US 5,963,668 A · Computer animation generator

Abstract

Polygonal data input in a first step is subjected to evaluation in which all edges of the polygon data are ranked in importance on the basis of a volume change caused by removal of that edge. The edges are sorted on the basis of an evaluation value in a third step. In a fourth step, the edge of a small evaluation value is determined to be an edge of a small influence on the general shape and is removed. In a fifth step, a new vertex is determined from the loss of vertex by the edge removal. In a sixth step, a movement of texture coordinates and a removal of the texture after the edge removal are executed on the basis of the area change of the texture due to the edge removal by a predetermined evaluating function. In a seventh step, by repeating the processes in the second to sixth steps, a polygon model approximated to a desired layer can be obtained.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A hierarchical approximating method for approximating shape data into data of a desired resolution, comprising the steps of:

evaluating a degree of importance of each edge constructing said shape data;
removing an unnecessary edge on the basis of a result of an evaluation of said edge;
and
determining a position of a vertex after said unnecessary edge was removed;
wherein when the shape of the portion where said edge is removed is a concave or convex shape, said vertex is decided at a position where said volume change amount is minimized, and when the shape of the portion where said edge is removed is a S-character shape, said vertex is arranged at a position where said volume change amounts are equalized on the vertex side of one end and the vertex side of another end constructing said edge to be removed for said vertex position.

2 more elements

A device for approximating an image by selectively decreasing an amount of data used to create the image, wherein said image data defines a polygonal framework on which textures or pictures are drawn, said framework being composed of line segments drawn between vertices, said device comprising:

a memory unit for storing said image data;
and
a processor for accessing and processing said image data in said memory unit;
wherein said processor;
assigns an importance value to each line segment of said framework and sorts said importance values from highest to lowest,
removes from said framework that line segment having said lowest importance value;
and
reconfigures said framework to account for said removal of said line segment having said lowest importance value by replacing two vertices of said framework, between which said removed line segment had been connected, with a single new vertex;
and
wherein said single new vertex is located such that
(a) a total loss of area between said framework as originally drawn and said reconfigured framework is minimized;
or
(b) a loss of area between said framework as originally drawn and said reconfigured framework is equal on both sides of said single new vertex.

10 more elements

A computer program stored on or in a computer-readable data storage device, wherein said computer program, when retrieved and executed by a processor, causes said processor to approximate an image by selectively decreasing an amount of data used to create the image, wherein said image data defines a polygonal framework on which textures or pictures are drawn, said framework being composed of line segments drawn between vertices, said computer program causing said processor to:

access said image data in a memory unit connected to said processor;
assign an importance value to each line segment of said framework and sort said importance values from highest to lowest,
remove from said framework that line segment having said lowest importance value;
and
reconfigure said framework to account for said removal of said line segment having said lowest importance value by replacing two vertices of said framework, between which said removed line segment had been connected, with a single new vertex;
wherein said single new vertex is located such that
(a) a total loss of area between said framework as originally drawn and said reconfigured framework is minimized;
or
(b) a loss of area between said framework as originally drawn and said reconfigured framework is equal on both sides of said single new vertex.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Computer animation generator

Life of this patent

Computer animation generator

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28