Abstract:
Method and systems for creating a pastry design are disclosed. The pasties are designed by receiving a tiers selection defining a number of pastry tiers; receiving a shape selection for each of the selected number of pastry tiers; presenting a pastry design based on the number of tiers selection and the shape selection for each of the number of pastry tiers; receiving decoration element inputs corresponding to one or more decoration elements; updating the presented pastry design with the one or more decoration elements responsive to the decoration element inputs; and storing the updated pastry design to a storage medium. A computer readable medium for performing the method is also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/926,012, titled “System and Method for Designing a Pastry” and filed on Apr. 24, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to pastry design and, more particularly, methods and systems for designing pastries. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Currently, when designing a specialty pastry, such as a wedding cake, many customers (e.g., brides) page through numerous magazines with cake photos illustrating various decorative elements. The customers provide photos illustrating desired elements along with suggested modifications to a pastry chef. The pastry chef then manually draws the cake to be made for the customer. The customer and the pastry chef may need to go through multiple design iterations before arriving at a final design, which can be time consuming and may be prohibitively expensive for some customers. 
         [0004]    Consumers have an ever present desire for a less expensive and/or more expedient technique for designing consumer goods, such as specialty pastries. The present invention addresses this need, among others. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Briefly, the present invention provides a method for creating a pastry design. The method comprises the steps of receiving a tiers selection defining a number of pastry tiers; receiving a shape selection for each of the selected number of pastry tiers; presenting a pastry design based on the number of tiers selection and the shape selection for each of the number of pastry tiers; receiving decoration element inputs corresponding to one or more decoration elements; updating the presented pastry design with the one or more decoration elements responsive to the decoration element inputs; and storing the updated pastry design to a storage medium. 
         [0006]    The present invention also provides a system for creating a pastry design comprising means for receiving a tiers selection defining a number of pastry tiers; means for receiving a shape selection for each of the selected number of pastry tiers; means for presenting a pastry design based on the number of tiers selection and the shape selection for each of the number of pastry tiers; means for receiving decoration element inputs corresponding to one or more decoration elements; means for updating the presented pastry design with the one or more decoration elements responsive to the decoration element inputs; and means for storing the updated pastry design to a storage medium. 
         [0007]    Also, the present invention provides a method for designing a computer-generated floral bouquet. The method comprises the steps of receiving a frame selection identifying a frame; presenting the identified frame in a desired position on a video display; receiving a floral selection identifying a floral design; adding the identified floral design to the presented frame to obtain the floral bouquet design; and storing the floral bouquet design to a storage medium. 
         [0008]    The present invention also provides a computer readable medium including software adapted to implement a pastry design method. The method comprises the steps of receiving a tiers selection defining a number of pastry tiers; receiving a shape selection for each of the selected number of pastry tiers; presenting a pastry design based on the number of tiers selection and the shape selection for each of the number of pastry tiers; receiving decoration element inputs corresponding to one or more decoration elements; updating the presented pastry design responsive to the decoration element inputs; and storing the updated design to a storage medium. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
         [0009]    The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of exemplary embodiment of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification. For the purposes of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are employed for designating the same elements throughout the several figures. In the drawings: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary pastry design system in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary functionality for designing a pastry according to an aspect of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for designing a pastry according to another aspect of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for building a bouquet according to another aspect of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a graphical user interface (GUI) of a welcome screen provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a GUI of a file dialogue box provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a GUI of a number of tiers selection screen provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a GUI of a three tier pre-configured tier and separator selection screen provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a GUI of a four tier pre-configured tier and separator selection screen provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a GUI of a five tier pre-configured tier and separator selection screen provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is a GUI for selecting and configuring tiers and separators provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a GUI for configuring the background provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  is a GUI of for configuring tier options provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 13A  is a GUI of a three-dimensional objects color palate for the tiers shown in  FIG. 13  provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  is a GUI for selecting and configuring decoration elements provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 14A  is a GUI of a decorations color palate provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 14B  is a GUI of a clone/duplicate number selection box for a decoration provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 14C  is a GUI of a enter/edit text dialogue box provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 14D  is a GUI of a text attribute editor provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 14E  is a GUI of a decorations menu provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 15  is a GUI for selecting and configuring flowers including a bouquet builder and associated options provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 15A  is a GUI of a flower menu provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 15B  is a GUI of a flower specific color palate provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 15C  is a GUI of a bouquet builder color palate provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 16  is a GUI for selecting and configuring toppers provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0035]      FIG. 16A  is a GUI of a Bride and Groom color palate provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0036]      FIG. 16B  is a GUI of a three-dimensional monogram color palate provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0037]      FIG. 17A  is a GUI of a “File” drop down menu provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0038]      FIG. 17B  is a GUI of an “Edit” drop down menu provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 17C  is a GUI of a “Select Mask” drop down menu provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0040]      FIG. 17D  is a GUI of an “Add” drop down menu provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; 
           [0041]      FIG. 18  is a GUI of a print screen data entry dialogue box provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention; and 
           [0042]      FIG. 19  is a GUI of depicting an exemplary finished product provided by an exemplary embodiment of the pastry design system of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0043]    Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to a specific embodiment, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention. The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying figures, which show an exemplary embodiment of the invention selected for illustrative purposes. The invention will be illustrated with reference to the figures. Such figures are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting and are included herewith to facilitate the explanation of the present invention. 
         [0044]    Generally, the present invention includes a pastry design system that may be used to design a pastry, such as a wedding cake or other specialty cake, on a computer. This system is useful to anyone who would like to design his/her own cake, for example. Exemplary embodiments of the system allow the user to select various parameters for decorating the pastry, such as shape and number of tiers, the number and types of decorations, and other features that are typically added to a specialty pastry, which are described in detail below. The system may also allow the user to view and rotate the design in three dimensions in order to give the user a better appreciation of how the finished pastry will look. Design packages may be added to the system to provide additional design elements from which to choose when designing the pastry. The pastry design may be saved and downloaded in various formats including, but not limited to, hard copy (paper), a conventional format such as the joint photographic experts group (.jpg) format, or a proprietary format such as a wedding cake design pro (.wcd) format, e.g., for later use by a third party, such as a baker. 
         [0045]    During the cake design process, the user may select from a pre-configured tier and separator set or construct a tier and separator combination from scratch, adjusting each tier and component individually for shape, size, rotation, number, height, width, including the ability to undo and/or delete features. Once selected, the pre-configured tier and separator stacks may be manipulated similarly. The system also walks the user through the construction process via a “When you&#39;ve finished, Proceed to Next Step” icon. 
