Method and system for distinctively displaying selected floor with sufficient details in a three-dimensional building model

• US 8,233,008 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Jin, Janet JZX, Plocher, Thomas A., Zhang, Rui, Chen, Enyi, Yajun, Zhang ZYJ
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sonners, Scott E
• Application Number:
  US11/656,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 715/964, 715/854, 345/419, 345/619, 345/649, 345/650, 345/653
• US Class Current: 345/619
• 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 2210/04 Architectural design, interior design
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2012 Colour editing, changing, or manipulating; Use of colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2024 Style variation

Abstract

A method, system and program product for distinctively displaying selected floors with sufficient details in a three-dimensional building model includes graphical metaphors that permit a selected or highlighted floor and their respective elements to be absolutely clear and distinct from the floors immediately above and below. The graphically displayed metaphors comprise “drawers”, “wireframe”, “expansion/compression”, “projected floor”, “sliding unselected floors”, “turning the pages”, “big map-small map”, and “fisheye” graphical configurations. Such graphically displayed metaphors can be utilized to highlight a selected floor, separate it from adjacent floors, and provide a graphical effect of depicting the floor'"'"'s vertical position within a building.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for distinctively displaying building features with sufficient details in a three-dimensional building model, comprising:

providing at least one graphical metaphor that permits a user to select with enhanced granularity at least one building floor from among a plurality of building floors associated with a three-dimensional model of a building, wherein said plurality of building floors include a plurality of building features including building windows, building ceilings, detectors, and objects within said building, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus;

graphically selecting said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors utilizing said at least one graphical metaphor, in response to a particular input by said user, thereby allowing said user an ability to clearly identify, graphically manipulate and distinguish selected building floors and features among said plurality of building floors and correctly visualize said at least one building floor with respect to said three-dimensional model of said building, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus;

utilizing said at least one graphical metaphor to distinguish said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors by;

highlighting said at least one building floor from said plurality of building floors to derive at least one highlighted building floor, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus;

manually pitching said at least one building floor graphically towards said user while a plurality of unselected building floors remain stationary, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus; and

expanding said at least one highlighted building floor and compressing said plurality of unselected building floors in order to extrude said at least one highlighted building floor from said three-dimensional model of said building, by executing a program instruction in a data processing apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising simulating said at least one highlighted building floor, by executing an animation program instruction in a data-processing apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

drawer”

by sliding out said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors and separately displaying said at least one building floor, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus;

rotating said building floor and moving said building floor to a new place according to said graphical metaphor, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus; and

displaying a visualization of the original location of said at least one building floor beside the entire graphically-displayed building in order to provide a context of said at least one building floor with respect to said three-dimensional building model of said building, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising configuring said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

drawer”

that supports a semi-transparent rendering of said drawer, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

wireframe”

;

extruding said at least one building floor and implementing a graphically-displayed fading effect with respect to said plurality of building floors, and thereafter leaving a shadow frame of said plurality of building floors in order to provide a context of said three-dimensional model of said building for said user, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

expansion-compression”

enlarging said at least one highlighted building floor and compressing unselected remaining plurality of building floors and;

leaving a space interval for graphically separating a ceiling and a roof of said at least one building floor from said plurality of building floors.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

projected floor”

that graphically separates, projects and enlarges said at least one highlighted building floor and graphically compresses said three-dimensional model of said building, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising;

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed feature of “

sliding unselected floors”

wherein a user independently graphically rotates a plurality of unselected building floors located above said at least one building floor to a new position and a new angle, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed feature of “

turning the pages”

that permits a user to graphically turn over an unselected plurality of building floors located above said at least one building floor to a new position and a new angle while unselected building floors below remains stationary, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

big map-small map”

that permits a user to graphically enlarge and display said at least one building floor in a whole screen of a display, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus; and

displaying an overview of said three-dimensional model of said building within a small window of said whole screen of a display in order to graphically illustrate a location of said at least one building floor within said building, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

fisheye”

feature that permits a user to graphically enlarge said at least one building floor and shrink said plurality of building floors with a distorted display thereof, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus.

12. A computer-implemented system for distinctively displaying building features with sufficient details in a three-dimensional building model, comprising:

a data-processing apparatus;

a module executed by said data-processing apparatus, said module and said data-processing apparatus being operable in combination with one another to;

provide at least one graphical metaphor that permits a user to select with an enhanced granularity at least one building floor from among a plurality of building floors associated with a three-dimensional model of a building, wherein said plurality of building floors include a plurality of building features including building windows, building ceilings, detectors, and objects within said building;

graphically select said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors utilizing said at least one graphical metaphor, in response to a particular input by said user, thereby allowing said user an ability to clearly identify, graphically manipulate and distinguish selected building floors and features among said plurality of building floors and correctly visualize said at least one building floor with respect to said three-dimensional model of said building, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus;

utilize said at least one graphical metaphor to distinguish said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors by;

highlighting said at least one building floor from said plurality of building floors to derive at least one highlighted building floor, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus;

manually pitching said at least one building floor graphically towards said user while a plurality of unselected building floors remain stationary, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus; and

expanding said at least one highlighted building floor and compressing said plurality of unselected building floors in order to extrude said at least one highlighted building floor from said three-dimensional model of said building, by executing a program instruction in a data processing apparatus.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said module and said data-processing apparatus are further operable in combination with one another to:

