Three-dimensional form data processor retaining information on color boundaries of an object when thinning coordinate data

• US 6,346,949 B1
• Filed: 11/13/1996
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Imai, Shigeaki, Fujiwara, Koji, Fujii, Eiro, Sakagawa, Yoshiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Cliff N.
• Application Number:
  US08/747,819
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 345/431, 345/428, 345/419, 345/420, 345/425, 345/421, 382/258
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation

Abstract

In a processor for generating a three-dimensional form model, data MX on an object having a three-dimensional form are read, while two-dimensional color image GX1 are read in correspondence to the form data MX. Then, color boundaries are discriminated in the color image GX1, and the form data MX are thinned except portions in correspondence to the color boundaries. Thus, the amount of data is reduced without losing information on the color boundaries of the form.

Claims

1. A processor for three-dimensional data of an object, the processor comprising:

a first input means for inputting three-dimensional coordinate data of points of an object;

a second input means for inputting color image data in correspondence to the coordinate data of the object input by said first input means;

a detection means for detecting color image data at boundaries between a first color and a second color different from the first color in the color image data input by said second input means; and

a thinning means for thinning the coordinate data except the coordinate data in correspondence to the data at the boundaries detected by said detection means.

2. The processor according to claim 1, further comprising a priority means for determining an order of priority for each of three-dimensional coordinate data to be thinned by said thinning means, wherein said thinning means thins the coordinate data according to the order of priority.

3. The processor according to claim 2, wherein said priority means determines the order of priority according to degree of complicatedness of the form of the object around the data to be thinned by said thinning means.

4. The processor according to claim 2, wherein said priority means determines the order of priority according to linear density around the data to be thinned by said thinning means.

5. The processor according to claim 1, wherein said first input means comprises:

a light source for illuminating the object with a slit light; and

a read means for reading the slit light reflected from the object;

wherein said first input means determines the three-dimensional data from the data on the slit light read by said read means by using trigonometry.

6. The processor according to claim 1, further comprising an image display means for displaying the object in two dimensions as a polyhedron having a plurality of quadrilaterals based on the three-dimensional data.

7. The processor according to claim 6, wherein said image display means displays the object with colors based on the color image data.

8. A method for processing three-dimensional data of an object, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting three-dimensional coordinate data of points of an object;

inputting color image data in correspondence to the coordinate data of the object;

detecting data on boundaries between a first color in the color image data and a second color different from the first color; and

thinning the coordinate data except the coordinate date in correspondence to the data on boundaries detected by said detection means.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of determining an order of priority for each of three-dimensional coordinate data to be thinned, wherein the coordinate data are thinned according to the order of priority.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of displaying the object in two dimensions as a polyhedron having a plurality of quadrilaterals based on the three-dimensional data.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of displaying the object with colors based on the color image data.

12. A processor for processing three-dimensional coordinate data of a plurality of points of an object, said processor thinning the three-dimensional coordinate data based on a boundary between a first portion and a second portion both of which are included in two-dimensional image data of the object, said plurality of portions being mutually different in characters.

13. The processor as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first portion and said second portion are mutually different in colors.

14. The processor as claimed in claim 12, wherein said processor thinning the three-dimensional coordinate data except the three-dimensional coordinate data corresponding to the boundary.

15. The processor as claimed in claim 12, wherein said processor determines an order of priority for each of the three-dimensional coordinate data to be thinned, and wherein said processor thins the three-dimensional coordinate data according to the order of priority.

16. The processor as claimed in claim 15, wherein said processor determined the order of priority according to degree of complicatedness of the form of the object around the three-dimensional coordinate data to be thinned.

17. The processor as claimed in claim 15, wherein the two-dimensional image data is corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinate data.

18. A method for processing three-dimensional coordinate data of a plurality of points of an object, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a boundary between a first portion and a second portion both of which are included in two-dimensional image data of the object; and

(b) thinning the three-dimensional coordinate data based on the boundary.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein said first portion and said second portion are mutually different in color.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the thinning in the step (b) is executed for the three-dimensional coordinate data except the three-dimensional coordinate data corresponding to the boundary.

21. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the two-dimensional image data is corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinate data.

22. A data processor comprising:

a memory storing three-dimensional coordinate data of a plurality of points of an object, the object including at least one boundary for defining a plurality of areas of the object, each of the plurality of points corresponding to any one of the plurality of the areas and the at least one boundary, and a processing unit for processing the three-dimensional data of the object, said processor executing thinning of the three-dimensional coordinate data except the three-dimensional coordinate data of the points that correspond to the at least one boundary.

23. The data processor as claimed in claim 22, wherein said processor obtains the information on the at least one boundary from two-dimensional image data of the object.

24. The data processor as claimed in claim 23, wherein the plurality of areas are mutually different in color.

25. The data processor as claimed in claim 22, wherein said processor calculates the boundary, and executes thinning of the three-dimensional coordinate data based on the calculated boundary.

26. The data processor as claimed in claim 25, wherein said processor calculates the boundary based on two-dimensional image data of the object.

27. The data processor as claimed in claim 25, wherein said processor calculates the boundary based on colors represented by the two-dimensional image data of the object.

28. A computer system for processing three-dimensional coordinate data of a plurality of vertices of an object, said computer system comprising:

an input device from which an operator of the computer system is capable of inputting instructions; and

a processing unit connected with the input device, said processing unit accepting instructions on a first designation and a second designation from the input device, the first designation regarding a designation of at least one area of the object and the second designation regarding a designation of a reduction condition of the three-dimensional coordinate data of the at least one area, said processing unit reducing a number of vertices of the three-dimensional coordinate data within the at least one area in accordance with the reduction condition.

29. The computer system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the first designation is executed by designing a color of a two-dimensional image of the object displayed on a display of the computer system.

30. The computer system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the second designation is executed by designating a numerical number that is a number of vertices of the three-dimensional coordinate data within the at least one area after the reduction of the three-dimensional coordinate data.

31. The computer system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the reduction of the three-dimensional coordinate data is executed in accordance with an adaptive thinning process.

32. The computer system as claimed in claim 28, wherein said processing unit waits an approval of the operator after the reduction of the three-dimensional coordinate data.

33. The computer system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the three-dimensional coordinate data corresponding to at least one boundary of the at least one area is out of object of the reduction of the three-dimensional coordinate data.