Methods and apparatuses for generating sculptured surfaces
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorsMiwa Ooka, Tetsuzo Kuragano
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for generating sculptured surfaces which enables a sculptured surface of a specified radius to be generated easily between two free curves. A plurality of base points are set on a first free curve, and a plurality of planes are generated at each of the base points using, as the normal, a tangent of the first free line, the planes including that base point. A plurality of intersections of the second free curve and the plurality of planes are determined. A plurality of circular arcs of a specified radius are generated on each of the plurality of planes using the base point and the intersection as endpoints. A sculptured surface is then generated based on the first free curve, the second free curve, and the plurality of circular arcs.
Claims6
A method for generating a sculptured surface corresponding to a track of a sphere rotated between a first and a second free curves in a three-dimensional space, comprising the steps of:
- setting a plurality of base points on said first free curve and generating a plurality of planes, each of said planes having each of said base points with a tangent of the first free curve at each of said base points to be a normal to said each plane;
- determining a plurality of intersections of said second free curve and said plurality of planes;
- generating a plurality of circular arcs of a specified radius on each of said plurality of planes using said base point and said intersection as endpoints;
- and
- generating a sculptured surface based on said first free curve, said second free curve, and said plurality of circular arcs.
An apparatus for generating a sculptured surface corresponding to a track of a sphere rotated between a first free curve and a second free curve in a three-dimensional space, comprising:
- a plane generation means for setting a plurality of base points on said first free curve and generating a plurality of planes, each of said planes having each of said base points with a tangent of said first free curve at each of said base points to be a normal to each of said planes;
- an intersection detection means for determining a plurality of intersections of said second free curve and said plurality of planes generated by said plane generation means;
- a circular arc generation means for generating a plurality of circular arcs of a specified radius on each of said plurality of planes using said base point and said intersection as endpoints;
- and
- a sculptured surface generation means for generating a sculptured surface based on said first free curve, said second free curve, and said plurality of circular arcs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.