Method and apparatus for displaying a cursor along a two dimensional representation of a computer generated three dimensional surface
First Claim
1. A computer system comprising:
- a display, having a set of display coordinates, that displays a cursor and a two dimensional representation of a surface of a three dimensional object;
a user-operable input device by which a user provides input signals that indicate a position of the cursor on the display in input coordinates;
a processing system, coupled to the display and to the input device, that receives the input signals indicating the cursor position and causes the cursor to be positioned on the display in response to the input signals, the processing system including;
a modeler for receiving input commands and for generating a surface definition representation of the surface of the three dimensional object in a surface definition space having a set of surface definition coordinates,means for mapping the input device coordinates of the cursor into surface definition coordinates that represent the position of the cursor in the surface definition space, andmeans for mapping the surface definition coordinates of the cursor and the surface definition representation of the surface into display coordinates that represent the surface and the position of the cursor on the display, so that the cursor is dynamically attached to the two dimensional representation of the surface of the three dimensional object.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cursor is dynamically attached to a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional surface in a CAD system. The system maps input coordinates indicating an initial position and a final position of a cursor to coordinates of a u-v surface representation of a the three-dimensional surface. The u-v coordinates are then mapped to display coordinates. The option to display this cursor on the surface is made by entering a command and by selecting a surface. The cursor preferably includes vectors indicating the magnitude and direction of the slope, and the display includes a window for displaying the u-v representation of the surface. A user can pick points on the surface based on what is visually observed on the display without projecting the point to another surface.
25 Citations
51 Claims
-
1. A computer system comprising:
-
a display, having a set of display coordinates, that displays a cursor and a two dimensional representation of a surface of a three dimensional object; a user-operable input device by which a user provides input signals that indicate a position of the cursor on the display in input coordinates; a processing system, coupled to the display and to the input device, that receives the input signals indicating the cursor position and causes the cursor to be positioned on the display in response to the input signals, the processing system including; a modeler for receiving input commands and for generating a surface definition representation of the surface of the three dimensional object in a surface definition space having a set of surface definition coordinates, means for mapping the input device coordinates of the cursor into surface definition coordinates that represent the position of the cursor in the surface definition space, and means for mapping the surface definition coordinates of the cursor and the surface definition representation of the surface into display coordinates that represent the surface and the position of the cursor on the display, so that the cursor is dynamically attached to the two dimensional representation of the surface of the three dimensional object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for use in a computer system including a display, having a set of display coordinates, for displaying a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional surface and a cursor, an input device for a user to move the cursor from an initial position to a final position, and a processor coupled to the input device and to the display, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:
-
providing a two dimensional surface definition representation of the three dimensional surface in a surface definition space having a set of surface definition coordinates; receiving signals from the input device indicating input coordinates corresponding to the initial position and the final position of the cursor; mapping the input coordinates of the initial position and the input coordinates of the final position into surface definition coordinates that respectively represent the initial position and the final position in the surface definition space; and deriving display coordinates for the cursor from the mapped surface definition coordinates so that the cursor is moved on the display from the initial position to the final position along a path that represents a contour of the surface. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A computer system comprising:
-
a first display window for displaying a first cursor and a first representation of a selected three dimensional surface, the first representation being two dimensional and having a three dimensional appearance; a second display window for displaying a second cursor and a second representation of the selected three dimensional surface, the second representation representing the selected three dimensional surface in a two dimensional surface definition space; and a processing system for receiving input signals from a user to indicate how to move the first cursor from an initial position to a final position, for deriving a first set of coordinates indicating the initial position and the final position for the first cursor in the first display window, and for mapping the first set of coordinates into a second set of coordinates in the surface definition space to determine coordinates for the second cursor so that the first and second cursors move simultaneously in the first and second display windows.
-
-
15. A method for operating a computer system having a display that displays a first cursor and a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object, the three-dimensional object including at least one surface having a contour, the computer system including an input device that receives user commands to change a position of the first cursor on the display, the method including the computer implemented steps of:
-
(A) receiving at least one command from the input device that represents a change in the position of the first cursor on the display from a first position to a second position, the first position on the display representing the at least one surface; and (B) moving the first cursor from the first position to the second position along a path that represents the contour of the at least one surface. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. A method for operating a computer system having a display and an input device that receives user commands, the method including the computer implemented steps of:
-
(A) displaying on the display a first cursor and a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object, the two-dimensional representation including at least one surface; (B) receiving a first user command to select the at least one surface; (C) receiving a second user command to select a position on the display; and (D) modifying the at least one surface so that the at least one surface passes through the selected position on the display. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A method for use in a computer system having a display that displays a first cursor and a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object, the three-dimensional object including at least one surface having a contour, the computer system including an input device that receives user commands that each identifies a position on the display, the method including the computer implemented steps of:
-
(A) receiving at least two input commands from the input device that respectively identify at least two positions on the display, each of the at least two positions representing the at least one surface on the display; and (B) drawing between the at least two positions on the display a line that represents the contour of the at least one surface. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
-
-
43. A method for use in a computer system having a display that displays a first cursor and a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object, the three-dimensional object including at least one surface having a contour, the method including the computer implemented steps of:
-
(A) positioning the first cursor at a position that represents the at least one surface on the display; (B) determining at least one slope of the contour of the at least one surface at the position of the cursor; and (C) displaying on the display at the position of the first cursor a representation of the at least one slope of the contour at the position of the cursor. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
-
-
50. A method for use in a computer system having a display, the method including the steps of:
-
(A) displaying on the display a first two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional object, the three-dimensional object including at least one surface; and (B) displaying on the display, while the first two-dimensional representation is displayed, a second representation of the at least one surface, the second representation representing the at least one surface in a two-dimensional surface definition space. - View Dependent Claims (51)
-
Specification