Navigation system for a 3D virtual scene
AssigneeAutodesk, Inc.
InventorsGeorge Fitzmaurice, Justin Matejka, Igor Mordatch, Gord Kurtenbach, Azam Khan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A navigation system for navigating a three-dimensional (3D) scene that includes a model or object with which a user can interact. The system accommodates and helps both novice and advanced users. To do this, the system provides allows a user to place a point on a model surface that is used as a focus point for tool operations. The focus point is a geometry sphere that shows orientation and relative position of the view in the scene.
Claims19
A method, comprising:
- determining that a user holds a pointing device in an activated state to place a tool in an active state, wherein the pointing device controls a position of a user-controlled cursor;
- determining that the user-controlled cursor is over a portion of a model within a three-dimensional (3D) scene;
- in response to determining that the user-controlled cursor is over the portion of the model, automatically displaying a center point sphere that represents a point within the 3D scene that is a projection of the user-controlled cursor onto the model within the 3D scene, wherein the center point sphere comprises a 3D geometric object;
- and
- performing one or more operations relative to the point represented by the center point sphere to change the position of a view associated with the 3D scene.
A system, comprising:
- a display;
- and
- a processor coupled to the display and configured to:
- determine that a user holds a pointing device in an activated state to place a tool in an active state, wherein the pointing device controls a position of a user-controlled cursor;
- determine that the user-controlled cursor is over a portion of a model within a three-dimensional (3D) scene;
- in response to determining that the user-controlled cursor is over the portion of the model, automatically display a center point sphere that represents a point within the 3D scene that is a projection of the user-controlled cursor onto the model within the 3D scene, wherein the center point sphere comprises a 3D geometric object;
- and
- perform one or more operations relative to the point represented by the center point sphere to change the position of a view associated with the 3D scene.
A non-transient computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to navigate a three-dimensional scene, by performing the steps of:
- determining that a user holds a pointing device in an activated state to place a tool in an active state, wherein the pointing device controls a position of a user-controlled cursor;
- determining that the user-controlled cursor is over a portion of a model within a three-dimensional (3D) scene;
- in response to determining that the user-controlled cursor is over the portion of the model, automatically displaying a center point sphere that represents a point within the 3D scene that is a projection of the user-controlled cursor onto the model within the 3D scene, wherein the center point sphere comprises a 3D geometric object;
- and
- performing one or more operations relative to the point represented by the center point sphere to change the orientation or position of a view associated with the 3D scene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.