Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for generating displays of vector drawing elements that have the appearance of being hand drawn using traditional media materials, such as a pencil. Multiple pencil strokes to be rendered on top of each other and the structure of the simulated paper surface remains constant, generating a realistic appearance for multiple rendered pencil strokes. A variety of physical characteristics of pencils and paper surfaces may be specified, and a convincing appearance may be achieved by modeling these parameters in software, and speed may be realized by rendering the pencil effect using a shader program executed on graphics hardware.

Abstract: A method, system, apparatus, article of manufacture, and computer readable storage medium provide the ability to reconstruct a pipe from point cloud data. Point cloud data is obtained. Primitive geometric shapes are detected in the point cloud data. A pipeline is determined by determining predecessor and successor primitive geometric shapes for each of the shapes. Diameters, coplanarity, and angles between the shapes are corrected. The shapes are connected and output.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and data structure provide the ability to extract a primitive quadric surface from point cloud data. Point cloud data is obtained in 3D space. The point cloud data is segmented to create a disjoined surface and a smooth surface segment based on spatial connectivity and surface smoothness. One or more shapes are extracted from the point cloud data using geometric fitting. The geometric fitting searches for one or more quadric surface parameters of a given type of model that provides a best agreement between selected points from the point cloud data and a resultant model.

Abstract: One or more embodiments of the invention set forth methods for performing quantity takeoff computations from computer aided design (CAD) drawings. The user initiates the quantity takeoff of an instance of a drawing object by manually selecting one or more geometries that visually represent the instance. The quantity takeoff engine identifies or creates a takeoff object that is associated with the drawing object. A takeoff object may include the dimension of geometry to quantify, the object parameter to be quantified, and the takeoff calculations to be performed. The takeoff measurement tool quantifies the instance and adds markup information to the CAD drawings to represent the determined quantity. Subsequently, the quantity takeoff engine performs takeoff calculations and adds the quantity and cost information to a takeoff report representing all previous selected instances. Advantageously, these techniques allow the user to incrementally create takeoff reports without making any manual measurements.

Abstract: A method for issuing shadow requests to manage bandwidth allocation between an application that issues input/output (I/O) operation requests and an I/O device. A bandwidth manager detects the completion of an I/O operation, which includes either a read operation or a write operation. The bandwidth manager calculates a statistical duration for future I/O operations between the application and the I/O device based on throughput statistics related to past I/O operations. The bandwidth manager generates a shadow request for reserving a position in a queue that stores pending I/O requests for the I/O device for a first future I/O operation request from the application and having a duration related to the statistical duration, and inserts the shadow request into the queue. Advantageously, applications that do not make frequent I/O operation requests in advance may still execute I/O operations because bandwidth is reserved for future I/O operation requests via the shadow requests.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to integrate multiple engineering design systems in a computer aided design (CAD) system. A design generator is displayed and used to create an engineering design that has different worksheets. Each worksheet represents a different aspect of the design, has local design objects that represent functional aspects of a component that are independent from the component's physical representation, and relation objects that models constraints for properties of the design objects. The objects are organized into a functional layout document (FLD) that is stored in a data center/database that is shared by the worksheets. The FLD is then used to design an engineering design/model.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide an auto layer sorting feature for a computer aided drawing (CAD) application where drawing elements are sorted into different drawing layers based on the graphic style associated with each individual drawing element. Objects added to the drawing may be automatically associated with a layer such that all objects on the layer have the same graphic style. If the user changes the properties of a given graphics style associated with one of the auto-sort layers, the updated style may be applied to each objects on that layer.

Abstract: A Sheet Set Manager for a computer-implemented graphics program allows drawings to be organized logically as a Sheet Set comprising a collection of Sheets and Subsets of Sheets, wherein each Sheet comprises a drawing, layout or view. The Sheet Set Manager is a graphical user interface for displaying, accessing and managing the Sheet Sets, Subsets and Sheets, as well as editing components of the Sheet Sets, Subsets and Sheets.

Abstract: A system that transitions from freeform camera motion to surface following motion as a surface of an object is approached by clipping the vectors for closest point and look-at point. When the surface is reached and while following the surface the user can designate an up model that sets an up vector to conform the view to a users expectations while the system operates using a local up vector for computations. A restricted surface field of view along with an obstacle field of view can be used by the system to allow the view to traverse cavities and maintain a specified surface following distance from an obstacle, from a wall and from a floor.

