Intelligent drawing redlining and commenting feature

• US 6,628,285 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Sellers, Benjamin D., Hallbauer, Damian M., Abeyta, Vincent J., Natarajan, Joshua A., Horner, Laurence D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Razavi, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOULADI SEMNANI, FARANAK
• Application Number:
  US09/501,474
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 345/441, 345/442, 345/622, 707/526, 715/512
• US Class Current: 345/441
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and system provides an integrated viewer with one user interface and one API provides the ability to view, program, redline, and measure DWF and DWG files. In accordance with one or more such embodiments, the present invention provides an intelligent drawing redlining tool for easily and quickly drawing or annotating a drawing. For example, using the tool, a user can click the mouse over the first point of an arc segment. A bulge spacing function may then be utilized to define the length of an arc (also referred to as bulge spacing). In accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention, the bulge spacing function comprises holding down an arc defining key such as the <SHIFT>key while the second point of the arc segment is selected. Thereafter, the bulge spacing of the first arc segment (the distance of the arc between the first and second points) is utilized for the remaining arc segments of the enclosed polyline/path. Thereafter, the user merely moves the mouse around the drawing and embodiments of the invention automatically draw arcs with the defined bulge spacing. To enclose the shape (also referred to as closing the polyline), the user moves the cursor on top of the beginning or first point of the first arc segment wherein embodiments of the invention automatically close and complete the shape. Consequently, a closed path that is not symmetrical can be drawn around odd shaped objects quickly and easily.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented apparatus for viewing graphical images comprising an integrated viewing tool, performed by a computer, for displaying, annotating, and redlining graphical images from a drawing file stored on the computer and wherein the integrated viewing tool comprises a mechanism for drawing a closed shape around a region of the graphical images, wherein the closed shape is comprised of multiple arc segments, and wherein the multiple arc segments have bulge spacing defined by a bulge spacing function, and are drawn automatically from conjoining endpoints of the multiple arc segments using cursor location input.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bulge spacing function comprises setting the bulge spacing for the multiple arc segments equal to the bulge spacing of a first arc segment when:

a first point of the first arc segment has been selected;

an arc defining key has been depressed and held down; and

a second point of the first arc segment is selected.

3. A method for drawing an enclosed shape with at least two arc segments comprising:

obtaining input for a first point of a first arc segment of the shape;

determining if an arc defining key has been depressed and held down;

obtaining input for a second point of the first arc segment wherein the distance between the first point and the second point defines bulge spacing when it has been determined that the arc defining key was depressed and held down;

.

displaying the first arc segment between the first point and the, second point;

obtaining cursor location input from a mouse device; and

displaying a second arc segment that begins at the second point of the first arc segment and has the defined bulge spacing and wherein the end point of the second arc segment is automatically determined and corresponds with the cursor location input obtained from the mouse device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the arc defining key is the SHIFT key.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying one or more additional arc segments with the defined bulge spacing by:

obtaining additional cursor location inputs from the mouse device; and

displaying the one or more additional arc segments at the endpoint of any previous arc segment and wherein the endpoints of the one or more additional arc segments are automatically determined and correspond with the cursor location inputs obtained from the mouse device.

6. The method of claim 3 further comprising automatically completing the enclosed shape by joining the first arc segment and the last arc segment at conjoining endpoints when the cursor location input is near the first point of the first arc segment.

7. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying additional arc segments wherein the additional arc segments do not have the defined bulge spacing.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the enclosed shape is a path object.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein the enclosed shape surrounds an existing odd shaped graphical image.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein the enclosed shape is a markup object of an associated drawing, the method further comprising storing the enclosed shape in a separate file from the associated drawing.

11. A computer-implemented graphics system for drawing an enclosed shape with at least two arc segments comprising:

a computer having a monitor attached thereto;

means, performed by the computer, for obtaining input for a first point of a first arc segment of the enclosed shape;

means, performed by the computer, for determining if an arc defining key has been depressed and held down;

means, performed by the computer, for obtaining input for a second point of the first arc segment wherein the distance between the first point and the second point defines bulge spacing when it has been determined that the arc defining key was depressed and held down;

means, performed by the computer, for displaying the first arc segment between the first point and the second point;

means, performed by the computer, for obtaining cursor location input from a mouse device; and

means, performed by the computer, for displaying a second arc segment that begins at the second point of the first arc segment and has the defined bulge spacing and wherein the end point of the second arc segment is automatically determined and corresponds with the cursor location input obtained from the mouse device.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the arc defining key is the SHIFT key.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising means, performed by the computer, for displaying one or more additional arc segments with the defined bulge spacing, the means comprising:

means, performed by the computer, for obtaining additional cursor location inputs from the mouse device; and

means, performed by the computer, for displaying the one or more additional arc segments at the endpoint of any previous arc segment and wherein the endpoints of the one or more additional arc segments are automatically determined and correspond with the cursor location inputs obtained from the mouse device.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising means, performed by the computer, for automatically completing the enclosed shape by joining the first arc segment and the last arc segment at conjoining endpoints when the cursor location input is near the first point of the first arc segment.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising means, performed by the computer, for displaying additional arc segments wherein the additional arc segments do not have the defined bulge spacing.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the enclosed shape is a path object.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the enclosed shape surrounds an existing odd shaped graphical image.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the enclosed shape is a markup object of an associated drawing, the system further comprising means, performed by the computer, for storing the enclosed shape in a separate file from the associated drawing.

19. An article of manufacture embodying logic for performing a method for drawing an enclosed shape with at least two arc segments, the method comprising:

obtaining input for a first point of a first arc segment of the enclosed shape;

determining if an arc defining key has been depressed and held down;

obtaining input for a second point of the first arc segment wherein the distance between the first point and the second point defines bulge spacing when it has been determined that the arc defining key was depressed and held down;

displaying the first arc segment between the first point and the second point;

obtaining cursor location input from a mouse device; and

displaying a second arc segment that begins at the second point of the first arc segment and has the defined bulge spacing and wherein the end point of the second arc segment is automatically determined and corresponds with the cursor location input obtained from the mouse device.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the arc defining key is the SHIFT key.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises displaying one or more additional arc segments with the defined bulge spacing by:

obtaining additional cursor location inputs from the mouse device; and

displaying the one or more additional arc segments at the endpoint of any previous arc segment and wherein the endpoints of the one or more additional arc segments are automatically determined and correspond with the cursor location inputs obtained from the mouse device.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises automatically completing the enclosed shape by joining the first arc segment and the last arc segment at conjoining endpoints when the cursor location input is near the first point of the first arc segment.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises displaying additional arc segments wherein the additional arc segments do not have the defined bulge spacing.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the enclosed shape is a path object.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the enclosed shape surrounds an existing odd shaped graphical image.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 19 wherein the enclosed shape is a markup object of an associated drawing, the method further comprising storing the enclosed shape in a separate file from the associated drawing.