Abstract: The invention concerns a method for coding an original source mesh (M) representing a three-dimensional object, which consists in determining a simple mesh (M0) having reduced number of facets each defined by vertices and edges, then coefficients in a wavelet base, corresponding to the local modifications of said simple mesh (M0). The determination (11) said simple mesh (M0) comprises the following steps: detecting in said original mesh (M) at least one line of discontinuity and assigning said line of discontinuity to at least one of the facets of the simple mesh (M0) to be an edge thereof.

Abstract: A hypertext network is provided for use in an interactive data processing system including a processor device, a memory, a user input device and a display. The hypertext network comprises a plurality of user selectable stored information modules. Each module includes a predefined descriptive header and at least some modules include a link reference phrase to another one of the plurality of user selectable modules. Responsive to a user selection entry, the associated user selectable module is displayed and a marker character is stored with each link reference phrase to the selected displayed module. The marker character is stored in an input field that is accessed by a user to select a particular link reference phrase and the reference phrase text is not defined as a user input field, so that the user cannot accidentally change the reference phrase.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for real-time volume processing and universal three-dimensional rendering. The apparatus includes a plurality of three-dimensional (3D) memory units; at least one pixel bus for providing global horizontal communication; a plurality of rendering pipelines; at least one geometry bus; and a control unit. The plurality of rendering pipelines each preferably include hardware for interpolation, shading, FIFO buffering, communication and table lookups. The apparatus of the present invention may be coupled to a geometry pipeline for mixing surfaces, images and volumes together in a single image.

Abstract: A method for generating a 3-D model of a person's face is disclosed. The 3-D face model carries both the geometry (shape) and the texture (color) characteristics of the person's face. The shape of the face model is represented via a 3-D triangular mesh (geometry mesh), while the texture of the face model is represented via a 2-D composite image (texture image). The geometry mesh is obtained by deforming a predefined standard 3-D triangular mesh based on the dimensions and relative positions of the person's facial features, such as eyes, nose, ears, lips, chin, etc. The texture image is obtained by compositing a set of 2-D images of the person's face which are taken from particular directions such as front, right, left, etc, and modifying them along region boundaries to achieve seamless stitching of color on the 3-D face model. The directional images are taken while the mouth is closed and the eyes are open.

Abstract: In a navigation system using a bird's-eye view display mode, map data on a plan view map are subjected to a perspective projection conversion to obtain drawing data on a bird's-eye view map. In this case, an input of the position of a view point is accepted, and a projection plane for a bird's-eye view is determined on the basis of the coordinates of a current position and a destination and the position of the view point so that the display positions of the two points which have been subjected to perspective-projection conversion are coincident with predetermined positions. Alternatively, an input of a scale is accepted, and the position of the view point and the projection plane are determined on the basis of the coordinates of the two points and the scale so that the display positions of the two points after the perspective projection conversion are coincident with predetermined positions and the drawing scale is coincident with the input scale.

Abstract: A graphics pipeline system is provided with an integrated scissor operation. First provided is a transform module adapted for being coupled to a buffer to receive graphics data therefrom. Such transform module is positioned on a single semiconductor platform for transforming the graphics data from a first space to a second space. Associated therewith is a lighting module coupled to the transform module and positioned on the same single semiconductor platform as the transform module for performing lighting operations on the graphics data received from the transform module. A scissor operation is performed on the same single semiconductor platform as the transform module and the lighting module.

Abstract: Methods, and apparatus implementing the methods, that provide useful resolution-independent representations of the perimeter of a bitmap object. The methods find the boundary pixels in a bitmap and identify each boundary pixel edge that actually contributes to the object perimeter. The methods distinguish objects that appear to share a common edge because they share boundary pixels, when in fact the objects are separated by a pixel width. The polygon can be encoded in a digital, compact, compressible format, and can be used to define traps in a vector-based trapping environment. A finite state machine for generating the polygon is disclosed. A bitmap object is encode by calculating a sequence of direction codes based on tracing around the bitmap object along the boundary, where each direction code represents a direction from an eight-connected pixel to an adjacent eight-connected pixel.

Abstract: A macroblock tiling format method and system for implementing the method during an MPEG decoding process is disclosed. The macroblock tiling format groups picture data samples into tiles, each tile including a combination of luminance and/or chrominance data samples corresponding to a given number of macroblocks. Picture data samples in a tile is mapped to memory locations within a single memory page of a buffer memory which temporarily stores decoded pictures.

Abstract: A lighting evaluation unit in a graphics processing system. The lighting evaluation unit includes a calculation unit having dot product circuitry used in determining specular, diffuse, spot, and attenuation components of a lighting equation in parallel. In one embodiment, the lighting evaluation unit is constructed in a pipeline manner, and includes multi-use circuitry for performing dot product calculations.

Abstract: A novel technique and apparatus for antialiasing in a computer graphics system is presented. The invention provides antialiasing by gamma corrected area calculation wherein the pixel coverage area is efficiently determined using cross products of the end points of line edges and the corners of the pixels. Gamma correction is advantageously achieved using linear interpolation of a Bézier curve representation of the gamma correction curve by application of the de Casteljau algorithm to programmable coefficients. The invention further provides for alpha blending of the gamma corrected area calculation for each pixel and adjustment of the area calculation for pixels with end points.

