JP3186240B2 - Figure editing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for creating / editing a graphic on a display device by a computer, wherein the position, shape or state of the graphic is easily changed according to the passage of time or a change in a predetermined attribute value. Figure that can be done
It relates to a shape editing device .

In the display of graphics, it is required to change the position, shape, state, etc. of the graphics over time. Creating / editing shapes that change according to time or other attribute values can be tedious,
There is a need for a means that can easily realize this.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a graphic processing system using a computer, when a moving graphic such as an animation is handled, the position of the graphic on a display device corresponding to each time is determined by a predetermined script. A method of describing the position by using a method and a method of designating the position and shape of a figure at each time have been used.

In the former method, the position change information must be specified by expressing the relationship between the position of the figure and each time by using an equation, and the like. It was difficult to decide, especially when dealing with multiple changing figures. Also, it has been difficult to specify a state that changes finely.

In the method of designating a figure which changes at each time, the position and shape of the figure must all be drawn on a screen transmitted in accordance with the time (hereinafter referred to as a frame). There has been a problem that the amount of work for creation / editing is enormous. Also, if the figure is moved faster or conversely later after creation / edit, all the pieces need to be re-edited, which makes correction difficult.

There is a problem that it is difficult to edit not only a graphic that changes according to time but also a graphic that changes according to a certain attribute value according to the conventional method. For example, when water is poured into a gourd-shaped container, the water level in the container rises according to the amount of water, but the rate at which the water surface rises depends on the cross-sectional area of the container. Even if it is constant, the rising speed of the water surface does not become constant. In the case of editing a figure that changes depending on the attribute value such as the amount of water in this case, conventionally, the height of the water surface is described by a complicated formula, or a figure in which the height of the water surface changes for each piece is created. I had to.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide means for easily creating / editing a graphic which changes according to time or attribute value.

In particular, for a figure whose state such as the position of the figure, the shape of the figure, and the color / brightness of the figure changes with the passage of time or a change in the attribute value, the correspondence on the time axis or the attribute value axis is determined. By defining, the object is to be able to automatically move, deform, and change the state of the figure.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a processing device including a CPU and a memory; 11, a display device for displaying a figure to be created / edited; 12, a position specifying device for specifying a position on a display screen such as a mouse or a keyboard; A graphic information storage unit 14 stores general graphic information relating to a normal graphic,
Reference numeral 5 denotes change reference graphic information related to a graphic representing a trajectory that changes the graphic, reference numeral 16 denotes time display graphic information indicating a time on a time axis corresponding to a normal graphic or the change reference graphic,
Is a graphic display processing means for displaying a normal graphic and a change reference graphic, 18 is a time display processing means for displaying a time display graphic, and 19 is a change information setting processing means for setting change information based on time or attribute value. , 20 are display update processing means for updating the display of the figure according to the change of the time or the attribute value, 21 is a current time designating unit for designating the current time, and 22 is a unit for inputting and setting information on the binding relationship between the figures. The binding relation setting processing means 23 represents time editing processing means for editing the time display graphic.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a graphic display area on a screen for displaying a normal graphic and a change reference graphic, 25 denotes a time display area on a screen for displaying a time display graphic, 26 denotes a normal graphic, and 27 denotes a change reference graphic. , 28 indicate a time display graphic, 29 indicates a position cursor indicating a position that changes with time, and 30 indicates a time cursor indicating the current time in the time display area 25.

In the present invention, the following processing means are provided. The graphic display processing means 17 is a processing means for providing a graphic display area 24 on the screen of the display device 11 and displaying the graphic 26 and the change reference graphic 27 in the area. The time display processing means 18 provides a time display area 25 on a screen of the display device 11, and displays a time display graphic 28 indicating a time represented by a line or a predetermined graphic along the time axis in the area. Processing means.

The change information setting processing means 19 creates a change reference graphic 27, which is a reference for moving or deforming (including rotation) a graphic as time elapses, on the graphic display area 24 by input from the position specifying device 12. / Edit and change the position of some points on the change reference graphic 27 and the time display graphic 2
This is processing means for setting information corresponding to the positions of the same number of points in 8 in the related graphic information in the graphic information storage unit 13.

[0013] The display update processing means 20 includes a time display graphic 2
8 moves the point indicating the current time (time cursor 30
Corresponding to the designated time, ie, the corresponding point on the change reference graphic 27, that is, the position of the position cursor 29 is obtained by interpolation calculation, and the graphic is moved or deformed based on the position of the point. This is processing means for performing editing to update the display of the figure.

