Patent ID: 6016147
Filing Date: 2000-01-18
Classification: G06F,G06T

Abstract:
A method of interactively determining geometric relationships between three dimensional objects and displaying the three dimensional objects, comprising the steps of:detecting the position of an input device;moving a selected three dimensional graphic object relative to a graphic pointing symbol in a three dimensional representation according to the position of the input device;determining if the selected graphic object is moved to occlude an underlying three dimensional graphic object in the three dimensional representation;if the selected graphic object occludes the underlying three dimensional graphic object in the three dimensional representation, dynamically altering a position of the selected graphic object to agree with assembly specifications with respect to the underlying graphic object according to predetermined geometric constraints and the position of the input device; anddynamically moving the selected graphic object after having been dynamically altered to agree with the assembly specifications according to movement of the input device and the predetermined geometric constraints while the selected graphic object occludes the underlying graphic object.