         [0046]    In an exemplary embodiment, the inventive pastry design system may be a stand-alone system that, once installed, may be enhanced with periodic upgrades and additions to the graphics files or other application file attributes. In another embodiment, the inventive pastry design system may be supported on a server, and accessed remotely by one or more users, such as through a global information network (the Internet), an Intranet, or other remotely accessible systems. 
         [0047]      FIG. 19  depicts an exemplary pastry design for a cake  200  created using a system in accordance with the present invention. Cake  200  is depicted on plate  202  set against a colored background  203 . Cake  200  includes a plurality of tiers (three tiers  204   a - 204   c  in the illustrated embodiment). Lower tier  204   a  and middle tier  204   b  are each decorated with a plurality of different decoration elements (such as beading  206   a  and decorative dots  206   b ). A cake topper  210  is positioned on the top of top tier  204   c . Representations of live floral bouquets  212  are illustrated on each tier  204   a - 204   c  as well as on plate  202 . 
         [0048]    The exemplary GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 5-18  and described in detail below present the cake  200  that is being designed on a plate  202  that rests on a removable table (not shown) against a background  203 . The displayed cake table, plate  202 , and cake  200  may be rotated 360 degrees and may be tilted in any direction for viewing at multiple angles, including a top-down or overhead view. 
         [0049]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary computer system on which the pastry design system of the present invention may reside for creating a pastry design such as depicted in  FIG. 19 . The illustrated computer system includes a computer  120  having a hard drive  121 . The pastry design system is stored on hard drive  121 , e.g., within a “wedding cake design pro” (.wcdp) system directory  122  along with a three-dimensional display engine (not shown), associated icon files  124 , and companion files  126 . 
         [0050]    The computer system further includes a pointing device  132 , such as a mouse, a display device  134 , such as a monitor, and a text input device  136 , such as a keyboard. An optional printing device  140  associated with the computer is provided for printing pastry designs. A user  130  may provide input information to the computer via the pointing device  132  and text input device  136 . Selections and controls in the GUI described below may be operated with the pointing device  132  using techniques such as click, drag, drop; click-and-hold button; and click-and-hold button slide functionality that are well-known to computer users. 
         [0051]    The icon files  124  may be associated with .wcdp directory  122  and are used by the computer system as instructed by the pastry design system to generate icons for navigation/selection controls depicted in the GUIs described below, e.g., to allow user  130  to navigate through the GUIs and make selections more easily. Companion files  126  may also be associated with .wcdp directory  122  and include three-dimensional and/or two-dimensional graphics/decoration files that user  130  encounters on display  134  and that may be applied to the tiers, bouquet builders, and other objects as described in further detail below. The tiers, separators, color palates, and other objects described below may be included in these files. As used herein, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional decorations may be rotated, spun, and tilted. 
         [0052]    A system file  142 , such as a “wedding cake design” (.wcd) file, can be saved to computer hard drive  121  in .wcdp directory  122 , or other storage device (internal or external). Further, a conventional file type  144 , such as .jpg, can be saved to computer hard drive  121 , e.g., in .wcdp directory  122 , or other storage device (internal or external). 
         [0053]    Files may be imported  150 , which may be .gif/.jpg/portable networks graphics (.png) files, for example, and files may be exported  152 , such as a preliminary or finished pastry design files, which may be portable document format (.pdf)/.xml/tab-delimited files, for example. A user may import decorations and/or collections of decorations for placement on a pastry. The decorations or collections of decorations may be generated and stored in various file formats which may include but are not limited to .png, .pdf, .jpg, three-dimensional design programs such as AC3D, virtual reality modeling language (Vrml) file formats. These decorations/collections may be wrapped in a conventional installer that, when executed, places the decorations/collections and their control files in the appropriate directories. Alternatively, these decorations/collections may be images that are licensed and formatted for integration into the system. Examples of a licensed image may include, but are not limited to, Donald Duck, Scooby Doo, the Harley Davidson logo, or a likeness of Elvis Presley. A user may also create/edit and store decorations and/or collections of decorations as well as manipulate those decorations/collections, which can be recalled for later use. The development of an appropriate installer will be understood by one of skill in the art from the description herein. 
         [0054]    Partial and completed designs may be saved in a conventional format such as .jpg or in a proprietary file format such as a .wcd file. The .wcd files may be reloaded for continued work or viewing or exchanged with another user who has a compatible pastry design system. Such a feature may be especially beneficial to a baker, who may be able to load a .wcd file received from a customer in order to view and rotate the customer&#39;s design. 
         [0055]    A .jpg file saved with a particular name may be overwritten to reflect changes made to the .wcd file. An example of this would be a single cake tier with the letter “A” on the top that is rendered and saved as a .wcd file and given a name, such as, but not limited to “a cake tier” (e.g., a cake tier.wcd). This file can also be saved as a .jpg file (a cake tier.jpg). The user may recall the .wcd file and make changes to the .wcd file and save the new design as the same file name, such as “a cake tier.wcd” and/or “a cake tier.jpg” with the changes. Alternatively, the user may rename the file to any name the user desires. 
         [0056]    Exemplary embodiments of the pastry design system according to the present invention are described below with reference to the flow diagram of  FIG. 2 , the flow charts of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , and the GUIs of  FIGS. 5-18 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 2  depicts a flow diagram  400  for use in describing installation of the pastry design system (BLOCKs  402 - 406 ), a welcome sequence (BLOCKs  408 - 416 ), flow between the various GUIs described below with reference to  FIGS. 7-18  (BLOCKs  415 - 426 ), and various functionality provided by these GUIs (BLOCKs  431 - 452 ). 
         [0058]    The illustrated system is organized in the manner in which cakes are typically built and decorated in a physical pastry shop. BLOCKs  415 ,  420 ,  418 ,  422 ,  424 ,  426  illustrate functionality associated with Tier tab  13 , Background tab  19 , Tier Options tab  22 , Decorations tab  34 , Flowers tab  55 , and Toppers tab  65 , respectively, of the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 7-18 . These tabs guide the user through the construction and decoration process necessary to complete a cake. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the lines interconnecting BLOCKS  415 ,  420 ,  418 ,  422 ,  424 , and  426  with one another indicate that the functionality associated with these blocks may be accessed at any time, and in any order. 
         [0059]    The system is flexible in that, from any point on a design screen, the user may select any tab  13 ,  19 ,  22 ,  34 , and  55  (see, for example, the GUI depicted in  FIG. 7 ) to access the functionality of any of BLOCKS  415 ,  420 ,  418 ,  422 ,  424 ,  426  associated with that tab. Referring to  FIGS. 12-14 ,  14 B- 14 D,  15 A- 16 , and  17 , a tool panel  103  includes “Undo” icon  18  and “When you&#39;re finished, proceed to the next step” icon  10  to assist the user in navigating forward and backward through the pastry design system. Selection of “Undo” icon  18  undoes the previous step. Selection of “When you&#39;re finished, proceed to the next step” icon  10  prompts the pastry design system to perform the next step. For example, if the user is presently viewing a GUI associated with the first tab, this selection will result in a GUI associated with the second tab being displayed. The functionality associated with BLOCKS  415 ,  420 ,  418 ,  424 , and  426  will be described in greater detail below. 
