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the rendering parameters applied to the non-identified objects of the non-associative view comprise rendering translucent all said non-identified objects of the non-associative view.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the step of displaying:

aggregating representations of respective objects of the set of objects to form the non-associative displayed view.

The process of claim 1, wherein the step of searching the database and identifying further comprises;

computing a ray passing through a viewpoint of the view and the determined location of the pointer (32).

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the non-associative displayed view is a view of a set of three-dimensional objects.

14. The process of claim 1, wherein upon activation of the pointer (32) identifying the identified object (24lf), said identified object (24lf) is loaded on an authoring tool in order to be edited.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the objects in contact with the identified object (24lf) are identified.

16. The process of any one of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a graphical representation of all the objects composing the structure path related to the identified object (24lf).

6. The process of claim 6, wherein the step of searching and identifying further comprises:

identifying one or more bounding volume (21b, 22b, 23b, 24b) of a respective object (21, 22, 23, 24) of the set (20) of objects, intersecting the computed ray.

7. The process of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying, amongst the objects corresponding to intersecting bounding volumes, the closest object to the viewpoint.

8. The process of claim 7, further comprising, prior to the step of displaying:

computing and storing in the PLM database bounding volumes (21b, 22b, 23b, 24b) of respective objects (21, 22, 23, 24).

10. The process of claim 7, wherein the step of identifying one or more intersecting bounding volume is carried out recursively, based on relations stored in the database between the respective objects.

11. The process of claim 7, further comprising, prior to the step of displaying:

computing and storing in the PLM database subdivided bounding volumes of respective bounding volumes.

9. The process of claim 9, wherein at the step of computing and storing bounding volumes, only one bounding volume is stored for multi-instantiated objects of the set of objects.

12. The process of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying one or more subdivided bounding volume intersecting the computed ray.

17. The process of claim 17, wherein the graphical representations of the objects are three dimensional representations retrieved from the database and user-selectable to edit said objects.

18. Apparatus for selecting an object in a PLM database containing modeled objects, the apparatus comprising:

means for providing a graphical user interface with a user-controlled pointer on a display;

means for displaying on the graphical user interface a view of a set (20) of objects (21, 22, 23, 24) of the database, said view being a non-associative view;

means for determining the location of the pointer (32) in the view; and

means for searching the database and for identifying to the user one object (24lf)

according to the determined location.

19. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for identifying one object (24lf) comprise means for retrieving from the database the exact representation of said identified object (24lf).

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for loading said identified object (24lf) on an authoring tool in order to be edited, upon activation of the pointer (32) identifying the identified object (24lf).

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for displaying a graphical representation of all the objects composing the structure path related to the identified object (24lf).

22. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the graphical representations of the objects are three dimensional representations retrieved from the database and user-selectable to edit said objects.

23. A computer program, stored on a computer readable medium, for selecting an object in a PLM database containing modeled objects, comprising code means for causing a computer onto which said computer program is loaded to take the steps of:

providing a graphical user interface with a user-controlled pointer;

displaying on the graphical user interface a view of a set (20) of objects (21, 22, 23, 24) of the database, said view being a non-associative view;

determining the location of the pointer (32) in the view; and

searching the database and identifying to the user one object (24lf) according to the determined location.

24. The computer program of claim 24, wherein the code means causing the computer to take the step of identifying one object (24lf) comprise code means for causing the computer to take the step of retrieving from the database the exact representation of said identified object (24lf).

25. The computer program of claim 24, comprising code means for causing the computer, upon activation of the pointer (32) identifying the identified object (24lf), to take the step of loading said identified object (24lf) on an authoring tool in order to be edited.

26. The computer program of claim 24, further comprising code means for causing the computer to take the step of displaying a graphical representation of all the objects composing the structure path related to the identified object (24lf).

27. A process for selecting an object in a PLM database containing modeled objects, the process comprising:

providing a graphical user interface with a user-controlled pointer;

displaying on the graphical user interface a view of a set (20) of objects (21, 22, 23, 24) of the database, said view being a non-associative view;

determining the location of the pointer (32) in the view;

searching the database and identifying to the user one object (24lf) according to the determined location;

computing a ray passing through a viewpoint of the view and the determined location of the pointer (32); and

identifying one or more bounding volume (21b, 22b, 23b, 24b) of a respective object (21, 22, 23, 24) of the set (20) of objects, intersecting the computed ray.

28. A process for selecting an object in a PLM database containing modeled objects, the process comprising:

providing a graphical user interface with a user-controlled pointer;

displaying on the graphical user interface a view of a set (20) of objects (21, 22, 23, 24) of the database, said view being a non-associative view;

determining the location of the pointer (32) in the view;

searching the database and identifying to the user one object (24lf) according to the determined location;

computing a ray passing through a viewpoint of the view and the determined location of the pointer (32);

identifying one or more bounding volume (21b, 22b, 23b, 24b) of a respective object (21, 22, 23, 24) of the set (20) of objects, intersecting the computed ray; and

identifying, amongst the objects corresponding to intersecting bounding volumes, the closest object to the viewpoint,

wherein the step of identifying one or more intersecting bounding volume is carried out recursively, based on relations stored in the database between the respective objects.