Abstract: Systems and methods according to the present invention provide techniques to automatically generate an object layout. Various candidate placement positions are evaluated by computing values associated with placing the object at the placement positions. Cost functions associated with contrast, saliency and/or sharpness can be used to evaluate the desirability of each candidate placement position.

Abstract: A user is presented with a picture image either in hard-copy or electronic form. Particular picture features in the image each have associated information that is presented to the user upon the user requesting such information by at least selecting the picture feature using a feature-selection arrangement. Should the user select a picture feature for which no information is provided, an identifier of the feature, for example its image coordinates, are output to inform a person involved in providing the picture and related information. Preferably, to request information about a picture feature, the user as well as selecting the feature, also inputs a query by voice; in this case, where the selected feature has no associated information, the user query is also provided back to the person involved in providing the picture and related information.

Abstract: A method is described that involves redefining a primitive surface to create a redefined primitive surface. The redefining involves clipping a first edge of the primitive surface to a second edge of a displayable screen area. The first edge of the primitive surface extends outside a guard band region prior to the clipping. The guard band region surrounds the displayable screen area. The clipping causes the redefined primitive surface to have an edge running within the guard band that the primitive surface does not have.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates performing an image-editing operation across multiple perspective planes. During operation, the system receives a selection for a source area for the image-editing operation, wherein the source area spans one or more perspective planes. The system also receives a selection for a destination area for the image-editing operation, wherein the destination area spans one or more perspective planes. Next, the system defines one or more partial source areas for the one or more perspective planes spanned by the source area. The system also defines one or more partial destination areas for the one or more perspective planes spanned by the destination area. The system then applies the image-editing operation from each partial source area to each relevant partial destination area.

Abstract: Enhancements to a strategy object editor for creating and modifying control strategies for process control systems (both distributed and discrete) is described. The improvements include: supporting a set of graphical depictions for individual control object (modified by an appearance object editor), drag and drop connections for declarations that connect control strategies to other control strategies, GUI-based designation of object execution order, automatically applied line styles based upon connection data type, and automatic modification of elements within an appearance object to accommodate a moved attribute.

Abstract: A display system and method for use in controlling movement of a virtual image version of a physical object is described. A physical object may be placed on or near a display surface, which may sense the presence of the object and display a virtual image version of the object. In response to movement of the physical object, the virtual image may move as well. Movement speed of the virtual image may be capped at a maximum speed, so that if the physical object is moved too quickly, the image will remain moving at a constant maximum speed. Movement effects, such as blurring, fading, animation, etc. may be applied to the image during the movement. The movement may change direction as the physical object is detected in different positions, and the movement effects may be applied to smooth the change in direction (e.g., curving trajectory).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus implementing systems and techniques for revealing a clipped portion of an image. In general, in one implementation, the techniques include presenting a visual representation of an image object having a clipped portion hidden from view in the visual representation, and during an edit operation, revealing the clipped portion of the image object as a transparent image overlay in the visual representation.

Abstract: A system and method for performing viewport clipping for multiple viewports using a pipeline. The pixel address coordinates are compared against boundaries of a first viewport window. The results of this comparison, along with the pixel address coordinates, are registered and passed on to the next pipeline stage. There, the pixel address coordinates are compared against the boundaries of a second viewport window. The comparison results are combined with those passed from the previous stage, and the results are again registered. This scheme is repeated until the pixel has been tested against all the viewport window boundaries, with the intermediate results being combined into a single result indicative of whether the pixel is to be passed to the subsequent stages of the graphics pipeline or clipped.

Abstract: A model-based design system couples intelligent 3D model elements with an analytical model that describes fluid flow through the 3D model. The system automatically generates annotation graphics for a 2D view of the elements with respect to a view plane. The system displays a drop symbol when the elements are below the view plane and the system displays a rise symbol when the elements penetrate and rise above the view plane. In addition to the rise/drop indications, the annotation graphics may indicate the type of service provided by the elements and the location and direction of flow. Advantageously, the system generates these annotation graphics automatically from 3D model and the analytical model.

Abstract: A data processing system which allows a user to interactively identify a portion of a volume and display the identified portion of the volume in a way that is particularly adapted for the visualization of the identified portion of the volume. One embodiment provides identifying a location of a volume based on input communicated via an input interface having at least 3 degrees of spatial freedom for input control; and displaying the volume and separately displaying a portion of the volume corresponding to the location. In one embodiment, the input interface includes a hand held device; and the displaying further comprises displaying a virtual tool corresponding to a location of the hand held device. For example, a slice of a volume can be selected and displayed in an orientation that maximizes a displayed size and is consistent with the orientation of the slice in a 3D view of the volume.

Abstract: A data processing system which allows a user to interactively identify a portion of a volume and display the identified portion of the volume in a way that is particularly adapted for the visualization of the identified portion of the volume. One embodiment provides identifying a location of a volume based on input communicated via an input interface having at least 3 degrees of spatial freedom for input control; and displaying the volume with an unobstructed partial view path through the volume to a portion of the volume at the identified location. In one embodiment, the input interface includes a hand held device; and the displaying further comprises displaying a virtual tool corresponding to a location of the hand held device. For example, a portion of the volume is displayed at the location within the volume, as if a tunnel to the portion of volume were provided.

