Abstract: A method for taking advantage of external recongnition to thereby render only those computer generated objects that are from any orientation and viewing angle. Internal components and hidden components are omitted from the rendered image. This method applies only to assembly and sub-assembly models and not to individual components models.

Abstract: An image photographed by a CCD camera is captured, and this captured image is mapped onto a marker object. The perspective of the captured image is modified in accordance with whether the marker object is far away or near. When the marker object is far away, the perspective is modified to give the impression that it is nearer to the viewer than its actual position. The perspective is modified by varying the scaling factor S of the marker object. When the marker object is behind an obscuring object, an image is generated to make it appear as if the marker object is in front of the marker object. The marker object can be made to appear as if in front of the obscuring object, by increasing the priority that is assigned to the marker object for hidden-surface removal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for accelerating animation in a video graphics system is accomplished by storing drawing operations for a first scene in a bus master buffer. The first scene is to be drawn to a first frame. A frame flip operation is then stored in the bus master buffer at a location subsequent to the drawing operations for the first scene such that when accessed by a graphics processor, the frame flip will be performed after the drawing operations for the first scene have completed. Drawing calculations for a second scene to be drawn to a second frame are performed, and the resulting drawing operations are stored in the bus master buffer at a location subsequent to the page flip operation. The graphics processor is signaled, and the graphics processor fetches and executes the commands in the bus master buffer sequentially such that the drawing operations to the first frame are performed first, followed by the frame flip operation and finally the drawing operations to the second frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing a three-dimensional object on live video includes processing that begins by filling at least a portion of a back butler with a key color, where the key color indicates the presentation of the video. The processing then continues by writing the three-dimensional object into the back buffer. Note that by providing the key color into the back buffer as a clearing operation or having a back most Z value, when the three-dimensional object is written into the back buffer, it will be in a foreground viewing perspective with respect to the live video. The processing then continues by flipping the back buffer to become a primary surface such that the data stored in the primary surface is subsequently displayed on a display device.

Abstract: A system and method of interactively determining and displaying geometric relationships between three dimensional (3D) objects includes the steps of and apparatus for detecting the position of an input device, moving a selected 3D graphic object relative to a graphic pointing symbol in a 3D representation based on position of the input device, determining if the selected graphic object is moved to occlude an underlying 3D graphic object, and positioning and displaying the selected graphic object with respect to the underlying graphic object according to predetermined geometric constraints and the position of the input device. The system and method further dynamically moves and displays the selected graphic object according to movement of the input device and the predetermined geometric constraints while the selected graphic object occludes the underlying graphic object.

Abstract: A system and methods automatically provide access and management of installed and noninstalled fonts in a computer system. Installed fonts are resident in computer memory, whereas the noninstalled fonts are preferably described in a compact database including the computer-accessible location of the physical font. Broadly, the invention provides user applications with the capability of automatic selection of both installed and noninstalled fonts without modifications to the application itself.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses described herein automate and confer additive properties to morphs (modification of a starting graphical image to a destination graphical image). The enhanced automated additive morphs created by this invention extend the currently limited scope of animation techniques, creating: moving morphs, where characters can speak, move, and emote during the morphing process; parametric character creation, where features can be sequentially added to a character to create a wide variety of resulting characters; behavioral transference, where character behavior can be automatically transferred to newly created characters, and behavioral layering whereby sequential behavior patterns can be concurrently transferred or imparted to a character. The present invention allows an animator to create, animate, control and transform two and three dimensional images instantaneously and fluidly.

Abstract: A three dimensional image is textured for display on a screen by firstly receiving data comprising the location of each elementary area (pixel) of the screen and associated image data for that pixel. Texture image data is retrieved from a memory means in dependence on the image data and an appropriate portion of that texture image data is mapped onto the pixel. The number of pixels which share the same associated image data is determined and an incremental change in the mapping of the texture data onto pixels corresponding to a one pixel increment is also determined. For each pixel sharing the same image data as an adjacent pixel the previously derived texture image data for that adjacent pixel is combined with the incremental change in texture image data to thereby derive texture image data for that pixel.

Abstract: A high performance method for the compression of floating point format surface normals and the inverse method for the decompression of those compressed surface normals. Each of the three vector components of the surface normal is compressed by subtracting a constant from the floating point format value, then extracting a predefined field, and finally storing the extracted field. Decompression of the compressed surface normal requires first converting the three stored vector components into floating-point format and then adding a predefined constant to each. The compressed and decompressed surface normals may be of unit length or not as specified by the user.

Abstract: A transparency embodying left and right stereoscopic images of a selected scene, positioned to provide a 3D image of the selected scene when viewed using a 3D viewing device, is made by creating first and second image data files representing the left and right stereoscopic images respectively of the selected scene, employing the first and second image data files to create a stereo image data file representing the left and right stereoscopic images in predetermined relative positions, and employing the stereo image data file to create a transparency image incorporating the left and right stereoscopic images.

Abstract: Computer systems may be used to generate and display objects represented by triangles defined by coordinates of vertices. The present invention generates coordinates of a simplified vertex based upon coordinates of vertices adjacent to a first vertex and to a second vertex that define an edge of the triangles. First, a set of triangles that are adjacent to the edge is identified, Second, a first volume associated with the set of triangles is calculated. Finally, the coordinates of the simplified vertex are calculated such that a second volume associated with the simplified vertex corresponds to the first volume.

Abstract: A system and method for displaying tracked objects on a display is disclosed The method includes writing current location and a number of previous locations of the object with pixel values having non-zero overlay data. The system writes an ordered set of codes into the pixel values for the current location and indicates the set to a driver. The driver uses the overlay data displaying the current and several previous object locations sequentially in order of the set. The displayed locations may be displayed by unmasking the overlay data. The codes may be index values in the pixel values indicating corresponding entries in a pixel interpretation table. A driver may modify mask values in the table entries to mask or unmask overlay data in associated pixel values. The system can display many tracked objects simultaneously, without high CPU utilization or a program to draw, erase, and redraw tracked objects.

Abstract: Single and progressive-resolution coding algorithms for the compression of 3-D polyhedral meshes are disclosed. In the single-resolution mode, the mesh topology (or connectivity) is encoded by a constructive traversing approach applied to the dual graph of the original mesh while the mesh geometry is encoded by successive quantization and the bit-plane coding (achieved by context arithmetic coding). In the progressive-resolution mode, the mesh is represented by a coarse approximation (i.e., the base mesh) and a sequence of refinements. Both the base mesh and the refinement operations are entropy coded so that a series of mesh models of continuously varying resolutions can be constructed from the coded bit stream. Topological and geometrical data of a 3-D mesh are encoded separately according to their importance and then integrated into a single bit stream.

Abstract: A method of providing specular highlights to 3D graphics using Phong illumination calculations spaces the pixels subject to the calculations apart in direct relationship to the number of lights contributing to the highlights. Linear, quadratic, or cubic attenuation is then applied to interpolate the values for the pixels not subject to the calculations.

Abstract: An object put on a rotational table is photographed from a plurality of visual point positions by a camera, a part of an image group inputted by the photographing is projected to a light space, a correspondence relation between a part of the projected image group and the light space is formed, an image at an arbitrary visual point position is generated on the basis of the formed correspondence relation, and the generated image is displayed, so that there is no need to perform an arithmetic operation to convert into the light group for all of the picture elements of the actual photographed images.

Abstract: A computer system has a graphics subsystem employing a rasterizer and a frame buffer, with a digital-to-analog converter for producing drive signals to a video display. A bus interface acts as a gateway between a PCI bus and the graphics subsystem; this interface manages commands and DMAs passing between the host processor and various parts of the graphics subsystem. Within the interface, two command FIFOs are employed, one for storing commands/data sent from the host for 2D display (window management) and another for 3D applications. Using two command FIFOs eliminates the need for host semaphore, FIFO draining, and the latency associated with these operations. Timers are provided in the interface, associated with the two command FIFOs, to manage and regulate the frequency with which the system automatically switches between 2D and 3D FIFO processing. Host intervention is minimized by use of a context macro store for holding locally the sequences for context save and context restore which are used repeatedly.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for performing computer graphic simulation of an anisotropic surface reflecting light towards a viewer. First, the data necessary to calculate the amount of light reflected from each point of the anisotropic surface toward the viewer is obtained. This data includes a statistical description of the surface, as well as information about the light and its directions of incidence and reflection. The data is then sent to a renderer, which calculates the amount of light reflected from each point of the anisotropic surface toward the viewer. An image is then created, based on the calculated values. The calculation step is performed with the aid of a model that is derived from wave physics. The model also relies on a statistical, probabilistic description of the anisotropic surface, a description which treats the height of any given point on the surface as a random variable.

Abstract: A technique for maintaining and communicating graphical data in a computer system is provided. Graphical data in a computer system is represented as a set of triangles, each of which has a span. A single bin is created for each unique span and each of the triangles is assigned to its corresponding bin. Accordingly, when data representing the triangles is communicated from the host to the graphics controller in a chunking-based architecture, each triangle is provided to the graphics controller only once.

Abstract: A method and apparatus implementing a technique for editing an existing curve in a computer graphics system. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a sketch curve as input. The sketch curve has a first modification end point and a second modification end point. A target section of the existing curve is calculated by finding a first target end point and a second target end point in the existing curve. The first target end point is a point on the existing curve closest to the first modification end point and the second target end point is a point on the existing curve closest to the second modification end point. The target section is removed from the existing curve. A replacement curve is created and is inserted into the existing curve in place of the target section. The existing curve and the replacement curve are faired at their respective neighboring end points.

Abstract: Color data of pixels of a digital image are adjusted by identifying pixels of a digital image having original color data corresponding to predetermined color and shape characteristics and adjusting the original color data of the identified pixels to achieve a desired result.