US 5,852,442 A · Method of drawing a three-dimensional object

Abstract

A method of drawing a three-dimensional object in a CAD system, which allows the operator to use two-dimensional drawing techniques. The CAD display screen has three view windows for showing a top, front, and side views. The operator draws a figure in one of the view windows and then defines a first geometry point in the next view window by using a cross-hair cursor running across the two adjacent view windows. The use of the cursor gives some constraint to the selection of the first geometry point with respect to the first graphic element. Next, the operator defines a second geometry point also using the cross-hair cursor for constraint, thus creating a second graphic element from the first and second geometry points. Based on the first and second graphic element, a third graphic element is automatically generated and displayed in still another view window.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method of drawing a three-dimensional object in a drawing system that shows a top view, a front view, and a side view using first, second, and third view windows, the method comprising the steps of:

drawing a figure containing a first graphic element on the first view window;
defining a first geometry point in the second view window adjacent to the first view window by using a cross-hair cursor extending across the first and second view windows so that the first geometry point will have a geometrical relationship with the first graphic element drawn in the first view window;
defining a second geometry point in the second view window by using the cross-hair cursor so that the second geometry point will have a geometrical relationship with the first graphic element, and further defining a second graphic element with the first and second geometry points so as to give a depth to the figure drawn in the first view window;
and
generating a third graphic element having a shape based on shapes of the first and second graphic elements and displaying the third graphic element in the third view window.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of drawing a three-dimensional object

Life of this patent

Method of drawing a three-dimensional object

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14