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: The present invention is a system that places 2D user interface widgets in optimal positions in a 3D volumetric display where they can be easily used based on the knowledge user have about traditional 2D display systems. The widgets are placed on a shell or outer edge surface of a volumetric display, in a ring around the outside bottom of the display, in a vertical or horizontal plane within the display and/or responsive to the users focus of attention. Virtual 2D widgets are mapped to volumetric voxels of the 3D display system. This mapping includes any mapping between a 2D representation or virtual display map of the widget to the corresponding voxels. For example, a 2D texture map of the widget image may be mapped into voxels. Control actions in the 3D volume initiated by conventional control devices, such as a mouse or a touch sensitive dome enclosure surface, are mapped to controls of the widgets and appropriate control functions are performed.

Abstract: A mechanism for incorporating user input modes in a scripting language are provided for. A context allows use of user input modes in a scripting language in a manner that corresponds to their use in a GUI. A programming construct, referred to as a context, specifies at least one user input mode and a state for the user input mode that are applied to a set of instructions. The operations specified by the instructions that are referenced by a context are executed as if the user input modes referred to by the contexts have the state specified by the contexts.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention provides a method for extending a schema of network parts types and part type attributes hard-coded by a CAD application. The network parts may be used to compose a CAD model. Users may extend the network part schema by adding an attribute or property for an existing network part, or define an entirely new part by associating the new network part with a set of part type attributes. At the same time, the CAD application may use either a hard-coded or dynamically assigned enumeration value to perform a variety of functions using both the hard-coded and user declared network part types and part properties. For example, functions such as searching a network part list or traversing the elements included in a CAD model may operate using the enumeration values, allowing the CAD application to perform these operations efficiently.

Abstract: A computer-implemented solid modeling system that determines whether a gap exists between components based on internal loops of the components, and then generates a fillet or groove weld bead that fills the gap between the components. The gap is a component hole gap between components where one or more internal loops of a first component fully or partially encircles a second component, and the valid internal loops identify whether the second component passes through the first component through the component hole gap.

Abstract: The embodiments discussed herein involve flood filling a region with anti-aliasing. In forming a fill region, a candidate pixel can be included in the region based on a color of the pixel and also a color of a neighbor of the point. The inclusion basis may be a color distance between a seed color and the points, and a color distance between the seed color and the point's neighbor. Points in the region may be weighted according to their color distance relative to the seed color, where the color distance can also take into account alpha values. Flood filling may be anti-aliased by assigning alpha values to pixels in gaps between corners of the fill region, where an alpha value may be proportional to a point's contribution to the gap. Dimples in a fill region may be tested for and used to determine which of two flood fill algorithms to use.

Abstract: The embodiments discussed herein involve flood filling a region with anti-aliasing. In forming a fill region, a candidate pixel can be included in the region based on a color of the pixel and also a color of a neighbor of the point. The inclusion basis may be a color distance between a seed color and the points, and a color distance between the seed color and the points neighbor. Points in the region may be weighted according to their color distance relative to the seed color, where the color distance can also take into account alpha values. Flood filling may be anti-aliased by assigning alpha values to pixels in gaps between corners of the fill region, where an alpha value may be proportional to a point's contribution to the gap. Dimples in a fill region may be tested for and used to determine which of two flood fill algorithms to use.

Abstract: The embodiments discussed herein involve flood filling a region with anti-aliasing. In forming a fill region, a candidate pixel can be included in the region based on a color of the pixel and also a color of a neighbor of the point. The inclusion basis may be a color distance between a seed color and the points, and a color distance between the seed color and the point's neighbor. Points in the region may be weighted according to their color distance relative to the seed color, where the color distance can also take into account alpha values. Flood filling may be anti-aliased by assigning alpha values to pixels in gaps between corners of the fill region, where an alpha value may be proportional to a point's contribution to the gap. Dimples in a fill region may be tested for and used to determine which of two flood fill algorithms to use.

Abstract: The embodiments discussed herein involve flood filling a region with anti-aliasing. In forming a fill region, a candidate pixel can be included in the region based on a color of the pixel and also a color of a neighbor of the point. The inclusion basis may be a color distance between a seed color and the points, and a color distance between the seed color and the point's neighbor. Points in the region may be weighted according to their color distance relative to the seed color, where the color distance can also take into account alpha values. Flood filling may be anti-aliased by assigning alpha values to pixels in gaps between corners of the fill region, where an alpha value may be proportional to a point's contribution to the gap. Dimples in a fill region may be tested for and used to determine which of two flood fill algorithms to use.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to update a slope of a run in a system in a computer drawing application. A system run (i.e., an interconnected series of objects) is selected in a computer drawing application. The objects in the interconnected series are part of the same system and the series has a starting point and an ending point. A property for a slope of the system run is specified. The slope of the system run is updated across all of the interconnected series of objects based on the specified property.

