Abstract: A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for prioritizing customer error reports for a software application. A sub-bucketing algorithm is performed in a computer to sort stack traces associated with the customer error reports by a plurality of lines or entries in the stack traces, in order to create a hierarchy for categorization of the customer error reports.

Abstract: An apparatus, method, and article of manufacture are configured to display a vector marker stroke. A stroked fill of vector splines and polygons having faces along the spline are created based on a user input marker stroke. A stencil buffer is created indicating the number of vector faces incident at each pixel. When the number indicates that a pixel has overlapping faces, a pixel shader (that determines an opacity value for the pixel in a mask) is executed as many times as the number. When the number indicates that a pixel has at least one face and is at a beginning or an ending of the stroke, the shader is executed to add to the opacity value. A blur shading operation is executed on each of the pixels. The stroked fill is rendered and a wet color is rendered, using the mask, on top of the stroked fill.

Abstract: A computing environment is provided with the ability to contribute to generate a representation for a fillet weld bead to be used to fillet weld a number components of an article of manufacture together at one or more faces of the components in the manufacturing of the article outside the computing environment, including the ability to examine facial characteristics of the faces, select a generation technique based at least in part on the result of the examination, and apply the selected generation technique followed by end trimming to generate a data representation of the fillet weld bead.

Abstract: A method of processing image data, in which object data is associated with animation data. The animation data has a plurality of keyframes, and each keyframe has a time value, an animation value and two handles. Adjacent keyframes are interpolated to produce a curve that does not overshoot animation values of either of the adjacent keyframes ensuring a smooth transition between the adjacent keyframes. When the position of a selected keyframe is changed in response to an input command, a slope and a magnitude corresponding to each handle of the selected keyframe are recalculated. Furthermore, a slope and a magnitude corresponding to each handle of a keyframe immediately before and a keyframe immediately after the selected keyframe are recalculated.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and program products for detecting user manipulation of one or more elements of a presentation of a complex solid represented by a solid history tree. A reduced history representation of the complex solid is created. The reduced history tree is repeatedly evaluated to recreate the presentation of the complex solid in response to the user manipulation of the one or more elements.

Abstract: A system or method of automated image processing that can automatically determine a color and transparency for a pixel with an observed color when given the pixel and a background reference color. A point in a color space can be automatically found by extrapolating in the color space based on two points in the color space that respectively correspond to or that respectively approximate the observed color and the given background reference color. A color for the given pixel that corresponds to or approximates the found point in the color space can also be calculated automatically. Based on the found point and the two points in the color space that respectively correspond to the observed color and the given reference color, a transparency for the pixel can be automatically found.

Abstract: A system that has a flexible tape input device with bend and twist sensors spaced along the tape and a curve generation system producing a virtual B-spline tape curve using the bend and twist information. A shape of the tape can be physically constrained to assist a user in obtaining and holding a desired shape. A world position sensor senses the real world position and orientation for the tape in world space and the virtual curve is placed in a scene responsive to the position and orientation. The curve at a desired location can be input into a virtual scene. The virtual curve can be used to create, control and edit 3D curves, surfaces and objects in real time. The tape can also act as a shape scanning device as well as a command input device.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for measuring a mean time between program failures by maintaining a running count of program crashes per user per product version on a customer computer, and transmitting this information to a server computer when customers send error reports.

Abstract: A system or tool kit is provided that allows a user to specify a deformation for a model. When the deformation produces anomalies the user can select functions or solutions from the tool kit to be executed that correct the anomalies. When the effect of a warp or deformation extends into a region outside a user specified constraint, a clamp function can be selected from the kit to stop the effect outside of the constraint. When a constraint causes the transition from a warp to a non-warp region to result in a sharp transition a tangent continuous transition function can be applied from the kit. When contradictory modifiers and constraints cause unexpected excursions in the warped model, samples with outlier Laplacians can be culled. When the model includes rigid objects, the motion of the rigid objects can be used as a modifier to allow the rigid objects to move with the deformed model without being deformed.

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: One or more embodiments of the invention provide a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for collaborating application programs executing on a client such as a personal digital assistant (PDA). A shared database on the client is obtained and used as a common launch parameter stack. One or more program entry records are stored in the database and the last program entry record stored is identified as the top of the stack. Each program entry record may include information regarding an application launched on the client. When the last program identified on the stack has completed execution, the last program entry record is popped off of the stack. Thereafter, control is returned to an application that corresponds to the new program entry record on the top of the stack.

