A surgical system , comprising: a surgical device configured to be manipulated by a user to perform a soft tissue cutting procedure on a patient; a display device; a surgical controller programmed to: create a virtual object representing an anatomy of the patient; associate the virtual object with the anatomy of the patient by registering the patient's anatomy to the virtual object; determine and display, on the display device, the virtual object and a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the virtual object, the plurality of soft tissue attachment points being identified on the virtual object by unique indicia, which correspond to a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the anatomy of the patient; determine the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient; and provide real-time visualization on the virtual object of the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient, wherein the surgical controller is also programmed to display, on the display device, a proposed soft tissue release pathway on the virtual object. a surgical device configured to be manipulated by a user to perform a soft tissue cutting procedure on a patient; a display device; a surgical controller programmed to: create a virtual object representing an anatomy of the patient; associate the virtual object with the anatomy of the patient by registering the patient's anatomy to the virtual object; determine and display, on the display device, the virtual object and a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the virtual object, the plurality of soft tissue attachment points being identified on the virtual object by unique indicia, which correspond to a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the anatomy of the patient; determine the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient; and provide real-time visualization on the virtual object of the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient, wherein the surgical controller is also programmed to display, on the display device, a proposed soft tissue release pathway on the virtual object. a surgical controller programmed to: create a virtual object representing an anatomy of the patient; associate the virtual object with the anatomy of the patient by registering the patient's anatomy to the virtual object; determine and display, on the display device, the virtual object and a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the virtual object, the plurality of soft tissue attachment points being identified on the virtual object by unique indicia, which correspond to a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the anatomy of the patient; determine the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient; and provide real-time visualization on the virtual object of the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient, create a virtual object representing an anatomy of the patient; associate the virtual object with the anatomy of the patient by registering the patient's anatomy to the virtual object; determine and display, on the display device, the virtual object and a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the virtual object, the plurality of soft tissue attachment points being identified on the virtual object by unique indicia, which correspond to a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the anatomy of the patient; determine the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient; and provide real-time visualization on the virtual object of the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient, wherein the surgical controller is also programmed to display, on the display device, a proposed soft tissue release pathway on the virtual object. <EOS>