Abstract: The present invention is a system that creates a volumetric display and a user controllable volumetric pointer within the volumetric display. The user can point by aiming a beam which is vector, planar or tangent based, positioning a device in three-dimensions in association with the display, touching a digitizing surface of the display enclosure or otherwise inputting position coordinates. The cursor can take a number of different forms including a ray, a point, a volume and a plane. The ray can include a ring, a bead, a segmented wand, a cone and a cylinder. The user designates an input position and the system maps the input position to a 3D cursor position within the volumetric display. The system also determines whether any object has been designated by the cursor by determining whether the object is within a region of influence of the cursor. The system also performs any function activated in association with the designation.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for establishing an association between a code and a user. Before a software product is provided to the user, the code is stored within the software product. The software product is configured to convert the code into a visual watermark, which is displayed on at least one screen image generated by the software product. Techniques are also provided for identifying a visual watermark in a screen image and decoding the visual watermark into a corresponding code. The user associated with the code can then be identified.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for formatting data. In one implementation, a system provided includes a device to persistently store a table style, the table style specifying properties inherited by a table object displayed in a computer-aided design program. The table object includes a title cell, header cells and data cells that each have properties and data. The table style includes an identifier to identify the table style that designates properties associated with the table object. Exemplary properties include a flow direction designator, horizontal spacing data, vertical spacing data, a first suppression flag, a second suppression flag, title cell properties, header cell properties, and data cell properties.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to manipulate a drawing surface in a CAD/GIS computer application. A drawing surface is displayed in a CAD/GIS application followed by the performance of a surface edit operation on the drawing surface. The surface edit operation is stored/saved as an atomic property in a list of surface edit operations. The list of surface edit operations is displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI). Each surface edit operation may be independently toggled on/off in the GUI and such toggling is reflected in the CAD/GIS application by displaying an effect of executing the surface edit operation if toggled on and displaying the drawing surface without execution of the surface edit operation if toggled off.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for dynamically provisioning a user interface for a shader. Signals received from a user input device are interpreted to select the shader. Source code including program instructions for the shader is parsed to identify user-controllable parameters and preferred user interface components that are then displayed within a user interface. Additional user input signals are obtained based on user interactions with the user interface components and the shader is executed to display the effect of the user interactions.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide access to architectural documents in a network based on-line web based system. Servers that are accessible from the Internet maintain persistent multiple architectural documents of different media types. An online user is provided, from the servers via the Internet, a set of basic virtual design tools that have persistent properties and may be copied. The virtual design tools may also be utilized to work with the architectural documents. A workspace is also provided for viewing, accessing, and modifying the architectural documents.

Abstract: A navigation system for navigating a three-dimensional (3D) scene that includes a model or object with which a user can interact. The system accommodates and helps both novice and advanced users. To do this, the system provides allows a user to place a point on a model surface that is used as a focus point for tool operations. The focus point is a geometry sphere that shows orientation and relative position of the view in the scene.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention provides a method for generating a curved pipe object in a computer-aided design drawing where the geometry of a curved pipe object is generally represented as a segment of a helix. A user selects a curved pipe creation method and a set of geometric attributes from which the helix parameters may be determined. From the helix parameters, a display representation of the curved pipe object may then be generated and displayed in the CAD drawing.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to display a sun and shadow simulation in a 3D system. A 3D view of a real world scene is displayed, using a 3D graphics application, on a display device. A plug-in is installed into the application. A calendar period (e.g., a month, day, and year) is defined by the user. A timeline arc is displayed with the calendar period defining a radius of the arc, and starting stopping endpoints of the timeline arc defining an interval of time during the calendar period. A timeline slider is displayed on the arc that indicates a time of day within the calendar period. A visualization is displayed, in the 3D view, of shadows cast by a sun on objects in the 3D view. A position of the sun is based on the calendar period and the time of day.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to store user defined scenarios in a three-dimensional system. A 3D view of a real world scene is displayed, using a three-dimensional (3D) graphics application. Plug-ins are installed into the 3D graphics application. A user selects a subset of the plug-ins, defines settings for the subset of plug-ins, and defines a visualization trait for each plug-in in the subset. The user associates an identification of the selected subset, the settings, and the visualization trait with a scenario bookmark that is saved. The bookmark can be selected by a user to display a visualization of a scenario based on the selected subset, settings, and visualization trait.