Abstract: The present invention is a system that provides a pen based computer user with a graphical user interface tool, a pen-mouse, that looks like and functions like a mouse but that is controlled by a limited input device such as a pen or stylus of the pen based computer. The pen-mouse is a tracking menu that tracks the position of the pen. A pen cursor that corresponds to the pen is allowed to be moved about within the pen-mouse graphic by the pen and the pen-mouse remains stationary. The pen-mouse is moved when the location of the pen encounters a tracking boundary of the pen-mouse. The tracking boundary typically coincides with the graphic representing the mouse. While moving within the pen-mouse, the pen can select objects within the pen-mouse body, such as buttons, wheels, etc. The selection of a button or other virtual control causes a corresponding computer mouse button function to be executed.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for providing a physical computer aided design (CAD) model comprising a plurality of physical objects in a flow system. Each of the plurality of physical objects are joined at one or more physical linkages. An analytical model of the flow system is generated based on the one or more physical linkages. And one of the analytical model or the physical CAD model is automatically updated to reflect a change to the other.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide the ability to efficiently and effectively manage memory. A file is broken into multiple memory blocks that are managed as nodes in a heap tree. A request to access memory at a linear file address is received. The linear file address is then translated to the appropriate heap block reference to complete the memory access. Additionally, a tri-linked list/tree of deallocated memory units available for use by the heap may be used. A first link points to units smaller than a current block size, a second link points to units equal to the current block size, and a third link points to units larger than the current block size. When a request for memory is received, the tree is traversed to find a unit that satisfies the request and the appropriate unit in the free list is allocated.

Abstract: An interactive 3D presentation system that utilizes a collection of shots or motion views where each shot can include a combination of a camera view and camera action. A visual transition, such as a fade, can be presented at the end and beginning of sequential shots. Between the end point of a first shot and the beginning of a sequential shot, the scene is not shown. The system allows interactive authoring and/or viewing a 3D visual experience composed by defining a collection of shots where each shot is a combination of a camera view point of interest (POI) plus a camera motion path. The POI is placed on the path in a variety of ways where it can be at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the path. A collection of predefined, cinematically styled camera motion paths, such as a crane and track shots, can be made available to the author. The pacing and duration of each shot can be adjusted.

Abstract: A graphical user interface for graphically managing the navigational usability of an interactive map is described. In one embodiment, the graphical user interface includes a layer hierarchy having a first layer and a second layer. The graphical user interface also includes a first display range bar associated with the first layer and configured to show a range of map scales at which the first layer is displayed in the digitized map. In addition, the graphical user interface includes a second display range bar associated with the second layer and configured to show a range of map scales at which the second layer is displayed in the digitized map.

Abstract: A method and system for performing textured mapping of a target area is provided. According to the method, input is received that defines a textured image. Tiles are generated from the textured image used to cover the target area in an aperiodic tiling pattern. According to one aspect, the textured image is obtained by scanning one or more texture images into memory. According to another aspect, to cover the target area an aperiodic tiling pattern is selected. Textured tiles based on the aperiodic tiling pattern are then generated and applied to the target area. According to another aspect, to apply the textured aperiodic tiles to the target area, the target area is covered with one or more aperiodic tiles that are based on a selected aperiodic tiling pattern. A corresponding textured tile is then mapped to each of the one or more aperiodic tiles.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for defining surface properties in a virtual world. An object includes vertices defining a surface and surface properties. A number of vertex data layers are provided that permit a user to define several properties, including color, that are then combined according to user-specified vertex layer interactions to produce layer values specifying physical properties of the surface. When user input is received at a specified layer, and an object surface property, such as color, is modified. A physical property of the object is updated by combining properties from multiple vertex layers according to user-specified vertex layer interactions to modify the layer values.

Abstract: Encrypted mixed media data (201) may be read by many browsers (101) from a server (108). Downloaded encrypted environment data includes data modification access codes. A user access code is received and an access check (214) is performed against the decrypted environment data (213). The user access code is processed in combination with the data modification access codes to determine an extent to which a user is permitted to view, modify or interact with the environment data under the control of a data modification process (215). Animation data (202 to 209) is received and animation data is rendered (217) whereafter the rendered data is displayed (218).

Abstract: A presumptive mode computer aided design and drafting system for interactively manipulating and displaying graphic objects that employ predefined rules to govern the geometric layout and logical relationships representing a physical design, schematic or process flow diagram. The system is configured to comply with the rules employed by various design disciplines. Specific interactive computer graphics behavior is dynamically accessed to interactively update graphic object relationships according to rules of geometric conduct. The rules of geometric conduct may be stored in external databases along with parameters to verify the logical relationships of the graphic objects used in the drawing. Object orientation is employed in the software design of the system to allow new devcies or procedures to adopt the behavior of existing definitions. In the preferred embodiment, a selected object floats with a cursor in a graphic environment until located in proximity with underlying graphic objects.