Systems and methods for three-dimensional sketching

• US 20060082571A1
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens Technology-To-Business Center LLC (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: McDaniel, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,586,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program code for three-dimensional sketching may comprise, according to some embodiments, receiving input from a computer-augmented surface such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) of a tablet computer, recording the input as “digital ink”, and interpreting the ink to convert the drawing into a three-dimensional sketch model.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication of graphical input data;

simplifying one or more segments of the graphical input data;

grouping the simplified segments of the graphical input data to form one or more spine lines;

creating one or more framework objects for one or more portions of the spine lines;

identifying joins between the one or more framework objects; and

grouping the one or more portions of the spine lines into recognizable structures.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining to convert the graphical input data into three-dimensional data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication of the graphical input data comprises:

receiving an indication of two-dimensional graphical data from an input device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the input device is at least one of a digitizer or a pointer device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplifying of the one or more segments of the graphical input data comprises:

identifying one or more points defined by the graphical input data;

determining to remove one or more of the identified points; and

removing the one or more determined points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of the simplified segments of the graphical input data to form the one or more spine lines comprises:

identifying one or more line segments defined by the graphical input data;

creating a region around each of the identified one or more line segments; and

combining any overlapping regions to form one or more polygons.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the regions comprise boxes defined by points offset from the one or more spine line segments.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the regions comprise one or more probability regions and wherein overlap is defined by an overlap between two or more probability areas associated with one or more probability values.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the grouping of the simplified segments of the graphical input data to form the one or more spine lines further comprises:

converting the one or more polygons into the one or more spine lines; and

merging the one or more spine lines at any intersections and corners.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the converting the one or more polygons into the one or more spine lines comprises:

simplifying the one or more polygons;

pairing opposing segments of the one or more polygons;

filtering the paired polygon segments;

grouping the paired polygon segments into one or more polygon sections; and

converting the one or more polygon sections into one or more spine line points.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the converting of the one or more polygon sections into the one or more spine line points, comprises:

pairing points on opposite sides of each of the one or more polygon sections;

connecting the paired points with rung lines; and

identifying the midpoints of the rung lines as the one or more spine line points.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the one or more framework objects for the one or more portions of the one or more spine lines comprises:

identifying any straight portions of the one or more spine lines;

identifying any corners of the one or more spine lines;

determining the sharpness of any identified corners;

splitting the one or more spine lines into one or more parts; and

creating a framework object for each of the parts of the one or more spine lines.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the straight portions of the one or more spine lines are identified by performing a least squares analysis on the one or more spine lines.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the least squares analysis is performed in both directions along the one or more spine lines.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the splitting of the one or more spine lines into the one or more parts comprises:

splitting the one or more spine lines into one or more of a straight part, a curved part, a point, or an endpoint.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the joins between the one or more framework objects comprises:

identifying connections between one or more parts of the one or more spine lines;

creating point-to-point join objects between the framework objects associated with any identified connections between spine line point parts;

creating point-to-part join objects between the framework objects associated with any identified connections between spine line point parts and other spine line parts;

removing redundant and circular join objects;

determining a sharpness of each of the joins; and

storing an indication of the sharpness of the joins associated with the join objects.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the grouping of the one or more portions of the spine lines into recognizable structures comprises:

grouping curve parts of the one or more spine lines into one or more curve groups; and

grouping straight parts of the one or more spine lines into one or more straight-line groups.

18. A method, comprising:

determining a framework associated with graphical input data;

determining one or more positional constraints;

determining one or more first directional constraints;

solving the one or more first directional constraints;

solving the one or more positional constraints; and

defining one or more second directional constraints.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining of the framework associated with the graphical input data comprises:

receiving an indication of the graphical input data;

simplifying one or more segments of the graphical input data;

grouping the simplified segments of the graphical input data to form one or more spine lines;

creating one or more framework objects for one or more portions of the spine lines;

identifying joins between the one or more framework objects; and

grouping the one or more portions of the spine lines into recognizable structures.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining of the one or more positional constraints comprises:

identifying connections between one or more objects of the framework and one or more objects within an existing three-dimensional model framework;

creating point-to-point join objects between any identified connections between framework point objects and model framework point objects;

creating point-to-part join objects between any identified connections between framework point objects and model framework part objects or between framework part objects and model framework point objects;

identifying joins between the one or more framework objects;

defining any point-to-point joins between the one or more framework objects;

defining any point-to-part joins between the one or more framework objects; and

creating part-part joins between any framework part objects that intersect.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining of the one or more first directional constraints comprises:

determining at least one of a parallel constraint, a right-angle constraint, a parallel planes constraint, a perpendicular-to-plane constraint, a parallel-to-plane constraint, a rung direction constraint, a fixed-line constraint, a line direction constraint, a plane direction constraint, a group orient constraint, or a part-of-group constraint.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the solving of the one or more first directional constraints comprises:

selecting one or more solvers for the one or more first directional constraints; and

applying the selected solvers to solve the one or more first directional constraints.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the solving of the one or more positional constraints comprises:

selecting one or more solvers for the one or more positional constraints; and

applying the selected solvers to solve the one or more positional constraints.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the defining of the one or more second directional constraints comprises:

identifying connections between one or more framework part objects and one or more plane objects within an existing three-dimensional model framework;

creating part-to-plane join objects between any identified connections between framework part objects and model framework plane objects;

identifying connections between one or more framework part objects and one or more mesh objects within the existing three-dimensional model framework;

creating part-to-mesh join objects between any identified connections between framework part objects and model framework mesh objects.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the defining of the one or more second directional constraints further comprises:

identifying any external joins in the framework;

filtering the identified external joins;

re-applying one or more solvers utilized to solve the one or more first directional constraints; and

defining the one or more second directional constraints based at least in part on the filtered external joins.

26. A method, comprising:

determining a framework associated with graphical input data;

determining one or more constraints associated with the framework, wherein the one or more constraints comprise at least one or more directional constraints;

identifying gaps within the framework; and

adjusting the one or more directional constraints to close the identified gaps.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the determining of the framework associated with the graphical input data comprises:

receiving an indication of the graphical input data;

simplifying one or more segments of the graphical input data;

grouping the simplified segments of the graphical input data to form one or more spine lines;

creating one or more framework objects for one or more portions of the spine lines;

identifying joins between the one or more framework objects; and

grouping the one or more portions of the spine lines into recognizable structures.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the determining of the one or more constraints associated with the framework comprises:

determining one or more positional constraints;

determining one or more first directional constraints;

solving the one or more first directional constraints;

solving the one or more positional constraints; and

defining one or more second directional constraints.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining three-dimensional positions for any spine line points associated with the framework;

filtering any joins within the framework;

creating one or more new framework plane objects; and

rendering the graphical input data in three-dimensions.

30. The method of claim 26, the identifying of the gaps within the framework comprises:

identifying joins within the framework that form gaps; and

measuring the gaps.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the joins that form gaps are joins that have not been completely solved.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the adjusting of the one or more directional constraints to close the identified gaps comprises:

determining a relationship between each of the one or more directional constraints and the gaps;

creating a matrix of gap parameters;

determining an inverse matrix; and

re-measuring the gaps.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the creating of the matrix of gap parameters, the

determining of the inverse matrix, and the re-measuring of the gaps is repeated until the gaps are substantially closed.

34. A method, comprising:

receiving an indication of graphical input data;

simplifying one or more segments of the graphical input data;

grouping the simplified segments of the graphical input data to form one or more spine lines;

creating one or more framework objects for one or more portions of the spine lines;

identifying joins between the one or more framework objects;

grouping the one or more portions of the spine lines into recognizable structures;

determining one or more positional constraints;

determining one or more first directional constraints;

solving the one or more first directional constraints;

solving the one or more positional constraints;

defining one or more second directional constraints;

identifying gaps within the framework; and

adjusting the at least one of the one or more first directional constraints or the one or more second directional constraints to close the identified gaps.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

determining to convert the graphical input data into three-dimensional data.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the graphical input data represents a portion of a drawing.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the determining to convert the graphical input data into the three-dimensional data comprises:

receiving an indication to change a view of the drawing.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the determining to convert the graphical input data into the three-dimensional data comprises:

receiving an indication to change a parameter associated with the drawing.

39. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

determining three-dimensional positions for any points of the one or more spine line;

filtering joins within the framework; and

creating one or more new framework plane objects.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

rendering the graphical input data in three-dimensions.