Abstract: In order to print an image sensed by a digital camera using a printing apparatus for forming an image on a print medium, image data corresponding to the sensed image is converted into print data, and the converted data is transmitted to the printing apparatus, thereby providing an image processing system which can print an image sensed by the digital camera using the printing apparatus without the intervention of any computer, and a digital camera and printing apparatus suitable for the image processing system.

Abstract: Computer animators have, till now, largely relegated themselves to using point light sources when simulating directional light sources in computer graphics and animation. The illumination achieved is computationally feasible but not totally realistic. While it is possible to use a finite light source of given size and shape to achieve a more realistic effect, the radiosity analysis required to calculate the illumination effect of such a light source is so cumbersome that it cannot be used for real-time computer animation. The described invention allows the animator to approximate the illumination effect of a finite light source by using a point source of varying location and intensity. Another embodiment of the invention allows the animator to realistically simulate ambient light by a similar method. The resulting illumination effects are comparable to those achieved with full radiosity analyses at much lower computational loads.

Abstract: Conveying a relationship between two objects in a scene is accomplished by selecting source and destination ends of an imaginary line between the objects in the scene, a source object being located at the source end, a destination object being located at the destination end. An image representing the destination object may be displayed near the source end of the imaginary line. The image may be animated to the location of the destination object along the imaginary line. A relationship indicator, such as a line, may also be displayed between the source object and the image as the image is animated to the destination end.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus which comprises connection means for connecting to a computer network to which a plurality of computers are connected and record means for recording and outputting image data sent from the computer through the connection means, the apparatus comprises access means for accessing one of the plurality of computers, selection means for selecting a file to be recorded and output by the record means, from among the files managed by the computer accessed by the access means, and request means for requesting, to the computer accessed by the access means, a sending of the image data in the file selected by the selection means, wherein the record means records and output the image data sent from the computer in accordance with the request means, whereby the image processing apparatus can access the computer which is placed far from that apparatus and output the contents of the computer.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for optimizing three-dimensional (3-D) transformation on N vertices of a data object based on a transformation matrix of size K×K. The method comprises: storing coordinates of the N vertices in K data items, each of the K data items having N elements; and scheduling a sequence of M operations with a set of P storage elements, the sequence of M operations performing a matrix multiplication of the transformation matrix with the K data items to produce transformed K data items, the set of P storage elements storing a plurality of intermediate results produced by the sequence of M operations.

Abstract: Systems and methods for mapping, decompressing, and compositing graphical image in preparation for displaying an image on a display screen. Graphical image data is received by a graphics engine, which maps portions of the data to pixel positions on the display screen. If the data is compressed, it is decompressed after being mapped to pixel locations. The data is then composited in a scanline buffer, which stored display parameters that specify the colors and other properties of pixel in a single scanline on the display screen. Mapping the data prior to decompression reduces the random access memory resources otherwise required. In particular, the entire volume of compressed graphical image data received by the graphics engine does not need to be decompressed and stored in a random access memory device before being mapped to pixels on the display screen.

Abstract: The image processing system comprises means for preparing a plurality of textures for providing to at least one first texture thereof a background image, in which a movable object is either in a stationary or low-speed state and means for providing to at least one of the remaining second textures a background image of when a movable object is in a low-speed or faster state of travel and for mapping to a screen in accordance with the state of themovable object the second texture in addition to the first texture.

Abstract: Utterances comprising text and behavioral movement commands entered by a user are processed to identify patterns of behavioral movements executed by the user's visual representation. Once identified, the patterns are used to generate behavioral movements responsive to new utterances received from the user, without requiring the user to explicitly alter the behavioral characteristics selected by the user. An application module parses an utterance generated by a user to determine the presence of gesture commands. If a gesture command is found in an utterance, the utterance is stored for behavioral learning processing. A stored utterance is analyzed with existing stored utterances to determine if the stored utterances provide the basis for creating a new behavioral rule. Newly stored utterances are first analyzed to generate different contexts associated with the behavioral movement.

Abstract: A rapid checking method for determining whether an object is located within a field of vision is provided. A computer serves to process the states of a 3D image so as to determine whether the object is located within the field of vision. An efficient calculation process is used. In the invention, the 3D coordinates of eight vertexes of an object and the boundary box formed by equations of six planes are employed in operation. By determining the relationship of the vertexes and the planes, it is determined whether an object is within the field of vision.

Abstract: A computer program product and system executing/implementing the same provides a visual depiction of a three dimensional object upon a display device. The program converts feature-based data structure of a designated solid shape to a direct face data structure of the designated solid shape in a manner to keep a history of the three dimensional object consistent with a resulting boundary representation component of the three dimensional object.