         [0060]    The installation flow depicted in  FIG. 2  is now described. The pastry design software is installed onto a resident computer, such as a PC or laptop, at BLOCK  402 . In an exemplary embodiment, a user is required to input security key information in BLOCK  404  in order to reduce the likelihood of pirating the pastry design system. The user may then be required to accept a license agreement in BLOCK  406  in order to complete the installation and begin using the system. 
         [0061]    A language may be selected during installation of the pastry design system for use during operation of the pastry design system. The user may select from available languages in order to facilitate ease of use. In an exemplary embodiment, languages that are available for selection may be English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Italian. Other languages may be used as well. 
         [0062]    The welcome sequence depicted in  FIG. 2  is now described. In BLOCK  408 , a welcome screen is displayed. In an exemplary embodiment, the welcome screen provides the user with a choice of the following options: (for beginners) “Let&#39;s begin” and (for more experienced users) “Experienced Users” or “Open Saved Design.”  FIG. 5  depicts an exemplary GUI  700  for use as the welcome screen GUI. GUI  700  includes three choices for the user: “Lets&#39; Begin” icon  1 , “Experienced users start here” icon  2 , and “Open Saved Design” icon  3 . 
         [0063]    Upon selecting “Lets&#39; Begin”, the pastry design system moves to BLOCK  410 . Upon selecting “Experienced users start here”, the pastry design system moves to BLOCK  416 . Upon selecting “Open Saved Design”, the pastry system moves to BLOCK  412 . 
         [0064]    BLOCK  410  is reached when a user selects “Let&#39;s Begin”, e.g., by selecting “Let&#39;s Begin” icon  1  ( FIG. 5 ) with a pointing device  132  ( FIG. 1 ). In response to selecting icon  1 , a first pre-configured tiers GUI, such as shown in  FIG. 7 , is displayed.  FIG. 7  includes a cake background  20   a . Three tier icons are displayed in  FIG. 7  that represent the number of tiers that the user may select: a three-tier icon  5 , a four-tier icon  6 , and a five-tier icon  7 . In BLOCK  411 , the user selects the number of desired tiers, e.g., by selecting the desired tier icon on the pre-configured tiers GUI ( FIG. 7 ). 
         [0065]    When three-tier icon  5  is selected, the pastry design system presents a pre-configured tiers GUI for the three tiers, shown in  FIG. 8 . The tool panel  103  in  FIG. 8  includes multiple combinations/styles  8  of pre-configured tiers and separators for cakes with three tiers. In the illustrated embodiment, four combinations  8  are shown. The pre-configured tiers may be stored within the pastry design system, e.g., in the .wcdp directory. As illustrated by BLOCK  414 , selecting one of the combinations  8  shown in tool panel  103  displays the selected combination on plate  61  (in this case the upper left combination). 
         [0066]    When four-tier icon  6  is selected, the pastry design system presents the pre-configured tiers GUI for four tiers ( FIG. 9 ). The tool panel  103  in  FIG. 9  includes multiple combinations/styles  11  of pre-configured tiers and separators for cakes with four tiers. In the illustrated embodiment, seven combinations are shown. The pre-configured tiers may be stored within the pastry design system, e.g., in the .wcdp directory. As illustrated by BLOCK  414 , selecting one of the combinations  11  shown in tool panel  103  displays the selected combination on plate  61  (in this case the upper left combination). 
         [0067]    When five-tier icon  7  is selected, the pastry design system presents the pre-configured tiers GUI for five tiers ( FIG. 10 ). The tool panel  103  includes multiple combinations  12  of pre-configured tiers and separators for cakes with five tiers. In the illustrated embodiment, ten combinations are shown. The pre-configured tiers may be stored within the pastry design system, e.g., in the .wcdp directory. As illustrated by BLOCK  414 , selecting one of the combinations  12  shown in tool panel  103  displays the selected combination on plate  61  (in this case the upper left combination). 
         [0068]    In any one of the three-tier, four-tier, or five-tier arrangements, the shape of each tier may be adjusted by clicking shape icon  9  ( FIGS. 8-10 ) associated with the desired shape. 
         [0069]    In an exemplary embodiment, if the user selects “When you&#39;ve finished, Proceed to Next Step” icon  10 , the pastry design system presents the GUI illustrated in  FIG. 12 , which provides the functionality associated with BLOCK  420 . 
         [0070]    Located at the bottom of tool panel  103  on each of the pre-configured tier screens shown in  FIGS. 8-10  is a “Proceed to the Next Step” icon  10 . On tool panel  103 , icons  9  may be used to change the shape of a selected tier. As discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 8-10 , five tier shapes are disclosed. Those skilled in the art, however, will recognize that alternative and/or additional tier shapes may be displayed and selected. 
         [0071]    BLOCK  412  is reached when a user selects to open a previously saved design, e.g., by selecting “Open Saved Design” icon  3  ( FIG. 5 ). In an exemplary embodiment, this selection prompts the pastry design system to display the GUI depicted in  FIG. 6 . The GUI depicted in  FIG. 6  contains a dialogue box  4  that the user may use to recall a previously saved design. For example, the user may enter the name of the saved design into the file name area of the dialogue box  4  and select “open.” The saved design is recalled from a default directory location. The pastry design system then displays a GUI, such as the GUI shown in  FIG. 7 , with the saved cake design placed on the cake plate  61  on a table  60  in front of the background  20   a.    
         [0072]    BLOCK  416  is reached when a user selects to proceed as an “experienced” user, e.g., by selecting “Experienced users start here” icon  2 . When icon  2  is selected in BLOCK  416 , the pastry design system presents the GUI shown in  FIG. 11 , which is associated with the functionality of BLOCK  415 . In the GUI depicted in  FIG. 11 , the background  20   a  may initially contain an empty table  60  and an empty cake plate  61 .  FIG. 11  illustrates four tiers  75  having already been added to plate  61 , along with a separator  100  between the top two tiers. The user may select “Add a Tier”  14 , which will place a tier on cake plate  61 . The tier defaults to a round shape, which may be modified as discussed in more detail below by selecting an appropriate icon from “Change tier shape”  9 . Changes in height, width, depth, and rotation may be made to the selected tier by adjusting sliders  15 . 1 - 15 . 4  displayed on a slider selection panel  15 . The user may also add tier separators by selecting “Add a Separator” icon  16  or change the tier separator style by selecting separator style icon  17  corresponding to the desired style. The presented pastry design is then updated with the separator selection. After a tier separator is added, the user may change the height, width, and rotation of the separator by navigating to the tiers tab  13  and then using adjustment sliders  15 . 1 - 15 . 4 . 
         [0073]    In BLOCK  430 , the user may provide instructions to rotate the design. The design may be rotated about a vertical axis, e.g., by right-clicking and holding a mouse, sliding the mouse to the right for design rotation in a first direction, or sliding the mouse to the left for design rotation in an opposing direction. The design may be rotated about a horizontal axis, e.g., by right-clicking and holding the mouse, sliding the mouse downward to tilt the top of the design toward the user, or alternatively, by right-clicking and holding the mouse sliding the mouse upward to tilt the bottom of the design toward the user. 
         [0074]    During the decoration process, the user may access tool icons  77 - 90  (see, for example, the GUI depiction in  FIG. 11 ) from an upper horizontal tool bar  220 , which correspond to the functionality in BLOCK  431 , tool icons  91 - 98  from a lower horizontal tool bar  222  which correspond to the functionality in BLOCK  432 , and tool icons  76 - 76 . 4  from a command tool bar  224 , which correspond to the functionality in BLOCK  433 . Selecting icon  76  on the upper horizontal tool bar  220  or either of icons  79 ,  80  on the command tool bar  224  prompts the pastry design system to save the current pastry design, e.g., as a .wcd file or a .jpg file. The .wcd and .jpg files by default are stored in the .wcdp directory  122 , shown in  FIG. 1 . The .wcd file may be recalled at a later date in order to continue working on a project or shared with another party who has a compatible pastry design system. That party may then recall the file and view or make changes to the pastry design. 
         [0075]    At any time during the design process, the pastry design may be saved to the computer hard drive  121  ( FIG. 1 ) or to another data storage device in the form of the re-loadable .wcd file. he.jpg and print formats display the design in two dimensions. If the print option is selected, the functionality of BLOCKS  450  and  452  is accessed with a demographic form GUI ( FIG. 18 ), being displayed that allows the user to input special occasion information associated with the design, such as, but not limited to, number of guests, location, time, and date of the event. If desired, in an exemplary embodiment, this information may be displayed by printing the information in the lower left hand corner of the picture or the designed cake. The information is helpful to florists and party planners as well as chefs and others. 
         [0076]    Once the tiers are constructed, the user may customize each tier by changing color and/or patterns and adding “caps.” As used herein, a cap may include design elements and/or options that are the computer graphic design equivalent to rolled fondant tier overlays with various distal edge configurations. Alternatively, a cap may represent an actual cloth “hanky” overlay. The user may further customize each tier by adding decorative elements such as borders, flowers, bouquets, people, and other objects. Various color palates are available for these decorative features. Decorative elements may be moved around the surface of a tier, manipulated to change the size and/or color, and/or rotated along three dimensional axes. 
         [0077]    Additional tiers may be added by selecting icon  84  or  13 , which prompts the pastry design system to provide the functionality of BLOCK  415 . The pastry design system displays the GUI in  FIG. 11 , which allow the user to add a tier by clicking on icon  14 . Tier separators can be added between cake tiers by clicking on icon  16 . 
         [0078]    Once the user has selected a tier and/or separator, e.g., by clicking (with pointing device) on the desired icon on tool panel  103 , the selected tier and/or separator is then displayed on cake plate  61  on top of table  60  against background  20   a . The user can then begin to decorate or make any changes to the tier stack. 
         [0079]    In an exemplary embodiment, the user may add up to  16  tiers  75  and/or separators  100 . The tiers  75 , when added one after another without any changes will stack symmetrically similar to the tier  75  below it, where the pastry design having the selected number of tiers and the shape associated with each tier is presented to the user via a GUI, such as the one illustrated in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0080]    As soon as a tier  75  is placed on cake plate  61 , the pastry design system displays the GUI associated with Tiers Options tab  22 , as shown in  FIG. 13 , which provides the functionality of BLOCK  418 . The user may add color and/or other decorations via tool panel  103 . The pastry design system updates and presents the pastry design responsive to the decoration element inputs received from the user. 
         [0081]    If the user selects the tier icon from the icon panel window, a tier is recalled from a sub-directory via the pastry design system application and is placed in the three-dimensional field on the GUI with a small white box appearing around the selected object. The shape of the tier may be changed by the “change tier shape” icon  9  on tool panel  103 . The pastry design system application recalls another tier shape, or the newly selected tier shape from the organized sub-directory within the media directory within the system main directory, and places or replaces the selected tier in the three-dimensional GUI field, depending on which icon the user selects. 
         [0082]    Tool panel  103  contains the “top borders” icon  29 , a “top options” icon  30 , a “bottom borders” icon  31 , and a “bottom options” icon  32 . If the user selects the top or the bottom/border options icons  29 - 32 , the pastry design system opens a color selections window  33  ( FIG. 13A ) in tool panel  103  for the top and/or bottom borders. “Top border” refers to the border along the top edge of a given or selected tier and “bottom border” refers to the border along the bottom edge of a given or selected tier. These color, object, or pattern options are recalled from the sub-directories as explained above and may be selected and recalled to the desired location on the selected border on the selected tier in the three-dimensional GUI. 
         [0083]    Similarly, tier side designs and tier top designs may be added. Selection of icon  23  colors the top of the tier; selection of icon  24  colors the side of the tier; selection of icon  25  applies patterns to the top of the tier; selection of icon  26  applies patterns to the side of the tier; selection of icon  27  applies tier cap style; and selection of icon  28  applies tier cap options. Tier cap styles  27  correspond with the shape of the selected tier. The tier cap style is the cut appearance of the “cap” or overlay. By way of example only, one cap style may have points along the bottom edge and another style may have six rounded “swoops” or “bunting” along the bottom edge. Yet another style may have  8  “swoops” along the bottom edge. Cap “options” may refer to, but are not limited to, the color palate for the tier cap. Another exemplary option may be a patterns in various styles, (e.g., checks, stars, flower print, harlequin, etc). 
         [0084]      FIG. 13A  is a color option palate  33  for the three-dimensional objects tiers, caps, borders, bouquet builders, beads, bows, and monogram topper. Flowers, leaves, decorations, and some toppers have unique color options. The user can access color palate  33  by selecting “Tier Options” tab  22  from the screen shown in  FIG. 13 , then selecting either the desired top or side design icon  23 - 26  or the desired “Border Options” icon  29 - 32 . To access the “Tier Options” tool panel window from tab  22 , a tier  75  must first be selected. A cap or border for the selected tier  75  must be selected from icons  27 - 32 , which generates color palate  33  on tool bar  103 . The user clicks on the desired color option and the color is applied to the object selected. Alternatively, the user can access color palate  33  from either “Decorations” or “Flowers” tabs  34 ,  55  by selecting color icon  37 . After the desired color is selected, color palate  33  closes and tool bar  103  reverts to the previous screen. 
         [0085]      FIG. 12  depicts a GUI that includes background color choices  20  and an “Adjust Lighting” icon  21 , which provides the functionality of in BLOCK  420 . The environment in which the pastry design is to be displayed may be adjusted. Adjusting background choices  20  will change the background appearance of background  20   a . Adjusting slider  21  will change the lighting of both tier stack  75  and background  20   a . The background choices may be recalled from the media file  126  located in the .wcdp directory stored on the user&#39;s hard drive  121  ( FIG. 1 ). 
         [0086]      FIG. 14  depicts a GUI associated with the Decorations tab  34  located on the tool panel  103 , which provides the functionality of BLOCK  422 . An “Add a Decoration” icon  35  is located on tool panel  103 . By selecting icon  35  with a pointing device, a decorations option panel  104 , shown in  FIG. 14E , will appear on tool panel  103 . The “Embellishments” shown in tool panel  103  of  FIG. 14E  are two-dimensional elements that may be added to the selected tier  75 , while the remaining design elements are three-dimensional elements. The two-dimensional graphics are a combination of plants and other objects commonly used in the decoration of wedding and specialty cakes. Some of the objects are similar to those which are typically piped out of a pastry bag onto the tiers of a cake. 
         [0087]    The decorations may be a combination of three-dimensional and two-dimensional masked graphics with multiple configurable attributes when applied to the tiers. The three-dimensional and two-dimensional graphics and decorations may be manipulated and adjusted for size, color, spin, rotation, number, and tilt. Each tier may be decorated individually with as many or as few design elements as desired. 
         [0088]    The three-dimensional graphics include but are not limited to people, plants, inanimate objects, caps, patterns, and animals. These three-dimensional graphics may be placed on a tier by click and drag or drag and drop operations. 
         [0089]    The user may select a decoration option by selecting the desired object, dragging the selected object  101  to the tier stack  75 , and releasing the object  101  in the desired location. Tool panel  103  then reverts to the appearance of tool panel  103  in  FIG. 14 . 
         [0090]    The user may adjust the size and orientation of that object by selecting the object  102 , which results in a white frame surrounding the object. The user may then manipulate sliders  36 . 1 - 36 . 4  for size, spin, tilt, and rotation, respectively, on a “Design Element Adjustment” panel  36  located on tool panel  103 . 
         [0091]    The user may change the color of the object by selecting the object on the tier stack and then selecting the “Color” icon  37 , which changes tool bar  103  to display a decoration color palate  44  shown in  FIG. 14A . A color may then be selected and the selected color applied to the desired decoration. After the color is selected, tool bar  103  reverts to tool bar  103  shown in  FIG. 14 . 
         [0092]    The decorations and objects may be “cloned” or duplicated by selecting the object on the tier stack and then selecting the “Clone” icon  38 , shown in  FIG. 14 . This will open up a “Duplicate” dialogue box  45  shown in  FIG. 14B . The user may then select the number of times that they wish to duplicate the selected decoration/object by selecting a number within the dialogue box  45  and then selecting “OK.” The object will then be duplicated the selected number of times around the perimeter of tier  75 . 
         [0093]      FIG. 14C  illustrates that the user may add text to the cake by selecting the “Add Text” icon  39  on tool panel  103 . When the user selects “Add Text” icon  39 , a dialogue box  46  opens  46  against background  20   a . The user may then type text into dialogue box  46  and then select “OK.” Text may be placed on a tier after being edited for font, color, size, script, and orientation. Once placed, each decorative feature may be moved or deleted. Predefined shapes, colors, two-dimensional objects, and three-dimensional objects may be located in the systems directory stored locally on the user&#39;s computer hard drive. 
         [0094]    The user may add text to the design by selecting a decoration tab  34  and then by selecting an icon to add text. The user may enter text in the text field using the keyboard or via conventional copy and paste commands.  FIG. 14D  illustrates an exemplary font editing dialogue box  47  that will appear after text has been entered into “Enter Text” dialogue box  46  and “OK” is selected. Using font editing dialogue box, the user may then edit the font attributes, such as font  48 , font style  49 , size  50 , color  51 , script  52 , and effects  53 . A sample of the edited font is shown in the sample window  54  of font editing box  47 . 
         [0095]    While viewing the control selections in a sample window, the user may accept the font parameters and the text created with the various attributes may then be placed on the top or side of the actual tier. A “cross hatch” may appear at the approximate middle of the text to be placed. The user then left clicks the mouse button or left clicks the pad control to drop or place the text in the desired location. 
         [0096]    Once the user completes the edit selections, the user selects “OK.” As the user moves the pointing device over the tier, the font and text will become visible. The user then clicks on the tier to drop the text at the desired location. The user may then spin the text on the tier by selecting the text on the tier and then adjusting a “Spin” slider  42  located on tool panel  103 . 
         [0097]    The user may return to the GUI associated with the decorations tab  34  located on tool panel  103  and edit the text or font by selecting the text on the tier and then selecting the “Text Edit” icon  40 , “Font edit” icon  41 , or by adjusting the text “Spin” slider  42 . 
         [0098]      FIG. 15  depicts a GUI associated with the “Flowers” tab  55  located on tool panel  103 , which provides the functionality associated with BLOCK  424 . The user may add a flower by selecting the “Add a Flower” icon  56  located on tool panel  103 . The flower selections window opens in tool panel  103 , as shown in  FIG. 15A . The user may then select the desired flower  200  by clicking on it and dragging flower  200  to the desired location on the tier stack  75 . The user may then place the selected flower  200  in the desired location by dropping flower  200  with a click of a mouse button. Tool panel  103  then reverts to the tool panel  103  shown in  FIG. 15 . 
         [0099]    The user may then adjust the size and orientation of flower  200  by selecting flower  200  and then manipulating the sliders for size, spin, tilt, and rotation  57 . 1 - 57 . 4 , respectively on the “Flower and Bouquet Adjustment” panel  57  located on tool panel  103 . The selected flower  200  is indicated with a white wire frame  102 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . 
         [0100]    The user may change the color of the flower by selecting the flower on the tier stack, then clicking the “color” icon  58 , which generates a color palate  62  in tool bar  103 , shown in  FIG. 15B . The selected color is then be applied to the desired flower. After the color is selected, tool bar  103  reverts to tool bar  103  shown in  FIG. 15 . 
