Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide system and methods for organizing, browsing and editing materials stored in a computer system. The system is configured to dynamically create an organizational structure for the materials according to classification groups specified by the creator of each stored material. Additionally, the system is configured to expose certain editable material parameters of a selected material to the end-user and make available specific GUI elements to the end-user so that the end-user can edit the selected material, thereby changing the appearance of the material.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to compress an application deployment. A master application to be deployed that has two or more files is obtained. The files in the master application are inventoried and two file instances that are identical are identified. An application deployment, based on the master application, is written by writing the first file instance and replacing additional identical file instances with links to the first file instance.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to display (using a 3D graphics application) an overlayed window containing an alternate data representation in a three-dimensional system. A first 3D view of a real world scene (that includes a first set of data layers) is displayed on a display device. The user selects a set of entities that together define an alternate representation of the first 3D view. The alternate representation is a second set of data layers that is different than the first set of data layers. An overlayed window is displayed on top of the first 3D view and displays the alternate representation.

Abstract: A method for generating a looping motion space for real-time character animation may include determining a plurality of motion clips to include in the looping motion space and determining a number of motion cycles performed by a character object depicted in each of the plurality of motion clips. A plurality of looping motion clips may be synthesized from the motion clips, where each of the looping motion clips depicts the character object performing an equal number of motion cycles. Additionally, a starting frame of each of the plurality of looping motion clips may be synchronized so that the motion cycles in each of the plurality of looping motion clips are in phase with one another. By rendering an animation sequence using multiple passes through the looping motion space, an animation of the character object performing the motion cycles may be extended for arbitrary length of time.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to display information and obtain a custom node in a procedural renderer. A schematic view of a flow of clip image data, wherein a node in the schematic view represents an operator/function performed on or that affects another node or a particular layer of the clip image data is displayed. Two or more nodes are selected and grouped together. The schematic view is then altered to reflect the grouping of the selected nodes. Further, the selected node may be associated with a custom node bin, wherein the custom node bin represents a custom node that can be used in a schematic work area of the procedural renderer as often as desired.

Abstract: An ambient help application selects and displays learning resources to an end-user of a software application that are relevant to the current activities of the end-user in the software application. The ambient help application selects the learning resources based on computed relevance scores of each learning resource and displays the learning resources in a dedicated help space. The learning resources may include video- and text-based instructional information, and may be sized and positioned in the help space according to relevance score.

Abstract: A system and technique for displaying a document's workflow history are disclosed. The system includes a graphical user interface for displaying one or more graphical representations of events generated by an application configured to edit a document. Each of the events generated by the application may be stored in a data structure that is associated with one or more portions of the document. The data structure may also be associated with a digital image that reflects the state of the document at the time the event was generated and one or more frames of digital video captured substantially simultaneously with the generation of the event. The system may display the stored events via graphical representations in the graphical user interface that represent a portion of the total document workflow history. A user may navigate through the graphical events based on a hierarchical algorithm for clustering events.

Abstract: A system and technique for displaying a document's workflow history are disclosed. The system includes a graphical user interface for displaying one or more graphical representations of events generated by an application configured to edit a document. Each of the events generated by the application may be stored in a data structure that is associated with one or more portions of the document. The data structure may also be associated with a digital image that reflects the state of the document at the time the event was generated and one or more frames of digital video captured substantially simultaneously with the generation of the event. The system may display the stored events via graphical representations in the graphical user interface that represent a portion of the total document workflow history. A user may navigate through the graphical events based on a hierarchical algorithm for clustering events.

Abstract: A system and technique for displaying a document's workflow history are disclosed. The system includes a graphical user interface for displaying one or more graphical representations of events generated by an application configured to edit a document. Each of the events generated by the application may be stored in a data structure that is associated with one or more portions of the document. The data structure may also be associated with a digital image that reflects the state of the document at the time the event was generated and one or more frames of digital video captured substantially simultaneously with the generation of the event. The system may display the stored events via graphical representations in the graphical user interface that represent a portion of the total document workflow history. A user may navigate through the graphical events based on a hierarchical algorithm for clustering events.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to update a filleted curve in a computer graphics application. A drawing having a first input curve and a second input curve is displayed. The first and second input curves are selected. A fillet curve is calculated, created, and displayed between the two input curves. A property of the first input curve is modified. Automatically, without additional user input, the fillet curve is recalculated based on the modified property. The recalculated fillet curve is displayed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to visualize a point cloud dataset. A grid, having cells, is mapped over the point cloud dataset. The points are sorted and a contribution factor is computed for each cell. Each cell and its contribution factor is stored. A viewing area and total number of viewing points is determined. The cells are intersected with the viewing area to determine visible cells. The contribution factors for the visible cells are accumulated and divided into the total viewing points to determine a point extraction value. A number of points to read (and display) from each visible cell is determined by multiplying the contribution factor of each visible cell by the point extraction value.

