Patent ID: 7616198

Claim:
A computer graphics system for generating a geometrical model representing geometry of at least a portion of a surface of a corresponding three-dimensional object from shape information provided by an operator in connection with a two-dimensional image of the object, the image representing the object as projected onto an image plane, the computer graphics system comprising: A. an operator input device configured to receive shape information provided by the operator in connection with a selected portion of the two-dimensional image; B. a model generator configured to receive the shape information from the operator input device, the shape information including shading information, the shading information representing a change in brightness level of the selected portion of the image, the shading information creating a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional change of shape of the corresponding three-dimensional object in the selected portion of the image, and to generate in response thereto an updated three-dimensional geometrical model of the corresponding three-dimensional object, the model generator being configured to use the shading information to determine at least one geometrical feature of the updated geometrical model, the updated three-dimensional geometrical model of the corresponding three-dimensional object including a three-dimensional change of shape corresponding to the two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional change of shape in the selected portion of the image; and C. an object display configured to display the image of the object as defined by the updated geometrical model.