Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for enabling the creation of software content objects for displaying information on a monitor attached to a computer is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of creating a unit system of the shape object, creating a scale method property of the shape object, authoring the shape object in the unit system and producing a graphical output therefrom, and selectively modifying the graphical output of the shape object based on the unit system and the scale method property to display desired information on the monitor.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for enabling the creation of software content objects for displaying information on a monitor attached to a computer is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of creating a unit system of the shape object, creating a scale method property of the shape object, authoring the shape object in the unit system and producing a graphical output therefrom, and selectively modifying the graphical output of the shape object based on the unit system and the scale method property to display desired information on the monitor.

Abstract: An apparatus has a holding means for holding output images in a first size and their output positions, and output images in a second size and their output positions, and determines an output image and rendering position corresponding to the output size of the output image calculated based on the ratio of change in output position of the output image between the first and second sizes upon designation of the output size of the output image, thus rendering an image.

Abstract: The device for controlling a map section reproduced on a screen is characterized by a window displayed on the screen, said window marking the map section, and by a control element that is rotatable around its lengthwise axis and can be deflected transversely to the lengthwise axis, with the size of the map section displayed in the window being adjustable by the rotational movement of the control element and with the position of the window being adjustable within the road map by the transverse movement of the control element.

Abstract: A directed graph is logically zoomed, whereby the appearance of a node directly related to a target node can be exaggerated and the structure of an entire graph can be readily understood. A directed graph is used in which hierarchical nodes are connected by arcs. In the directed graph, a node that has a predetermined logical relationship with a selected node is displayed differently than are the other nodes. For example, a displayed node logically near the selected node is large, while a displayed node logically distant is small, or the node logically near the selected node is moved closer to the selected node.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for interpolating a digital image in response to a requested degree of sharpness. An adjusting signal representing the requested degree of sharpness will then be generated. The interpolated pixel data are computed based on a two-order interpolation function for two sampling input pixels with an adjustable weight coefficient representing the selected degree of sharpness. The apparatus of the present invention mainly includes: a control interface, a control unit, a vertical interpolation computation module, and a horizontal interpolation module. The vertical interpolation computation module and the horizontal interpolation module are implemented according to an interpolation function derived by the present invention. The control unit comprises a lookup table built according to a scaling function of the present invention.

Abstract: A computer interface is provided for zooming representation objects in a zooming graphical user interface. Information is displayed as a collection of zooming spaces containing graphical objects that may be manipulated with interactive input devices. The damage handling method of the invention limits data processing undertaken to make the result of user manipulations apparent. A copy of least one instance variable defining a visual characteristic for each zooming object is stored as snapshot data prior to user manipulation. Ensuing modification requiring re-rendering is determined by comparison of snapshot data and current object data. The region to be re-rendered is determined by a bounding box that circumscribes the bounding boxes of the snapshot data and the current object data. In this manner, the region to be re-rendered need only be calculated once, after a series of user manipulations of an object is complete.

Abstract: A method for scaling of an image that includes providing an N-tap filter to be applied upon an image region and applying the N-tap filter variously to the image region and obtaining therefrom at least one scaled image pixel, such that N is equal to the scaling factor plus one. For instance, a 4:1 scaling procedure is achieved using a five-tap filter. By carefully selecting the coefficient of the five-tap filter, 2:1 scaling with a three-tap filter may be achieved using the same hardware and adding control signals and selectors. The scaling methodology and apparatus work directly in the CFA domain and provide efficient single pass dual-moded or multi-moded scaling capability.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing three-dimensional shape data, includes calculating estimation values for portions to be deformed by converging two or more vertices of a polygon model, and reducing the number of data for the polygon model by converging two or more vertices of the polygon model when the estimation values are equal to or below the predetermined permissible value. Estimation values for surfaces to be deformed by shrinking edges or surfaces are calculated based on distances between the respective surfaces and all the original vertices involved in the surface deformation. Before each data reduction, the portion having been involved in all the previous data reductions is defined as a reduction prohibition area, and a succeeding data reduction is applied to a portion other than the reduction prohibition area.

Abstract: The invention relates to a reduction processing method including a step for eliminating an “inside-out side”, contained in the sides of an offset figure generated by sizing a source figure. The inside-out side detected by the presence of a first intersection point at which adjacent offset locus line segments intersect. The step includes i) deleting the offset vertices each of which is located at one end of one of the offset locus line segments intersecting at the first intersection point, and ii) revising the offset figure by finding a second intersection point at which offset figure line segments, which form the offset figure by joining the offset vertices, intersect each other, and by setting the second intersection point at the position of the detected offset vertices as an offset vertex.

Abstract: A method for three-dimensional solid graphic generation: