Method and system for rotating a three-dimensional model about two orthogonal axes
First Claim
1. A method in a computer system for rotating an object displayed on a display device, wherein the computer system includes a pointer positioning device for positioning a pointer displayed on the display device, the method comprising:
- providing a reference sphere having a surface which intersects a reference point on the object, wherein the surface has opposing near and far partial-spheres, wherein the surface includes at least one reachable region and opposing left and right unreachable regions each having a boundary, the regions being defined by constraints on rotation of the object;
selecting the reference point on the object with the pointer positioning device;
detecting movement of the pointer positioning device which moves the pointer and indicates a rotation of the object;
determining an intersection point between the pointer and the surface of the reference sphere;
determining an amount of rotation for the object which corresponds to the indicated rotation of the object, wherein when the intersection point is in the left or right unreachable region the amount of rotation is determined such that the selected reference point coincides with a tracked point which lies along the boundary of the left or right unreachable region, respectively, in the same near or far partial-sphere as the intersection point; and
rotating the object by the determined amount of rotation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The method and computer system rotate a three-dimensional model about the x-axis and y-axis on a computer display device in response to user input generated by a pointer positioning device. No rotation about the z-axis is permitted, and rotation about the x-axis is limited to ±90 degrees. The computer system includes the display device, a user controllable pointer positioning device, and a corresponding pointer, which is displayed on the display device. The computer system rotates the model in a fluid manner, providing kinesthetic correspondence between the movement of the pointer positioning device and the model. Additionally, the computer system provides reversibility of rotation so that a user can easily return the model to a previous rotational view.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method in a computer system for rotating an object displayed on a display device, wherein the computer system includes a pointer positioning device for positioning a pointer displayed on the display device, the method comprising:
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providing a reference sphere having a surface which intersects a reference point on the object, wherein the surface has opposing near and far partial-spheres, wherein the surface includes at least one reachable region and opposing left and right unreachable regions each having a boundary, the regions being defined by constraints on rotation of the object; selecting the reference point on the object with the pointer positioning device; detecting movement of the pointer positioning device which moves the pointer and indicates a rotation of the object; determining an intersection point between the pointer and the surface of the reference sphere; determining an amount of rotation for the object which corresponds to the indicated rotation of the object, wherein when the intersection point is in the left or right unreachable region the amount of rotation is determined such that the selected reference point coincides with a tracked point which lies along the boundary of the left or right unreachable region, respectively, in the same near or far partial-sphere as the intersection point; and rotating the object by the determined amount of rotation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer system for rotating an object displayed on a display device, the computer system comprising:
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a pointer positioning device for positioning a pointer displayed on the display device; means for providing a reference sphere having a surface which intersects a reference point on the object, wherein the surface has opposing near and far partial-spheres, wherein the surface includes at least one reachable region and opposing left and right unreachable regions each having a boundary, the regions being defined by constraints on rotation of the object; means for selecting the reference point on the object in response to a selection signal from the pointer positioning device; means for detecting movement of the pointer positioning device to move the pointer and to indicate a rotation of the object; means for determining an intersection point between the pointer and the surface of the reference sphere; means for determining an amount of rotation for the object which corresponds to the indicated rotation of the object, wherein when the intersection point is in the left or right unreachable region the amount of rotation is determined such that the selected reference point coincides with a tracked point which lies along the boundary of the left or right unreachable region, respectively, in the same near or far partial-sphere as the intersection point; and means for rotating the object by the determined amount of rotation. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method in a computer system for rotating an object displayed on a display device, the object being constrained to a certain degree of rotation, wherein the computer system includes a pointer positioning device for positioning a pointer displayed on the display device, the method comprising:
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providing a reference sphere having a surface which intersects a reference point on the object, wherein the surface has a reachable region and an unreachable region that are defined by the constraint; selecting the reference point on the object with the pointer positioning device; detecting movement of the pointer positioning device which moves the pointer and indicates a rotation of the object; determining an intersection point between the pointer and the surface of the reference sphere; determining an amount of rotation for the object which corresponds to the indicated rotation of the object, such that when the intersection point is in an unreachable region the amount of rotation is determined so that the selected reference point coincides with a tracked point in a reachable region and such that when the intersection point is in a reachable region, the amount of rotation is determined so that the selected reference point coincides with the intersection point; and rotating the object by the determined amount of rotation. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification