Connection of sliders to 3D objects to allow easy user manipulation and viewing of objects

A method of precisely controlling the rotation of a computer displayed three dimensional (3D) object about three mutually perpendicular axes on a computer display screen comprising the steps of:

• responding to a user selection of a displayed 3D object followed by a user activation of a selection of display three mutually perpendicular axes by calling a procedure which defines a "hot spot" for each of the three axes, a "hot spot" being a displayed object at an end of a corresponding axis;
• responding to a user selection of a slider object from a toolbox followed by a user drag and drop of the slider object on the display screen by displaying the slider at a location in an application window on the display screen where the slider object is dropped by the user and repeating this procedure until the user has positioned three sliders at desired locations on the display screen for connection to a respective one of the axes, the "hot spot" at an end of an axis facilitating a user connection of the axis to a corresponding slider object;
• responding to a user activation of a connection procedure by generating a rubber banding line from a slider object to a pointing cursor moved by the user;
• responding to a user drop of the rubber banding line on a hot spot by changing the rubber banding line to an arrow to show that a connection has been made from the slider object to an axis corresponding to the hot spot and repeating this procedure until all slider objects positioned on the display screen by the user have been connected to a corresponding axis;
• and
• responding to a movement of each of the three slider objects by the user by calling a redisplay method in the displayed 3D object to rotate the display of the displayed 3D object corresponding to new viewing angles controlled by the slider objects, the slider objects permitting the user to precisely control rotation of the displayed object about the three mutually perpendicular axes.