Abstract: Clipping techniques introduce additional vertices into existing primitives without requiring creation of new primitives. For an input triangle with one vertex on the invisible side of a clipping surface, a quadrangle can be defined. The vertices of the quadrangle are the two internal vertices of the input triangle and two clipped vertices. For determining attribute values for pixel shading, three vertices of the quadrangle are selected, and a parameter value for an attribute equation is computed using the three selected vertices. For determining pixel coverage for the quadrangle, the three edges that do not correspond to the edge created by clipping are used.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technology that enables related portions of multiple pages of images to be displayed simultaneously. A projection display apparatus comprises: an image extraction section that extracts at least a portion of given first image data as an extraction image; an extraction image memory for storing extraction image data representing the extraction image; an image overlay section that generates overlaid image data by superimposing the extraction image on an original image represented by given second image data; a light modulation unit that is driven responsive to the overlaid image data pixel by pixel; and an optical system for projecting onto the screen the overlaid image obtained by the light modulation unit. A projection display apparatus can display related portions of multiple pages of images simultaneously.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a primitive (for potential display as a part of a graphical image on a display device) cause attribute data to be received by a graphics processor as a function of whether the primitive is capable of being viewable in the graphical image on the display device. Before taking that action, however, the method and apparatus assemble the primitive as a function of its positional data, and then determine if the primitive is capable of being viewable in the graphical image on the display device.

Abstract: A tetrahedralization and triangulation method used with the proximity based rounding method to satisfy topological consistency of tetrahedralization with the bounded precision of a digital computer is described. Tetrahedralization is applied to a VLSI design, and more specifically for solving Maxwell's equation to extract parasitic capacitances and 3-D optical proximity correction applications. The exactness of solving Maxwell's equation and finite element analysis depends on the correctness of the topological properties of the tetrahedralization. Among the important aspects of the correctness of the topological properties is the absence of spurious intersection of two or more tetrahedra. In a typical digital computer, numbers are represented using finite sized words. Round-off errors occur when a long number is represented using the finite word size. As a result, tetrahedralization loses its topological consistency.

Abstract: An image processing method converts line vectors of an input graphic path and an input clip path into run sets in dot coordinates passed by the line vectors, and generates a region run describing a closed region represented by the entire path from the run sets, so as to obtain a graphic region run and a clip region run, and extracts an overlapping portion of the graphic region run and the clip region run to generate a plot region run. The scan line conversion and the clipping form a rasterizing process.

Abstract: There is disclosed an image synthesizing apparatus for producing a synthetic image that consists of a background image and at least a main image superimposed on the back ground image. An input image is displayed in a main display area of a control screen, whereas an outer frame and at least an inner frame are displayed in a sub display area of the control screen in accordance with a selected template. First a crop boundary having a similar shape to the outer frame is displayed on the image in the main display section. The crop boundary is movable on the image and changeable in size. After pasting a cropped area of the image as the background image in the outer frame, a second image is selected and displayed in the main display area. Then, a crop boundary having a similar shape to the inner frame is displayed on the second image, so a cropped area of the second image is pasted in the inner frame, to be printed as the main image.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a system-and method for accurately displaying superimposed images on a display screen of a computer. The method includes storing a base image having a first feature and a second feature in a storage device of a computer. Data is received which is indicative of a full-scale dimension between the first feature and the second feature. The base image is scaled to have a predefined dimension between the first feature and the second feature when displayed. An accessory image is scaled based upon at least a ratio between the predefined dimension and the full-scale dimension. The scaled accessory image is superimposed onto the scaled base image and displayed to a system user.

Abstract: A process for preventing spurious intersections in a polygon due to rounding by using proximity-based rounding. A vertex of a polygon is identified which is located within a unit integer box through which an edge of the polygon passes that does not have the vertex as an endpoint. The identified vertex is embedded on the edge which passes through the same unit integer box. Then the vertices are rounded to integer coordinates. In one embodiment of the invention, the proximity-based rounding is performed on an output polygon from a Boolean operation in a design rule checking algorithm.

Abstract: A method for copying and pasting a selected portion of an image from a TWAIN compliant image source includes scanning the selected image portion to fit in a target area of a destination image. Dimensional information regarding the selected portion of the source image is made available to the application. The application compares dimensions of the target area with the dimensional information of the selected source image portion and determines resizing parameters. The application requests a scan of the selected portion of the source image based on the resizing parameters and pastes the resulting image in the target area. An image processing system operative to carry out the method includes and a TWAIN compliant application that is adapted to calculate resizing parameters and request scans basted on the resizing parameters. In a xerographic environment, the image processing system includes a xerographic printer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided relationally modeling a trimmed NURBS surface. The relational model may be formed of a NURBS surface object, a trimming curve object that depends on the NURBS surface object, and a third object which depends on both the NURBS surface object and trimming curve object. Modeling a NURBS surface and a trimmed NURBS surface as separate objects eliminates the issue of circular definitions discussed earlier with respect to relational modeling of trimmed NURBS surfaces.

Abstract: A preferred method for producing a composite digital video data stream, which contains data corresponding to an image to be rendered, includes the steps of: receiving multiple digital video data streams, each of the multiple digital video data streams corresponding to at least a portion of an image to be rendered; and combining the multiple digital video data streams into the composite digital video data stream. Devices also are provided.

Abstract: An information input/output device having an intuitive operating feeling and improved information viewing and discriminating properties. The device comprises an superposing image extraction unit 101 extracting a portion for superpositional display from an image to output the extracted image portion as an superposing image, a mask pattern generating unit 102 generating a mask pattern, effectors 113, 114 processing the superposing image, and the mask pattern based on the effect designation information, and a base image generating unit 115 synthesizing the mask pattern image and the original image to generate a base image. The device also comprises a switcher 116, brightness/contrast controllers 117, 118 adjusting the brightness or contrast of the display image switching means 112, a control unit 111, superpositional image display unit 124 for superposed demonstration of display image planes of the displays 122, 123 and a display position adjustment mechanism 121.

Abstract: A document processing apparatus simplifies a user's manipulations for selecting a layout or inserting a part into a selected layout, and enables a user to increase the number of parts the user can choose with a simple manipulation and without an increase in storage capacity for parts. A layout/parts list display control unit defines a layout area and a parts list area in a screen on a display unit on the basis of layout data and part data, displays one layout or a plurality of layouts in the layout area, and displays a list of parts to be inserted into the layouts in the parts list area. A part insertion unit, in response to selection of one part from the list of parts, inserts the part into associated fields in all the layouts displayed in the layout area. An effect data memory unit stores effect data used to modify part data and a modification unit modifies part data in accordance with effect data.

Abstract: A method for determining a position at which a polygon to be clipped is situated with respect to a clipping plane to perform clipping processing, includes the steps of selecting a bounding volume sufficiently enclosing the polygon, and judging a position at which the bounding volume is situated with respect to the clipping plane to be the position at which the polygon is situated.

Abstract: A method of setting a graphics container in a graphics device wherein a child application draws graphics within a parent application's graphics context. A parent application begins a graphics container, pushes the current state information to a container stack, and sets a new container transformation and a container clip region in the graphics context where the contained graphics will be displayed. The current world-to-device transformation is concatenated with the container transformation, and the current visible clip region is intersected with the container clip region for transforming the child graphics to the container. Further, an identifier is used to prevent the child from altering the container transformation set by the parent and from popping the container state stack. After the container is set by the parent application, the world and page transformations of the child application are set to default values and the clipping region is set to infinity.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for presenting and processing an image reproducible at a display monitor, wherein digital image data of an examination volume of a subject are registered with an image pickup system, such as a medical examination installation, the examination volume or a part thereof is played back at the display monitor as a three-dimensional image, and a volume region of the image is defined with a marker, this volume region or the image environment thereof being removed from the image and no longer displayed in a subsequent image presentation.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for enhancing clipping a bit-packed glyph. A first clip value is determined if it is less than a first maximum value. If the first clip value exceeds the first maximum value, a second clip value and a third clip value are updated by a difference between the first clip value and the first maximum value, and the first clip value is replaced by the maximum value. Then, an address field value is updated by a predetermined address amount.

Abstract: A method of rendering image data for full parallax autostereoscopic displays. The method is based on a double frustrum camera technique, where two cameras provide image data from opposing sides of an image plane. The near clipping plane is located on the image plane. The distance between the near clipping plane and the eyepoint of the camera frustra is adjusted to minimize or avoid clipping.

Abstract: A computer-implemented graphics program performs visual annotative clipping, wherein the graphics objects in a document that include one or more clear zones are identified and collected into a clear zone list, and then all graphics objects in the document are compared to the identified graphics objects in the clear zone list to determine what elements of the compared graphics objects should be clipped because they extend into the clear zones.

Abstract: An image position adjustment device which can let the user adjust alignment between two or more images easily and efficiently includes a feature extraction section, a display image generation section, and a displaying order setting section. The feature extraction section generates feature images which provide the user with clues effective for image position adjustment procedure corresponding to each of the images. The display image generation section generates a ‘display image’ for part or the whole of an image which has been selected by the user as the target of image position adjustment, using corresponding part or the whole of the feature image of the selected image. And the displaying order setting section sets displaying order of images so that the display image which has been generated by the display image generation section using the feature image of the selected image can be displayed in front of other images, and lets a display section display the images according to the displaying order.

Abstract: In a presentation device for the two-dimensional presentation of the volume data elements of a volume dataset, parts of the volume dataset can be selected by prescribing boundary surfaces. The boundary surfaces are displaceable. The selected volume can be presented as a perspective image rotating around a basic rotational axis. The rotational axis is selectable dependent on the positions of the volume data elements of the selection dataset. The rotational axis can be automatically determined by a computer unit.