Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture are configured to substitute an element in a vector-based computer generated illustration. A computer generated illustration comprised of vector geometry is obtained. A block that consists of one or more referenced first ancillary elements is also obtained. An instance of the block is then placed into the illustration. The instance identifies one of the first ancillary elements in the block. Further, the identified first ancillary element is displayed in the illustration at a location where the instance was placed. The block may also be placed over an existing ancillary element which would cause the replacement of all similar ancillary elements with instances of the block.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to display a stroked fill for an object. A computer-generated rendering is obtained that consists of vector geometry. Closed geometry is obtained in the computer-generated rendering. Lastly, a fill is automatically created. The fill consists of a series of two or more curves, wherein each curve in the series crosses an interior of the closed geometry.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for overriding layer display properties in computer-aided design (CAD) viewports. A method of generating a display representation of a CAD drawing includes identifying one or more layers of the CAD drawing to include in the display representation. Each of the one or more layers may be associated with a set of drawing elements and a set of layer display properties. The method also includes identifying a viewport display property for a first layer of the one or more layers and generating the display representation. The display representation may include the drawing elements associated with the one or more layers, and the appearance of the drawing elements associated with the first layer is based on the viewport display property.

Abstract: The present invention is a system that uses natural user position and natural user motion to position and layout interface elements for a pen-based computer display. Graphical user interfaces, such as a slider or menu, are popped-up at a position convenient to the user, such as at the current position of the cursor. A rectilinear interface is oriented along a natural motion arc of the user, such as an elbow arc. An arc shaped interface can also be positioned along a natural motion arc, such as the elbow arc, and be shaped according the elbow are or be shaped by another natural motion arc such as a wrist arc of the user. The interface arc, whether shaping or orienting the interface, can be a single motion arc, such as an elbow arc, a composite arc of an elbow arc and a wrist arc, a sequence of an elbow arc and a wrist arc, a compound arc where an elbow arc blends into a wrist arc or an arc followed by a linear interface section.

Abstract: A computer implemented method, apparatus, article of manufacture and storage medium, provide the ability to select and highlight objects. A rendered image (containing one or more rendered objects) is displayed in a client browser on a client computer. A run length encoded (RLE) selection buffer is received, from a server across a network, into the client browser. The selection buffer provides a mapping of each pixel from the rendered image to rendered objects. User input is accepted that identifies a location of a cursor with respect to the rendered image. A determination is made, on the client computer, regarding which of the rendered objects has been selected based on the user input and the RLE selection buffer. The selected rendered object is then displayed in a visually distinguishable manner.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and data structure provide the ability to author and maintain assets in a computer system. Assets belonging to disconnected applicative fields are defined and represented in a hierarchical structure. The structure includes data (i.e., physical resources), nodes that act as a container for the data and other nodes, and constructs that establish a template that defines a contextual structural view for the data and nodes. The constructs are bound to the data and nodes and access is provided to the assets to a user using a computer and display.

Abstract: A system that allows a user to spotlight a region of particular interest in a large-scale display, such as a wall panel display. The spotlight can be a circular or other shape area around which the display is de-emphasized, such as by being darkened or blurred outside the circle. The spotlight can be moved by the user moving a cursor positioned in the circle. When the cursor encounters an edge of the circle the spotlight is moved in the direction of cursor movement. As the cursor is moved the outside region has less de-emphasis. When the movement is stopped the outside region is darkened to the maximum. A spotlight beam or other attention directing area of emphasis can be used to help focus a viewer's attention on the spotlight. The spotlight can follow objects in a scene as they move.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for traversing a process tree in a digital video editing system. A process tree is loaded into a digital video-editing system. The process tree has parent nodes that are dependent on output data from child nodes. Each parent node and each child node represents a digital video processing task to be performed during a traversal of the process tree. Each parent node declares a data definition and data default values. The data definition defines a structure of the data used by that parent node. For each parent node processed, a determination is made regarding whether the data definition for the output data received from a dependent child node is compatible with the data definition declared for that parent node. If the data definition is incompatible, the parent node utilizes the data default values.

Abstract: A method for assigning background pixels an appropriate color to fill all remaining background pixels by a computer after standard paint and overscan techniques to prevent and reduce artifacts. The method includes computing an initial mipmap level and keeping track of which pixels are background pixels. Four pixels at a subsequent mipmap level correspond to a single pixel at a higher level. If the four pixels at the lower level are background pixels, then the single pixel is also a background pixel and a corresponding color is used. Otherwise, the color of the single pixel is the average of non-background pixels.

Abstract: A computer system includes a processing unit that processes data in response to instructions read from memory. Before being ready for a user to make use of a loaded application, the system initially loads executable instructions from permanent storage (such as a magnetic disc drive) during a loading process. In order to make better use of this time, operation related data (that is data for assisting a user to operate the system) is displayed during the loading process. The operation related data is stored in a user accessible file. Furthermore, the application itself facilitates the user re-configuration of the user accessible file under the control of the processing unit when the processing unit is executing the instructions; it not being necessary to use a third party text editor and navigate through the file structure. Then, during a subsequent instruction loading process, the user re-configured data is read.

