US 7,466,315 B2 · Visual and scene graph interfaces

Abstract

A method and system implemented in an application programming interface (API) and an object model allows program code developers to interface in a consistent manner with a scene graph data structure to output graphics. Via the interfaces, program code writes drawing primitives such as geometry data, image data, animation data and other data to visuals that represent a drawing surface, including validation visual objects, drawing visual objects and surface visual objects. The code can also specify transform, clipping and opacity properties on visuals, and add child visuals to other visuals to build up a hierarchical scene graph. A visual manager traverses the scene graph to provide rich graphics data to lower-level graphics components.

Claims36

Dependent claims

In a computing environment in which program code is received for one or more objects, a computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a function call corresponding to the program code in a high level graphics markup language at a visual application programming interface layer in a format which enables the function call to be placed directly to the application program interface layer, wherein the application programming interface layer includes a high-level composition and animation engine which further includes a caching data structure comprising a scene graph of hierarchically-arranged objects;
responding to the function call by causing data in the scene graph to be modified;
invoking a visual manager to traverse the scene graph and render at least one object to a rendering target;
and
displaying the scene graph on a display.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Visual and scene graph interfaces

Life of this patent

Visual and scene graph interfaces

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims36