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Method and apparatus for intersecting color regions of multiple shapes for graphics systems

  • US 5,831,622 A
  • Filed: 07/15/1993
  • Issued: 11/03/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1990
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a computer graphic system having a bus, a processor coupled to said bus, a storage device coupled to said bus, said storage device containing a set of instructions for generating an image consisting of a predetermined number N of partially overlaid primary shapes where N is greater than 1 and where each of said overlaid shapes results in at least one subshape within its border, wherein each of said primary shapes has a color, said instruction set containing coloring instructions for deriving resulting colors, said resulting colors representing a combination of colors of said overlaid shapes and said primary shapes, an output device coupled to said bus for drawing said image, a process for drawing primary shape n including the subshape or subshapes within its border corresponding to primary shapes n-1 to 1, said shape n being one of said shapes N, said shapes n-1 to 1 corresponding to said primary shapes preceding said primary shape n in said image, said process comprising the steps of:

  • (a) computing a logical intersection of a space described by said shape n and all space;

    (b) generating data representative of a resulting color for shape n, said resulting color being a combination of a first initial color of said shape n and a second initial color of said all space;

    (c) rendering said shape n with said resulting color, and(d) recursively repeating steps (a) through (d) for each of said shapes 1 to n-1 where n is greater than one, wherein each of shapes 1 to n-1 is iteratively substituted for shape n in steps (a)-(c), said intersection is substituted for all space and said resulting color is substituted for the second initial color in step (b), wherein said step of recursively repeating includes the step of retaining results of each iteration and returning to an immediately preceding iteration for use of the results to complete the immediately preceding iteration;

    wherein multiple intersections of shape n and all combinations of shapes 1 to n-1 are computed and corresponding resulting colors are generated, said corresponding resulting colors consisting of the colors of the shapes of said multiple intersections, such that the intersection between shape n and any of shapes 1 to n-1 is displayed.

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