Generating graphical depictions of data sets based on mapping paths of graphical objects to data properties

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017228898-A1
Application number	US-201615018105-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2016
Priority date	Feb 8, 2016
Publication date	Aug 10, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Certain embodiments involve generating graphical depictions of data sets based on mapping paths of graphical objects to data properties. In one example, a graphics editing application displays a graphical interface for mapping a vector-based graphic to a data set. The vector-based graphic includes graphical objects defined by connected paths. The graphical interface receives input specifying modifications to visual properties of different graphical objects. For graphical objects mapped to data properties in the data set, the graphics editing application applies constraints to visual property modifications, where the constraints are based on mappings to the data properties in the data set. For graphical objects without mappings to data properties, the graphics editing application applies visual property modifications without these constraints. The graphics editing application updates the graphical interface to include modified versions of the vector-based graphic, with the graphical objects having mappings being modified in accordance with the applied constraints.

First claim

1 . A method for modifying vector-based graphics using path-based mapping between graphical objects and data sets, the method comprising:
displaying, via a graphical interface generated by a processor, a vector-based graphic having a first graphical object defined by a first plurality of connected paths that includes a first path and a second graphical object defined by a second plurality of connected paths that includes a second path; receiving, via the graphical interface, input specifying a first modification to a first visual property of the first graphical object and a second modification to a second visual property of the second graphical object; determining, by the processor, that the first path is mapped to a data property in a data set and that the second path lacks a mapping to any data property in the data set; applying a constraint to the first modification based on determining that the first path is mapped to the data property in the data set; and updating the graphical interface to include a modified version of the vector-based graphic having the first modification with the applied constraint and the second modification without the constraint.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first path comprises a first line or curve segment between a first pair of anchor points and the second path comprises a second line or curve segment between a second pair of anchor points,
wherein determining that the first path is mapped to the data property comprises determining that a value of a first field of a record in the data set is mapped to at least one anchor point of the first pair of anchor points, wherein applying the constraint to the first modification comprises restricting a visual property value of the first visual property to correspond to a value of a second field of the record in the data set.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the vector-based graphic has a third graphical object that includes a third path;
wherein the method further comprises determining that the third path is also mapped to the data property, wherein applying the constraint to the first modification comprises:
determining a relationship between data property values of the data property that are respectively mapped to the first path and the third path, and
restricting visual property values of the first visual property and a third visual property of the third path, respectively, to maintain a relationship between the visual property values that corresponds to the relationship between the data property values.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein restricting the visual property values to maintain the relationship between the visual property values that corresponds to the relationship between the data property values comprises at least one of:
maintaining a relationship between lengths of the first path and the third path that corresponds to the relationship between the data property values; maintaining a relationship between anchor point position of the first path and the third path that corresponds to the relationship between the data property values; maintaining a relationship between curvatures of the first path and the third path that corresponds to the relationship between the data property values; or maintaining a relationship between colors of the first path and the third path that corresponds to the relationship between the data property values.

5 . The method of claim of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving, via the graphical interface and subsequent to updating the graphical interface, additional input specifying an additional modification to one of the first visual property of the first graphical object or the third visual property of the third graphical object; applying the constraint to the additional modification based on determining that the first path and the third path are mapped to the data property in the data set; and updating the graphical interface to include an additional modified version of the vector-based graphic having updated visual property values of the first visual property and the third visual property, respectively, wherein a relationship between the updated visual property values corresponds to the relationship between the data property values.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first graphical object is defined by first anchor points of the connected paths and the vector-based graphic comprises a third graphical object defined by second anchor points, wherein the first visual property is at least partially controlled by first anchor point positions for a first subset of the first anchor points, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, by the processor, that the first subset of anchor points and a second subset of the second anchor points are both mapped to the data property in the data set; and determining, by the processor and based on the first subset of anchor points and the second subset of anchor points being mapped to the data property, a third modification to a third visual property of the third graphical object, wherein the third visual property is at least partially controlled by second anchor point positions for the second subset of anchor points, wherein updating the graphical interface to include the modified version of the vector-based graphic comprises updating the graphical interface to include the determined third modification to the second visual property.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein updating the graphical interface to include the modified version of the vector-based graphic comprises:
modifying, in accordance with the first modification to the first visual property, only a portion of the first graphical object that corresponds to the first subset of anchor points; modifying, in accordance with the third modification to the third visual property, only a portion of the third graphical object that corresponds to the third subset of anchor points; and displaying, via the graphical interface, the modified portion of the first graphical object and the modified portion of the third graphical object.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein updating the graphical interface to include the modified version of the vector-based graphic having the specified first modification to the first visual property and the determined third modification to the third visual property comprises:
determining a relationship between values of the data property in a first record of the data set and a second record of the data set, respectively; and maintaining at least one of:
a relationship between lengths of the first path as defined by the first subset of anchor points and a second path as defined by the second subset of anchor points that corresponds to the relationship between the values of the data property,
a relationship between curvatures of the first path and the second path that corresponds to the relationship between the values of the data property, or
a relationship between colors of the first path and the second path that corresponds to the relationship between the values of the data property.

9 . A system comprising:
a processing device; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the processing device,
wherein the processing device is configured for performing operations comprising:
displaying, via a graphical interface generated, a vector-based graphic having a first graphical object defined by a first plurality of connected paths that includes a first path and a second graphical object defined by a second plurality of connected paths that includes a second path,
receiving, via the graphical interface, input specifying a first modification to a first visual property of the first graphical object and a second modification to

Assignees

• Adobe Systems Inc

Inventors

• Liu Zhicheng
• Wilson Alan Grant

Classifications

• G06T11/26 Primary

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G06T11/206 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F3/04845

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

• G06T11/60

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title