[0014] In the above, while dealing with the shape you want to change with the passage of time, it is also possible to handle the shape you want to change in accordance with the change of Oh Ru attribute value. Therefore, instead of the time display processing means 18 described above , or the time display processing means 18
In addition, an attribute value display processing means (not shown) is provided.
The attribute value display processing means displays the attribute value display graphic in an attribute value display area similar to the time display area 25.

The processing of the change information setting processing means 19 and the display update processing means 20 is the same as the case of the change of the time, and performs the processing according to the change of the attribute value instead of the change of the time.

The change information setting processing means 19 generates a change reference graphic 27 as a reference for moving or deforming the graphic as time passes, by inputting the position specifying device 12 to the graphic on the display screen of the display device 11. Display area 2
4, the information relating to the time corresponding to the positions of some points on the change reference graphic 27 is set in the graphic information. Furthermore, binding relationship setting processing unit 22 is provided, binding relationship setting processing means 22, it is edited double
Binding relationship between figures or a point on the figure display area
The binding relationship with the graphic 26 is input from the position specifying device 12, and its definition information is set in the graphic information storage unit 13.

The display update processing means 20 includes the current time instruction unit 2
In accordance with the elapse of the time designated by 1 or the like, the position of the point corresponding to the current time on the change reference graphic 27 is obtained by interpolation calculation, and the position of the point and the binding relation set in the graphic information are obtained. Is configured to determine the movement / deformation operation of the figure based on the information, and to update the display of the figure.

[0018] In the above, while dealing with the shape you want to change with the passage of time, it is also possible to handle the shape you want to change in accordance with the change of Oh Ru attribute value. The processing of the change information setting processing means 19 and the binding relation setting processing means 22 is the same as the case relating to the change of the time, and performs the processing according to the change of the attribute value instead of the change of the time.

Moreover, the graphic display processing unit 17 and time display processing means 18, or moves the graphic 26 with the passage of time, instead of or deformed, or is allowed or, extinguish appearance of graphic 26 in accordance with time, It also changes the state such as color and brightness.

Therefore, the change information setting processing means 19
A process of setting correspondence information between some states of the designated graphic 26 and positions of the same number of points in the time display graphic 28 in the graphic information of the graphic information storage unit 13 is performed. In accordance with the movement of the point indicating the current time on the time display graphic 28 or the elapse of the designated time, the state of the graphic 26 to be displayed is obtained by interpolation calculation from the state of the preceding and following points, and based on the obtained state. It is configured to display figures.

The time editing processing means 23 comprises the position specifying device 1
2 is a processing means for changing the position of a point on the time display graphic 28 that is associated with the state of the figure, independently of the state information of the corresponding figure. As a result, the figure 26 can appear or disappear at any time,
The speed at which the state changes can be changed only by editing the time display graphic 28 on the time display area 25.

In the above description, a graphic whose state changes with the passage of time is handled, whereas a graphic whose state changes with a change of a certain attribute value can be handled . At this time, the change information setting processing means 19 and the display update processing means 20
This is the same as the case of the change of the time, and performs the processing according to the change of the attribute value instead of the change of the time.

Attribute value editing processing means (not shown)
Indicates the position of the point associated with the state of the graphic on the attribute value display graphic by the input from the position specifying device 12.
A process for changing the state information of the corresponding figure is performed independently of the state information.

[0024]

According to the present invention, FIG.
The time display graphic 28 indicating the time for changing the position of No. 6
The time is displayed in a time display area 25 provided separately from the graphic display area 24. Thus, the position change of the graphic 26 can be easily controlled by the time display graphic 28 via the change reference graphic 27. That is, the time display area 2
5, the time reference cursor 27 in the graphic display area 24 is moved by moving the time cursor 30 indicating the current time.
The upper position cursor 29 can be moved.

Since the locus of movement of the position cursor 29 can be determined by the change reference graphic 27, it is not necessary to edit the graphic 26 at each time. Further, the moving speed of the position cursor 29 can be controlled by the moving speed of the time cursor 30 in the time display graphic 28 or the interval between points in the time display graphic 28 corresponding to each point on the change reference graphic 27.

After the correspondence information between the time display area 25 and the change reference graphic 27 is set in the graphic information storage unit 13 by the change information setting processing means 19, it is not necessary to display the change reference graphic 27 and the time display area 25. No, position specifying device 1
2, the display of the graphic 26 corresponding to the time can be performed without displaying the change reference graphic 27 and the time display area 25 by the current time instruction from the application program.