Abstract: A method of propagating changes in a design model identifies a change to a changed element, creates steps to carry out the change, creates additional steps based on the change and on relationships between the changed element and other elements in the design model, and executes the steps to alter the model in a manner that reflects the change. The steps may be created in a manner that depends on other steps that have been created. A system for regenerating a design model comprises a model element, a step propagator, and a step executor. The step propagator receives a first step that represents changes in the model element, and produces a second step that represents other changes in the model element that are dependent on the first step, and the step executor executes the first and second steps.

Abstract: The complexity of a CAD model is reduced while its kinematic integrity is maintained by unloading certain data associated with the CAD model from the main memory of a computing device used in the design of the CAD model. The unloaded data includes graphics data and geometry data of those components of the CAD model that the user selects to suppress. The constraint data of the suppressed components are, however, retained in main memory so that the movements of the components of the CAD model can be modeled accurately. By unloading data from the main memory, the overall performance of the computing device is improved and also frees up memory resources for other uses.

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 of editing image data, wherein an image frame comprising a plurality of components is generated by processing a plurality of data processing nodes arranged in a hierarchical structure, said image frame is displayed to a user, said user manually selects one of said plurality of components for editing, a first data processing node considered to be appropriate to said component is selected and editing tools relevant to said first data processing node are displayed to said user.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture enables users to collaborate on an actual stored drawing document across a network. A single document is stored on a server who establishes a collaboration session with multiple users that collaborate in real time and dynamically view modifications executed by the users. Users maintain simultaneous write access to the document. Asynchronous commands are received from users, that have a delay of a defined time period, include any modifications made in real time by the user transmitting the asynchronous command, and cause the server to transmit any modifications to all of the multiple users in the collaboration session. The server also maintains a history of all modifications to the actual stored drawing document. The history can be used by a user to undo any user's modifications.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to enable communication between disconnected applications in a computer system. A bridge object is created in a secondary application. Further, an interface for the bridge object enables communication with the secondary application through the bridge object. The interface for the bridge object is registered in a global interface table (GIT). A cookie is retrieved from the GIT in response to the registration. Such a cookie comprises information for utilizing the interface for the bridge object. The cookie is then stored in an environment variable. The environment variable is accessible to a disconnected application (e.g., ActiveX control) such that the cookie may be retrieved to enable use of the interface.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to edit in-place a ZIP™ archive file. A file and a first file block (FFB) in a first block location are opened and modified. If the first block location can accommodate the modified FFB, the modified FFB is saved, in-place, in the first block location without rewriting the entire archive. However, if the first block location cannot accommodate the modified FFB, a second file block is copied from a second block location to a third block location located at an end of a file data section of the archive. A portion of the second block location is marked as a free block and the modified FFB is saved without rewriting the entire ZIP™ archive. The archive is then saved by updating and saving both the central directory and end of central directory.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and article of manufacture provide the ability to track the processing of image data in a collaborative environment. A dependency graph that represents an image composition is obtained. Metadata for each element of the dependency graph are stored in a database that is accessible across a network to multiple users. Access to the database is controlled to allow the multiple users to access the dependency graph via the database simultaneously.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes, among other things, systems, methods and program products for presenting object properties by receiving selection of a component of a model presented in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computer aided design tool, the GUI including an interactive display element having an arrangement of property fields related to the selected component, determining property values associated with the property fields based on the selected component, and providing the determined property values in corresponding property fields of the interactive display element for presentation in the GUI in conjunction with the model, such that responsive to receiving selection of a different component of the model, the property fields are updated with property values corresponding to the different component.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a method for generating a two-dimensional (2D) flattened nailboard representation of a wiring harness in a three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) model. The nailboard representation invention may be used to provide a dimensionally accurate “flattened” view of a complex 3D wiring harness depicted in a CAD model, without cutting any of the wires included in the harness, and minimizing the overlap of multiple exposed wires present in wire loops.

Abstract: Tools and techniques for creating and editing a master block definition for a block, and manipulating a block instantiation of the block are described. User input can be received defining a block and a master block definition can be generated for the block. The block can include one or more graphical entities and receiving a user input defining a block can include receiving one or more user inputs manipulating a graphical representation of the block. The master block definition can include at least one allowable manipulation to a geometry of the block when instantiated. One or more block instantiations of the block can be manipulated differently according to the allowable manipulation.