Abstract: A methodology for generating a drop shadow effect for objects in a graphical user interface is presented. A first object in a presentation space occludes the illumination from a simulated light source, and a dynamically determined drop shadow from the first object may partially occlude a second object. A portion of a drop shadow from the first object is shown on the second object; the portion of the drop shadow from the first object is displaced from the first object in direct proportion to a z-depth difference between the first object and the second object. Hence, a drop shadow can be generated in a computationally inexpensive manner, and the dynamically determined drop shadow enhances the perception of depth within the presentation space by a user.

Abstract: The movement of an object due to the continuous pushing of a simple ON/OFF switch is made an easier-to-use interface for users by a method of moving an object displayed on a screen of a TV monitor of a computer having a controller which has a pressure-sensitive unit. In the method, the pushing by a user on the controller is sensed by the pressure-sensitive unit, a pressure-sensing output signal is determined depending on the pushing pressure, and the object is moved within the screen of the TV monitor depending on the magnitude of the pressure-sensing output signal of the controller.

Abstract: Animation controls according to the present invention introduce a predictable level of control for animation without the need for iterating the simulation. Controls include shape controls that permit the effect of the simulation to be overridden for cloth and soft body materials. The effect of shape tacks are to control the local shape of objects such as cloth and soft body materials, the shape may be weighted and time varying. Shape tacking is relative to the reference coordinate system of the object being shaped. Position tacks provide control in absolute space and permit accurate placement of an object to be animated overriding the control of the simulation.

Abstract: A scene in a virtual three-dimensional space is divided into multiple regions in accordance with the depth from a prescribed viewing point. Filtering levels are set for the respective divisional regions. Filtering processing is performed that imparts visual effects such as blurring to the respective regions of the scene in degrees corresponding to the respective filtering levels. A resulting scene is displayed on a display device. Since a single filtering level is determined for each of the regions obtained by dividing the scene in accordance with the depth and calculations are performed under common conditions on the pixels belonging to each region, the processing is relatively simple.

Abstract: A method to detect invalid polygons that are inputted by users using a graphical user-interface is presented. The method selects pairs of lines that are used to define the polygon and tests to determine if the lines crossover. If there are no crossovers, then the polygon is a valid polygon. If there is a pair of lines that do crossover one another, then the polygon is an invalid polygon. Such a method is useful in teaching polygons and their properties to novices and students.

Abstract: A system and method for the real-time composition and presentation of a complex, dynamic, and interactive experience by means of an efficient declarative markup language. Using the Surface construct, authors can embed images or full-motion video data anywhere they would use a traditional texture map within their 3D scene. Authors can also use the results of rendering one scene description as an image to be texture mapped into another scene. In particular, the Surface allows the results of any rendering application to be used as a texture within the author's scene. This allows declarative rendering of nested scenes and rendering of scenes having component Surfaces with decoupled rendering rates.

Abstract: A 3D image processing unit for applying a specified image processing to display a model located in a simulated 3D space on a monitor after rendering processing. The 3D image processing unit includes a memory unit for storing a rendered model image as a collection of pixel data and distance information from a viewing point of a simulated camera in correspondence with respect to said pixel data; image processing unit for applying semitransparent processing to each pixel data read from the memory unit; rewriting unit for rewriting the pixel data with said distance information from the viewing point of the simulated camera that is a specified reference value or larger; and control unit for causing the image processing unit and the rewriting unit to repeatedly operate a specified number of times while successively increasing the specified reference value and successively increasing a degree of transparency.

Abstract: A word processing tool for idea generation represents text-identified ideas of a database in either the form of a text outline or in the form of a tree structure of nodes. Ideas of a given level can be assigned weight values to change the ordering of the depiction of ideas in those levels. The weight values can be combined according to the hierarchy of the ideas in the tree to provide quantitative guidance to the user.

Abstract: An animation data generation apparatus that supplies a state where a character string can be read in a part of 3D character animation generated based on functions. The apparatus includes an interface unit for setting characters which are used for animation, time allocation between 3D character animations in a moving standstill state, and the type of the animation in the moving state. The apparatus also includes a calculation unit for calculating the number of frames corresponding to animation based on the time allocation, and a generation unit for generating animation data in the standstill state so that 3D characters corresponding to the set characters can be read, and for generating data of the 3D character animation in a moving state so as to link to the data of the animation in the standstill state by using the number of calculated frames and a function corresponding to the set animation.

Abstract: An image data computing apparatus for computing three-dimensional image data on the basis of detection data obtained by employing a two-dimensional sensor array including a plurality of ultrasonic sensors. The apparatus includes a line memory for storing the detection data obtained on the basis of output signals of the plurality of sensors, a storage unit for storing as a table therein transfer time period data determined by the relations between distances from a transmission unit to the respective sensors through respective points to be measured and transfer velocities of the ultrasonic wave in the corresponding paths, and a computation unit for reading the detection data stored in the line memory in accordance with the transfer time period data and computing image data at the respective points to be measured on the basis of the read detection data.

Abstract: A structured polygonal mesh data forming method approximates a 3D surface shape with a polygonal mesh constituted by a plurality of polygons and forms 2D structured data applicable of efficient compression/decompression from predetermined information concerning the polygonal. Polygon vertices as the vertices of the polygonal mesh are assigned to nodes as lattice points (triangular lattice including extension nodes) on a 2D coordinate system. 2D structured data is formed by geometric data consisting of the position coordinate data of the respective assigned polygon vertices, texture data including color information, and a connectivity map as information about connection between the respective polygons. When a polygon vertex is assigned to a plurality of nodes, and connected nodes are to be formed on the 2D coordinate system, one representative node is selected from the nodes. Nodes other than the representative node are represented by positions relative to the representative node.

Abstract: An image-based rendering method for processing depth map images of a scene recorded from different viewpoints, and generating a virtual image of the scene from an arbitrary viewpoint. To calculate the color value of a pixel in the virtual image, a pixel-viewing ray is defined from the focal point of the virtual camera through the pixel. The ray is projected into each depth map image, giving a projected ray. Pixels in a depth map image which are intersected by the projected ray are tested by defining a point (W1, W2, W3) along a line from the focal point of the depth map camera through the pixel at a distance corresponding to the depth of the pixel. A color value for the pixel in the virtual image is calculated by interpolating between the values of the pixels in the depth map image which produced the points (W2, W3) lying on opposite sides of the pixel viewing ray.

Abstract: A computer graphics system that utilizes a super-sampled sample buffer and a sample-to-pixel calculation unit for refreshing the display. The graphics system may have a graphics processor, a super-sampled sample buffer, and a sample-to-pixel calculation unit. The graphics processor renders samples into the sample buffer at computed positions or locations in the sample buffer. The graphics system may utilize a window ID that specifies attributes of pixels on a per object basis. The window ID may specify one or more of a sample mode, filter type, color attributes, or source attributes. The sample mode may include single sample per pixel mode and multiple samples per pixel mode. In implementing a single sample per pixel mode, the graphics system may be further operable to generate a single sample per pixel for certain windows of the screen in order to, for example, provide backwards compatibility with legacy systems with no multi-sampling support.

Abstract: The apparatus sets a standard surface or a standard line with respect to three-dimensional shape data comprising polygons representing an object in a space where the three-dimensional shape data exist, extracts from the three-dimensional shape data polygons having inclination angles with respect to the set standard surface or the set standard line in a predetermined range, and set each collection of the extracted polygons as an extracted surface. Further, the apparatus displays each of the collection of extracted polygons as a surface on a display with putting a color or pattern to each of the collection of the polygons extracted correspondingly to one of the set inclination angles that is different from those of other collections of polygons.

Abstract: An approach is described for modifying subobjects of geometry objects based on per-subobject objects. A per-subobject object is associated with a sequence of components, such as a modifier stack, that are used to modify a geometry object. The per-subobject object may take one or more actions with respect to subobjects of the mesh object, such as applying data to specified faces. After a subsequent modification of the geometry object, the per-subobject object reapplies data to the faces that result from the modification. For example, the per-subobject object may specify the data to apply to faces that result from splitting faces during the modification or to faces that result from merging faces during the modification. The data for the faces may be accessed using a data channel that is associated with the per-subobject object.

Abstract: A method of scene simplification includes concurrently simplifying a plurality of objects in a scene represented by a hierarchical scene graph. The objects are represented as polygonal meshes and the hierachical scene graph includes a plurality of nodes, each node storing a mesh. The scene is a three dimensional scene and the objects are representations of three dimensional objects. Concurrently simplifying the plurality of objects includes determining an initial least level of detail polygon reduction ratio (LPPR) for at least one mesh, generating levels of detail variables for at least one mesh using the LPRR, and generating a simplified version of at least one mesh by using the levels of detail variables. The total number of polygons in a rendered scene may be set to correspond to a predetermined polygon budget.

Abstract: An approach is described for using hardware devices to generate modified geometry objects based on instructions provided by extension objects. An extension object is associated with a sequence of components, such as a modifier stack, that are used to modify a geometry object to generate an initial representation of the geometry object. Instructions that are based on the extension object are associated with the initial representation. A graphics device, such as a hardware shader, is used to generate a final representation of the geometry object based on the instructions and the initial representation. The instructions may be executed by an application program interface to provide instructions to the graphics device for generating the final representation of the geometry object. The instructions may be generated based on the extension object, and a graphics card may execute the instructions to generate the final representation of the geometry object.

Abstract: Electronic equipment which provides an easier-to-use user interface for zoom-in and zoom-out actions has a switch which includes a pressure-sensitive unit, and a processing unit that performs enlargement or reduction processing depending on the output from the pressure-sensitive unit. A computer is provided, which has a controller which has the pressure-sensitive unit a unit which generates a pressure-sensing output signal depending on a pushing pressure of a user, sensed by the pressure-sensitive unit. The computer further has a unit for converting the pressure-sensing output signal to a deformation amount for an object on the screen of the monitor and a unit which deforms the object displayed on the monitor depending on the deformation amount.

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus including a plurality of processors 20, which generates a plurality of candidate status variable values as a candidate of status variable value at which the status of object image is fixed and which selects a status variable value having the highest consistency with the condition from among them, and an influence controller 10 obtains the status variable value from each processor to broadcast the obtained status variable value to all processors at the same time. Since each processor selects a status variable value having the highest consistency with the condition from among the plurality of candidates, an appropriate image can be obtained. Moreover, the processor can generate the status variable value at the next point in consideration of the status variable values of all processors sent from the influence controller so as to obtain an image in which a plurality of objects is influenced each other.

Abstract: A method for drawing shadows of a solid body, generated by light and illuminated regions of the solid body, formed by light, on a display device at high speed and with accuracy. The process of generating a shadow in 3-D computer graphics comprises the steps of forming a solid body as a shadow space of a polygon by causing respective vertices of the polygon to be shifted in the vector direction of the light rays to the boundary of the drawing space.