Similarly, in the present invention, a figure can be moved or deformed in response to a change in an arbitrary attribute value, not limited to time. Therefore, it is possible to easily realize the display of a graphic such as a bar graph which dynamically changes depending on the value.

In the present invention, a plurality of editing targets
A binding relationship between figures or a point on the figure display area and a figure
26 (referred to as reference / referenced relationship)
Defined, may be set in the graphic information storage unit 13, in response to the time, when moving the position cursor 29 on the change reference graphic 27 not only moves in accordance with the time the graphic 26, the position As the cursor 29 moves, the graphic 26 can be rotated, enlarged, or reduced according to the type of the binding relationship. Thereby, for example, the moving trajectory of the sun is defined by the change reference graphic 27, and the moving image can be easily edited such that the sunflowers always face the sun.

Similarly, in the present invention, the graphic 26 is moved to the position cursor 2 in response to a change in an arbitrary attribute value, not limited to time.
9 can be changed in accordance with the binding relationship with 9.

Furthermore, in the present invention, for example, at the time T1 on the time display graphic 28, the color of the graphic 26 is defined as blue, and at the time T2 on the time display graphic 28, the color of the graphic 26 is changed to yellow. With the definition, the color of the graphic 26 can be continuously changed from blue to yellow with the time change between the time T1 and the time T2. Further, by changing the distance between the points indicating the time T1 and the time T2 on the time display graphic 28, the speed of the color change can be changed by a simple operation.

Similarly, according to the present invention, it is possible to continuously change the state of the graphic 26 or to make the graphic 26 appear or disappear in response to a change in an arbitrary attribute value, not limited to time. become able to. For example, by using a temperature value as an attribute value, an image in which the color of a figure changes with a temperature change can be easily generated by designating an attribute value by a program or by designating an attribute value from a position designation device 12. Will be able to

[0032]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 2 is a specific schematic explanatory diagram of the present invention. 2A shows an example of the graphic display area 24, and FIG. 2B shows an example of the time display area 25. The graphic display area 24 and the time display area 25 are provided on separate windows, respectively.
A command menu display unit 35 for editing operation and a mode designation / display unit 36 using icons are provided. Similarly, a command menu display section 37 for editing operation relating to time is provided corresponding to the time display area 25.

Now, it is assumed that a human figure 26 moving with time is created / edited on the figure display area 24. A moving path of the graphic 26 is created as in the change reference graphic 27. The creation of the change reference graphic 27 is performed in the same manner as the conventional graphic creation operation by designating the mode designation / display unit 36 and the like.

Automatically by creating the change reference graphic 27,
Alternatively, the time display graphic 28-1 is created on the time display area 25 by the creation command. The horizontal axis of the time display area 25 indicates time, and the time cursor 30 indicates the current time. Corresponding to the representative points P0, P1,... On the change reference graphic 27, points T0, T1,... Indicating the time in the time display graphic 28-1 are automatically or designated.

The time cursor 30 is a cursor that moves to the right as time passes. Also, the position specifying device 1
2, the time cursor 30 can be moved to an arbitrary time position. When the time cursor 30 moves, the position cursor 29 also moves on the change reference graphic 27. Time T
0, the position cursor 29 is moved to the position of the point P0 and the time T1
Then, the position cursor 29 is at the position of the point P1, and similarly at time T2, the position cursor 29 is at the position of the point P2. When the time cursor 30 is between the times T1 and T2,
The position cursor 29 is positioned between the points P1 and P2 according to the divided value.

When the graphic 26 to be moved with time is created, the graphic 26 and the position cursor 29 are associated with each other. That is, the position specifying device 12 performs an operation for associating the figure 26 with the position cursor 29. When the position cursor 29 moves by this association operation, the figure 26 also moves. That is, the movement of the time cursor 30 also moves the graphic 26.

There are several types of this relation, such as deformation / rotation / similar deformation (enlargement / reduction). Depending on the type of the relation, the figure 26 changes as the position cursor 29 moves. Is operated in FIG.

Also, the time display graphic 28-1 is provided for the change reference graphic 27,
A time display graphic 28-2 is provided. Time cursor 30
Thus, a point on the time display graphic 28-2 can be designated, and the state of the graphic 26, such as color and brightness, at that time can be defined. Outside the range where the time display graphic 28-2 is displayed, the display of the graphic 26 is suppressed. Therefore, by editing the time display graphic 28-2, the display of the graphic 26 is started at a certain time T10, and is displayed at a certain time T13.
Can be automatically deleted from the screen.