Abstract: One or more embodiments of the invention enable a user to establish, configure, and associate one or more output devices with a file. Prior art applications provide for configuring an output device (e.g., a printer) on an application wide basis. Users often format a file or document based on an output device. Consequently, it is useful to associate an output device with a particular file or information. In graphics programs, a user may define a drawing (referred to as a model) with various layouts or views of the drawing. Each layout or view may be formatted for a particular output device. Consequently, one or more embodiments of the invention associate one or more files, layouts, or views with one or more output devices. Additionally, each output device may be configured for a particular file, layout, or view. One or more embodiments of the invention provide for the association of one or more output device configurations with one or more files, layouts, or views.

Abstract: A system that includes a pop-up graphical user interface that includes menu bars overlapping marking menu zones. The interface pops up at the current position of the cursor when the space bar is held down. The menu bars are positioned around a central marking zone with the common menu bars located above the central zone and task specific menu bars located below the central zone. The common application menu bar is positioned outer most and the common window menu bar is located inner most. The menu bars are sized in a “stair-step” pattern and the commands therein are left and right justified to fill the menu bar evenly. The menu bar menu items are accessed just like menu bar items typically found at the top of windows. The menu bars mimic the menu bars that a user may need to use during tasks that users typically perform using the menu bars found in application windows.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention sets forth a CAD application configured to receive an instruction to process a first rigid body in a CAD model and to create a graphic style table that includes a listing of available graphic styles to apply to the rigid bodies in the CAD model. The CAD application is further configured to analyze assembly data associated with the first rigid body to determine if the first rigid body includes any user-defined characteristics. The CAD application is configured to select a first graphic style and apply the first graphic style to each of the geometric bodies included in the first rigid body. Advantageously, embodiments of the invention provide users with a better visual understanding of each rigid body in an assembly and the dynamic relationships between those rigid bodies.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and article of manufacture provide object descriptors for objects in point cloud data for an urban environment by segmenting the point cloud data. Point cloud data for an urban environment is obtained using a ground-based laser scanner. Terrain points are filtered out from the point cloud data using ground filtering. The point cloud data is then segmented into two or more blocks. Objects that lie on neighboring adjacent blocks are combined. Object descriptors for the combined objects are then provided (e.g., to the user or a program used by the user).

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing a view of a three-dimensional computer animation model, the view including one or more objects, wherein each of the one or more objects is associated with a respective animation setting for adjusting a respective three-dimensional motion trajectory interpolation of the object in the computer animation model between a first and a different second key frame; receiving data describing a user interaction with a visual representation of the animation setting in the view for a first object of the one or more objects, the user interaction being an adjustment of the respective animation setting of the first object; and based on the receiving, adjusting the motion trajectory interpolation of the first object between the particular first and second key frames.

Abstract: Device, system, and method of Computer-Aided-Design (CAD). A system of CAD may include a client application to communicate with a server and to render to a user a viewport including at least a portion of a CAD model based on data received from the server, wherein the client application is capable of receiving section information from the server, wherein the section information defines a plurality of geometric sections of the CAD model; selecting at least one section of the plurality of sections based on a relationship between the viewport and the boundaries of the plurality of geometric sections; requesting from the server one or more files corresponding to the at least one selected section; receiving the one or more files corresponding to the at least one selected section; and rendering the viewport based on the one or more files. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provides the ability to determine two or more camera viewpoint optical centers. A first image and a second image captured by camera devices (and the rotations for the camera devices) are obtained. For each pair of matched points between the first image and the second image, a linear equation is defined that utilizes the rotations, pixel coordinates of the matched points and optical centers. A matrix ATA is computed where each row of A corresponds to a pair of matched points and the number of columns is 3N (N representing the number of camera devices). The matrix is solved resulting in an eigenvector that holds the optical centers that are used to output image information.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to define a floodplain encroachment. River reach and station information are received into a geographic information system (GIS). Floodplain encroachment values are defined using a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI provides a simultaneous view of station identifiers for each station for which the floodplain encroachment is to be defined, profiles defined for each of the station identifiers, a method identification corresponding to each of the defined profiles, and a target water surface elevation change for each profile. The values are provided to a HEC-RAS engine which outputs analysis results that are simultaneously displayed in the GUI with the other information. The analysis results include a water surface elevation change, a top width, and a velocity for each profile-station pair. Users can modify the values and dynamically view the results from HEC-RAS in the GUI.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to scale a diagram. An image is selected and utilized as a background image. Full geometry is obtained and is displayed with the background image. The full geometry is a first geometry and remaining second geometry. The first geometry is selected and a reference length for the selected first geometry is specified. The remaining second geometry is in the diagram is scaled based on the specified reference length.