SECURELY SHARING DESIGN RENDERINGS OVER A NETWORK

• US 20120268463A1
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Armstrong Word Industries Incorporated, Armstrong World Industries Incorporated, Dirtt Environmental Solutions
• Original Assignee: ICE Edge Business Solutions Ltd.
• Inventors: Loberg, Barrie A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,245,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads

Abstract

Systems, methods, and design software allow for easy and efficient rendering, displaying, navigation, and/or sharing of computer generated designs and models. One or more implementations allow a user to share the geometry and the graphical attributes of a three-dimensional model without sharing the source file or the proprietary details of the source file. In particular, the one or more implementations provide the ability to capture the geometry and the graphical attributes of a three-dimensional model, and share then captured geometry with others. Furthermore, one or more implementations can allow for sharing of the geometry and graphical attributes of a three-dimensional model without requiring the viewer to have the software used to create the three-dimensional model.

Claims

1. In a computerized environment including a computer system and a design software application, a computer program storage product having computer-executable instructions for a separate capture and rendering software application stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors on the computer system to perform the acts comprising:

identifying one or more files corresponding to a three-dimensional computer model created by a design software application and stored within a database associated with the design software application;

identifying geometry data and graphical aspect data of the three-dimensional computer model in the one or more files;

extracting the geometry data and graphical aspect data from the one or more files corresponding to the three-dimensional computer model;

storing the geometry data and graphical aspect data in a storage module unassociated with the design software application; and

providing an accurate three-dimensional view of the geometry and graphical aspects of the three-dimensional computer model at a display device using a capture and render software application unassociated with the design software application.

2. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing an accurate three-dimensional view of the geometry and graphical aspects of the three-dimensional computer model at a display device through communication with a graphical processing unit.

3. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more geometries that surround one or more vertices associated with the three-dimensional view of the geometry and graphical aspects of the three-dimensional computer model; and

providing a lighting value to one or more vertices based on the one or more surrounding geometries.

4. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 3, further comprising storing one or more context tags associated with the three-dimensional computer model in the storage module unassociated with the design software application.

5. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 4, further comprising determining the lighting value based at least in part upon the one or more context tags.

6. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the one or more files corresponding to a three-dimensional computer model stored in the database associated with the design software application; and

extracting and saving only the data necessary to recreate the geometry and graphical aspects of the three-dimensional computer model.

7. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

identifying navigational input that changes the three-dimensional view; and

providing real-time shading of the three-dimensional view as three-dimensional view changes.

8. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 1, wherein extracting the geometry data and graphical aspect data comprises extracting only the geometry data and graphical aspect data relevant to outer or otherwise viewable surfaces of the three-dimensional computer model.

9. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

recognizing geometry data associated with at least one interior component; and

excluding the geometry data associated with the at least one interior component from the extracted geometry data.

10. At a web server in a computerized environment including a first remote client computer system that creates a three-dimensional computer model with a design software application, and a second remote client computer system, a method for securing sharing the geometry and graphical aspects of a three-dimensional computer model at the second remote client computer system without requiring the second client computer system to have the design software application installed thereon, comprising the acts of:

receiving, from a first remote client computer system, geometry data and graphical aspect data extracted from a three-dimensional computer model created using a design software application;

storing the geometry data and graphical aspect data in one or more geometric computer model files at a web server;

receiving one or more requests for the one or more geometric computer model files from a second remote client computer system; and

sending the one or more geometric computer model files and one or more viewer application files from the web server to the second remote client computer system;

wherein;

the one or more temporary viewer application files are configured to launch a temporary viewer application on the second remote client computer system; and

the temporary viewer application is configured to display the geometry data and graphical aspect data of the one or more geometric computer model files.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

sending one or more executable instructions from the web server to the second remote client computer system, wherein the one or more executable instructions are configured to cause one or more processors to automatically launch the temporary viewer application on the second remote client computer system.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more executable instructions are configured to cause the second remote client computer system to store the one or more geometric computer model files in volatile memory at the second remote client computer system.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more executable instructions are configured to cause the second remote client computer system to store the one or more temporary viewer application files in volatile memory at the second remote client computer system.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the one or more geometric computer model files consist essentially of the geometry data, the graphical aspect data, and one or more context tags.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising sending a hyperlink containing the location of the one or more geometric computer model files from the web server to an email address associated with an intended viewer.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the one or more executable instructions are configured to cause the second remote client computer system to delete the one or more geometric computer model files from the second remote client computer system upon the closing of the temporary viewer application.

17. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the extracted geometry data and graphical aspect data excludes geometry data and graphical aspect data associated with at least one interior or otherwise unviewable surface of the three-dimensional computer model.

18. At a client computer system in a computerized environment including a web server that hosts the a three-dimensional computer model created by a design software application, a method for viewing the geometry and graphical aspects of the three-dimensional computer model without requiring the design software application, comprising the acts of:

sending one or more requests to a web server for one or more geometric computer model files comprising geometry data and graphical aspect data extracted from a three-dimensional computer model created using a design software application;

opening a temporary viewer application hosted by the web server;

receiving the one or more geometric computer model files from the web server; and

displaying an accurate three-dimensional view of the geometry and graphical aspects of the three-dimensional computer model at a display device using the temporary viewer application.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising receiving one or more executable instructions and one or more temporary viewer application files from the web server.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising storing the one or more geometric computer model files in volatile memory.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising automatically deleting the one or more geometric computer model upon closing of the temporary viewer application.

22. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising automatically deleting the one or more executable instructions and the one or more temporary viewer application files upon closing of the temporary viewer application.

23. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the extracted geometry data and graphical aspect data consists essentially of geometry data and graphical aspect data associated with outer or other otherwise viewable surface of the three-dimensional computer model.

24. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

identifying one or more geometries that surround one or more vertices associated with the three-dimensional view of the geometry and graphical aspects of the three-dimensional computer model; and

providing a lighting value to one or more vertices based on the one or more surrounding geometries.