Abstract: An efficient hierarchical multi-resolution method based on Hierarchical Meshes (HM) supports selective and progressive transmission and rendering of 3D geometric models. Methods are disclosed for generating the HM, for selective and progressive transmission of the details of a geometric model represented by the HM, and for selectively adding or removing details to or from a desired region of the model. A data structure based on the HM is also disclosed. The HM has a tree of patches of progressively higher levels from a leaf level to a root level. Each patch of one level is merged from respective connected patches of the next lower level. The patches are simplified recursively from the leaf level to the root level, such that the patches of each level represent respective regions of the geometric model at a resolution that is progressively reducing from the leaf level to the root level, for selective and progressive transmission and rendering.

Abstract: Method and system for incrementally processing a source representation of a set of objects into intermediate representation is disclosed. The invention is used after the objects have been processed once and, therefore, have a previous intermediate representation. The object of the invention is to re-process only those objects which have been changed in some way when a modification is made. Each changed facet of a changed object is selected in turn for processing. If the selected changed facet affects the object itself, then the previous intermediate representation of the object is modified. If the selected changed facet affects objects referencing or being referenced by the first object, then the references to the first object are detached and the intermediate representation of the objects referencing or being referenced by the object are modified accordingly. If the selected changed facet modifies an attribute of other objects, due to inter-relationships such as inheritance, etc.

Abstract: Method and system for incrementally processing a source representation of a set of objects into intermediate representation is disclosed. The invention is used after the objects have been processed once and, therefore, have a previous intermediate representation. The object of the invention is to re-process only those objects which have been changed in some way when a modification is made. Each changed facet of a changed object is selected in turn for processing. If the selected changed facet affects the object itself, then the previous intermediate representation of the object is modified. If the selected changed facet affects objects referencing or being referenced by the first object, then the references to the first object are detached and the intermediate representation of the objects referencing or being referenced by the object are modified accordingly. If the selected changed facet modifies an attribute of other objects, due to inter-relationships such as inheritance, etc.