Patent ID: 7427991

Claim:
A computer-readable medium storing a computer program for digitally representing a plurality of surface-attached geometric objects on a model, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to: generate and place a plurality of particles on a first set of predetermined locations on a patch of surface of the model to produce over the surface a non-uniform density of the plurality of particles; generate a first plurality of curves, each curve of the first plurality of curves including at least one control point; place each of the first plurality of curves at a second set of predetermined locations on the model; define a flat ribbon including segments separated at the at least one control point on at least one curve of the first plurality of curves; twist at least one segment of the segments of the flat ribbon by rotating the at least one segment about a central axis of the flat ribbon at the at least one control point of the at least one curve; determine, for each particle of the plurality of particles, locations of a group of three of the first plurality of curves that form a triangle enclosing the particle, and weights of each curve in the group of three relative to the particle; generate a second plurality of curves at the first set of predetermined locations of the plurality of particles on the surface by interpolating, for each particle of the plurality of particles, the group of three of the first plurality of curves according to the weights; generate the plurality of surface-attached geometric objects; replace the plurality of particles and the second plurality of curves with the plurality of surface-attached geometric objects to produce over the surface a non-uniform density of the plurality of surface-attached geometric objects; and display at least one of the plurality of surface-attached geometric objects.