Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Three-dimension
Utility Patent
1999-02-24
2001-01-02
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2779)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Three-dimension
C345S419000, C345S440000, C345S440000, C345S440000, C345S422000
Utility Patent
active
06169550
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention broadly relates to data processing systems and methods and more particularly relates to object oriented graphics drawings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Related Patents:
The invention disclosed herein is related to the invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,599 by Cabral et al. entitled “Object Oriented Graphic System”, assigned to the same assignee as the invention disclosed herein and incorporated herein by reference.
Prior art computer drawing methods handle the projection of three dimensional shapes onto two dimensional projection planes by forming fixed resolution images of the projection. If the resultant image is scaled to a larger size, the fixed resolution of the image results in a grainy appearance. If the scene to be depicted contains both three-dimensional shapes as well as two-dimensional shapes, the three-dimensional shape must be projected onto a projection plane from the vantage point of a viewer of the scene. The projection of the three-dimensional shape and the two-dimensional shapes must be shown properly overlapped. Once again, the prior art computer drawing methods form a fixed image of the overlapped shapes on the projection plane. If the scene is changed by moving the three-dimensional shape or by moving the vantage point, there is no information in the fixed image to reconstruct the projection of the scene on the projection plane and maintain a proper overlapped appearance of the shapes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a computer method, a computer system, and an article of manufacture for use in a computer system. The invention draws overlapped two-dimensional shapes and two-dimensional projections of three-dimensional shapes onto a projection plane in a system of world coordinates X,Y,Z. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional geometry class objects contain enough information to enable the reconstruction of the projection of the scene on the projection plane if the scene is changed by moving the three-dimensional shape or by moving the vantage point. The invention finds application preferably in an object-oriented graphic system that includes a processor, a memory, a graphic output device, and a drawing protocol object in the memory.
The method of the invention instantiates a plurality of two-dimensional geometry class objects in the memory representing two-dimensional shapes. Each two-dimensional geometry class object includes an order attribute specifying an overlapped position for depicting a corresponding two-dimensional shape on a projection plane positioned orthogonally to the Z coordinate of the world coordinate system;
The method of the invention further includes the step of instantiating a three-dimensional geometry class object in the memory representing a three-dimensional shape, the three-dimensional geometry class object including a Z-value for a position along the Z world coordinate of the three-dimensional shape;
The method of the invention sorts the plurality of two-dimensional geometry class objects by their respective order attributes in a sorting table in the memory;
The method of the invention includes the step of sorting the three-dimensional geometry class object by its Z-value in the sorting table in the memory and ordering it in a composite order before the two-dimensional class objects in the sorting table if the Z-value for the three-dimensional shape places the projection plane between the three dimensional shape and a scene-viewing position in the world coordinate system;
The method of the invention alternately sorts the three-dimensional geometry class object by its Z-value in the sorting table in the memory and ordering it in the composite order after the two-dimensional class objects in the sorting table if the Z-value for the three-dimensional shape places it between the projection plane and the scene-viewing position in the world coordinate system;
The method of the invention then draws with the graphic output device, the two-dimensional shapes and two-dimensional projection of the three-dimensional shape onto the projection plane in the composite order of the sorting table, to depict an overlapped appearance of the shapes.
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Good-Johnson Motilewa
Kudirka & Jobse LLP
Object Technology Licensing Corporation
Powell Mark R.
LandOfFree
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