Abstract: A method for automatic focusing of a microscope on a predetermined object in a specimen to be examined may include a) producing a set of criteria to be satisfied for the predetermined object using at least one training image of the object, b) producing a first image of the specimen to be examined which contains the predetermined object with the microscope in a first focal position, c) ascertaining the section or sections of the first image, which in each case satisfies or satisfy the set of criteria according to step a), and defining each ascertained section as object area of the first image, d) producing further images of the specimen with the microscope in different focal positions, e) determining the optimum focal position(s) using the further images, wherein, for this purpose, in all images only the partial region or partial regions which correspond to the object area or object areas is/are evaluated, f) focusing the microscope on at least one of the optimum focal position(s) determined in step e).

Abstract: Geometric surfaces of objects are displayed by a method which generates surface data of at least one object and stores this surface data in a first memory, generates data records for all surface data stored in the first memory and stores these data records in a second memory, generates additional surface data for the representation of object segments with a lower level of detail and stores this additional surface data in the first memory, generates and stores a hierarchical data structure with several data records addressable via pointer addresses to represent one part of the objects surface in the second memory, stores the pointer addresses of the data records stored in the second memory which are not referenced by any pointer addresses stored in other data records, computes in a arithmetic unit a minimum level of detail for representation of the object segment, compares the computed minimum level of detail for each data record whose address is stored in a third memory area with the level of detail stored in