Method and apparatus for creation of three-dimensional wire frames

• US 5,742,291 A
• Filed: 05/09/1995
• Issued: 04/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jade Pixel LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Synthonics Incorporated (Synthonics Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Palm, Charles S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buchel, Rudolph J.
• Application Number:
  US08/437,771
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 395/119, 395/120, 395/155, 395/117-20, 395/141-3, 364/468.03, 364/468.04, 364/578
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for the rapid creation of wire frame representations of 3-dimensional objects using generic wire frames which are prototypical of a class of objects and which are modifiable to correspond to a specific instance of the class. A set of generic wire frames are bundled as a tool kit with software for editing wire frames. A method of morphing from a source 3-dimensional stereo rendered wire frame to a target rendered wire frame is also disclosed and the apparent camera viewpoint can change during morphing.

Claims

1. Apparatus for rapidly creating wire frame representations of three dimensional objects comprising:

a. computer having an input/output device, a display, a memory and mass storage;

b. generic wire frames stored on said mass storage; and

c. software, for controlling said computer, permitting a generic wire frame to be oriented so it aligns with a first view of a three dimensional object, modifying, if needed, the location of at least one vertex of the generic wire frame to overlay a feature point in said first view to create a modified wire frame, orienting said modified wire frame so it aligns with a second view of said object, and modifying the location of said vertex to overlay said feature point in said second view.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 in which the generic wire frames comprise a tool kit having a plurality of wire frames generic to a respective plurality of different objects.

3. Apparatus of claim 1 in which the software for editing includes:

a. means for selecting a vertex of a generic wire frame and for dragging the position of said vertex from one location on the display to another location.

4. Apparatus of claim 1 in which the software for editing includes:

a. means for adding a vertex between two vertices of a wire frame.

5. Apparatus of claim 1 in which the software for editing includes:

a. means for deleting a vertex between two vertices of a wire frame.

6. Apparatus of claim 5 in which database entries of predecessor and successor vertices are altered when said vertex is deleted.

7. A method for rapidly creating a custom wire frame of a three dimensional object, comprising:

a. orienting so it aligns with a first view of an object;

b. modifying, if needed, at least one vertex of said view of said generic wire frame by dragging said vertex from an original position in the generic wire frame and dropping said vertex on a feature point of said view to create a modified wire frame;

c. orienting said modified wire frame so it aliens with a second view of said object; and

d. modifying the location of said vertex to overlap said feature point in said second view.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising rendering said custom wire frame using transformed bit mapped portions of said image.