Abstract: A scheme for interactive video manipulation and display of a moving object on a background image is disclosed. In this scheme a background image stored in a background image storage unit is read out and displayed on a screen, and a manipulation target spatial position is set on the screen. Then, a partial image to be synthesized and displayed is uniquely specified from partial images which are set in correspondence to spatial positions on the background image and representing an object moving on the background image, according to the manipulation target spatial position set by the setting step, and the partial image as specified by the specifying step is read out from a partial image storage unit, and synthesized and displayed at the manipulation target spatial position on the background image. A scheme for realizing a variable speed video playback with a playback speed different from a normal one is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product are provided for multi-pass bump-mapping into an environment map. At least two passes are made through a hardware rasterizer to bump map into an environment map. In the first pass, a lighting equation is overloaded. The overloaded lighting equation represents a reflection vector of a perturbed normal at a pixel position. The reflection vector at a pixel position is then generated according to the overloaded lighting equation. In a second pass, at least one texel in an environment map is accessed based on the generated reflection vector. For example, the generated reflection vector can be used as a look-up into the environment map to access one or more texel samples. In one example implementation, a lighting equation includes a specular material vector Sm, a lighting vector L, and an ambient material vector Am.

Abstract: A system and method for intuitively generating computer-assisted animation utilizes a transformation space in which a computer input device such as a three-dimensional drawing wand is moved to generated constructed poses from a plurality of source poses. The transformation space may be in the form of a tetrahedron with each of the four vertices representative of a source pose. At any point within the three-dimensional volume of the tetrahedron, a constructed pose may be defined based on weighted averages of the four source poses. The animator may create a sequence of animation simply by moving the drawing wand within the tetrahedron. The rate of change of the transformations of the constructed poses is controlled by the rate of movement of the drawing wand but may be altered after the sequence of constructed poses is defined.

Abstract: A data visualization arrangement for facilitating the display of data items comprising a selected region of an object in a selected one of a plurality of display modes. The arrangement comprises a data object store, an interface, an object region retrieval component and a display. The data object store stores the data object, the data object comprising a plurality of data items in a predetermined organization. The interface receives a region identification for identifying a particular region of the object and a display mode identification. The object region retrieval component retrieves data items from a region of the data object as identified by the region identification received by the interface. Finally, the display receives the data items as retrieved by the object region retrieval mechanism and displays them in the display mode as identified by the display mode identification.

Abstract: Triangle mesh compression. In one embodiment, a method first generates a dual graph from a triangle mesh. The method then generates a binary tree structure from the dual graph. In one embodiment, generation of the tree structure includes removing a node of the dual graph from a stack, adding the node to a list, and determining node connections. Upon determining that there are two connections, the method adds an edge to the structure and adds a connected-to node to the stack. Upon determining that there are three connections, the method adds a branch to the structure, and adds a first and a second connected-to node to the stack.

Abstract: A color data processing apparatus in which a type of received data is discriminated and, based on a discriminated type of the received data, a first process is executed to convert the received data into Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and K (black) data, or a second process is executed to convert the received data into K data.

Abstract: A simulation display system includes input deciding means for designating an external signal, a signal which is replaced by an event or an event, and an animation block for displaying the operation of problem to be subjected to simulation by animation on the basis of the signal or the event designated by the input deciding means.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reproducing real-world lighting effects in a computer animated object, in which a three dimensional virtual set is created in proportion to the physical set, optical parameters of each physical light source used on the real-world set are input into the model and qualified by effects such as dimming, filtration, diffusion, occlusion and attenuation to produce synthetic lighting of the virtual set. The camera lens transmission characteristics and film speed may also be incorporated into the virtual set parameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing line anti-aliasing begins by walking a mathematical line based on the Bresenham technique. While walking the mathematical line at each pixel along the mathematical line- pixel coverage area is determined for each pixel of a set of pixels, where the set of pixels traverse a minor direction of the mathematical line. Note that for the mathematical line, the minor direction is the X direction when &Dgr;Y is greater than &Dgr;X and is in the Y direction when &Dgr;X is greater than &Dgr;Y. Once the coverage pixel coverage area of each pixel in the set of pixels has been determined, the intensity for each pixel in the set of pixels is determined. The intensity corresponds to the particular RGB value being generated for subsequent display.

Abstract: An apparatus for modeling the visible world using a spherical data set includes a first device means for generating the spherical data set, the first device having a wide angle lens which is pivotable around a predetermined focal point, a second device for selecting a viewpoint within a p-surface, a third device for texture mapping selected data of the spherical image data onto the p-surface such that the resultant texture map is substantially equivalent to projecting the selected data onto the p-surface from the viewpoint to thereby generate a texture mapped p-sphere, and a fourth device for displaying a predetermined portion of the texture mapped p-sphere. A memory which stores a seamless spherical image data set formed from N circular image data sets captured by a single lens, where the circular image data sets are taken from a single focal point of the lens, and where N is a positive integer greater than 1 is also described.