Systems and methods for improved graphical parameter definition

• US 8,004,539 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: McDaniel, Richard, Benson, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): GOOD JOHNSON, MOTILEWA
• Application Number:
  US11/111,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20060082597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,316 Days
• Field of Search: 345/650, 345/655, 345/672, 345/681, 345/661, 345/676
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program code for improved graphical parameter definition may comprise, (i) receiving, by a graphical editing tool, a command associated with a graphical editing operation directed to performing a transformation to a graphical object, wherein the transformation is associated with changing a value of a first parameter of the graphical object, (ii) displaying, by the graphical editing tool, a transformation object associated with the transformation, wherein the transformation object comprises a second parameter comprising a value associated with the transformation, and wherein the value of the first parameter of the graphical object is related to the value of the second parameter, (iii) receiving, by the graphical editing tool, an indication associated with defining the transformation object as a new parameter of the graphical object, and (iv) defining, by the graphical editing tool, the transformation object as the new parameter of the graphical object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a graphical editing tool of a computer, a command associated with a graphical editing operation directed to performing a transformation to a graphical object, wherein the transformation is associated with changing a value of a first parameter of the graphical object;

displaying, by the graphical editing tool, a transformation object associated with the transformation, wherein the transformation object comprises a second parameter comprising a value associated with the transformation, and wherein the value of the first parameter of the graphical object is related to the value of the second parameter;

receiving, by the graphical editing tool, an indication to convert the transformation object into a new parameter of the graphical object;

converting, by the graphical editing tool, the transformation object into the new parameter of the graphical object;

retaining, by the graphical editing tool, the converted transformation object during operations on other objects; and

determining a function that defines the value of the first parameter based upon the value of the second parameter;

wherein the new parameter comprises a derived parameter formed from expressions and/or functions that relate the derived parameter to one or more other parameters of the graphical object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining to display the transformation object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining to display the transformation object comprises:

determining a type of the graphical editing operation; and

determining that the transformation object is associated with the type of the graphical editing operation.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining to display the transformation object comprises:

determining one or more rules associated with displaying the transformation object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the transformation object is displayed in accordance with the one or more rules.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more rules define how the transformation object is to be displayed with respect to the graphical object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the value of the second parameter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the value of the second parameter comprises:

determining that the second parameter is associated with the transformation object; and

identifying the value within information associated with the transformation.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining of the value of the second parameter comprises:

calling a procedure associated with the transformation object, wherein the procedure is operable to determine the value of the second parameter by identifying the value within information associated with the transformation.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication to change the value of the second parameter; and

applying the function to the value of the second parameter to determine a new value for the first parameter.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a function that defines the value of the second parameter based upon the value of the first parameter.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an indication to change the value of the first parameter; and

applying the function to the value of the first parameter to determine a new value for the second parameter.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication to convert the transformation object into a new parameter of the graphical object comprises:

receiving an indication of a selection of the transformation object; and

receiving an indication of a command associated with creating the new parameter.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a constraint between the graphical object and one or more other graphical objects; and

selecting the transformation object for display based at least in part on the determined constraint.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command associated with defining a constraint relationship between the transformation object and a second graphical object comprising a third parameter;

defining a function that relates a value of the third parameter and the value of the second parameter in accordance with the constraint relationship; and

defining the function as a new parameter of at least one of the transformation object or the second graphical object.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first parameter comprises a plurality of parameters.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical editing tool is utilized to define the graphical object.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by a graphical editing tool, two input values; and

displaying, by the graphical editing tool, an inferred transformation object that ties the two input values together.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

creating the inferred transformation object in response to pattern matching over a series of received user commands.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

creating the transformation object;

wherein creating the transformation object comprises choosing at least one graphical object to compare to a transformed graphical object.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

editing the graphical object defined by the transformation object.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

testing a number of graphical objects and/or potential constraints to determine whether the inferred transformation object should be displayed.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the transformation object in appearance to indicate that the transformation object has been converted into the new parameter of the graphical object.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the converted transformation object comprises the second parameter comprising the value associated with the transformation.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining the transformation object as a graphical object.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

hiding, by the graphical editing tool, the converted transformation object during the operations on the other objects.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

displaying, by the graphical editing tool, the converted transformation object if the graphical object is selected after the operations on the other objects.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the converted transformation object comprises the second parameter comprising the value associated with the transformation.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the converted transformation object comprises the second parameter comprising the value associated with the transformation.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the transformation object provides a visual indication of the transformation;

wherein the displaying, by the graphical editing tool, a transformation object associated with the transformation comprises;

displaying, by the graphical editing tool, a transformation object that provides a visual indication of the transformation;

wherein the receiving, by the graphical editing tool, an indication to convert the transformation object into a new parameter of the graphical object comprises;

after displaying the transformation object that provides a visual indication of the transformation, receiving, by the graphical editing tool, an indication from the user to define the transformation as a new parameter of the graphical object; and

wherein the converting, by the graphical editing tool, the transformation object into the new parameter of the graphical object comprises;

after receiving the indication from the user to define the transformation as a new parameter of the graphical object, defining, by the graphical editing tool, the transformation as the new parameter of the graphical object.

