Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graph generating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-30
2001-10-30
Brier, Jeffery (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graph generating
C345S441000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310621
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to systems used for the editing of symbols on a computer through the modification of properties associated with the symbols. More narrowly, the invention relates to a user-interface that permits modification of such properties by selectively defining single or multiple values for the properties associated with a group of symbols, the interface automatically associating a respective one of the values to each symbol of the group.
BACKGROUND
Many computer programs display symbols according to specified properties identified with them. For example, typically, associated with the symbols, ASCII characters, in a word-processing file are one or more properties (formatting, font, typesetting) that determine how they appear on the screen and when printed. In graphic programs, vector-graphic objects may have geometric and non-geometric properties that determine how they appear when displayed. The user interface used to change such properties often permit selection of a symbol or group of symbols, for example by highlighting text, and the entry of a value for a parameter. For example, the font size of a set of characters in the word-processor may be modified by selecting the text and indicating, through the user-interface, the desired value for the font. To enter multiple values respective of each element of a group of symbols, each element must be selected in turn and a different value indicated for the parameter. For example, to make the font sizes of each character, of a group of characters, different, each character of the group must be separately selected and the font size separately adjusted for each through the user-interface.
In vector-based graphic programs, an author creates 3-dimensional scenes by defining objects with geometric and non-geometric properties. For example, the height, width, and depth dimensions or the surface reflectivity, color, or texture of primitive objects may be defined. This can be done by defining an association between a property (a collection or constellation of parameter values, also called, for example, a “style”) and a certain group of objects or by associating specific property values with individual objects. All the objects belonging to the group associated with the property inherit the values defined in the property. A typical user-interface device for making changes in parameter values, for an individual object or for a defined property, may be called an inspector.
An inspector may have the appearance of a user interface control with fields for each parameter that may be adjusted. The author selects an object, group of objects, or a property (style) and opens the inspector. The inspector will typically show current values for the parameters. The inspector will usually show the parameters that have the same values in dark or regular font. Parameters that have different values for any two members of the group may be ghosted. The author can change the parameter values by selecting from lists, entering numbers in numeric fields, clicking on radio buttons, etc. If the value of a parameter that is ghosted is changed, the parameter value will be changed to the value entered for all objects to which that parameter applies. In other words, such an entry overrides the particular values for the heterogeneous selection set.
Note that it is known to permit the entry of a change to parameter values by entering an incremental value. So, for example, if a heterogeneous mix of objects is selected and an inspector invoked, the value “+2” can be entered for a parameter. The value of the parameter for each object will be incremented then, by two. The result is that each element of the group receives different values for the parameter.
Consider the creation of a group of objects in a vector-based graphics program. Suppose the author creates a group of duplicate prisms in a 3-D scene intended to represent a street scene. Each prism represents a building. The author desires to give the prisms varying dimensions to make the scene realistic. Initially, the artist may select all the buildings and call up an inspector for the objects or the author may, having previously associated the prisms with a style, call up a style-inspector. The author enters values of parameters that are desired to be identical for all the prisms. Then the artist must select each prism and separately adjust the dimensions of each using the object inspector. To save time, the author may define a number of separate styles and associate a random selection of prisms with each style. The different buildings would each have the properties of one of a set of styles, so each would not be unique. The more realistic look would be where each building's dimension is unique. At present, there is no convenient mechanism for associating different values with a group of objects, either directly or through a style definition, such that each object in the group receives different values for the properties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A user interface provides an enhancement to the numerical controls that are used to establish parameter values for computer-stored symbols. The interface allows the entry of a range of values for selected parameters for a group of symbols. Each element of the group inherits a different value from the range according to an ordinal series, a random series, or some other association mechanism. The control allows the different elements of the group to receive different values from a range without specifying, symbol-by-symbol, the values to correspond to each symbol.
For example a group of prisms can be selected through the normal user interface of a graphic art authoring system. The system interface, as augmented by the invention, permits the entry of a range of values for a parameter, say height, and the specification of a type of distribution for the values in the range, for example a random distribution defined by a Gaussian probability density function (pdf). The interface will apply, by a pseudorandom process, different values for each of the selected objects according to the selected type of distribution. The result will be that each building will have a different height according to the pseudorandom sequence generated.
According to the invention, the user interface provides for the specification of a value range. In addition, the interface may provide for the identification of a type of range to be applied. For example, a pseudo-random distribution characterized by a Gaussian could be specified by providing a range and an identifier indicating that a Gaussian distribution is desired. The values indicating the range in that case could be identified as a mean and variance. (For each type of distribution, a numerical format may be established to allow the symbols to be parsed and the desired operation to be performed.) Alternatively, a group of discrete values may be entered along with a token that indicates that random selections are to be made from the entered group of values and assigned sequentially to the selected symbols. Many alternatives are possible, the essential ingredient being that the functionality of a specification in an inspector that is normally associated with fixed values is expanded to accommodate value ranges. The group of objects are identified not with a specific value but with a range of values.
Where pseudo-random number generators are used to generate the distribution of values associated with each object, the sequences can be preserved by storing the seed used to generate pseudo-random random sequence. If a particular pseudorandom sequence does not provide a desired look (for example, the variation in prism-building-height is not aesthetically pleasing or has an unnatural look), it can be changed by either manually or automatically changing the seed. Once a distribution with a desirable look is obtained, the corresponding set of values can then be preserved automatically by simply storing the seed. A set of different predefined seeds may be stored in the computer and invoked using a token in the range def
Bouchard Jean-Claude
Gagne Rejean
Moreau Sylvain G.
Avid Technology Inc.
Brier Jeffery
Gordon Peter J.
Monks Lawrence E.
Yang Ryan
LandOfFree
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