International Business Machines Corporation

Leo Joskowicz

Russell H Taylor

Michelle Yoonkyung Kim

Junehwa Song

A computer implemented method reduces the complexities of obtaining a spatial design in a multimedia presentation. The method is an interactive process which assists an author in readily arriving at a suitable spatial design in the multimedia presentation. A set of objects that appear on the computer display screen simultaneously is termed a clique. The spatial design for a multimedia clique is defined in terms of three dimensions, two dimensions defining the plane of the computer display screen and the third dimension defining the depth of overlapping objects. The locations of the associated episodes and their respective depths on the screen are found. This process involves resolving space requirements between the several episodes in the clique according to a defined set of constraints. Assuming that a resolution can be reached which provides a consistent layout, the layout is displayed. The user is then given the opportunity to change the predefined set of constraints, resulting in the display of the layout with the changed set of constraints. If the layout is still not satisfactory, the user can change the sizes and locations of individual episodes in the clique. Based on the changed constraints for the episodes in the clique, the process again automatically determines a layout which is displayed for review and possible acceptance by the user. When the spatial design is finally accepted by the user, the process outputs the spatial design for the clique. Given a series of cliques which constitute an entire multimedia story, a technique of constraint propagation is provided. More particularly, an object in one clique may be displayed with other objects in a succeeding clique. Rather than moving that object around, the option is provided to fix the position of the object and let the other objects move around the fixed one.

Method for automatically obtaining spatial layout for multimedia

The present method and apparatus determines an interference-free trajectory for fitting a moving solid body into a cavity, particularly where the body has a complex shape and tightly fits into the cavity. The method begins by describing the body surface with a finite set of body surface elements and the cavity surface with a finite set of cavity surface elements. Then a set of surface element pairs is determined. Each set comprises a body surface element and a corresponding cavity surface element. A neighborhood is a volume that contains the pair of surface elements but no other surface element pairs or parts of surface elements. Body motion constraints are developed for each pair. The constraints do not allow the body motion to cause the surface elements in the pair to interpenetrate or to leave their respective neighborhood. An incremental movement of the body, along a preferred direction, is then determined subject to the constraints. The body is moved the incremental amount and the process is repeated with a new set of pairs. Apparatus using the method can without interferences insert bodies into cavities or design and/or manufacture bodies and/or cavities with interference-free insertion trajectories. The invention has specific application to the design and insertion of prosthetic implants.

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Bronx, NY, United States of America

Leo Joskowicz