Also, for example, the figure 26 at time T11
By simply defining the state of FIG. 26 and the state of FIG. 26 at time T12, a continuous state change between times T11 and T12 can be realized by interpolation calculation.

The movement of the time cursor 30 on the time display area 25 can be designated by the position designation device 12 and also by an application program. After the necessary information is set in the graphic information storage unit 13, by designating that the change reference graphic 27 and the time display area 25 are not displayed on the actual display screen, only the graphic 26 moves with time. , It can be shown to change.

By providing a display and an operation target as shown in FIG. 2B for an arbitrary attribute value change instead of a time change, a figure changing with the attribute value change can be provided. It can be created / edited similarly.

FIGS. 3 to 6 show editing examples according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, editing of a figure whose position changes with time will be described with reference to FIG. (A) of FIG.
Is created on the graphic display area 24 shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, a Gantt creation command is executed in the time display area 25 with the change reference graphic 27 selected. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3C, a time display graphic 28 is created in the time display area 25, and a position cursor 29 is created on the change reference graphic 27 in the graphic display area 24.

Point on change reference graphic 27 and time display graphic 2
8 corresponds to the graphic information storage unit 1 shown in FIG.
3 and thereafter, by moving the time cursor 30,
The position cursor 29 is controlled to move. That is, as shown in FIG. 3D, when the time cursor 30 moves, the position cursor 29 moves along the change reference graphic 27.

FIG. 4 shows an example of editing in which the graphic 26 is moved according to the movement of the position cursor 29 by associating the graphic 26 with the position cursor 29 on the change reference graphic 27. However, the example of FIG. 4 relates to the implementation of the present invention.
Example of editing, but an example of editing using the present invention directly
is not.

After the change reference graphic 27 and the time display graphic 28 are created by the editing process shown in FIG. 3, the graphic 26 is created as shown in FIG. Note that the figure 26 may be created first.

Next, as shown in FIG.
6 and a position cursor 29 are defined as a reference / reference relationship. Note that a command related to this is provided. Here, the binding point 40 defined in advance at the center of the graphic 26 and the position cursor 29 are linked by designating with the position designating device 12.

The definition information relating to the above-described association is set in the graphic information storage unit 13. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 4 (c) and 4 (d), the time cursor 30 is displayed on the time display area 25. When moved, the position cursor 29 moves in the graphic display area 24, and the graphic 26 moves accordingly.

FIG. 5 shows an example of editing in which the graphic 26 is deformed and rotated according to the movement of the position cursor 29 by associating the graphic 26 with the position cursor 29 on the change reference graphic 27. The illustration of the time display area 25 is omitted.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a figure 26 is created on the figure display area 24. If necessary, the binding point 40 is designated on the graphic 26 by the position designation device 12 such as a mouse. The binding point 40 is automatically set at a predetermined position when the graphic 26 is created, but the position can be changed by the position specifying device 12.

Next, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5, a point to be related on the graphic 26 (this is referred to as a reference point) and a position cursor 29 (this is referred to as a referred point) are designated by a mouse cursor. , A relationship of deformation reference is formed between them.
In this operation, after setting the deformation reference mode by the mode designation / display unit 36 shown in FIG. 2, the graphic 26 and the change reference graphic 27 are selected, and the reference point on the graphic 26 is dragged with the mouse cursor. This is performed by positioning the cursor at the position cursor 29 which is the referenced point.

By this association, FIG.
(C). Information about the reference / reference relationship between the reference point and the position cursor 29 is stored in the graphic information storage unit 13. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5D, when the position cursor 29 moves, the reference point on the graphic 26 moves accordingly, and the graphic 26 is deformed. In this case, the position of the binding point 40 does not change.
Expands and contracts in the vertical direction as the position cursor 29 moves.

FIGS. 5E to 5H show an example of editing rotation reference. As shown in FIG.
Create The graphic 26 is an arrow graphic in this example. The binding point 40 is set at the beginning of the arrow. If the tip of the arrow in FIG. 26 always points in the direction of the position cursor 29, after setting the rotation reference mode,
As shown in FIG. 5F, the tip of the graphic 26 is dragged to the position of the position cursor 29 by the mouse operation.

As a result, as shown in FIG.
The arrow of the graphic 26 is displayed so as to face the position cursor 29, and the setting information relating to the rotation reference is stored in the graphic information storage unit 13. Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
When the position cursor 29 moves on the change reference graphic 27 according to a change in time or the like, an operation of automatically rotating the tip of the arrow of the graphic 26 so as to point in the direction of the position cursor 29 is automatically performed.

