Method and apparatus for generating textures for display

• US 6,441,826 B1
• Filed: 01/09/1996
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miyata, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): BREENE, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US08/918,267
• Time in Patent Office: 2,422 Days
• Field of Search: 345/425, 345/430, 382/108
• US Class Current: 345/582
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing evaluation values concerning each position within a specified two-dimensional coordinate range for each position coordinate of each line segment. Such evaluation values are accumulated for each position within the two-dimensional coordinate range. Two-dimensional graphics information is provided according to the accumulated evaluation values. In addition, graphics are displayed according to the two-dimensional graphics information. Because information concerning line segments is accordingly separated from information concerning modeling line segments, hand-written input is enabled for information concerning line segments and a preview is enabled to be performed by use of skeleton information.

Claims

1. A method of generating a texture for a plurality of positions within a coordinate range, consisting of the steps of:

generating, in response to a plurality of line segments, a plurality of line coordinates within the coordinate range, the plurality of line segments including line segments in differing planes to provide a three-dimensional appearance;

generating, in response to said line coordinates, a position value for each position within the coordinate range; and

generating, in response to each position value, a texture value for each position within the coordinate range.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of displaying said texture values.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating texture values includes accumulating a plurality of position values for each of said plurality of positions.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising a step of generating said line segments from hand-written input.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising a step of generating said line segments from mathematical functions.

6. An apparatus for generating a texture for a plurality of positions within a coordinate range, consisting of:

means for generating a plurality of line points within the coordinate range, each line point being located on at least one line segment, the plurality of line points including line points in differing planes to provide a three-dimensional appearance;

means for generating, for each of said line points, a position value corresponding to each of said plurality of positions within the coordinate range; and

means for generating a texture value for each of said plurality of positions within the coordinate range by surface rendering surface color information based on position values generated for each position.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising means for displaying said texture values.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the means for generating texture values includes means for accumulating a plurality of position values for each of said plurality of positions.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for generating said line segments from hand-written input.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for generating said line segments from mathematical functions.