Skin-based approach to virtual modeling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10338387-B2
Application number	US-201514968661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2015
Priority date	Dec 15, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A design engine for designing an article to be worn on a human body part (input canvas) in a virtual environment. A virtual model engine of the design engine is used to generate and modify a virtual model of the input canvas and a virtual model of the article based on skin-based gesture inputs detected by an input processing engine. The gesture inputs comprise contacts between an input tool and the input canvas at locations on the input canvas. The virtual model engine may implement different design modes for receiving and processing gesture inputs for designing the article, including direct manipulation, generative manipulation, and parametric manipulation modes. In all three modes, a resulting virtual model of the article is based on physical geometries of at least part of the input canvas. The resulting virtual model of the article is exportable to a fabrication device for physical fabrication of the article.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for designing an article, the method comprising:
detecting a first set of contacts between an input tool and an input canvas at a first set of locations on the input canvas, wherein the input canvas comprises a body part of a user;
determining a first input to a virtual model of input canvas based on the first set of contacts and the first set of locations, wherein the virtual model of the input canvas comprises a first set of three-dimensional (3D) geometries;
modifying the virtual model of the input canvas based on the first input to generate a modified virtual model of the input canvas, wherein the modified virtual model of the input canvas comprises a second set of 3D geometries that is different from the first set of 3D geometries; and
generating a virtual model of the article based on the modified virtual model of the input canvas.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising exporting the virtual model of the article to a fabrication device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual model of the input canvas comprises a malleable virtual model of the input canvas comprising a malleable surface on the virtual model of the input canvas and the modified virtual model of the input canvas comprises a modified malleable virtual model of the input canvas.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein:
the malleable virtual model of the input canvas comprises at least one control edge having an associated elasticity threshold; and
the first input comprises a grab input located at the at least one control edge, wherein the grab input exceeds the associated elasticity threshold.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising subtracting a volume associated with the input canvas from a volume associated with the modified malleable virtual model of the input canvas in generating a virtual model of the article.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual model of the input canvas comprises a heatmap virtual model of the input canvas indicating a number of times inputs are received at different locations on the input canvas and the modified virtual model of the input canvas comprises a modified heatmap virtual model of the input canvas.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , further comprising applying a generative algorithm to the modified heatmap virtual model of the input canvas to produce three-dimensional (3D) geometries in the modified heatmap virtual model of the input canvas.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the virtual model of the input canvas based on a three-dimensional (3D) scan of the input canvas received from an input camera.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the article comprises a wearable computing device, medical device, or fashion item.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to design an article by performing the steps of:
detecting a first set of contacts between an input tool and an input canvas at a first set of locations on the input canvas, wherein the input canvas comprises a body part of a user;
determining a first input to a virtual model of input canvas based on the first set of contacts and the first set of locations, wherein the virtual model of the input canvas comprises a first set of three-dimensional (3D) geometries;
modifying the virtual model of the input canvas based on the first input to generate a modified virtual model of the input canvas, wherein the modified virtual model of the input canvas comprises a second set of 3D geometries that is different from the first set of 3D geometries; and
generating a virtual model of the article based on the modified virtual model of the input canvas.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , further comprising exporting the virtual model of the article to a fabrication device.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the virtual model of the input canvas comprises a malleable virtual model of the input canvas comprising a malleable surface on the virtual model of the input canvas and the modified virtual model of the input canvas comprises a modified malleable virtual model of the input canvas.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the virtual model of the input canvas comprises a heatmap virtual model of the input canvas indicating a number of times inputs are received at different locations on the input canvas and the modified virtual model of the input canvas comprises a modified heatmap virtual model of the input canvas.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , further comprising generating the virtual model of the input canvas based on a three-dimensional (3D) scan of the input canvas received from an input camera.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the article comprises a wearable computing device, medical device, or fashion item.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the first input comprises a touch input, a poke input, a rub input, a drag input, a grab input, or a resize input.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , further comprising:
detecting a movement of the input canvas;
determining a second input based on the movement of the input canvas; and
navigating the virtual model of the input canvas based on the second input.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the virtual model of the article is based on physical geometries of at least a portion of the input canvas.

19. A system configured for designing an article, comprising:
a memory that includes a virtual model engine; and
a processor that is coupled to the memory and, upon executing the virtual model engine, is configured to:
detect a first set of contacts between an input tool and an input canvas at a first set of locations on the input canvas, wherein the input canvas comprises a body part of a user;
determine a first input to a virtual model of input canvas based on the first set of contacts and the first set of locations, wherein the virtual model of the input canvas comprises a first set of three-dimensional (3D) geometries;
modify the virtual model of the input canvas based on the first input to generate a modified virtual model of the input canvas, wherein the modified virtual model of the input canvas comprises a second set of 3D geometries that is different from the first set of 3D geometries; and
generate a virtual model of the article based on the modified virtual model of the input canvas.

20. The system of claim 19 , further comprising an input camera for generating a three-dimensional (3D) scan of the input canvas for producing the virtual model of the input canvas.

21. The system of claim 19 , further comprising a fabrication device for fabricating the article based on the virtual model of the article.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the fabrication device comprises a CNC machine capable of producing physical three-dimensional articles.

Assignees

• Autodesk Inc

Inventors

• Gannon Madeline
• Grossman Tovi
• Fitzmaurice George

Classifications

• G06F3/04815

  Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object · CPC title

• G06T19/20

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title

• G02B2027/0141

  characterised by the informative content of the display · CPC title

• G06T2219/2021

  Shape modification · CPC title

• G06F3/04845

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title