Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Shape generating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-07
2001-10-30
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Shape generating
C345S440000, C345S440000, C345S440000, C345S440000, C345S442000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310622
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to automatic graphical element placement.
Using modern graphics programs, such as the drawing program Adobe Illustrator®, produced by Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif., a user is able to select a graphical pattern for a drawing, and then place individual instances of the pattern wherever desired on the drawing being created. For example, the user may desire to place a border around a drawing. To create the border, the user would select a graphical pattern and then place instances of the pattern around the periphery of the drawing.
To save the user time in individually placing the graphical patterns so as to form a border or other shape, certain programs support a tiling process for placing graphical patterns or other shapes such that graphically pleasing borders can be produced automatically. One such program is described in U.S. Ser. No. 08/580,472, filed Dec. 28, 1995, and entitled “AUTOMATIC GRAPHICAL PATTERN PLACEMENT”, incorporated herein by reference. The user sketches or selects a path on an electronic document, and selects a graphical pattern to apply to the path. The program then automatically places instances of the pattern along the path such that the graphical pattern follows the orientation and curvature of the path. In this manner, graphically pleasing borders or shapes can be produced with only a minimal amount of user time. However, sometimes the user prefers to use shapes other than regular tiles, and prefers that such graphical elements be positioned and oriented in a less regular or rigid fashion. It is time consuming for the user to select each individual graphical element manually and alter the image separately.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides methods and apparatus implementing techniques for placing graphical elements along a path.
In general, in one aspect, the invention provides methods and apparatus and computer programs implementing the methods, for drawing in an electronic document. The methods include creating an enhanced path, the enhanced path including a graphical element, a path, and a set of one or more reproduction parameters specifying how copies of the element are to be displayed along the path; drawing copies of the element in an electronic document according to the enhanced path; editing the enhanced path in response to a user request; and redrawing copies of the element according to the edited enhanced path.
Advantageous implementations of the invention include one or more of the following features. Editing the enhanced path includes altering the path. Editing the enhanced path includes altering a parameter. Editing the enhanced path includes altering a plurality of parameters. The parameters include: size of the copies, size range of the copies, method by which the size is determined within a range, spacing of the copies, spacing range of the copies, method by which the spacing is determined within a range, angle of rotation, range of rotation angles, method by which the rotation angle is determined within a range, whether rotation angle is measured from the path or from the document. The parameters further include displacement from the path, range of displacement from the path, method by which the displacement is determined within a range, and color. Altering the enhanced path includes computing a darkness value for the path; comparing the computed darkness value to a preset threshold value; mapping each color in the graphical element to a new color, wherein the new color is between white and the path color if the darkness value is between white and the threshold value, the new color is set to the path color if the darkness value is equal to the threshold value, and the new color is set to a color between the path color and black if the darkness value is between the threshold value and black. Altering the enhanced path includes determining the color space of the graphical element component colors; and mapping the graphical element component colors to other colors in the same color space. Altering the enhanced path includes converting the color of graphical design components into a hue, saturations and brightness (HSB) color space; biasing hue values of a key color, a graphical element color, and a path color; mapping the hue values of the key color, the graphical element color, and the path color; transforming saturation and brightness values; unbiasing the hue values; converting the resulting color into original color space of the path color; and applying the resulting color to components of graphical elements. A user interface is provided that includes a plurality of input fields capable of accepting numeric values that specify parameters selected from the group consisting of size of the copies, size range of the copies, spacing of the copies, spacing range of the copies, displacement from the path, range of displacement from the path, angle of rotation, and range of rotation angles; a plurality of menu elements capable of indicating parameters selected from the group consisting of method by which the size is determined within a range, method by which the spacing is determined within a range, method by which the displacement is determined within a range, method by which the rotation angle is determined within a range, and whether rotation angle is measured from the path or from the document; and an interface element by which the user can specify a color for the path.
One advantage of the invention is that it permits a user to position repeated instances or copies of a selected graphical element along a user-defined path automatically, and to adjust the path after the graphical elements have been placed. An instrance or a copy is a reproduction of the original; however, the reproduction need not be identical—it can be changed in size, orientation, color, or otherwise, and can be deformed to conform to the path.
Another advantage of the invention is that it permits a user to vary parameters such as the size, orientation, spacing, and displacement from the path for the graphical elements along the path. The values for the parameters can be set uniformly for all copies of the graphical element, can vary randomly for each graphical element copy, or can vary with another parameter (for example, with the curvature of the path, or with distance along the path) or with user-defined input (such as pressure applied on a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet along the path).
Another advantage of the invention is that it provides a new “scatter brush” drawing tool, which allows a user to place repeated copies of a graphical element along a path in an electronic document according to user-selected parameters such as size of the copies, variation of copy size, the parameter that affects the size variation (such as tablet pressure, path curvature, random variation, and the like), color, spacing between graphical element copies, variation in spacing, the parameter that affects spacing variation, scatter or displacement from the path, variation in displacement, parameter affecting displacement variation, angle of rotation, variation in rotation angle, parameter affecting rotation variation, and whether the rotation is measured with respect to the page or the path. The graphical element copies can be positioned while the user draws the path, or immediately after the user has drawn a path, or can be applied to an existing path.
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Fractal Design Expression: User Guide for Macintosh® and Windows®, Fractal Design Corporation, pp. 155-163.
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Adobe After Effects®, User Guide for use with Apple Macintosh Computers, version 3.0, Adobe® Systems Incorporated, 1994-1995, pp.
Adobe Systems Incorporated
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Nguyen Kimbinh T.
Zimmerman Mark
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