FIG. 6 shows an editing example for setting a change in the state of the graphic 26 with time. As shown in FIG. 6A, a graphic 26 whose state is changed is created on the graphic display area 24, and a time display graphic corresponding to the graphic 26 is created on the time display area 25. This graphic on the time display area 25 is hereinafter referred to as Gantt. As in the case where the time display graphic 28 is provided for the change reference graphic 27, the Gantt 45 is provided for the graphic 26 automatically or by designation.

When setting a state such as a color for the figure 26, the time designation of the time cursor 30
Is moved to time T2 when the state is to be set. Then, a state division command is executed as shown in FIG. This provides a state set point on the Gantt 45.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6C, necessary states such as the color and luminance of the graphic 26 are designated. As a result, the state of FIG.
Is stored in the graphic information storage unit 13. Note that the initial state at the time T1 is also the Gantt 45
Are stored in the graphic information storage unit 13 at the time of creation.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6D, when the time cursor 30 is moved, the state of the graphic 26 (here, the color) is automatically changed and displayed. (E) of FIG.
Indicates the relationship between the position of the time cursor 30 and the state of the graphic 26. When the time cursor 30 is between the time T0 and the start time T1 of the Gantt 45, the graphic 26
Is in a non-display state and is not displayed in the graphic display area 24. At time T1, the graphic 26 is displayed in the initial color. Time cursor 30 from time T1 to time T2
While the moves, the graphic 26 is displayed in an intermediate state between the state at the time T1 and the state at the time T2 according to the position.

From time T2 to time T3 at the end of Gantt 45
Until then, the state of the graphic 26 at the time T2 is maintained. At time T3, if a new state is set, the graphic 26 is displayed in an interpolated state in the middle. After time T3, the graphic 26 is erased and disappears from the graphic display area 24.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of editing a Gantt according to the embodiment of the present invention. The time display graphic 28 on the time display area 25 (the same applies to the Gantt 45 relating to the normal graphic 26) can be edited by the time editing processing means 23 shown in FIG. This editing is performed basically by the same operation as the ordinary figure editing.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the time cursor 30 moves on the time display area 25, the position cursor 29 on the change reference graphic 27 moves. The movement of the time cursor 30 moves at a constant speed according to a normal operation instruction. Therefore, the time display figure 28
The moving speed of the position cursor 29 in the change reference graphic 27 can be changed by changing the interval between the points above. In other words, only the time display graphic 28 is edited without editing the change reference graphic 27,
6 and the like.

FIG. 7B shows an example in which the time display graphic 28 is moved in the time display area 25. The time display graphic 28 is dragged by the mouse cursor.
It is moved to a position from a to the time display graphic 28b.

FIG. 7C shows the movement of a specific range in the time display graphic 28, and the time display graphic 28a
When the start point and the end point are fixed and one point (for example, the point at time T2) is dragged, the time display graphic 2
As shown in 8b, the other point T1 also moves in proportion to the distance from the fixed point.

FIG. 7D shows a state in which the point at the time T1 is fixed by fixing the point at the time T1 and dragging the end of the time display graphic 28 from the time display graphic 28a to the time display graphic 28b. This shows an example in which the entirety from to is terminated. For information on these types of edits,
Can be selected by menu command.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the basic data structure of the graphic information set in the graphic information storage unit 13 shown in FIG.
Basically, the figure information is, as shown in FIG.
Graphic header information 50 and point information 51 for determining the shape of the graphic
-1, 51-2,... The graphic header information 50 has information on a range of a rectangle occupied by the graphic (this is called an extent), information on the number of points, a pointer to the first point information 51, and the like. Furthermore, the binding point 40
With pointer information to the point defined as

When the figure is a polygon, for example, as shown in FIG. 8B, the extent is an area within the range shown by the dotted rectangle. The extent information in the graphic header information 50 is the coordinates (x
(0, y0), the width w of the extent, and the height h of the extent. The point information 51 has position information (x1, y1), (x2, y2),... Relating to the vertices of the polygon, pointer information to the next point, and the like. Further, the graphic header information 50 and the point information 51 can have various other attribute information as needed.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the point (x2, y2) indicated by the point information 51-2 is defined as the binding point 40.
The binding point 40 is a point determined as one of the attributes of the graphic information in order to determine the deformation operation in the editing of the graphic.

FIG. 9 shows a data relation diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention. Graphic header information 50-1, 50-2, and 50-3 are provided for each of the general graphic information 14, the change reference graphic information 15, and the time display graphic information 16. In the graphic header information of FIG. 9, the extent information and the like described in FIG. 8 are not shown.

The change reference graphic information 15 has, in particular, position cursor information 52, which includes the coordinates (x, y) of the position cursor 29, pointers to the left and right adjacent point information,
Ratio ra of the position of the position cursor 29 between the two points
tio information is stored. The point information 51-3, 51-4, 51-5 connected to the graphic header information 50-2 is shown in FIG.
In the example shown in FIG. 7, the information is about the points P0, P1, and P2.

The time display graphic information 16 is information relating to the time display graphic 28-1 and the like shown in FIG. 2B, and is also the graphic header information 50-3 and the point information 51-6, 51-.
7, ... Although not shown, time cursor information is provided in the same format as the position cursor information 52. The point information 51-6, 51-7,...
Are information indicating the positions of T0, T1,... And correspond to the point information 51-3, 51-4,.

The graphic header information 50-3 points to the current time indicating unit 21 and manages the current time. As described above, points on the graphic 26 can be associated with other points, such as the position cursor 29. In the data relation example shown in FIG. 9, the point of the point information 51-1 is the position cursor 29.
, The point information 51-1 and the position cursor information 5
Two pointers are set between them. It should be noted that information (not shown) relating to the type of relation such as deformation reference and rotation reference is also set in the point information 51-1.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a data structure indicating a state for managing information relating to a state change as described in the example of FIG. Point information 51-1, 51-2,... Indicating the time at which the state of the graphic 26 is defined is pointed out from the graphic header information 50-2 of the Gantt 45 shown in FIG. The point information 51-1 corresponds to time T1, and the point information 51-2 corresponds to time T2. Assuming that the time cursor 30 is located between the time T1 and the time T2, for example, the time cursor information 61 includes point information 51-1 and 51 as shown in FIG.
-2 pointer information is set.

The state information 60-1, 60-2,... Indicating the state at each time T1, T2,. Also, the state information 60-1, 60-2,...
-1, 51-2,... In this example, the state information 60-1, 60-2,... Are information indicating whether a figure should appear or disappear, as state designation values.
It has color information, luminance information, information on transparency, and the like. In addition, for example, line width and figure size
Information on various forms may be provided.

When the position of the time cursor 30 is given by the time cursor information 61, the point information 51-1 and 51-
2 is referenced, and the ratio of the position between the two points is calculated from the position. In accordance with this ratio, the state designation value obtained from the state information 60-1 and the state designation value obtained from the state information 60-2 are interpolated to determine the current state.

When the time cursor 30 moves, the state of the graphic 26 to be displayed is determined by referencing / updating the data shown in FIG.
6 is changed.

FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram of a process of creating the change reference graphic 27 and the time display graphic 28 according to the embodiment of the present invention. (a) With the figure creation mode selected by the creation command of the change reference figure 27 or the normal figure creation command, the position information about the start end, end, and other main points of the change reference figure 27 is transmitted to the position designation device 12. Enter from.

(B) When the change reference graphic 27 is created, the information of the time display graphic 28 corresponding to the change reference graphic 27 is automatically or explicitly specified. That is, the time display graphic information 16 as shown in FIG. 9 is created.

(C) Further, the point information of the time display graphic information 16 is created corresponding to the point information of the change reference graphic 27. Unless otherwise specified, the points at each time are equally spaced. (d) The change reference graphic 27 is displayed in the graphic display area 24.

(E) A time display figure 28 is displayed in the time display area 25. The order of these processes does not necessarily have to be the order of (a) to (e). As shown in FIG. 4, when associating an arbitrary graphic 26 with the change reference graphic 27, the processing shown in FIG.

(A) The figure creation information is input by the position designation device 12. (b) Generate the time display graphic information 16 of the corresponding Gantt,
It is displayed in the time display area 25.

(C) The type of reference such as deformation / movement / rotation is input by the association operation as described with reference to FIG. 4, and the point on the graphic 26 and the position cursor 29 on the change reference graphic 27 are input.
Enter the reference / referenced relationship with. The input information is reflected in the data structure shown in FIG.

(D) The position and shape of the graphic 26 to be displayed are calculated so that the specified reference / reference relationship is maintained in accordance with the position cursor 29. (e) The figure 26 after the association is displayed again.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of processing for changing the graphic 26 with the passage of time. The progress of time can be designated by the position designation device 12 or an application program.

