Method and system for displaying a representation of a three-dimensional object with surface features that conform to the surface of the three-dimensional object

A method of displaying a representation of a three-dimensional object in real time on a two-dimensional computer screen, comprising the steps of:

• generating a two-dimensional set of data points defining a two-dimensional space, each data point in the two-dimensional space having a corresponding point on the surface of the three-dimensional object, and the two-dimensional space having information embedded within the two-dimensional space that characterizes the contour of the three-dimensional object;
• associating data with an area in said two-dimensional space corresponding to an area on the three-dimensional object at a selected location, said data being derived from user graphical commands which describe a figure at the selected location on the three-dimensional object, the figure representing an area of predetermined surface characteristics of the surface of the three-dimensional object;
• translating the data describing the figure and the contour information from two-dimensional space to corresponding areas on the surface of the three-dimensional object at the selected location;
• and
• updating the representation of the three-dimensional object on the computer screen with the, data describing the figure and the contour information to display the three-dimensional object with the figure at the selected location on the three-dimensional object, such that the representation of the figure displayed on the computer screen conforms to the surface of the three-dimensional object at the selected location.