Abstract: A method and apparatus for the integrated display of process events and trend data. The method and apparatus provide for a unified display of trend data and process events related to the control and/or monitoring of a manufacturing process. A workstation generates and displays a trend chart that represents values of one or more selected process parameters during a selected time window. The workstation also generates and displays an event table containing information describing process events that are related to the selected process parameters and that occurred during the selected time window.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in a preferred embodiment for generating anti-aliased layered fog which is textured manipulated as if in a geocentric virtual environment to thereby show horizon depression at high altitudes. Hardware is provided such that layer model data and texture model data is combined to generate fogged pixel color.

Abstract: Apparatus for identifying the four coordinates of a window on a visual display monitor, include a device for obtaining digital data corresponding to pixels of an image to be displayed on the monitor, a memory arranged to receive the digital data, a comparator arranged to compare the values of data for horizontally and vertically adjacent pixels, a generator for generating a gradient value indicative of the difference in luminance of adjacent pixels—in the horizontal and in the vertical directions, a memory for storing the gradient values, a detector for detecting a unique configuration in the gradient values to identify the three coordinates of one edge of the window, and a device for checking in the direction perpendicular to the identified edge for a corresponding unique configuration, to determine the fourth coordinate of the window.

Abstract: A decompression unit is configured to partially decompress a compressed image formed by compressed tiles. Each compressed tiles correspond to a tile of the uncompressed image. The decompression unit selects a subset of relevant tiles, which are visible in a view window or a view frustum. Specifically, the decompression unit includes a tile selector to select the relevant tile and a tile decompressor to decompress the relevant tiles. By decompressing only a subset of the compressed tiles, the decompression unit reduces the processing time required to generate the contents of the view window.

Abstract: Metallic paint colors are classified and arranged by determining the representative color of any metallic paint color; calculating the hue-tone value of said representative color; generating coating color computer graphics indicating optical properties of said metallic paint color in a prescribed range of angles of observation; and preparing a coating color map by arranging said coating color computer graphics over the hue-tone value of said representative color in a hue-tone chart on the monitor screen of a computer system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of smoothing a generalized polygon is disclosed. The method and apparatus identifies a vertex of the generalized polygon with a sharp corner and replaces the sharp corner with a rounding arc. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus draws a circle using said identified vertex as a center of said circle. The embodiment further identifies appropriate intersection points between said circle and said generalized polygon. With said intersection points identified, the embodiment ten formulates line segments between said intersection points and said vertex, and proceeds to replace said sharp corner between said intersection points with said rounding arc. Said rounding arc has said intersection points as its end points and has said formulated line segments as its tangents.

Abstract: An object editing system has an object display unit for displaying objects, an object executive table for registering the display position and the display contents of the object to be displayed, an interface unit for detecting the instruction of an input apparatus of the user with respect to the displayed object, and an object operation executive unit for managing the display, edition of the objects by controlling these units. The object editing system conducts, by the direct operation of the user based on the human natural consciousness with respect to the displayed object, the editing process such as associating, connecting, displaying, erasing and so on in accordance with the contents of the operation by the input apparatus of the user.

Abstract: The present invention uses a novel cache memory allowing a high texture calculation rate while using a low cost single bank DRAM hardware. In accordance with this invention, pixels are processed in a cluster, for example by processing pixels within a region as a cluster of pixels, with the regions of pixels arranged in a fixed gridwork across the area of the display with fixed, unchanging boundaries. All polygon-pixels occurrences within a region are processed together in one operation. Texture processing for all polygon-pixels within a region are broken down in to a set of information gathering operations for all polygon-pixels within the region, followed by a high speed fetching of all needed texels to process the entire region. Following this, high speed interpolation operations are preformed via use a specially arranged on chip RAM and a hardware pipeline calculation.

Abstract: In a method for filtering shade attributes of surface points of a graphic object onto pixels in an image buffer according to depth values stored in a depth buffer, tangential disks are constructed at positions of each surface point. The tangential disks have increasingly larger radii. Each tangential disk is projected to an ellipse in texture space. View independent filter functions are applied at the position of each surface point to generate texture mipmaps for the surface point. The filter functions have an extent equal to the projected tangential disk. The surface point is projected to the pixels in the depth buffer, and a view dependent filter function is applied to each pixel in the image buffer to determine colors for the pixels.

Abstract: The inventive mechanisms convert a path, which represents a graphical object, into a plurality of line segments. Thus, the path can be reshaped without respect to existing Bezier control points. The first mechanism allows a user to ‘pull’ a segment of a path. A user selects a specific place on the path, pulls the selected place along with a portion of the path on either side of the place to a desired location. The second mechanism allows a user to ‘push’ a segment of a path, by using an arbitrary shape and sculpting the path. The arbitrary shape is used in a manner similar in which a sculptor would use a putty knife and sculpts away part of the path, by pushing that shape into the path. The path is being repelled from the shape, as the shape is being pushed. The third mechanism allows a user to reshape an area or region of the path. The user selects a specific point in space and modify any parts of the path that lie within that region of space.

Abstract: Graphic objects in a 3D scene are manipulated using a computer system by defining a coordinate space based on a feature of a graphic object in the 3D scene, and constraining a range of motion available to an object manipulation operation based on the defined coordinate system. A graphic object, or its constituent graphic elements, can be manipulated (e.g., translated, scaled or rotated) using the constrained range of motion. The motion can be constrained to a motion plane, to a single direction within the motion plane, or in a direction perpendicular to the motion plane. The definition of new coordinate spaces and constrained ranges of motion can be integrated into the beginning stage of a standard cursor manipulation technique (e.g., click-drag-release) thus obviating the need for separate and distinct commands that tend to diminish user interface agility.