(A) The position of the time cursor 30 is determined based on the specified current time or the automatically advanced current time. (b) An internal division value S between a point T1 immediately before the time cursor 30 and a point T2 immediately after the time cursor 30 is calculated. That is, the point information 5 shown in FIG.
Based on 1-1, 51-2, etc., a ratio ratio between two points of the position of the time cursor 30 is calculated.

(C) The position of the position cursor 29 is determined from the points P1 and P2 on the change reference graphic 27 corresponding to the time points T1 and T2 and the internal division value S. (d) The position cursor information 52 shown in FIG. 9 is updated, and the position cursor 29 is moved to a new position on the change reference graphic 27.

(E) It is determined whether there is a point related to the position cursor 29, and if there is a point referring to the position cursor 29, the process (f) is executed. (f) In accordance with the relationship between the position cursor 29 and the reference point, the graphic 26 having the reference point is moved / rotated / deformed.
This process is repeated for all figures associated with the position cursor 29.

FIG. 13 shows a process for changing the state of the FIG. 26 over time. (a) The position of the time cursor 30 is determined based on the specified current time or the automatically advanced current time.

(B) An internal division value S between a point T1 immediately before the time cursor 30 and a point T2 immediately after the time cursor 30 is calculated. That is, FIG.
The ratio ratio between the two points at the position of the time cursor 30 is calculated based on the point information 51-1 and 51-2 shown in FIG.

(C) FIG. 2 corresponding to time points T1 and T2
The interpolation value of each state designation value is calculated from the state information 6 and the internal division value S, and the state of the figure 26 is determined. (d) It is determined from the relationship between the Gantt 45 and the current time position or the state designation value for instructing appearance / deletion whether the graphic 26 is to be deleted.

(E) If the figure 26 is not erased,
The graphic 26 is redrawn according to the state obtained in (c). (f) When the figure 26 is deleted, the figure 26 is deleted from the figure display area 24.

FIG. 14 shows a specific application example of the present invention. For example, a head A as shown in FIG.
It is assumed that a moving image relating to a figure of a person including the body B and the legs C and D is created.

As shown in FIG. 14B, each part of the figure is related. That is, the binding points defined on the head A and the binding points defined on the body B are related, and the legs C and D
And the points on the lower side of the body B are associated with each other. As a change reference figure, a figure E along the body B
Is created, and the position cursor 29-1 is associated with the lower part of the body B. Similarly, a figure F is created along the leg D,
The position cursor 29-2 is associated with the tips of the legs C and D.

As shown in FIG. 14C, a Gantt of each of the figures A to F is created and displayed in the time display area 25. With the movement of the time cursor 30 in the time display area 25, the position cursors 29-1 and 29-2 move.

As shown in (d) to (f) of FIG. 14, when the time cursor 30 moves as time passes, the position cursors 29-1 and 29-2 move on the figures E and F. Accordingly, the position cursors 29-1, 29-2
The reference point associated with moves. That is, head A
Does not grow, the body B grows first, and the legs C and D grow large later, so that editing of a figure with a series of changes can be easily realized.

Since the joint relationship between the head A, the body B, and the legs C and D is maintained by association, the figures A to A of the parts constituting the figure of the person regardless of the deformation (growth) of each part. D does not fall apart.

The time can be updated by the following method. The time cursor 30 is moved to an arbitrary position on the time display area 25 by the position designation device 12 such as a mouse.

A numerical value indicating an arbitrary time is input through a time designation dialog window (not shown). Select "Continuous execution" from the menu. As a result, the time is advanced by a fixed amount every predetermined unit time.

A time setting function prepared in the system in advance is called from the application program. This function takes the following form, for example: • When specifying continuous execution int SetTime (start time, end time, update speed or interval) • When not specifying continuous execution int SetTime (set time) When specifying continuous execution, the start time, end time, and Specify how fast the time is updated by a parameter. If you do not specify continuous execution, specify the update time in a parameter.

In the above description of the embodiment, an example in which a figure is changed according to a change in time has been described. However, a figure can be similarly changed not by time but by an arbitrary attribute value. In the description of the above embodiment, the implementation method will be clear by replacing “time” with “attribute value”.

The interface to an application program that updates the current value for any attribute value is:
This is realized by a function call in the following format. int
SetAttributeValue (const char * name, float newvalu
e) Here, name is an attribute name indicating the type of attribute, and newvalue is a new attribute value.