Abstract: A method for generating matched contour profiles includes the steps of trimming or extending an input wire to create a modified input wire and slicing a solid part in the plane of the modified input wire to create an intersection wire. The method also includes the steps of imprinting the modified input wire and the intersection wire on a disk to create one or more faces of interest, determining which faces of interest constitute matched contour faces, and extracting edges of an identified matched contour face to create a closed wire. Matched contour profiles enable solid modeling programs to generate solid models that are less prone to failure because the matched contour profile automatically adapts to changes in the shape of the solid model.

Abstract: Annotations in CAD drawings are given fixed sizes so that CAD application will generate the annotations at the fixed size even though modeled objects within the CAD drawing are scaled in accordance with a paper space scale selected by the CAD designer. The annotations generally comprise text annotations and graphic annotations, including one or more of text, dimensions, hatch patterns, and symbols, and are represented as annotation objects having multiple properties, such as size, visibility, position and rotation.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods and systems to deform a computer-generated three-dimensional surface using a lattice of rigid bone segments driven by an interpolation algorithm to define a muscle. Such embodiments allow a realistic presentation of subdermal muscle mass. In one embodiment, each end of a curve, created by an interpolation function, is attached to a corresponding bone. One or more muscle segments are attached along the curve. The curve along with the attached muscle segments defines a muscle. As the bones move and rotate the curve is expanded or contracted due to the endpoints of the curve being fixed to distinct bones. The attached muscle segments will experience corresponding expansion and contraction thus providing a realistic presentation of skin deformation. For one embodiment, the position of each muscle segment is determined in reference to a standard Bezier interpolation function.

Abstract: The invention includes computer instructions that operate to receive an input corresponding to generation of a pattern in a computer aided design (CAD) solid model. Pattern is comprised of a number of features included within a boundary of the solid model. The instructions further operate to receive an indication of modification to the solid model. The instructions operate to automatically modify the solid model and its boundary based at least upon the received indication. The instructions further operate to automatically determine whether modification, if any, to at least one of pattern and number of features to be continuously included within the boundary of the modified solid model, is necessary, based at least upon the modified solid model and received input. Upon so determining, the instructions operate to cause the necessary modification to be effectuated. As a result, simplified modification of patterns of features in a CAD solid model is facilitated.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method for generating labels for drawing elements of a computer aided design (CAD) drawing that may include some unknown number of associated or related drawing elements. The method includes receiving a selection of a set of drawing elements in the CAD drawing that are associated with the first drawing element, receiving a selection of fields specifying attributes of the drawing elements in the set of drawing elements to use in generating label content for a label of the first drawing element, and defining a label style based on the selection of the set of drawing elements and the selection of attributes of the of the drawing elements in the set of drawing elements.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a two-handed input control system that dynamically changes an input-to-object mapping for mapping movement of a graphical object on a display of a virtual scene as the viewpoint of the virtual scene changes. As input to the system for changing the position of the graphical object occurs, the mapping is revised to reflect changes in the viewpoint so that the object moves as inherently expected. That is, changes to the viewpoint change the mapping so that a correspondence between the viewpoint and the input space is always maintained. During movement of the object a screen cursor is visually suppressed so that the movement of the graphical object and the screen cursor do not split the attention of the user. The screen cursor is always maintained within the visual display region of the virtual scene even when the object moves out of the visual display region by moving the cursor to a center of the screen when it reaches an edge of the screen.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are described for ballooning an assembly drawing of a computer aided design. In one implementation, a set of anchor points is received and a set of balloons is arranged along a polygon enclosing a region including the set of anchor points. The set of balloons is iterated through, and the balloons in the set of balloons are attached to anchor points in the set of anchor points by leaders. Upon completion of one iteration no two leaders intersect.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a method for aligning and laying out drawing elements in a computer-aided design drawing and computer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing the method. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method, which includes the steps of receiving a selection of an insertion point on an object within the CAD drawing, where the drawing element attaches to the object at the insertion point, placing the drawing element at the insertion point, and orienting the drawing element at a predetermined alignment angle relative to the object.

Abstract: A CAD/GIS system that dynamically updates planar topologies through incremental updating techniques. Rather than batch processing all of the changes to every geometrical feature in a given site map, the changes are made in incremental fashion and only enclosures or faces/parcels that are affected by changes are updated.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention allow users to generate and maintain space objects in a computer-aided design model representing regions bounded by a set of drawing elements included in the model. The space object contains the geometry of such a bounded region and may be used to calculate values such as area and volume associated with the region. Additionally, each space object may be associated with the set of drawing elements bounding the region represented by the space object such that any changes to one of the associated bounding elements causes the geometry of the space object to be updated automatically to reflect these changes. Areas and volumes calculated from the space object geometry may conform to established standards regarding the calculation of gross, net and useable areas of a building or other structure.