Patent ID: 7969435
Filing Date: 2011-06-28
Classification: G06T,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for modifying the geometry data of a lofted surface that is represented as a geometry-only format object stored within a computer aided design modeling system and without related history information, through manipulation of an x-y-z representation of a set of two dimensional planar cross sections derived from a u-v representation of the lofted surface comprising: (a) receiving a selection from a user of the computer aided design modeling system, of at least one face of the lofted surface; (b) determining the dominant direction of the lofted surface based on the at least one selected face of the lofted surface; (c) generating a plurality of u-v curves defining the lofted surface in response to the user's selection of at least one face of the lofted surface, wherein the u-v curves are generated from the geometry data of the lofted surface; (d) converting the plurality of u-v curves defining the lofted surface to a plurality of three dimensional x-y-z curves; (e) simplifying the plurality of three dimensional x-y-z curves into a set of simplified three dimensional x-y-z curves, wherein each of the simplified three dimensional x-y-z curves is a curve selected from a relatively small set of geometric shapes; (f) planarizing the set of simplified three dimensional x-y-z curves into a set of planar two dimensional simplified curves; (g) generating a set of two dimensional cross sections from the intersection of the planar two dimensional simplified curves and the lofted surface, wherein the two dimensional cross sections define the lofted surface, and wherein the two dimensional cross sections are actionable surfaces capable of having their geometry data directly modified, such modifications capable of being translated into geometry modifications of the lofted surface; (h) receiving a user action and geometry modification to at least one of the two dimensional cross sections defining the lofted surface; and (i) updating the geometry data of the lofted surface, without recording history information, in accordance with the user's modification to the geometry of the at least one simplified two dimensional cross sections generated from the u-v representation of the lofted surface.