Abstract: The present invention is a system that allows a user to paint surface related attributes just like texture is painted. The painting actions are in the form of scripts that the user can provide and which are interpreted during painting.

Abstract: A system for adjusting a graphical object includes a processor coupled to an input device, an output device, a memory, and a data retrieval device. The processor executes an application that supports a project which presents an adjustment control associated with the particular one of a number of graphical objects. The project dynamically associates with and disassociates from the adjustment control to adjust the particular graphical object.

Abstract: The method of selectively rendering graphic objects three-dimensional of the present invention is realized by acquiring a relative position between each pixel of the 2-D graphic object and the outer closed curve vout through the definition of an internal closed curve vin and an outer closed curve vout. Then, by selecting with a mask the area to display 3-D effects, a directional relation is obtained. Next, z-axis parameters corresponding to each pixel are generated with an effect function and a corresponding selective 3-D graphic object is rendered based upon the 2-D graphic object and the z-axis parameters by means of ERM functions.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus is disclosed for creating a three-dimensional visual representation of an object having multiple resolutions by retrieving a vertex list for the object, determining a collapse order for the vertices identified in the vertex list, reordering the vertices identified in the vertex list responsive to the determined collapse order, and creating a vertex collapse list responsive to the collapse order, where the vertex collapse list specifies, for a target vertex, a neighbor vertex to collapse to. The vertex list may comprise 3D coordinates of vertices without referring to other vertex attributes or, in alternate embodiments, the vertex list may refer to other vertex attributes such as colors or normals. A runtime manager is disclosed which dynamically manages the polygon counts for objects and frames based upon the location, velocity, and area of the object. Polygon counts are also adjusted based upon a target frame rate and a target polygon count.

Abstract: A method and a system for anti-aliasing using Z and Z offset values are disclosed. In one embodiment, an image rendering system includes a processor and a device. The device is configured to store a first value, a second value, a first offset value, and a second offset value. The first value represents a Z value of a first sub-fragment and the second value points to a sub-fragment location that corresponds to the first sub-fragment. The first offset value represents an offset value of the first value in x-direction and the second offset value represents an offset value of the first value in y-direction. The processor is configured to perform an anti-aliasing function using the first value, the second value, the first offset value, and the second offset value.

Abstract: A dynamic cloth simulation technique according to the present invention decomposes the second order differential equations of motion into two first order differential equations which permits separation of position and velocity terms. In another aspect of the present invention tensile stiffness terms are separated from bending and damping terms. The bending and damping terms may be integrated using long time steps to promote simulation stability. Tensile stiffness terms may be calculated in sub-cycle periods shorter than the long time steps used for bending and damping calculations. Use of short sub-cycle steps in simulations of garments having high tensile spring forces permits a stable dynamic simulation with a high degreee of realism.

Abstract: A method of configuring information for display includes assigning continuum labels to pieces of information, or information units, accessible by a computer system. The continuum labels may be used in arranging the information units into ordered sequences, or continuum arrangements. Criteria for ordering of the information units within the continuum arrangement may include, for example, the level of detail of the subject matter of the information units or the degree to which the subject matter of an information unit is related to that of a reference information unit. Formation of continuum arrangements may be done by entering data into a data structure or rules database, or by a method of using a graphical user interface to establish sequences of icons representing information units. Forming continuum arrangements to configure information may allow display of the information in a form allowing rapid, convenient viewer access to desired pieces of information.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for decomposing surfaces for rendering purposes during computer graphics processing. Initially, an interior mesh of primitives is defined in a surface to be rendered. Next, a plurality of surrounding meshes is defined along sides of the interior mesh. The exterior sides of the surrounding meshes each include a plurality of equally sized segments and at least one fractional segment that is a fraction of the equally sized segments. With this configuration, a pattern of triangles is used that permits the number of triangles to be varied continuously from frame to frame while accommodating incremental evaluation techniques such as forward differencing without visual artifacts such as popping.

Abstract: A method of configuring information for display includes assigning continuum labels to pieces of information, or information units, accessible by a computer system. The continuum labels may be used in arranging the information units into ordered sequences, or continuum arrangements. Criteria for ordering of the information units within the continuum arrangement may include, for example, the level of detail of the subject matter of the information units or the degree to which the subject matter of an information unit is related to that of a reference information unit. Formation of continuum arrangements may be done by entering data into a data structure or rules database, or by a method of using a graphical user interface to establish sequences of icons representing information units. Forming continuum arrangements to configure information may allow display of the information in a form allowing rapid, convenient viewer access to desired pieces of information.

Abstract: A method infers a scene from a test image. During a training phase, a plurality of images and corresponding scenes are acquired. Each of the images and corresponding scenes are partitioned respectively into a plurality of image patches and scene patches. Each image patch is represented as an image vector, and each scene patch is represented as a scene vector. The image vectors and scene vectors are modeled as a network. During an inference phase, the test image is acquired. The test image is partitioned into a plurality of test image patches. Each test image patch is represented as a test image vector. Candidate scene vectors corresponding to the test image vectors are located in the network. Compatibility matrices for the candidate scene vectors are determined, and probabilities of the compatibility matrices are propagated in the network until convergence to infer the scene from the test image.

Abstract: Through a comparison of the values of pixels of a first candidate predictor macroblock having pixels in homologous positions to those of a reference macroblock of identical position on the frame to that of the macroblock being estimated on a reference frame of the present sequence of picture frames, a pre-established cost function is evaluated for each comparison. The best predictor is the one producing the minimum value of cost function. The comparison may even include the summing to each predictor candidate of an update vector of smaller dimensions than the macroblocks, chosen among a plurality of pre-established update vectors, for accelerating the convergence process of the comparison.

Abstract: A system for processing an event of a graphical object includes a processor coupled to an input device, an output device, a memory, and a data retrieval device. The processor executes an application that supports an event manager which detects the initiation of an event upon a graphical object. The application further supports an interface module that dynamically associates with and dissociates from the graphical object to communicate event information to a client.

Abstract: Provided is a method representing an object by partitioning a surface of the object into a plurality of cells having a grid resolution related to an image plane resolution. Each cell including a single point and points in adjacent cells are connected by links. Abject attributes are assigned to each point and link, and link attributes are assigned to each link.

Abstract: A method of producing a mosaic effect in an image to be printed or displayed. The method includes the step of providing a first closed curve (1) and then generating regularly spaced boundary points (2) therealong. An area (4) adjacent the first closed curve (1) is then filled with generally regularly spaced fill points (6). The fill points (6) and boundary points (2) are triangulated to generate a series of polygons (8), thereby to generate a mosaic pattern in the area adjacent (4) the first closed curve (1). The polygons (8) are then rendered for printing, storage or display.

Abstract: A system for in-scene cloth modification that allows a user to make modifications to cloth during animation of objects associated with the cloth and have the new geometry updated in the in-scene cloth without having to start the animation from the beginning. Modified panels of the cloth are mapped into the counterpart panels of the simulated cloth by morphing the modified panels from a cloth definition into the space of the old panels in the scene. A relaxation of the cloth allows the new panel to take its natural shape in the animation. The mapping, when cloth is added, also includes finding each new panel vertex a location in the original or old panel.

Abstract: A method and system for incorporating elements within a user environment into a virtual three-dimensional graphical display of a data processing system. Elements within a user environment are detected. A virtual three-dimensional graphical display of a data processing system is altered to reflect the detected elements within the user environment such that image surfaces within the virtual three-dimensional graphical display which include reflective properties reflect the elements within the user environment.

Abstract: An image generation apparatus and information storage medium wherein the flow of a fluid over a course influences the behavior of a moving body. The moving body is moved along the course, based on manipulation data, flow data PSn (position of a point Sn), flow velocity VSn, and flow direction &agr;Sn, this data being set for the course in an object space. A flow-velocity vector VECFn at the position of the moving body is obtained by interpolation based on flow data that is set for sample points Sn and position data for the moving body, and the moving body is moved in accordance with this VECFn. The flow velocity VSn is assumed to be the maximum value through the cross-section of the course and the interpolation is based on this VSn and the flow velocity at either the left edge Ln or the right edge Rn of the course. The flow velocities at the left edge Ln and right edge Rn of the course are made to be greater than zero.

Abstract: A method of modeling and rendering a three-dimensional complex surface using a triangle mesh is disclosed. The method can reduce memory requirement and rendering time by using local height maps and by assigning neighborhood coordinates to any point on a surface near the triangle mesh assigned to that surface. Barycentric coordinates are used to identify points in a triangular polygon to work with height data in the local height map associated with that triangular polygon. The local height maps allow collision detection of a ray with the three-dimensional surface. Lipshitz constants associated with the three-dimensional surfaces are used to find a point on the next ray closest to the three-dimensional surface to jump to, making the search for such collision points efficient.

Abstract: The present invention provides a motion vector detection apparatus for performing a hierarchy motion vector detection process, in which an unnecessary second hierarchy motion detection process is cut down and times of error calculation required in the second hierarchy motion detection process are reduced, whereby a motion vector is detected at a high speed and with high precision. This motion vector detection apparatus comprises a comparison decision unit u5a for referring to a motion compensation error corresponding to a detected motion vector of a neighboring block, thereby deciding a case where the coding efficiency is not improved even when the second hierarchy motion detection is performed.

Abstract: In a virtual reality space shareable between users, messages to users are displayed such that they attract attention of users by effective,use of a display screen. When a browser is connected to a bureau, a status message indicating a communication state is displayed over an already displayed virtual reality space in a preset message display area 113 of a three-dimensional virtual reality space image in the browser. Further, the displayed message is scrolled according to its display attribute information. The novel constitution allows, by effective use of a minimum occupation area:, displaying of messages useful for the user who wants to use a three-dimensional virtual reality space while prompting the user to focus attention to the display.