Method and apparatus for generating graphics

• US 5,247,610 A
• Filed: 09/29/1992
• Issued: 09/21/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishitani, Shigeyuki, Yamazaki, Yukie, Naito, Akira, Kawasaki, Toshiharu, Kumai, Hiroyuki, Mese, Michihiro, Yamauchi, Tsukasa, Oshima, Sayuri, Endo, Hirohide, Nakajima, Akira, Matsuda, Yasumasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US07/953,019
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/161, 395/133, 395/135, 395/152, 358/93, 364/474.22, 364/474.24
• US Class Current: 345/630
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/56 having vectorial format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5854 using shape and object relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2004 Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

A graphic generating apparatus ane method in comprising a plurality of reference figures are stored and a plurality of figure parts are stored. One of the stored reference figures is selected and displayed and at least one of the plurality of figure parts is selected.

Claims

1. A graphic generating apparatus comprising:

means for storing at least a plurality of reference figures having a plurality of positions;

means for storing a plurality of figure parts;

means for selecting one of the stored reference figures and for displaying the selected one of the reference figures;

means for selecting at least one of the plurality of figure parts; and

means responsive to the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts and the selected one of the reference figures for aligning the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts at at least a predetermined one of the plurality of positions on the selected one of the reference figures;

wherein at least one of the plurality of reference figures comprises a structure line representing the skeleton of a human body.

2. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning means includes means for varying the size of the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts in accordance with the size of the selected one of the reference figures.

3. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning means includes means for varying the size of the selected one of the reference figures in accordance with the size of the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts.

4. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying the plurality of reference figures and the plurality of figure parts for enabling selection therefrom.

5. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display means includes first and second portions, one portion for displaying generated figures, and the other portion displaying the plurality of figure parts to be selected.

6. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 4, wherein means are provided for designating a component of the selected reference figure, and the selecting means for the plurality of figure parts selects a figure part corresponding to the component and enables display in a generated figure display portion of the display means.

7. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising separate storage means for storing a generated reference figure and for storing figure parts to be positioned with respect to the reference figure.

8. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for storing a keyword corresponding to data of figure part storage means, the keyword storing means being responsive to the keyword for enabling search and retrieval of the corresponding figure part.

9. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the keyword is a number, figure parts corresponding to the number are retrieved and displayed.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising means for converting a keyword into another keyword for data retrieval.

11. A graphics generating apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the converting means converts the keyword into a number for enabling figures corresponding to the number to be retrieved and displayed.

12. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein different ones of the plurality of figure parts are positionable at different predetermined positions on the selected one of the plurality of reference figures, the aligning means aligning selected different ones of the plurality of figure parts at the respective predetermined positions therefor.

13. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the structure line representing the skelton of the human body is selected, the plurality of figure parts relating to the plurality of positions along the structure line are simultaneously called up.

14. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of reference figures include at least two different structure lines representing the skeleton of a human body having different action forms.

15. A method for generating figures comprising the steps of:

storing at least a plurality of reference figures having a plurality of positions;

storing a plurality of figure parts;

selecting one of the stored reference figures and displaying the selected one of the reference figures;

selecting at least one of the plurality of figure parts; and

aligning the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts at at least a predetermined one of the plurality of positions on the selected one of the reference figures and displaying the at least one selected figure part thereon;

wherein at least one of the plurality of reference figures comprises a structure line representing the skeleton of a living being.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of varying the size of the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts in accordance with the size of the selected one of the reference figures.

17. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of varying the size of the selected one of the reference figures in accordance with the size of the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts.

18. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of displaying a plurality of reference figures and the plurality of figure parts and for enabling selection therefrom.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein different ones of the plurality of figure parts are positionable at different predetermined ones of the plurality of positions on the selected one of the plurality of reference figures, and further comprising the step of positioning selected different ones of the plurality of figure parts at the respective predetermined positions therefor.

20. A method according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of reference figures include at least two different structure lines representing the skeleton of a living being having different action forms.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the living being is a human body.

22. A method according to claim 15, wherein the living body is a human body.

23. A graphic generating apparatus comprising:

means for storing at least a plurality of reference figures having a plurality of positions;

means for storing a plurality of figure parts;

means for selecting one of the stored reference figures and for displaying the selected one of the reference figures;

means for selecting at least one of the plurality of figure parts; and

means responsive to the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts and the selected one of the reference figures for aligning the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts at at least a predetermined one of the plurality of positions on the selected one of the reference figures;

wherein at least one of the plurality of reference figures comprises a structure line representing the skeleton of a living being.

24. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the plurality of reference figures include at least two different structure lines representing the skeleton of a living being having different action forms.

25. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein when the structure line representing the skeleton of the human body is selected, the plurality of figure parts relating to the plurality of positions along the structure line are simultaneously called up.

26. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the aligning means includes means for varying the size of the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts in accordance with the size of the selected one of the reference figures.

27. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the aligning means includes means for varying the size of the selected one of the reference figures in accordance with the size of the selected at least one of the plurality of figure parts.

28. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising means for displaying the plurality of reference figures and the plurality of figure parts for enabling selection therefrom.

29. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the display means includes first and second portions, one portion for displaying generated figures, and the other portion displaying the plurality of figure parts to be selected.

30. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 28, wherein means are provided for designating a component of the selected reference figure, and the selecting means for the plurality of figure parts selects a figure part corresponding to the component and enables display in a generated figure display portion of the display means.

31. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 30, further comprising separate storage means for storing a generated reference figure and for storing figure parts to be positioned with respect to the reference figure.

32. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 31, further comprising means for storing a keyword corresponding to data of figure part storage means, the keyword storing means being responsive to the keyword for enabling search and retrieval of the corresponding figure part.

33. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the keyword is a number, figure parts corresponding to the number are retrieved and displayed.

34. An apparatus according to claim 32, further comprising means for converting a keyword into another keyword for data retrieval.

35. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the converting means converts the keyword into a number for enabling figures corresponding to the number to be retrieved and displayed.

36. A graphic generating apparatus according to claim 23, wherein different ones of the plurality of figure parts are positionable at different predetermined positions on the selected one of the plurality of reference figures, the aligning means aligning selected different ones of the plurality of figure parts at the respective predetermined positions therefor.