34. The article of claim 3, wherein the converted transformation object comprises the second parameter comprising the value associated with the transformation.

31. A system, comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions;

a communication port; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the communication port, the processor being configured to execute the stored instructions to;

receive a command associated with a graphical editing operation directed to performing a transformation to a graphical object, wherein the transformation is associated with changing a value of a first parameter of the graphical object;

display a transformation object associated with the transformation, wherein the transformation object comprises a second parameter comprising a value associated with the transformation, and wherein the value of the first parameter of the graphical object is related to the value of the second parameter;

receive an indication to convert the transformation object into a new parameter of the graphical object;

convert the transformation object into the new parameter of the graphical object;

retain the converted transformation object during operations on other objects; and

determine a function that defines the value of the first parameter based upon the value of the second parameter;

wherein the new parameter comprises a derived parameter formed from expressions and/or functions that relate the derived parameter to one or more other parameters of the graphical object.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the converted transformation object comprises the second parameter comprising the value associated with the transformation.

33. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a tangible computer usable storage medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for operating a graphical editing tool, comprising;

computer readable program code means for receiving a command associated with a graphical editing operation directed to performing a transformation to a graphical object, wherein the transformation is associated with changing a value of a first parameter of the graphical object;

computer readable program code means for displaying a transformation object associated with the transformation, wherein the transformation object comprises a second parameter comprising a value associated with the transformation, and wherein the value of the first parameter of the graphical object is related to the value of the second parameter;

computer readable program code means for receiving an indication to convert the transformation object into a new parameter of the graphical object;

computer readable program code means for converting the transformation object into the new parameter of the graphical object and retaining the converted transformation object during operations on other objects; and

computer readable program code means for determining a function that defines the value of the first parameter based upon the value of the second parameter;

wherein the new parameter comprises a derived parameter found from expressions and/or functions that relate the derived parameter to one or more other parameters of the graphical object.

35. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a graphical editing tool of a computer, a command associated with a graphical editing operation directed to performing a transformation to a graphical object, wherein the transformation is associated with changing a value of a first parameter of the graphical object;

displaying, by the graphical editing tool, a transformation object associated with the transformation, wherein the transformation object comprises a second parameter comprising a value associated with the transformation, and wherein the value of the first parameter of the graphical object is related to the value of the second parameter;

receiving, by the graphical editing tool, an indication to convert the transformation object into a new parameter of the graphical object;

converting, by the graphical editing tool, the transformation object into the new parameter of the graphical object;

retaining, by the graphical editing tool, the converted transformation object during operations on other objects;

receiving, by a graphical editing tool, two input values; and

displaying, by the graphical editing tool, an inferred transformation object that ties the two input values together.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

creating the inferred transformation object in response to pattern matching over a series of received user commands.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

creating the transformation object;

wherein creating the transformation object comprises choosing at least one graphical object to compare to a transformed graphical object.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

testing a number of graphical objects and/or potential constraints to determine whether the inferred transformation object should be displayed.

39. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a graphical editing tool of a computer, a command associated with a graphical editing operation directed to performing a transformation to a graphical object, wherein the transformation is associated with changing a value of a first parameter of the graphical object;

displaying, by the graphical editing tool, a transformation object that provides a visual indication of the transformation, wherein the transformation object comprises a second parameter comprising a value associated with the transformation, and wherein the value of the first parameter of the graphical object is related to the value of the second parameter;

after displaying the transformation object that provides a visual indication of the transformation, receiving, by the graphical editing tool, an indication from the user to define the transformation as a new parameter of the graphical object;

after receiving the indication from the user to define the transformation as a new parameter of the graphical object, defining, by the graphical editing tool, the transformation as the new parameter of the graphical object;

retaining, by the graphical editing tool, the new parameter of the graphical object during operations on other objects;

wherein the new parameter comprises a derived parameter formed from expressions and/or functions that relate the derived parameter to one or more other parameters of the graphical object.