User Interface for Controlling Three-Dimensional Animation of an Object

• US 20110173554A1
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Walsh, Brian Edward, Niles, Gregory E., Hucking, Guido
• Granted Patent: US 8,300,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/12 Rule based animation

Abstract

A user can control the animation of an object via an interface that includes a control area and a user-manipulable control element. The control area includes an ellipse. The user-manipulable control element includes a three-dimensional arrow with a straight body, a three-dimensional arrow with a curved body, or a sphere. In one embodiment, the interface includes a virtual trackball that is used to manipulate the user-manipulable control element.

Claims

1. A method for animating an object according to a speed with which the object moves and a direction in which the object moves, the method comprising:

displaying a user interface comprising;

a control area comprising an ellipse and a slider;

a representation of a three-dimensional vector having a variable orientation that specifies the direction, wherein the vector representation is located mostly within the ellipse;

a first user-manipulable control element that comprises a virtual trackball, wherein the first user-manipulable control element is located within the ellipse; and

a second user-manipulable control element that specifies the speed, wherein the second user-manipulable control element is located along the slider;

receiving input via the first user-manipulable control element, the input comprising mousing down within the virtual trackball and spinning the virtual trackball to change the orientation of the vector representation;

receiving input via the second user-manipulable control element, the input comprising dragging the second user-manipulable control element to set the speed; and

animating the object based on the received input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vector representation comprises a three-dimensional arrow having a straight body and a tail located in the center of the ellipse, the arrow pointing toward a point on the circumference of the ellipse.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed is measured in pixels per second.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving input via the first user-manipulable control element that comprises

mousing down within the virtual trackball, displaying a spherical mesh that represents the virtual trackball.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

responsive to receiving input that comprises mousing up, removing the spherical mesh from display.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input via a key, the input comprising pressing the key while mousing down within the virtual trackball and spinning the virtual trackball to change the orientation of the vector representation; and

restricting the orientation of the vector representation to 45-degree increments.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is animated using a Throw behavior, which exerts a single force on the object at a first frame of the behavior.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the Throw behavior includes an additional parameter that cannot be set using the first user-manipulable control element and the second user-manipulable control element.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the Throw behavior includes a Throw Distance parameter that indicates a distance for the object to travel over a duration of the Throw behavior.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the distance is measured in pixels.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is animated using a Wind behavior, which exerts a continuous force on the object during each frame of the behavior.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the Wind behavior includes an additional parameter that cannot be set using the first user-manipulable control element and the second user-manipulable control element.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the Wind behavior includes an Air Thickness parameter that indicates how fast the object accelerates when the speed is changed.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the user interface is semi-transparent.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is non-modal.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon data representing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for animating an object according to a speed with which the object moves and a direction in which the object moves, the operations comprising:

displaying a user interface comprising;

a control area comprising an ellipse and a slider;

a representation of a three-dimensional vector having a variable orientation that specifies the direction, wherein the vector representation is located mostly within the ellipse;

a first user-manipulable control element that comprises a virtual trackball, wherein the first user-manipulable control element is located within the ellipse; and

a second user-manipulable control element that specifies the speed, wherein the second user-manipulable control element is located along the slider;

receiving input via the first user-manipulable control element, the input comprising mousing down within the virtual trackball and spinning the virtual trackball to change the orientation of the vector representation;

receiving input via the second user-manipulable control element, the input comprising dragging the second user-manipulable control element to set the speed; and

animating the object based on the received input.

17. A system comprising a processor configured to perform operations for animating an object according to a speed with which the object moves and a direction in which the object moves, the operations comprising:

displaying a user interface comprising;

a control area comprising an ellipse and a slider;

a representation of a three-dimensional vector having a variable orientation that specifies the direction, wherein the vector representation is located mostly within the ellipse;

a first user-manipulable control element that comprises a virtual trackball, wherein the first user-manipulable control element is located within the ellipse; and

a second user-manipulable control element that specifies the speed, wherein the second user-manipulable control element is located along the slider;

receiving input via the first user-manipulable control element, the input comprising mousing down within the virtual trackball and spinning the virtual trackball to change the orientation of the vector representation;

receiving input via the second user-manipulable control element, the input comprising dragging the second user-manipulable control element to set the speed; and

animating the object based on the received input.