Construction of elements for three-dimensional objects
First Claim
1. A method of constructing elements for a three-dimensional object having a plurality of flat polygonal surfaces, said method comprising:
- providing a visual model of the object;
constructing a graph from the visual model, said graph comprising a plurality of nodes connected by lines, each node representing one of the polygonal surfaces and each line connecting the nodes corresponding to an edge of the visual model located between corresponding polygonal surfaces;
selecting one of said nodes and traversing the graph beginning at the selected node, said traversing comprising successively traveling from previously selected nodes to previously unselected nodes along said lines without processing any node more than once; and
creating elements of the three-dimensional object on a page by drawing a corresponding polygon for each node as the nodes are visited.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Elements of a three-dimensional object having a plurality of flat polygonal surfaces are constructed by providing a visual model of the object and constructing a graph from the visual model. The graph illustrates a plurality of nodes connected by lines. Each node represents one of the polygonal surfaces, and each line connecting the nodes corresponds to an edge of the visual model located between corresponding polygonal surfaces. One of the nodes is selected as a starting node, and the graph is traversed beginning at the starting node. The traversal continues by successively traveling from previously selected nodes to previously unselected nodes along the lines without selecting any node more than once. The elements are constructed by drawing a corresponding polygon for each node as the nodes are selected.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of constructing elements for a three-dimensional object having a plurality of flat polygonal surfaces, said method comprising:
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providing a visual model of the object; constructing a graph from the visual model, said graph comprising a plurality of nodes connected by lines, each node representing one of the polygonal surfaces and each line connecting the nodes corresponding to an edge of the visual model located between corresponding polygonal surfaces; selecting one of said nodes and traversing the graph beginning at the selected node, said traversing comprising successively traveling from previously selected nodes to previously unselected nodes along said lines without processing any node more than once; and creating elements of the three-dimensional object on a page by drawing a corresponding polygon for each node as the nodes are visited.
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2. An apparatus for constructing elements for a three-dimensional object having a plurality of flat polygonal surfaces, said apparatus comprising:
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visual model specifying means for specifying a visual model of the object; processing means including; constructing means for constructing a graph from the visual model, said graph comprising a plurality of nodes connected by lines, each node representing one of the polygonal surfaces and each line connecting the nodes corresponding to an edge of the visual model located between corresponding polygonal surfaces; selecting means for selecting one of said nodes; and traversing means for traversing the graph beginning at the node selected by said selecting means, said traversing means traversing the graph by successively traveling from previously selected nodes to previously unselected nodes along said lines without processing any node more than once; and printing means for creating elements of the three-dimensional object on a page by drawing a corresponding polygon for each node as the nodes are visited.
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3. A method of constructing elements for a three-dimensional object having a plurality of flat polygonal surfaces, said method comprising:
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providing a visual model of the object; constructing a graph from the visual model, said graph comprising a plurality of nodes connected by lines, each node representing one of the polygonal surfaces and each line connecting the nodes corresponding to an edge of the visual model located between corresponding polygonal surfaces; selecting one of said nodes and traversing the graph beginning at the selected node, said traversing comprising successively traveling from previously selected nodes to previously unselected nodes along said lines without processing any node more than once; and creating elements of the three-dimensional object on a page by drawing a corresponding polygon for each node as the nodes are visited to form a two-dimensional unfolded pattern. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for constructing elements for a three-dimensional object having a plurality of flat polygonal surfaces, said apparatus comprising:
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visual model specifying means for specifying a visual model of the object; processing means including; constructing means for constructing a graph from the visual model, said graph comprising a plurality of nodes connected by lines, each node representing one of the polygonal surfaces and each line connecting the nodes corresponding to an edge of the visual model located between corresponding polygonal surfaces; selecting means for selecting one of said nodes; and traversing means for traversing the graph beginning at the node selected by said selecting means, said traversing means traversing the graph by successively traveling from previously selected nodes to previously unselected nodes along said lines without processing any node more than once; and printing means for creating elements of the three-dimensional object on a page by drawing a corresponding polygon for each node as the nodes are visited to form a two-dimensional unfolded pattern. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification