Patent ID: 6628283
Filing Date: 2003-09-30
Classification: G06F,G06T

Abstract:
Method for displaying a set of images and synchronizable movies all of which are different views of the same object or space on a graphics display device, said method comprising the following steps:a. associating with each image or movie frame the relative coordinates for projection purposes in three space of each of the vertices of the polygon created by the intersection of 1) a plane passing through the point which is the center of focus of the image and perpendicular to a line from the camera which took the image to this point and 2) the planes which define the field of view of the camera; b. associating with the screen of the graphics display device the relative equation of a plane in three space to use for projection purposes; c. associating with the operator a point in three space which represents the eye of the operator for projection purposes; d. monitoring a clock and continuously determining which subset of images (which can be frames of movies) should appear given the starting times of the movies and the current time of the clock; e. sorting the images in the current subset by distance between the 3-space point associated with the operator's eye and the centers of the 3-space polygons associated with the images and maintaining that sorted order by resorting if the operator's eye changes position; f. projecting each image and movie frame in the current subset in reverse order by 1) calculating the points of intersection of a.) lines drawn between the vertices of the polygon associated with the image and the point which represents the eye, and b.) the view plane 2) mapping the image to the resulting two-dimensional polygon in the viewport thereby drawing a perspective transformation of the image on the screen and by redoing this whenever there is a change in the subset of images which should be shown or a change in the sorted order of this active ordered subset.