         [0101]    Referring back to  FIG. 14 , the flowers may be “cloned” or duplicated by selecting the flower on the tier stack and selecting a “Clone” icon  38 . A “Duplicate” dialogue box  45 , shown in  FIG. 14B , will open on the screen. The user may then select the number of times that they wish to duplicate the selected flower by selecting a number within dialogue box  45  and then selecting “OK.” The duplicated flower will then be duplicated the selected number of times around the tier perimeter. 
         [0102]    Referring back to  FIG. 15  and the flow chart  600  of  FIG. 4 , “Bouquet Builder” icons  59 ,  59   a  are used to build a bouquet. A bouquet builder provides a tool to create a three-dimensional live floral bouquet or a three-dimensional/two-dimensional object/decoration bouquet. A three-dimensional bouquet builder allows the user to build a bouquet on a frame that can be re-sized, tilted, rotated, and removed, leaving only the flowers or objects. A user may optionally color the bouquet builder in order to blend it in with the flowers or other objects on the tier. This feature allows the user to design a three-dimensional bouquet of “live flowers” or objects/decorations and place it on a tier. The “live flowers” simulate actual flowers that a florist may place on the actual cake. 
         [0103]    The user may select the frame of the bouquet by selecting the three-dimensional “cylinder” frame icon  59  or the three-dimensional “dome” frame icon  59   a . These ions  59 ,  59   a  are distinguished by the shape of the icon on the icon itself. If the user selects the “dome” shape icon  59   a , a dome shaped frame will appear attached to the pointing device. In STEP  602 , the system receives the selection of the frame associated with a selected icon  59 ,  59   a . In STEP  603 , the frame is displayed on the GUI. Using the GUI, the user then drags the object to the desired location on the tier stack  75  and clicks to drop the object. In STEP  604 , the system provides a display of the selected frame in the desired position. 
         [0104]    The bouquet dome or cylinder frame may be colored by clicking on the color icon  58  located on tool panel  103  of  FIG. 15 . Color palate  63  will appear in tool bar  103 , as shown in  FIG. 15C . The user may then select a color by clicking on the desired color within the palate, which places that color on the bouquet dome object  64 , as shown in  FIG. 15C . After the color is selected, tool bar  103  reverts to tool bar  103  shown in  FIG. 15 . The generated bouquets may be adjusted by using the flower and bouquet adjustments sliders  57 . 1 - 57 . 4 . 
         [0105]    Decorations, flowers, and objects may be placed on the bouquet builder shapes in the same manner as the tiers. In STEPS  604 - 606 , the system presents a plurality of live floral designs. The user selects a floral design, which is received by the system. The pastry design is then updated with the live floral design. 
         [0106]    The bouquet builder frames may be deleted, leaving the placed objects behind, i.e., “floating” above the tiers. In this embodiment, in STEP  608 , the system receives the selection to remove the frame. Alternatively, the bouquet builder frames may be colored to blend in with the design. In this embodiment, in STEP  610 , the system receives a color selection for the frame. In STEP  612 , the user may transmit a command for the system to save the design to memory and/or print out the design on paper. 
         [0107]    The lower horizontal tool bar  43  is the object, tier, separator, decoration, flower, and topper name display area.  FIG. 15  includes the word “Orchid” to illustrate an exemplary flower selected for addition to tier stack  75 . 
         [0108]      FIG. 16  depicts a GUI associated with a Toppers tab  65 , which provides the functionality of BLOCK  426 . The user may select various cake toppers using this GUI including, but not limited to people, objects, and monograms using icons  66 . The user may then select the desired non-floral topper by clicking on the desired icon  66  and dragging it to the desired location on tier stack  75 . The user may then place the selected topper  70  in the desired location, as identified by an exemplary topper “WCD”, by dropping the topper  70  onto the top tier with a click of the mouse button. 
         [0109]    The user may then adjust the size and orientation of topper  70  by selecting the topper (noted by a white frame surrounding topper  70 ) and then manipulating the sliders  67 . 1 - 67 . 4  for size, spin, tilt, and rotation on the “Topper Adjustments” panel  67  located on tool panel  103 . 
         [0110]    The user may change the color of topper  70  by selecting topper  70  on tier stack  75 , then clicking “Color” icon  68 , which generates topper color palate  63 , which appears on tool panel  103 , shown in  FIG. 16B  for the topper objects that are not people. 
         [0111]    Referring back to  FIG. 16 , if people are selected, the user may change their appearance by selecting “Color” icon  68 , which generates a people shade palate  71  on tool panel  103 , as shown in  FIG. 16A . The user may then select a shade by clicking on the desired shade palate  71 , with the result appearing on topper  72  located on tier stack  75 . 
         [0112]    The toppers may be “cloned” or duplicated by selecting a desired topper  72  on tier stack  75 , then clicking on “Clone” icon  38 . “Duplicate” dialogue box  45 , shown in  FIG. 14B , opens up. The user may then select the number of times that they wish to duplicate the selected topper  72  by clicking on a number within “Duplicate” dialogue box  45  and then clicking “OK.” The duplicated topper will then be duplicated the selected number of times around the perimeter of tier stack  75 . 
         [0113]    Referring back to  FIG. 16 , the three-dimensional “Bouquet Builder” icon  69  is located on tool panel  103 . Selection of icon  69  switches the user to the flowers GUI shown in  FIG. 15 . The user may then select the desired bouquet builder as described above. 
         [0114]      FIGS. 6-13 ,  14 - 17 D illustrate a command bar. Clicking on “File” icon  76  in the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 6-13 ,  14 - 17 D opens a drop-down box as shown in FIG.  17 A. Selecting an “Open Cake” command takes the user to dialogue box  4 , shown in  FIG. 6 , to open a cake design that has been saved as a .wcd file. Selecting a “New Cake” command will start the user with an empty cake plate  61 , shown in  FIG. 7 . Selecting a “New from Template” command takes the user to dialogue box  4 , shown in  FIG. 6 , to open a pre-designed cake design that has been saved as a wedding cake template (.wct) file. 
         [0115]    A printing interface offers the user the ability to gather demographic data regarding a special event. The data may be, but is not limited to, date, time, location of event, florist, number of guests, bride and groom names. This information may be associated with and printed out on the design print-out for easy reference. This feature may be useful to both the customer and the pastry chef/baker. Selecting an “Edit Cake Info” command will open a “Wedding Information” demographic dialogue box  99 , shown in  FIG. 18 . 
         [0116]    Selecting a “Select Background” command will open the background selection choices on tool panel  103 , shown in  FIG. 12 . Selecting a “Save Cake” command will save the user&#39;s cake design as a .wcd file in a default directory or wherever the user directs the save using the save dialogue box. Selecting a “Save Cake As” command will save the user&#39;s cake design as a .wcd file in the default directory or wherever the user directs the save using the save dialogue box. Selecting a “Close Cake” command will close the user&#39;s current cake design. 
         [0117]    Selecting a “Save to Jpeg” command allows the user to save the work as a .jpg file in the default directory or wherever the user directs the save dialogue box. Selecting a “Print” command will print out the contents of the user&#39;s display screen, and selecting an “Exit” command will exit the program. 
         [0118]    Files may be imported and exported to and from the system (see BLOCKs  440  and  442 ). An import function allows the user to import certain file types (which can include graphics interchange format (gif)/.jpg/.png files) that are used by the system as decorations. This allows the user the freedom to create his/her own proprietary files for use within the system. 
         [0119]    An export function allows the user to export the cake specifications to certain file formats which may include but are not limited to .pdf/extensible markup language (xml)/tab-delimited. These file formats also support active hypertext markup language (html) links with which the user may direct to a specific web address. For example, the user may use an active html link to access an external website, such as a florist, caterer, etc. 
         [0120]    “Collection” (not shown) allows the user to select collections of decorations in order to give the user more organizational control. “Edit group mode” allows the user to create and store object collections as well as manipulate those objects and collections that can be recalled for use at another point in the design process. For example, a plurality of flowers may be individually selected and grouped together to form a flower bunch. The flower bunch may be saved as an object and cloned or recalled later as a single object. 
         [0121]    Referring to  FIG. 17B  an “Edit” command drop down box  76 . 1  contains the choices of “Undo,” “Delete,” “Reset,” and “Clone.” Selecting the “Undo” icon will undo the previous task or selection. By way of example only, if a tier is added to the cake plate, the “Undo” icon will display as “Undo Add tier,” which allows the user to undo or remove the tier selection. 
         [0122]    Selecting the “Delete” icon will delete a selected object. By way of example only, if a tier is on the cake plate and then is selected (white wire frame surrounds tier) the “Delete” icon will delete the selected object. Selecting the “Reset” icon will reset the original viewing perspective of the cake under construction in the work area. Selecting the “Clone” icon will clone a selected object or decoration. This functions as “Clone” icon  38  located on the decoration and flower tool panels ( FIGS. 14 ,  14 B- 14 D,  15 ). 
         [0123]    A “Select Mask” command  76 . 2 , shown in  FIG. 17C , allows the user to select any item, only tiers and separators, only decorations, or only text for editing. This feature helps the user select desired objects during very complex cake builds. For example, once tiers  75  are on plate  61 , the user may work on tiers  75  in “Select Any Cake Item” mode, “Select Only Cake Tiers and Separators” mode, “Select Only Decorations” mode, or “Select Only Text” mode. The specific masks only allow the user to select the item in that mode category. For example, the “Select Tier Only” mode allows only adjustments to tiers. 
         [0124]    An “Add” command drop down box  76 . 3 , shown in  FIG. 17D , allows the user to add a tier, text, decoration, or separator. A “Help” icon  76 . 4  is also shown in  FIG. 17D . Selecting “Help” will open up a searchable help document. The “Help” command is common in software applications and is understood by those skilled in the art. 
         [0125]    An upper horizontal tool bar includes icons  77 - 90  that provide short cuts for operating the system. Icon  77  is the “Open a Saved Cake” icon, which allows the user to recall a saved cake from the user storage directory. Icon  78  is the “Open New Cake” icon short cut, which allows the user to start on a new cake design. This icon will empty cake plate  61  in background  20   a , as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0126]    Icon  79  is the “Save Cake” icon shortcut, which allows the user to easily save their work as a re-loadable .wcd file. Icon  80  is the “Save Cake As” icon short cut, which allows the user to save a cake as a re-loadable .wcd file and also allows for expansion in order to later save as other file formats. Icon  81  is a short cut to the “Background Color” selection panel, which generate the screen shown in  FIG. 12 . The user may then change the background of background  20   a  as described above. 
         [0127]    Icon  82  is the “Save As a .JPG file” format short cut, which saves the user&#39;s work as a .jpg file in the default directory. Icon  83  is the “Print” icon short cut, which allows the user to easily print the contents of the display area. Icon  84  is the “Add a Tier” short cut, which generates the screen shown in  FIG. 11  and adds a tier to the cake plate or to the existing tier stack in background  20   a.    
         [0128]    Icon  85  is the “Add a Separator” short cut, which adds a separator to the cake plate or to the existing tier stack in the Background  20   a . Icon  86  is the “Add a Decoration” short cut, which adds a decoration after selection of a decoration to the existing tier stack in background  20   a . Icon  87  is the “Edit Text” short cut, which allows the user to easily edit the text that they have placed on their work. 
         [0129]    Icon  88  is the “Delete” short cut, which allows the user to delete a selected design element by selecting/highlighting the desired element with a “white frame” and then clicking icon  88  to delete the selected element. Icon  89  is the “Reset” short cut, which resets the selected and manipulated objects back to the original starting position. Icon  90  is the “Clone” short cut, which allows the user to easily clone selected objects. 
         [0130]      FIGS. 6-13 ,  14 - 17 D show the short cuts  91 - 98  of lower horizontal tool bar  43 , which may be selected in BLOCK  432 . Icon  91  is the “Select any object mode” short cut, which allows the user to select any object in the background  20   a . Icon  92  is the “Select tiers only” short cut, which allows the user to only select tiers and separators within work/display area  20   a.    
         [0131]    Icon  93  is the “Select only decorations” short cut, which allows the user to select only decorations in background  20   a . Icon  94  is the “Select only text” short cut, which allows the user to only select text that is located on a tier stack with in background  20   a.    
         [0132]    Icon  95  is the “Step back feature” short cut, which allows the user to take a look at their work from a “stepped back” position. Icon  96  is the “Tilt and rotate” short cut. The user may alternatively achieve this effect by right clicking and holding down on the right mouse button and scrolling the mouse, resulting in spin and tilt of the cake design in any direction. 
         [0133]    A zoom-in icon  97  gives the user a closer view of their work in the work/display window. A zoom out icon  98  gives the user a look at their work for a farther away perspective, looking at the work in Background  20   a.    