When the graphic information edited by the present invention is used from an application program, the operation of the graphic included in the graphic information is exchanged with the graphic display processing means through an arbitrary attribute value, thereby enabling the application program to operate. The flexibility of the program can be improved and the application program can be simplified.

That is, in the prior art, a change in the dynamic position of a figure had to be determined by a calculation formula or built-in data in an application program.
To change the position of the figure, it was necessary to re-edit and recompile the application program. The graphic information created by the editing apparatus of the present invention is managed independently of the application program, and a change in the trajectory of the graphic change reference graphic does not affect the application program.

In the prior art, when the position of a figure is dynamically changed from an application program, two-dimensional X and Y coordinates have to be calculated and calculated. When the position of a graphic created by the editing apparatus of the present invention is dynamically changed, the application program only needs to operate the time or the attribute value and does not need to be aware of the coordinates on the screen.

The graphic display area 24, the time display area 25, or the attribute value display area may be assigned to different screens of the display device 11, or in a system having a well-known window control mechanism, one to one for each window. You may.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration used in the embodiment of the present invention. For example, FIG.
It can be implemented by a known hardware mechanism as shown in FIG. The system bus 107 includes a display adapter 103, a random access memory (RAM)
105, CPU 106, and disk adapter 108 are connected. A graphic display 100, a keyboard 101, a mouse 102, and a video memory (VRAM) 104 are connected to the display adapter 103, and the contents of the VRAM 104 are stored in the display adapter 10.
3 is displayed on the graphic display 100. A disk storage device 109 such as a magnetic disk is connected to the disk adapter 108.
It controls data transfer between the M105 and the disk storage device 109.

The graphic display 100, keyboard 101, mouse 102 and display adapter 103 correspond to the display device 11 and the position designation device 12 shown in FIG. The graphic information storage unit 13 shown in FIG.
It is provided in the AM 105 or the disk storage device 109.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the system shown in FIG.
It can also be implemented by a type of computer or a general personal computer.

[0107]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to easily edit a figure that changes with a change in time or attribute value and draw it on the screen of the display device. In addition, when changing the form of the edited graphic, it can be operated not only by the position specifying device 12 but also by a simple interface from an application program, contributing to improvement and simplification of the flexibility of the application program. The place to do is big.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a specific schematic explanatory diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an editing example according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an editing example according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an editing example according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an editing example according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of editing a Gantt according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a basic data structure of graphic information according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a data relation diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure indicating a state according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a specific application example of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration used in an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 processing device 11 display device 12 position designation device 13 graphic information storage unit 14 general graphic information 15 change reference graphic information 16 time display graphic information 17 graphic display processing means 18 time display processing means 19 change information setting processing means 20 display update processing means 21 current time indicating section 22 binding relation setting processing means 23 time editing processing means 24 graphic display area 25 time display area 26 graphic 27 change reference graphic 28 time display graphic 29 position cursor 30 time cursor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Suzuki 4-49, Fukami Nishi, Yamato-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture PF Corporation Yamato Plant (72) Inventor Atsuko Kasai 4-49, Fukami-Nishi, Yamato-shi, Kanagawa No. PF Corporation Yamato Factory (56) References JP-A-2-199579 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06T 13/00 G06T 11/80 G06F 3 / 153 320 Patent file (PATOLIS) JICST file (JOIS)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] In a graphic editing apparatus for editing a graphic , a point on a first graphic, which is associated with a point on another second graphic.
Bunch that moves according to the movement or deformation of the second figure
Binding point setting means for setting a binding point, and a reference for moving or changing the shape of the first figure
Refers to a point in the first figure as the moving point on the change reference figure
An associating means for associating them as points;
And a processing means for changing the first graphic based on the positional relationship between the binding points . 2. A graphic processing apparatus for editing a graphic .
For a point on one figure, one point on the figure display area
Binding point setting means for setting a fixed binding point; and a reference for moving or changing the shape of the first figure
Refers to a point in the first figure as the moving point on the change reference figure
An associating means for associating them as points;
And transforms the first figure based on the positional relationship between the binding points.
Figure Editing The device you; and a processing means for reduction. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the associating means is arranged at a position of the moving point.
3. The graphic editing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising setting an attribute value of a first graphic in the graphic editing apparatus. 4. The processing means according to claim 1 , wherein:
Displays the first figure between points with attribute values
When showing, interpolation is performed from the attribute values at those two points.
Determines and displays attribute values on the way between points of one figure
Graphics editing system according to claim 3, wherein the that.