Method and apparatus for hierarchical drawing sheet management

• US 6,466,953 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2000
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Bonney, Christine M., Bogan, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US09/694,658
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/103, 707/104.1, 707/10, 707/502, 700/97, 345/536
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/12 Symbolic schematics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The invention includes computer instructions that receive an indication of a manipulation of one or more graphical icons by a user, where the graphical icons are interrelated to one another representing a hierarchical relationship among multiple objects of one or more sheets, and the sheets are included within a drawing by a computer aided design (CAD) application program. The computer instructions operate to automatically modify at least sheet order information included within the objects of the one or more sheets reflecting the hierarchical relationship among the multiple objects of one or more sheets based, at least in part, upon the received indication. As a result, hierarchical information on multiple drawing sheets are dynamically updated when a user modifies the hierachical structure of the drawing sheets by manipulation icons representing the multiple drawing sheets, thereby saving the user effort in tracking the order information and opening each drawing sheet to modify the hierarchical information displayed on the drawing sheets. In one embodiment, the CAD application, including the computer instructions, is embodied in a distribution storage medium.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a manipulation of one or more graphic icons by a user, said graphical icons being interrelated to one another representing a hierarchical relationship among multiple objects of one of more sheets, said one or more sheets being included within a drawing by a computer aided design (CAD) application program;

automatically modifying a graphical representation representing the hierarchical relationships of the multiple objects; and

automatically modifying at least sheet order information included within said objects of the one or more sheets reflecting said hierarchical relationship among the multiple objects of the one or more sheets based, at least in part, upon said received indication.

2. The method of claim 1, said automatic modification comprises dynamically updating the drawing sheets by the CAD application program to reflect the order changes resulted from the manipulation of the one or more graphical icons by the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said automatic modification comprises dynamically updating of usage information of the drawing sheets by the CAD application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said dynamically updating of the drawing sheets comprises modifying a “

where used”

field of the one or more drawing sheets.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data representing the hierarchical relationship in a storage device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said storing of data representing said hierarchical relationship comprises storing data linking the one or more graphical icons of the objects of the one or more sheets included within the drawing by the CAD application program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of manipulation comprises an indication of the user defining and/or changing usage relationships of the components represented by the multiple objects of the one or more sheets.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the indication of defining and/or changing of usage relationships comprises an indication of the user dragging and dropping selected ones of the one or more icons among the multiple ones of the one or more objects.

9. A storage medium having stored therein a plurality of instructions that are machine executable, wherein when executed, said executing instructions operate to receive an indication of a manipulation of one or more graphical icons by a user, said graphical icons being interrelated to one another representing a hierarchical relationship among multiple objects of one or more sheets, said one or more sheets being included within a drawing by a computer aided design (CAD) application program, automatically modify a graphical representation representing the hierarchical relationship of the multiple objects, and to automatically modify at least sheet order information included within said objects of the one or more sheets reflecting said hierarchical relationship among the multiple objects of the one or more sheets based, at least in part, upon said received indication.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein said executing instructions further operate to dynamically update the drawing sheets by the CAD application program to reflect the order changes resulted from the manipulation of the one or more graphical icons by the user.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein said executing instructions further operate to dynamically update usage information of the drawing sheets by the CAD application program.

12. The storage medium of claim 11, wherein said executing instructions further operate to modify a “

where used”

field of the one or more drawing sheets.

13.The storage medium of claim 9, wherein said executing instructions further operate to store data representing the hierarchical relationship in a storage device.

14. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein said executing instructions further operate to receive an Indication of the user defining and/or changing usage relationships of the components represented by the multiple objects of the one or more sheets.

13. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein said executing instructions further operate store data linking the one or more graphical icons of the objects of the one or more sheets included within the drawing by the CAD application program.

15. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein said executing instructions further operate to receive an indication of the user dragging and dropping selected ones of the one or more icons among the multiple ones of the one or more objects.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of instructions that are machine executable, wherein when executed, said executing instructions operate to receive an indication of a manipulation of one or more graphical icons by a user, said graphical icons being interrelated to one another representing a hierarchical relationship among multiple objects of one or more sheets, said one or more sheets being included within a drawing by a computer aided design (CAD) application program, automatically modify a graphical representation representing the hierarchical relationship of the multiple objects, and to automatically modify at least sheet order information included within said objects of the one or more sheets reflecting said hierarchical relationship among the multiple objects of the one or more sheets based, at least in part, upon said received indication; and

a processor coupled to said storage medium to execute said instructions.

17. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said executing instructions further operate to dynamically update the drawing sheets by the CAD application program to reflect the order changes resulted from the manipulation of the one or more graphical icons by the user.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said executing instructions further operate to store data representing the hierarchical relationship in a storage device.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said executing instructions further operate to receive an indication of the user defining and/or changing usage relationships of the components represented by the multiple objects of the one or more sheets.

18. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said executing instructions further operate to dynamically update usage information of the drawing sheets by the CAD application program.

19. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said executing instructions further operate to modify a “

where used”

field of the one or more drawing sheets.

21. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said executing instructions further operate store data linking the one or more graphical icons of the objects of the one or more sheets included within the drawing by the CAD application program.

23. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said executing instructions further operate to receive and indication of the user dragging and dropping selected ones of the one or more icons among the multiple ones of the one or more objects.