3D scene orientation indicator system with scene orientation change capability

• US 8,132,123 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Schrag, John, Watanabe, Steven Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US12/805,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 715/782, 715/821, 715/830, 715/836, 715/837, 715/850, 715/851, 715/852, 345/419, 345/594, 345/619, 345/649, 345/650
• US Class Current: 715/851
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

The present invention is a system that provides an orientation indicator graphical user interface element in a display view of a three-dimensional scene. The orientation indicator can be used to automatically change a view of the scene to a predetermined viewpoint. The indicator includes view direction indicating controls that when activated cause the view of the scene to change to a view direction indicated by the control. The direction can be indicated by a shape of the control, such as by a cone with a point pointing in the direction of the view, or by the location of the control, such as being located on a marked scene axis of the indicator. The view of the scene is also automatically adjusted at the view position to center an object of interest in the scene and zoomed in/out to fit the object to the display view. The indicator is part of the three-dimensional scene and moves with the scene as the scene is manipulated by a user, such as in tumbling the scene. The indicator is held at a fixed position and size in the display view, such as in a corner of the display view, by moving the indicator about within the scene and changing the size of the indicator.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface element displayed on a display, comprising:

a three-dimensional orientation indicator widget (widget) positioned in and displayed in association with a three-dimensional scene and visually indicating an orientation of the scene, and said widget comprising;

view direction controls (controls) each indicating a direction of a corresponding view into the three-dimensional scene and causing a display view orientation of the three-dimensional scene to change to a corresponding predefined view orientation upon selecting one of the controls and where the controls rotate in direct correlation to the change in the display view orientation, wherein

the controls indicate an iconic representation of the scene to display when selected and perform an action on a corresponding part of the scene when an image is dragged and dropped on any one of corresponding controls.

2. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 1, wherein an object in the scene is centered and sized to fit the display view when a scene change occurs responsive to selection of one of the controls.

3. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 1, wherein the widget is part of the three-dimensional scene, always positioned at a predetermined position in the display view and always substantially a same size in the display view.

4. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 1, wherein the widget comprises:

a central core control associated with a perspective view of the scene; and

axial controls peripherally positioned with respect to the core control, aligned with the axial dimensions of the scene and associated with corresponding front, back, bottom, left side and right side views.

5. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 4, wherein the front direction control is different from the other controls.

6. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 4, wherein the axial controls are each shaped to point at the core control indicating the view direction of the axial control.

7. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 4, further comprising a non-axial control peripherally positioned with respect to the core control and indicating a direction of a corresponding view into the three-dimensional scene and causing a display view of three-dimensional scene to change to the corresponding view when selected.

8. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 7, wherein the non-axial controls are specified by a user.

16. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 1, wherein the widget visually indicates orientation of an x, y, and z axis in relation to the scene.

17. The graphical user interface element as recited in claim 1, wherein the widget visually indicates top, bottom, left, right, front, and back in relation to the scene.

9. A process, comprising:

determining whether one of a plurality of view direction indicating controls (control) of a three-dimensional orientation indicator widget (widget) positioned in a display view of a three-dimensional scene has been activated; and

orienting the display view orientation to a predefined view orientation direction of the control upon activating the control and wherein the widget rotates in direct correlation to the change in the display view orientation, wherein the widget indicates an iconic representation of the scene to display when selected and performs an action on a corresponding part of the display view when an image is dragged and dropped on any one of the plurality controls of the widget.

10. A process as recited in claim 9, wherein the indicator is in the three dimensional scene and the process further comprises:

positioning the indicator in the scene to place the indicator in a predetermined position in the display view; and

changing the size of the indicator in the scene to fix the indicator at a predetermined size in the display view.

11. A process as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

centering a scene object in the display view; and

fitting the scene object to the display view.

12. A system, comprising:

a display;

an input device used to make selections on the display; and

a computer coupled to the mouse and the display, displaying a three-dimensional scene on the display in a display view, the scene comprising a three-dimensional orientation indicator widget (widget) positioned in and indicating the orientation of the scene, the widget comprising view controls (controls) indicating a view orientation direction and the computer changing the display view orientation to a predefined view orientation direction associated with one of the corresponding controls upon selecting the control by the mouse and where the controls rotate in direct correlation to the change in the display view orientation, wherein the controls indicate an iconic representation of the scene to display when selected and perform an action on a corresponding part of the scene when an image is dragged and dropped on a corresponding control.

13. A computer readable storage controlling a computer by a process stored thereon;

determining whether one of a plurality of view direction indicating controls (control) of a three-dimensional orientation indicator widget (widget) positioned in a display view of a three-dimensional scene has been activated and orienting the display view orientation to a predefined view orientation direction of the control upon activating the control and where the widget rotates in direct correlation to the change in the display view orientation, wherein the control indicates an iconic representation of the scene to display when selected and performs an action on a corresponding part of the scene when an image is dragged and dropped on any one of the corresponding controls.

14. A graphical user interface displayed on a display, comprising:

a three-dimensional orientation indicator widget (widget) positioned in and displayed in association with a three-dimensional scene and visually indicating an orientation of the scene, and said widget comprising;

view direction controls (controls) each indicating a direction of a corresponding view into the three-dimensional scene and causing a display view orientation of the three-dimensional scene to change to a corresponding predefined view orientation upon selecting one of the controls and where the controls rotate in direct correlation to the change in the display view orientation, wherein

the controls indicate an iconic representation of the scene to display when selected and perform an action on a corresponding part of the scene when an image is dragged and dropped on any one of corresponding controls.

15. A system, comprising:

a display, said display displaying a 3D scene and a 3D orientation indicator widget (widget) in association with the scene, the widget visually indicating an orientation of associated scene and rotating in direct correlation to a change in view orientation of the scene, and the widget comprising at least three view direction controls (controls) corresponding to each of the vertical, horizontal and depth axes of the scene and each indicating a direction of a corresponding view into the 3D scene, and each of the controls causing a display view orientation of the three-dimensional scene to discretely change to a corresponding predefined view orientation into the scene when each control is selected by clicking on the control with a cursor, wherein the controls indicate an iconic representation of the scene to display when selected and perform an action on a corresponding part of the scene when an image is dragged and dropped on any one of the corresponding controls.