Modeling and deformation of 3-dimensional objects

• US 6,236,403 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hiroaki Chiyokura, Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hiroaki Chiyokura, Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Chiyokura, Hiroaki, Chaki, Youichiro, Nakamura, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Cliff N.
• Application Number:
  US09/192,367
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/424, 345/425, 345/433, 345/434, 345/435, 345/438, 345/420
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects

Abstract

A method of modeling a 3-dimensional object including performing one of a rounding operation generating the 3-dimensional object from a control grid and an inverse rounding operation generating a control grid from the 3-dimensional object depending on which one of the control grid and the 3-dimensional object is newly provided, the control grid including a plurality of edges and a plurality of vertexes, the 3-dimensional object including a plurality of boundary curves and a plurality of curved surfaces deforming the control grid by shifting the plurality of vertexes, performing the rounding operation when the control grid is deformed so as to introduce the deformation of the control grid to the 3-dimensional object, attaching a weight to one of the plurality of vertexes of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of curved surfaces of the 3-dimensional object, attaching a weight to one of the plurality of edges of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of boundary curves of the 3-dimensional object, and attaching information on a respective weight to a corresponding one of the plurality of vertexes and the plurality of edges as an attribute thereof.

Claims

1. A method of modeling a 3-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

performing one of a rounding operation generating the 3-dimensional object from a control grid and an inverse rounding operation generating a control grid from the 3-dimensional object depending on which one of the control grid and the 3-dimensional object is newly provided, the control grid including a plurality of edges and a plurality of vertexes, the 3-dimensional object including a plurality of boundary curves and a plurality of curved surfaces;

deforming the control grid by shifting the plurality of vertexes;

performing the rounding operation when the control grid is deformed so as to introduce the deformation of the control grid to the 3-dimensional object;

attaching a weight to one of the plurality of vertexes of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of curved surfaces of the 3-dimensional object;

attaching a weight to one of the plurality of edges of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of boundary curves of the 3-dimensional object; and

attaching information on a respective weight to a corresponding one of the plurality of vertexes and the plurality of edges as an attribute thereof.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of attaching a weight to one of the plurality of vertexes results in a topological division of the corresponding one of the plurality of curved surfaces.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said step of performing the rounding operation refers to the attribute attached to the corresponding one of plurality of the vertexes and the plurality of edges when introducing the deformation of the control grid to the 3-dimensional object.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inverse-rounding operation comprises the steps of:

defining a vertex with respect to each loop of the 3-dimensional object, said each loop made up from the plurality of boundary curves;

attaching an attribute to the vertex; and

connecting the vertex of a given loop with the vertex of an adjacent loop to generate a straight line edge therebetween.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said inverse-rounding operation comprises the steps of:

removing a plurality of edges connected to a vertex of a loop when the loop corresponds to a curved surface having the topological division; and

generating the control grid after the removal of the plurality of edges connected to the vertex.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inverse-rounding operation comprises the steps of:

retaining a vertex and a plurality of edges connected thereto in the control grid when generating the control grid if a plurality of tangent planes are discontinuous at the vertex; and

attaching a reference attribute to the plurality of edges connected to the vertex.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inverse-rounding operation comprises the steps of:

converting a C loop into a P loop to generate the control grid when the 3-dimensional object including the C loop is provided; and

attaching an attribute indicative of a relation between the C and P loops to a vertex of the control grid when the vertex corresponds to the P loop to which the C loop belongs.

8. A program capable of being embodied in a machine-readable medium for causing a computer to model a 3-dimensional object, said program comprising:

a code unit configured to perform a rounding operation generating the 3-dimensional object from a control grid;

a code unit configured to perform an inverse rounding operation generating a control grid from the 3-dimensional object;

a code unit configured to initiate one of the rounding operation and the inverse rounding operation depending on which one of the control grid and the 3-dimensional object is newly provided, the control grid including a plurality of edges and a plurality of vertexes, the 3-dimensional object including a plurality of boundary curves and a plurality of curved surfaces;

a code unit configured to deform the control grid by shifting the plurality of vertexes;

a code unit configured to initiate the rounding operation when the control grid is deformed so as to introduce the deformation of the control grid to the 3-dimensional object;

a code unit configured to attach a weight to one of the plurality of vertexes of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of curved surfaces of the 3-dimensional object;

a code unit configured to attach a weight to one of the plurality of edges of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of boundary curves of the 3-dimensional object; and

a code unit configured to attach information on a respective weight to a corresponding one of the plurality of vertexes and the plurality of edges as an attribute thereof.

9. The program as claimed in claim 8, wherein said code unit configured to perform an inverse-rounding operation includes:

a code unit configured to define a vertex with respect to each loop of the 3-dimensional object, said each loop made up from the plurality of boundary curves;

a code unit configured to attach an attribute to the vertex; and

a code unit configured to connect the vertex of a given loop with the vertex of an adjacent loop to generate a straight-line edge therebetween.

10. A device for modeling a 3-dimensional object, comprising:

means for performing a rounding operation generating the 3-dimensional object from a control grid;

means for performing an inverse rounding operation generating a control grid from the 3-dimensional object;

means for initiating one of the rounding operation and the inverse rounding operation depending on which one of the control grid and the 3-dimensional object is newly provided, the control grid including a plurality of edges and a plurality of vertexes, the 3-dimensional object including a plurality of boundary curves and a plurality of curved surfaces;

means for deforming the control grid by shifting the plurality of vertexes;

means for initiating the rounding operation when the control grid is deformed so as to introduce the deformation of the control grid to the 3-dimensional object;

means for attaching a weight to one of the plurality of vertexes of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of curved surfaces of the 3-dimensional object;

means for attaching a weight to one of the plurality of edges of the control grid to deform a corresponding one of the plurality of boundary curves of the 3-dimensional object; and

means for attaching information on the weight to a corresponding one of the plurality of vertexes and the plurality of edges as an attribute thereof.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said means for performing an inverse-rounding operation includes:

means for defining a vertex with respect to each loop of the 3-dimensional object, said each loop made up from the plurality of boundary curves;

means for attaching an attribute to the vertex; and

means for connecting the vertex of a given loop with the vertex of an adjacent loop to generate a straight-line edge therebetween.