Abstract: In response to a change in the color depth of a computer system's display device, the invention dynamically changes the color depth of existing objects in system memory to match the changed color depth of the device. As a result open applications need not be shut down and then reopened to change the color depth of objects already in system memory. The dynamic changing is accomplished through a number of functions calls between an application, the operating system and a display driver. In one embodiment of the invention, copies with the changed color depth are made at one time of all objects in system memory and the original objects discarded. The copies are then transferred to screen memory (if the display device is a video display terminal) for display as they are requested. In another embodiment of the invention, copies with the changed color depth are made selectively as the objects are transferred to the screen memory.

Abstract: A method for displaying in a coherent manner the changes over time of a web site's structure, usage, and content is disclosed. Time tubes are generated by a method of displaying a related series of graphs. Time tubes illustrate changes in a graph that undergoes one or more transformations from one state to another. The transformations are displayed using the length of the cylindrical tube, filling the length of the time tube with planar slices which represent the data at various stages of the transformations. Time tubes may encode several dimensions of the transformations simultaneously by altering the representation of size, color, and layout among the planar slices. Temporal transformations occur when web pages are added or deleted over time. Value-based transformations include node colors, which may be used to encode a specific page's usage parameter. Spatial transformations include the scaling of physical dimension as graphs expand or contract in size.

Abstract: To select a graphic primitive hidden behind a graphic primitive displayed in foreground, a point on the display screen is pointed to by a pointing device. A CPU detects graphic primitives that include the specified point based on the position and the size indicated by the graphic primitive information stored in the system memory and further detects the smallest graphic primitive completely included in one or more graphic primitives among the detected graphic primitives. The detected smallest graphic primitive is thereafter processed as the selected graphic primitive.

Abstract: A system and method for extracting structure from stereo that represents the scene as a collection of planar layers. Each layer optimally has an explicit 3D plane equation, a colored image with per-pixel opacity, and a per-pixel depth value relative to the plane. Initial estimates of the layers are recovered using techniques from parametric motion estimation. The combination of a global model (the plane) with a local correction to it (the per-pixel relative depth value) imposes enough local consistency to allow the recovery of shape in both textured and untextured regions.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a digital oscilloscope and associated method that provides a peak detect mode of operation that not only accurately displays peak information, but also reflects the significance of peak information, without distorting a statistical view of the signal. In this regard, and in accordance with one aspect of the invention, the oscilloscope includes an analog to digital (A/D) converter configured to periodically sample an input signal and convert the periodic samples into a train of digital data. A circuit is disposed at the output of the A/D converter and is configured to evaluate the train of digital data over a first predetermined period of time and detect a minimum value and a maximum value during the first period of time. A mechanism is configured to evaluate the minimum and maximum values and determine a significance measure of the minimum value and the maximum values.

Abstract: A method generates a representation of a graphic object in a memory. A surface of the object is partitioned into a plurality of cells having a grid resolution related to an image plane resolution. A single zero-dimensional surface element is stored in the memory for each cell located on the surface of the object. A subset of the surface elements are selected as primary surface elements. The unselected surface elements are identified as secondary surface elements. Adjacent primary surface elements are connected by links. Primary attributes of the portion of the object contained in a particular cell are assigned to the associated primary surface element and the links of the associated primary surface element. The unselected surface elements are partitioned into groups, there being one group for each primary surface element, and secondary attributes of the portion of the object contained in a particular cell are assigned to the associated secondary surface elements.

Abstract: A method for generating and coding graphic images for transmission to hand-held or mobile devices uses an object-component technique wherein images are composed from a limited set of component types, particularly points and polygons. Images are encoded as a list of objects to be drawn, with each object specified by a command word (FIG. 3) followed by one or more coordinate words (FIG. 4) locating that object in a fixed coordinate image field. The command word indicates the object outline colour (c), the type of object (CC), and whether it is selectable (s) by a user for interactive applications. Parameter bits (p) in the command word indicate point radii or the number of polygon vertices. With a particular type (CC) setting, text strings may be included in the image.

Abstract: A method for displaying, in a window on a computer display screen, tabular data arranged in rows and columns, wherein the sum of the widths of the columns is greater than the width of the workspace available within the window. The method includes the steps of determining the width of each column, determining the height of each row, and determining the dynamic height and width of the workspace available for the display of tabular data within said window. The method further includes the step of dividing said tabular data into table segments, each table segment comprising one or more columns of said tabular data. The method also includes the step of dividing said workspace into panes, each pane having a height determined by dividing the height of the window by the number of table segments, and displaying within each pane all of the columns of a table segment and one or more rows, wherein different columns are displayed in each pane and the same rows are displayed in each pane.

Abstract: In a data processing device into which drawings can be inputted by, for example, touching a pen to the surface of a touch panel, in a draw mode, during inputting of a drawing, each line of the drawing is inputted and displayed in a different color. Then, in an erase mode, after designating the color of a line to be erased, the line to be erased is traced with the pen. By this means, even if a line to be erased is displayed so as to overlap with a line not to be erased, it is possible to erase only the line to be erased.