         [0134]      FIG. 3  depicts a flow chart  500  of exemplary steps performed by the pastry design system. At STEP  502 , a tier selection that defines a number of pastry tiers is received. The tier selection may be received via the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the tier selection may be received in at least two ways, e.g., from a beginner user using the process described above with reference to blocks  410  and  411  and the GUI depicted in  FIG. 7  or from a more experienced user using the process described above with reference to block  415  and the GUI depicted in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0135]    At optional STEP  504 , a separator selection is received. The separator selection may be received via the GUIs described above. The separator selection may be received via the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the separator selection may be received in at least two ways, e.g., from a beginner user selecting from predefined separator styles using the process described above with referenced to block  414  and the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 8-10  or from a more experience user using the process described above with reference to block  415  and the GUI depicted in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0136]    At STEP  506 , a shape selection is received for each of the tiers selected in STEP  502 . The shape selection may be received via the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the shape selection may be received in at least two ways, e.g., from a beginner user who selects a tier shape from a plurality of tier shapes for application to all tiers such as described above with reference to the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 8-10  or from a more experienced user who selects a tier shape on a tier by tier basis using the process described above with reference to block  415  and the GUI depicted in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0137]    At STEP  508 , a pastry design based on the selected number of tiers from STEP  502  and the selected shape(s) from STEP  506 , and optionally the selected separator(s) from STEP  504 , are presented. The pastry design may be presented by a GUI such as the one depicted in  FIG. 11  using display device  134  ( FIG. 1 ). It will be understood by one of skill in the art that this may be an iterative process in which additional tier selections shape selections and/or separator selections may be received throughout the design process with the presented pastry design continuously being updated to represent the additional selections. 
         [0138]    At STEP  510 , decoration element inputs corresponding to one or more tier options and/or decoration elements are received. The decoration element inputs may be received via the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the decoration element inputs may be received from a user using the processes described above with reference to blocks  418  and  420  and the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 13 ,  13 A,  14 , and  14 A-E. 
         [0139]    At STEP  512 , the presented pastry design is updated responsive to the decoration element inputs received at STEP  510 . It will be understood by one of skill in the art that this may be an iterative process in which additional decoration element inputs may be received throughout the design process with the presented pastry design continuously being updated to represent the additional decoration element inputs. 
         [0140]    At STEP  514 , the updated pastry design is stored. The updated pastry design may be stored to the hard drive  121  of computer  120  ( FIG. 1 ) and/or stored in a conventional buffer, e.g., prior to display on display device  134  ( FIG. 1 ). 
         [0141]    At STEP  516 , the updated pastry design is presented, e.g., on display device  134  or by printing device  132  ( FIG. 1 ). In an exemplary embodiment, the user may select to present the design in a 2-dimensional format (e.g., see cake layers  75  in GUI of  FIG. 14 ) or in a 3-dimensional format (e.g., see cake layers  75  in GUI of  FIG. 14A ). 
         [0142]    Additional exemplary steps will now be described. 
         [0143]    At STEP  518 , rotation instructions for rotating a presented pastry design are received and the presented pastry is rotated in response to the rotation instructions. The rotation instructions may be received via the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the rotation instructions may be received from a user using the processes described above with reference to block  430  and the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 7-13 ,  14 ,  14 A,  14 E,  15 ,  15 A-C, and  17 A-D. 
         [0144]    At STEP  520 , rotation instructions for rotating one or more decoration elements are received, selected decoration elements are rotated in response to the rotation instructions, and the presented pastry is updated with the rotated decoration elements. The rotation instructions may be received via the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the rotation instructions may be received from a user using the processes described above with reference to blocks  422  and  430  and the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 15 ,  15 B,  15 C,  16 ,  16 A and  16 B. 
         [0145]    At STEP  522 , event information associated with the pastry design is received and the pastry design is displayed with the event information. In an exemplary embodiment, the event information may be displayed on a print out of the pastry design, e.g., on the pastry design depicted in  FIG. 19 . The event information may be added using the process described above with reference to block  452  and may be printed on the pastry design by printing device  140 . 
         [0146]    At STEP  524 , a plurality of live floral designs are presented, a selection is received for one of the presented live floral designs, and the pastry design is updated with the selected floral design. The selection of the floral design may be performed using the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the floral designs are selected using the processes described above with reference to blocks  424  and the GUIs depicted in FIGS.  15  and  15 A-C. Additional details are described with reference to the flow chart depicted in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0147]    At STEP  526 , a color adjustment is received for the environment (e.g., the background, plate, and/or lighting) in which the pastry design will be displayed and the environment is updated in response to the color adjustment. The color may be adjusted using the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the color of the environment is adjusted using the processes described above with reference to block  420  and the GUI of  FIGS. 12 . 
         [0148]    At STEP  528 , a topper design is received for placement on top of the top tier of the pastry design and the pastry design is updated with the topper design. The topper design may be selected using the GUIs described above. In an exemplary embodiment, the topper design is created using the processes described above with reference to block  426  and the GUIs depicted in  FIGS. 16 ,  16 A, and  16 B. 
         [0149]    One or more of the steps described above may be implemented in software that controls a computer. This software may be embodied in a computer readable medium, for example, a magnetic disc, an optical disc, a memory card, or essentially any tangible computer readable medium. 
         [0150]    An exemplary embodiment of a pastry design system according to the present invention may include all or some of the following features, which are not necessarily all-inclusive:
       a. the ability to design a wedding or specialty cake with very little computer skill;   b. the ability to design a wedding or specialty cake with no pastry/baking skill;   c. the ability to design a wedding or specialty cake with no artistic training;   d. a step by step approach to designing a wedding or specialty cake;   e. the ability for an experienced user to build and decorate a cake from nearly unlimited view points;   f. the ability to save his/her cake and decoration work and recall that cake and decoration work at a later date and continue where the user previously ceased their construction;   g. the ability for pastry chefs and bakers to design and show their customers exactly what they will be getting in the form of a real wedding or specialty cake;   h. the ability for the customer to show the pastry chefs and bakers exactly what the customer would like to have constructed for his/her special event;   i. expandability, in that, the system itself may be enhanced and expanded upon by adding additional two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphic objects;   j. eliminates the need to create any decorative objects, which may be stored in a directory on the user&#39;s computer hard drive, for example;   k. may be installed locally on the user&#39;s computer;   l. uses three-dimensional computer graphic technology, allowing the user to view their creation from any angle (spin, tilt, rotate);   m. provides a bouquet builder that allows users to construct a three-dimensional floral or object bouquets on a tier within their design;   n. allows text to be edited for font, color, style, script, size, spin, and placed on the cake tiers by the user;   o. has multiple computer file sharing methods, such as a .wcd file and a .jpg file;   p. allows the user to capture demographic data at the time of print out and fix that data to the printed image;   q. can be updated with new attributes and/or new features and decorations;   r. provides a value added service that pastry professionals may provide to their clients at the time of consultation via print out or file sharing;   s. allows the user to select from a number of predetermined languages for ease of use;   t. allows the user to import certain file types (which can include gif/jpg/png) that the system may implement as two-dimensional decals to be used in the decoration of the three-dimensional cake;   u. allows the user to export cake and decoration specifications (in an editable format) to certain file formats which can include pdf/xml/tab-delimited file formats;   v. allows the user to “drop in” or install decoration collections; and/or   w. allows the user to create and store object collections as well as manipulate those objects and collections that can be recalled for use at another point in the design process.       
 
         [0174]    Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention.