Abstract: A method and apparatus allocates and stores texture data in a texture mapping computer graphics system. The data includes at least one series of texture MIP maps. The method includes the following steps: dividing each map of the at least one series of MIP maps into at least two map portions; allocating the map portions of each map into a plurality of equally-sized blocks of data such that portions of maps smaller in size than the size of a block are allocated within a single block; storing the blocks within a main memory of the system; and downloading the blocks at least one block at a time from the main memory to a local memory of the system. The step of downloading includes the step of downloading each block into one of first or second banks of at least one SDRAM.

Abstract: The present invention provides a video editing system that provides dynamic synchronization of recorded video elements of a presentation with a script text that is to be read by an announcer or displayed while the video element is played. The editing system includes a word processor whereby the script text may be created and edited in a text window on the editing system display. Raw video clips, from video sources connected to the editing system, may be selected and previewed in a video window on the editing system display. Selected video clips are linked to the script text by embedding edit link control sequences into the text at selected points. The control sequences in the script text are linked through a link table to edits in an edit decision list (EDL) that define the video clips that are to be synchronized to the script text.

Abstract: A text enhancement method and apparatus for the presentation of text for improved human reading. The method includes extracting text specific attributes from machine readable text and varying the text presentation in accordance with the attributes. The preferred embodiment of the method: extracts parts of speech and punctuation from a sentence, applies folding rules which use the parts of speech to determine folding points, uses the folding points to divide the sentence into text segments, applies horizontal displacement rules to determine horizontal displacement for the text segments, and presents the text segments each on a new line and having the determined horizontal displacement. Another embodiment displays text color based on parts of speech.

Abstract: A computer terminal is disclosed which allows enhanced local configurability by permitting the user of the terminal to display information received from a remote host in a variety of ways which may be customized by the user without any programming efforts. Specifically, the terminal recognizes each screen of information downloaded from the remote host, and processes that screen in a manner easily definable by the user. This includes translation of literals to other languages, as well as "look and feel" attributes, such as color, etc.

Abstract: Apparatus for visualizing slices of transitive closures of entities having dependence relationships with one another. A preferred embodiment visualizes slices of programs. A display in a computer system includes reduced representations of the files, procedures, and lines making up a program. The user employs a pointing device to interactively select a reduced representation as the slice point and the apparatus computes the slice and changes the color of the reduced representations in the slice. The color of the reduced representation indicates the distance of the entity represented by the reduced representation from the slice point. The display may be rearranged so that files and procedures are ordered by distance from the slice point.

Abstract: A computer graphics apparatus includes a walk-through function to simulate with a computer the concept of walking through a structure such as a building. Display processing time and calculation processing time for one frame of a computer graphic image are improved by an input unit which receives a viewline moving instruction to move a viewline of a computer image. A viewline control unit determines positions and directions of the viewline while a storage unit stores computer graphics data including three-dimensional data of objects, walk-through attribute data and viewline data. An image generation unit then generates images including animated images based on the position of the viewline and the computer graphics data. The resultant images are then displayed on an image display unit.

Abstract: A user interface has a mini-program window display means, a launch selection area display means and an activating means. The mini-program window display means displays a plurality of mini-program windows within a first panel interface. Each mini-program window has a first background pattern. Each mini-program window represents a virtual computing screen. Mini-windows shown in the mini-program windows each represent an application window displayed in the represented virtual computing screen. The launch selection area display means displays a plurality of application launch selection areas within a second panel interface.

Abstract: A method and system for selecting a location in a first document, selecting a location in a second document, performing an action on the second document and performing the identical action on the first document at the defined location. An alternative embodiment links a first object to a second object and performs an action, such as launching an application of the second object, and remembering the location where the document was last accessed. Another embodiment, termed the whole model embodiment, provides an anchor to an entire object. The anchor enables an action to be applied to the whole object. For example, to copy data from a clipboard object, the copy command is directed to the anchor of the clipboard object. Still another embodiment provides an anchor representative of the first misspelled word or highest value in a document or a spreadsheet.

Abstract: An image signal transform mechanism employs one or more composite transforms that convert image bearing-signals corresponding to unrendered input images into output device-associated colorimetry values. Through a first sequence of transformations, the image bearing signals are related to database color encoding values. The database color encoding values incorporate corresponding colorimetric values required to match, in an encoding viewing environment, the appearance of the images in the input viewing environment. Through a second transformation sequence the database color encoding values are transformed into modified colorimetry values in terms of a viewing environment. Through a third transformation sequence, the modified colorimetry values are related to the output device-associated colorimetry values. The at least one composite transform (e.g., a single transform) is representative of plural transformations (all or some) within the first, second and third transformations sequences.

Abstract: A geometric constraint memory processing section causes a data memory section to temporarily store geometric constraint conditions inputted by an input unit. A geometric constraint display data processing section creates geometric constraint display data from individual items of geometric constraint data read from this data memory section. An assembly processing unit shifts solid shape data created by a solid shape creating unit within a display space on the basis of the geometric constraint data and thus creates three-dimensional model display data. A display processing unit displays all the geometric constraint conditions in superposition on the three-dimensional model displayed by the three-dimensional model display data.

Abstract: The invention provides an image output device for use with a host computer connected to a network including an input unit for getting an image formation command for an image edit processing transmitted from the host computer through the network and inputting the image formation command to inside of the device, a raster image data conversion unit for sequentially converting the image formation command input by the input unit to raster image data, an image data coding unit for coding the raster image data converted by the raster image data conversion unit, a storing unit for storing the image formation command and raster image data coded by the image data coding unit, a decoding unit for decoding the raster image data stored in the storing unit in accordance with the image formation command, and an output unit for outputting the raster image data decoded by the decoding unit.

Abstract: A video processing system employs a microcomputer 11 which functions to effecting real-time on-screen functions on original video images for storage on an optical disc 28. The system employs an adaptive program which extracts visual image data from a digitizer 15 and compresses this data for the real-time processing to create dynamically an optimal sub-set of pixels of the original image.

Abstract: A conversion method and apparatus that allows for converting a hardcopy document into a hyperdocument and vice versa. During hardcopy to hyperdocument conversion, hypertext information stored on the hardcopy document is used to set up links to other documents. During hyperdocument to hardcopy document conversion, hypertext link information is encoded and stored on the hardcopy document.

Abstract: A document processing apparatus has memory space for holding a plurality of documents, each of the documents being provided with respective update time data, and additional memory space for storing respectively, for each of a plurality of users, reference time data for the plurality of documents. When one of the plurality of users causes the documents to be read, the reference time data for that user can be read out for comparing, for each of the plurality of documents, the respective update time data with the read reference time data to determine whether or not a user other than the one user has confirmed any of the plurality of documents after a previous updating of that document. In response to the determination, the apparatus displays the plurality of documents, with any confirmed documents being displayed distinguishably from the rest of the documents. In this way, the user can tell if any of the documents has been updated by another user after he himself last updated the document.

Abstract: An output apparatus having a memory for storing data representative of a pattern to be outputted; an instructing unit for instructing output of the pattern corresponding to the data stored in the memory; a generator for generating a pattern of a designated size in response to an instruction from the instructing unit; a unit for outputting the pattern generated by the generator; and a memory controller for controlling to hold the data corresponding to the pattern and stored in the memory in accordance with an instruction from the instructing unit, when the pattern of a first size was outputted and thereafter the pattern of a second size greater than the first size is to be outputted.

Abstract: A method for identifying invisible objects that are ordered in a tree-like data structure in which a drawing program displays object data on a display device and a user selects a viewing area of the object data to be drawn. Each of the objects includes a size that is determined by a first-edge value and a second-edge value. The method comprises the steps of finding a maximum second-edge value among a group of objects that includes a first object and descendant objects of the first object. A viewing resolution is determined from the viewing area, and each of the objects in the viewing area are then drawn on the display. If the first object is invisible at the current viewing resolution, then the maximum second-edge value is used to calculate whether any of the descendant objects are also visible at the viewing resolution.

Abstract: A font data output method that applies bandwidth limitation to binary font data using a two-dimensional low-pass filter, and applies gain of one or more to a multilevel-value data group obtained by reduction at a predetermined ratio according to the distribution of values in the multilevel-value data group to generate the gradated font data. Using this method, the loss of line and character density in the font data due to a high reduction ratio can be prevented.

Abstract: A method for decomposing a polygon into trapezoids and further decomposing the trapezoids. During the decomposition process, the method classifies vertices having a horizontal edge by traversing the active trapezoid list, and using the trapezoids found in the list to aid in classifying the vertex. When a polygon fully contains another polygon, the method slits a diagonal between the outside polygon and the inside polygon to create a single polygon. During the slitting produces, vertices are duplicated and diagonals connecting to the original vertex are left connected to the original vertex or are connected to the duplicated vertex. The method corrects improper ordering of the inside polygon, and the method provides consistency checks during the decomposition process to detect polygons with intersecting edges.

Abstract: This invention provides a three-dimensional (3D) simulator apparatus that is capable of forming a high-quality pseudo-3D image in real time, even when a large number of display objects crowd in close to a given viewpoint. An object image information storage section (212) stores image information for a plurality of types of objects with differing numbers of polygons (resolutions). A first setting unit (120) sets resolutions in such a manner that the resolution of a display object increases as the sequence number group to which the sequence number of the display object belongs gets closer to the viewpoint. A second setting unit (122) sets resolutions in such a manner that the resolution of a display object increases as the distance range in which the display object is positioned comes closer to the viewpoint. The setting made by the second setting unit (122) is modified by the setting result of the first setting unit (120).

Abstract: Circuitry combines a first operand A.sub.0, a second operand A.sub.1, and a third operand X in a blend function to produce a result Z. The result Z has a value equal to X*A.sub.0 +(1-X)* A.sub.1. The circuitry includes a plurality of logic gates organized in rows. When performing the blend operation each logic gates selects either a bit of the first operand A.sub.0 or a bit of the second operand A.sub.1. The selection for each logic gate depends upon bits of the third operand X. More specifically, each of the plurality of rows of logic gates selects the first operand A.sub.0 as output when an associated bit of the third operand X is at logic 1, and selects the second operand A.sub.1 as output when the associated bit of the third operand X is at logic 0. In addition to output generated by the plurality of rows of logic gates, a correction term is generated. For the blend operation, the correction term generated is the second operand A.sub.1.