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

drawer”

in order to slide out said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors and separately display said at least one building floor;

provide an option to rotate said building floor and move said building floor to a new place;

display a visualization of the original location of said at least one building floor in order to provide a context of said at least one building floor with respect to said three-dimensional building model of said building.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said module and said data-processing apparatus are further operable in combination with one another to:

permit said at least one graphical metaphor of said graphically displayed “

drawer”

to support a semi-transparent rendering thereof;

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

wireframe”

that is utilized by said user to extrude said at least one building floor and implement a graphically-displayed fading effect with respect to a plurality of unselected building floors, and thereafter leaves a shadow frame of said plurality of unselected building floors in order to provide a context of said three-dimensional model of said building for said user;

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

expansion-compression”

in order to enlarge said at least one building floor and compresses said plurality of unselected building floors to leave a space interval for graphically separating a ceiling and a roof of said at least one building floor from said plurality of unselected building floors;

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

projected floor”

that graphically projects and enlarges said at least one building floor and thereafter graphically compresses said three-dimensional model of said building;

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed feature of “

sliding unselected floors”

that permits a user to graphically rotate said plurality of unselected building floors located above said at least one building floor to a new position and a new angle;

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed feature of “

turning the pages”

that permits a user to graphically turn over said plurality of unselected building floors located above said at least one building floor to a new position and a new angle;

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

big map-small map”

that permits a user to graphically enlarge and display said at least one building floor in a whole screen of a display; and

display an overview of said three-dimensional model of said building within a small window of said display in order to graphically illustrate a location of said at least one building floor within said building; and

provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

fisheye”

feature that permits a user to graphically enlarge said at least one building floor and shrink said plurality of building floors with a distorted display thereof.

15. A program product residing in a computer for distinctively displaying building features with sufficient details in a three-dimensional building model, comprising:

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer for providing at least one graphical metaphor that permits a user to select with an enhanced granularity at least one building floor from among a plurality of building floors associated with a three-dimensional model of a building;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer for graphically selecting said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors utilizing said at least one graphical metaphor, in response to a particular input by said user, thereby allowing said user an ability to clearly identify, graphically manipulate and distinguish building floors among said plurality of building floors and correctly visualize said at least one building floor with respect to said three-dimensional models of said building;

wherein said building floors include a plurality of building features including building windows, building ceilings, detectors, and objects within said building;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer, which permits said at least one graphical metaphor to be utilized to distinguish said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors by;

highlighting said at least one building floor from said plurality of building floors to derive at least one highlighted building floor, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus;

manually pitching said at least one building floor graphically towards said user while a plurality of unselected building floors remain stationary, by executing a program instruction in a data-processing apparatus; and

expanding said at least one highlighted building floor and compressing said plurality of unselected building floors in order to extrude said at least one highlighted building floor from said three-dimensional model of said building, by executing a program instruction in a data processing apparatus.

16. The program product of claim 15 further comprising:

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

drawer”

in order to slide out said at least one building floor from among said plurality of building floors and separately display said at least one building floor;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide an option to rotate said building floor and move said building floor to a new place, by executing a program instruction in said data-processing apparatus;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to display a visualization of the original location of said at least one building floor in order to provide a context of said at least one building floor with respect to said three-dimensional building model of said building.

17. The program product of claim 16 further comprising:

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to permit said at least one graphical metaphor of said graphically displayed “

drawer”

to support a semi-transparent rendering thereof;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

wireframe”

that is utilized by said user to extrude said at least one building floor and implement a graphically-displayed fading effect with respect to a plurality of unselected building floors, and thereafter leaves a shadow frame of said plurality of unselected building features in order to provide a context of said three-dimensional model of said building for said user;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

expansion-compression”

in order to enlarge said at least one building floor and compresses said plurality of unselected building floors to leave a space interval for graphically separating a ceiling and a roof of said at least one building floor from said plurality of unselected building floors;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

projected floor”

that graphically projects and enlarges said at least one building floor and thereafter graphically compresses said three-dimensional model of said building;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed feature of “

sliding unselected floors”

that permits a user to graphically rotate a plurality of unselected building floors located above said at least one building floor to a new position and a new angle;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed feature of “

turning the pages”

that permits a user to graphically turn over a plurality of unselected building floors located above said at least one building floor to a new position and a new angle;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

big map-small map”

that permits a user to graphically enlarge and display said at least one building floor in a whole screen of a display;

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to display an overview of said three-dimensional model of said building within a small window of said display in order to graphically illustrate a location of said at least one building floor within said building; and

non-transitory machine-implemented instruction media residing in a computer to provide said at least one graphical metaphor as a graphically displayed “

fisheye”

feature that permits a user to graphically enlarge said at least one building floor and shrink a plurality of unselected building floors with a distorted display thereof.