Method and System for Designing a Modeled Assembly of at Least One Object in a Computer-Aided Design System

• US 20140005984A1
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dassault Systemes SA
• Original Assignee: Dassault Systemes SA
• Inventors: Masson, Hubert, Arrighi, Pierre-Antoine
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of designing a modeled assembly of at least one object in a computer-aided design system, the method comprising the steps of providing a set of icons, each icon being representative of a range of scales of size; determining the dimensions of a view (40) of said modeled assembly; and displaying continuously the icon representative of the range of scales of size corresponding to said dimensions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of designing a modeled assembly of at least one object in a computer-aided design system, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a set of icons, each icon being representative of a range of scales of size;

determining the dimensions of a view of said modeled assembly; and

displaying continuously the icon representative of the range of scales of size corresponding to said dimensions.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the displaying of the icon representative of the range of scales of size corresponding to the dimensions of said view is comprised in an external frame.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the set of icons comprising:

a first subset wherein each icon represents a usual element, and

a second subset wherein each icon represents a transition between two consecutive icons of the first subset.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein an icon of said second subset comprising the superposition of the two elements represented by said two consecutive icons of the first subset.

5. Method according to claim 2, wherein a dynamic frame is dynamically displayed on the displayed icon, to indicate the size of said view relative to the range of scales of size represented by the displayed icon.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein, during a transition a zoom or a unzoom is made in the external frame, so as to obtain in the external frame a passage without discontinuity between two successive displayed icons, each from a different subset.

7. Method according to claim 5, wherein, during a zoom of said view, the corresponding linked displaying of a series of icons alternatively in the first and second subsets and ordered by increasing or decreasing range of scales of size, comprises the iterative steps of:

the size of the dynamic frame is decreased relatively to an icon of the first subset of said series;

the following icon of said ordered series, in the decreasing order, replaces continuously the preceding icon, the common element of the two icons is superposed at the moment of change of icon;

the dynamic frame focus on the other element;

the size of the dynamic frame and the displayed part of the icon change simultaneously in the inverse proportions; and

the following icon of said ordered series, in the decreasing order, replaces continuously the preceding icon during an animation of the icon of the second subset.

8. Method according to claim 4, wherein, during an unzoom of said view, the corresponding linked displaying of a series of icons alternatively in the first and second subsets and ordered by increasing or decreasing range of scales of size, comprises the iterative steps of:

the following icon of said ordered series, in the increasing order, replaces continuously the preceding icon, with the adapted proportions, the common element of the two icons is superposed at the moment of change of icon, during an animation of the icon of the second subset;

the size of the dynamic frame and the displayed part of the icon change simultaneously in the inverse proportions;

the dynamic frame focus on the other element; and

the size of the dynamic frame is decreased relatively to the icon.

9. A computer program product, stored on a computer readable medium, for designing an assembly of objects in a system of computer-aided design, the computer program comprising code means for causing the system of computer-aided design to take the steps:

providing a set of icons, each icon being representative of a range of scales of size;

determining the dimensions of a view of said modeled assembly; and

displaying continuously the icon representative of the range of scales of size corresponding to said dimensions.

10. An apparatus for designing an assembly of objects in a system of computer-aided design, the apparatus comprising means for implementing the steps of:

providing a set of icons, each icon being representative of a range of scales of size;

determining the dimensions of a view of said modeled assembly; and

displaying continuously the icon representative of the range of scales of size corresponding to said dimensions.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the displaying of the icon representative of the range of scales of size corresponding to the dimensions of said view is comprised in an external frame.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein the set of icons comprising:

a first subset wherein each icon represents a usual element, and

a second subset wherein each icon represents a transition between two consecutive icons of the first subset.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein an icon of said second subset comprising the superposition of the two elements represented by said two consecutive icons of the first subset.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein a dynamic frame is dynamically displayed on the displayed icon, to indicate the size of said view relative to the range of scales of size represented by the displayed icon.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein, during a transition a zoom or a unzoom is made in the external frame, so as to obtain in the external frame a passage without discontinuity between two successive displayed icons, each from a different subset.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein

during a zoom of said view, the corresponding linked displaying of a series of icons alternatively in the first and second subsets and ordered by increasing or decreasing range of scales of size, comprises the iterative steps of:

the size of the dynamic frame is decreased relatively to an icon of the first subset of said series;

the following icon of said ordered series, in the decreasing order, replaces continuously the preceding icon, the common element of the two icons is superposed at the moment of change of icon;

the dynamic frame focus on the other element;

the size of the dynamic frame and the displayed part of the icon change simultaneously in the inverse proportions; and

the following icon of said ordered series, in the decreasing order, replaces continuously the preceding icon during an animation of the icon of the second subset.