Patent ID: 8040348

Claim:
A combined sectional view producing method performed by a computer according to a program, comprising: determining whether a section line to specify a cut face is a linear line, the section line according to information input by a user, on the basis of data input via input means coupled to the computer; searching for a connected section line, which is connected to a target section line, from a plurality of section lines; obtaining a crossed point between the searched connected section line and the target section line; obtaining a section plane, the section plane passing the section line and having the same normal line vector as a normal line vector of the cut face; obtaining an adjacent section plane, the adjacent section plane being perpendicular to a plane including the plurality of section lines and to the obtained section plane, the adjacent section plane passing the obtained crossed point between the connected section line and the target section line; obtaining a viewing direction of the target section line, the viewing direction being reversal to the normal line vector of the section plane corresponding to the target section line; specifying an element and/or a part of an element of a three-dimensional model, which can be seen with a viewing direction set to the viewing direction of the target section line; specifying an element and/or a part of an element of the three-dimensional model, which is positioned on the side of the section plane opposed to the normal line vector thereof; including the plane itself; specifying an element and/or a part of an element of the three-dimensional model, which is positioned on the side of the adjacent section plane opposed to the normal line vector thereof; projecting the elements and/or the parts of the elements which have been specified with respect to visibility in the viewing direction of the target section line, the section plane, and the adjacent section plane, thereby obtaining a sectional view to be combined; and combining a plurality of sectional views to be combined, thereby producing a combined sectional view, the plurality of sectional views including a sectional view which is obtained on the basis of a viewing direction different from the obtained viewing direction.