Abstract: A method generates a two-dimensional distance field from a pen stroke. A pen state is sampled during the pen stroke to generate an ordered list of pen states along the pen stroke. The pen state includes a location of the pen stroke. A set of boundary descriptors is generated from the ordered list of pen states. The two-dimensional distance field is generated from the set of boundary descriptors.

Abstract: A graphical processing system comprising a computational unit and a shadow processing unit coupled to the computational unit through a communication bus. The computational unit is configured to transfer coordinates C1 of a point P with respect to a first space to the shadow processing unit. In response to receiving the coordinates C1, the shadow processing unit is configured to: (a) transform the coordinate C1 to determine map coordinates s and t and a depth value Dp for the point P, (b) access a neighborhood of depth values from a memory using the map coordinates s and t, (c) compare the depth value DP to the depth values of the neighborhood, (d) filter binary results of the comparisons to determine a shadow fraction, and (e) transfer the shadow fraction to the computational unit through the communication bus.

Abstract: A method of seamless processing for merging 3D color images is disclosed. By transferring the images to a different color space, it separates the brightness from the color information. The seams are smoothed according to the brightness, and the result is transferred back to the RGB color space. It keeps the colors of the images and does not destroy the original textures.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for displaying a three-dimensional virtual endoscopic image are provided. In the method, information on a virtual endoscopic image is input in the form of volume data expressed as a function of three-dimensional position. A two-dimensional reference image, a three-dimensional reference image, and a virtual endoscopic image are detected from the volume data. The detected images are displayed on one screen. Virtual cameras are respectively displayed on areas, in which the two and three-dimensional reference images are respectively displayed. Here, a camera display sphere and a camera display circle are defined on the basis of a current position of each virtual camera. When information regarding to one image, among the two and three-dimensional reference images and the virtual endoscopic image on one screen, is changed by a user's operation, information regarding to the other images is changed based on the information changed by the user's operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a computer implemented method for placing feathers on a surface. The method includes providing a surface having a plurality of vertices and establishing a growing direction for each of the plurality of vertices on the surface. Feathers are placed on the surface based on the plurality of vertices and the growing direction.

Abstract: The present invention is in the field of digital imaging. It relates to a method for determining the coordinates of a subject of interest in a digital image, so as to be able to then display this subject of interest on the screen of a terminal with low display capacity. The present invention enables, from the screen of a terminal with sufficient display capacity, at least one subject of interest in an original still digital image to be selected, and the coordinates of said subject of interest to be determined. The application of the present invention consists in preparing the display operation of subjects of interest of digital images on the screens of terminals with low display capacity.

Abstract: A collision detection method for polygonal objects using OpenGL is provided, comprising dividing a surface of each object into a set of axis aligned bounding boxes (AABB) to build an AABB tree, selecting an object among the plurality of polygonal objects as a reference object, defining a global bounding box of the reference object, detecting first bounding boxes of the plurality of polygonal objects that intersect the global bounding box of the reference object, and determining intersections for each polygon of the reference object with all polygons of the plurality of polygonal objects.

Abstract: A tetrahedralization and triangulation method used with the proximity based rounding method to satisfy topological consistency of tetrahedralization with the bounded precision of a digital computer is described. Tetrahedralization is applied to a VLSI design, and more specifically for solving Maxwell's equation to extract parasitic capacitances and 3-D optical proximity correction applications. The exactness of solving Maxwell's equation and finite element analysis depends on the correctness of the topological properties of the tetrahedralization. Among the important aspects of the correctness of the topological properties is the absence of spurious intersection of two or more tetrahedra. In a typical digital computer, numbers are represented using finite sized words. Round-off errors occur when a long number is represented using the finite word size. As a result, tetrahedralization loses its topological consistency.

Abstract: An image processing unit includes a shape memory in which object shape data are prerecorded, a processing component which establishes coordinate values for objects in a three-dimensional virtual space based on the shape data in the shape memory, a conversion component which receives the coordinate values from the processing component and converts the coordinate values to a visual field coordinate system based on a prescribed view point, a view point establishment component which establishes a position of the view point based on the situation between an object in the three-dimensional virtual space serving as a predetermined reference and being virtually defined in the three-dimensional virtual space without any input by a user, and which sends the position to the conversion component, and an imaging component which adds a predetermined texture to a shape data of the visual field coordinate system converted by the conversion component.

Abstract: The present invention determines that an object is moving within a scene. At run time, the number of primitives used to represent the moving object is reduced. The degree of reduction can be related to the amount of motion, i.e. speed, of the moving object. The moving object is then rendered based on the reduced number of primitives saving time and memory bandwidth.

Abstract: A method converts a two-dimensional object to a two-dimensional distance field. The object is represented as a set of boundary descriptors and a fill rule. The set of boundary descriptors is preprocessed and a spatial hierarchy is constructed from the preprocessed set of boundary descriptors. A cache of intersections is initialized. The spatial hierarchy is queried at a set of locations to determine a set of distances at the locations. The query invokes a distance function at each location to determine an unsigned distance. A sign of the unsigned distance is determined from the cache of intersections, the location, and the fill rule. The set of distances is used to construct the two-dimensional distance field.

Abstract: The present invention is in the field of digital imaging. It relates to a method and a system for selecting a subject of interest in a digital image, so as to be able to then display this subject of interest on the screen of a terminal with low display capacity. The present invention enables the display directly and automatically on the screen of a terminal with low display capacity, of subjects of interest, previously selected in an original image. This is done based on a simple operation or request executed from the terminal with low display capacity. This enables the image to be exploited correctly, by viewing the subjects of interest of the original image, in the best possible conditions of image rendering, given the display capacity of said terminal. The application of the present invention is in the area of the users of terminals with low display capacity.

Abstract: A three-dimensional information display apparatus which has three-dimensional map information processing section adapted to process three-dimensional map information, three-dimensional route information processing section adapted to process three-dimensional route information, and three-dimensional information display section adapted to display the three-dimensional map information processed by the three-dimensional map information processing section and the three-dimensional route information processed by the three-dimensional route information processing section. If a road to the destination included in the three-dimensional map information contains a downward branch part, the three-dimensional route information processing section processes the three-dimensional route information so as to extend a part of a route to the road to be branched for display while maintaining the same height as the height on drawing of the route to the destination at the downward branch part.

Abstract: A three-dimensional model generating system obtains altitude information corresponding to a specified building region on a building/road map. On the basis of the altitude distribution in the building region, a plane corresponding to a connected subset of observation data is obtained. After all pieces of observation data are allocated to planes, the planes are interconnected to form a simply-connected polyhedron serving as a building model. Accordingly, individual pieces of building information, which are free from the effects of a building-located region, are generated on the basis of three-dimensional terrain information and a set of planes.