Abstract: Methods for coding a time-dependent geometry stream include a basis decomposition coder and a column/row prediction coder. The basis decomposition coder uses principal component analysis to decompose a time dependent geometry matrix into basis vectors and weights. The weights and basis vectors are coded separately. Optionally, the residual between a mesh constructed from the weights and basis vectors and the original mesh can be encoded as well. The column/row predictor exploits coherence in a matrix of time dependent geometry by encoding differences among neighboring rows and columns. Row and column sorting optimizes this form of coding by re-arranging rows and columns to improve similarity among neighboring rows/columns.

Abstract: Processing at high speed is realized. Interpolation is carried out between vertexes of a series of vertexes and a series of vertexes taken as a longer series of vertexes of a strip. Interpolation is then carried out between each vertex of the interpolated series of vertexes and corresponding vertexes. Sub-strips are then generated using each of the interpolated vertexes. In this way, processing can be carried out at high speed after finely subdividing.

Abstract: Graduation rendering processing brings about an effective defocused image of multi-levels of halftone according to the depth of the virtual three-dimensional space without requiring complicated operation processing. Subtraction processing is carried out in which the luminosity of an original image of the frame buffer to be displayed on a screen is reduced by a greater luminosity in the images located at the back than at the front in the depth of the virtual three-dimensional space. Then, addition processing is carried out in which images having a luminosity corresponding to the reduced value of luminosity in the subtraction processing are distributed and added around the original image of the frame buffer with the positions of the images shifted with respect to the original image. The image of the frame buffer, which has been subjected to the subtraction processing and addition processing, is displayed on the screen.

Abstract: Methods and arrangements are provided for real-time rendering of scenes having various light sources and objects having differing specular surfaces. An offline encoder is employed to parameterize images by two or more arbitrary variables allowing view, lighting, and object changes. The parameterized images are encoded as a set of per-object parameterized textures based on shading models, camera parameters, and the scene's geometry. Texture maps are inferred from a ray-tracer's segmented imagery to provide the best match when applied to specific graphics hardware. The parameterized textures are encoded as a multidimensional Laplacian pyramid on fixed size blocks of parameter space. This technique captures the coherence in parameterized animations and decodes directly into texture maps that are easy to load into conventional graphics hardware.

Abstract: Camera depth-of-field effects are simulated through a system and method that blurs at least a portion of an image. A source image having a plurality of pixels is transferred to a frame buffer. Either during the transfer or after the transfer, a blending factor is determined for each pixel of the source image. A blurred copy of the source image is generated using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The blurred copy of the source image is then blended with the source image using the determined blending factors to produce an image having simulated camera depth-of-field effects.

Abstract: A data creation device for image display which generates data for image display to display a plurality of target images each having a common display range on a display device, comprises: a first recording section to store a palette data which includes a plurality of color palettes and a code information, in which each of the plurality of color palettes includes a plurality of color informations, the code information includes a plurality of codes, and one of the plurality of codes specifies at least one color information of the plurality of color informations included in each of the plurality of color palettes; a second memory section to store an image data including the plurality of target images, in which the image data includes a the plurality of pixels, a position information concerns with a position of each of the plurality of pixels, one of the plurality of codes corresponds to the position information, and a palette information decides which palette is used among the plurality of palettes; and a drawing

Abstract: A device and method of visually confirming at a work site the accuracy of measurements representing the shape of an object such as a pool for the creation of a form fitted pool cover. The device includes a microprocessor for inputting a plurality of measurements representing a plurality of reference points corresponding to the shape of the object. The device further stores the measurements in the microprocessor. The microprocessor processes the inputted measurements and individually displays on the monitor reference points corresponding to the measurements inputted. This allows for the visual confirmation as to the accuracy of each of the measurements by providing the ability to compare the image displayed on the monitor with the shape of the object.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture provide for displaying dimensioning for a data object. A data object to be dimensioned is displayed. Dimensioning for the data object is created in accordance with a dimensioning rule, wherein the dimensioning rule is pre-defined to determine how points of the data object are to be dimensioned. Once created, the dimensioning is displayed.

Abstract: A graphics system is provided to implement compression of depth or z-data. The graphic system includes a buffer, a status table, and a read/write unit. The buffer stores depth data for multiple blocks of pixels in associated buffer entries. The status table stores status values for the entries of the buffer. The status value for a given entry indicates an access mode for the corresponding depth data according to whether the data is compressed, uncompressed or in a reference state. The read/write unit implements data accesses for a given entry responsive to the status value associated with the entry.

Abstract: In a method for representing a graphic object, rays are cast through the object. The rays originate at orthogonal planes surrounding the object. The surface of the object is sampled for shape and shade attributes at points where the rays intersect the surface. The sampled shape and shade attributes of each sampled point are stored in an octree stored in the memory.