Recursive and anisotropic method and article of manufacture for generating a balanced computer representation of an object

Claim 1

An information handling system, comprising: one or more processing units; a memory system; one or more I/O controllers for controlling one or more I/O devices; a system bus connecting the processors, the memory system and the I/O controllers; an operating system control means for controlling operation of the processors, the memory system, and the I/O controllers; one or more means for generating a computer representation of a three-dimensional object; means for recursive and anisotropic division of the computer representation to yield resulting subdivisions; means for generating a data structure for each subdivision of the computer representation, wherein said data structure is efficiently stored in said memory system and contains information linking the subdivision to its succeeding and neighboring subdivisions; means for updating said data structure information after each of said divisions of said computer representation in order that balancing is continuously and dynamically achieved; and a display device connected to one or more I/O controllers for displaying a user interface of the computer representation and the resulting subdivisions.

Claim 6

A method for recursively and anisotropically describing a computer representation of a three-dimensional object displayed in an information handling system by a tree data structure in accordance with a programmed set of criteria, comprising the steps of: first, reading the computer representation from a memory system; second, setting a bounding box around the computer representation thereby making a starting quad of the tree data structure; third, subdividing the bounding box into two equal resulting sub-boxes by dividing the bounding box in either the x-direction, the y-direction, or the z-direction, in accordance with the programmed set of criteria, thereby making a first level of said tree data structure having a root node corresponding to the starting quad and having two branches each with two leaves corresponding to each of said two equal resulting sub-boxes; fourth updating said tree data structure information in order that balancing of said tree data structure is continuously and dynamically achieved; fifth, recursively and equally subdividing a resulting sub-box into further resulting sub-boxes by dividing the resulting sub-box in either the x-direction, the y-direction, or the z-direction, in accordance with the programmed set of criteria; and sixth, determining whether the programmed set of criteria have been met and, if not, repeating said fourth, fifth and sixth steps, and if so, ending the subdivision process.

Claim 7

A method for recursively and anisotropically describing a computer representation of a three-dimensional object displayed in an information handling system by a tree data structure in accordance with a programmed set of criteria, comprising the steps of: first, reading the computer representation from a memory system; second, setting a bounding box around the computer representation thereby making a starting quad of the tree data structure; third, subdividing the bounding box into two equal resulting sub-boxes by dividing the bounding box in either the x-direction, the y-direction, or the z-direction, in accordance with the programmed set of criteria, thereby making a first level of said tree data structure having a root node corresponding to the starting quad and having two branches each with two leaves corresponding to each of said two equal resulting sub-boxes; fourth updating said tree data structure information in order that balancing of said tree data structure is continuously and dynamically achieved; fifth, recursively and equally subdividing a resulting sub-box into further resulting sub-boxes by dividing the resulting sub-box in either the x-direction, the y-direction, or the z-direction, in accordance with the programmed set of criteria; and sixth, determining whether the programmed set of criteria have been met and, if not, repeating said fourth, fifth and sixth steps, and if so, ending the subdivision process.

Claim 14

A method for recursively and anisotropically describing a computer representation of a three-dimensional object displayed in an information handling system, the method comprising the steps of: generating the computer representation of the three-dimensional object; recursively and anisotropically dividing the computer representation to yield resulting subdivisions; generating a data structure for each subdivision of the computer representation, wherein said data structure is efficiently stored in a memory subsystem and contains information linking the subdivision to its succeeding and neighboring subdivisions; and updating said data structure after each of said divisions of said computer representation in order that balancing is continuously and dynamically achieved.

Claim 15

A method for recursively and anisotropically describing a computer representation of a three-dimensional object displayed in an information handling system, the method comprising the steps of: generating the computer representation of the three-dimensional object; recursively and anisotropically dividing the computer representation to yield resulting subdivisions; generating a data structure for each subdivision of the computer representation, wherein said data structure is efficiently stored in a memory subsystem and contains information linking the subdivision to its succeeding and neighboring subdivisions; and updating said data structure after each of said divisions of said computer representation in order that balancing is continuously and dynamically achieved.