Method for user interaction for data manipulation in a CAE/CAD system

Abstract

A method serves for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system for designing physical parts, the parts being components shaped by a forming process or tools used in a forming process. The method comprises displaying to a user: a graphical user interface (2) with a model display region (3), and a control region (5) for displaying widgets (7) for modifying control parameters controlling operation of the CAE/CAD system,

and, on the basis of user input actions in the control region (5), specifying control parameters (14), modifying the part model.

Each control parameter (15) corresponds to a geometric feature (17) of the graphical model representation (4) that is displayed in the model display region. For each control parameter (15), its corresponding widget (7) and geometric feature (17) are visually marked by visual markers (17, 18) in the same manner, allowing to differentiate them from those of other control parameters (15).

Claims

1. A method for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system for designing physical parts, the parts being components shaped by a forming process, parts assembled in an assembly operation, or tools used in a forming or an assembly process, a part being represented in the CAE/CAD system by a computer-based part model, the method being performed by a processing unit (12) of the CAE/CAD system, the method comprising the steps of: displaying to a user, on a computer display (10), a graphical user interface (2), the graphical user interface (2) comprising a model display region (3) for displaying a graphical model representation (4) of the part model, a control region (5) for displaying widget sets (8) for modifying control parameter sets controlling operation of the CAE/CAD system, on the basis of user input actions in the control region (5), specifying control parameter sets (16), modifying the part model, characterised in that for two or more of the control parameters sets (16) that are modifiable, each control parameter set (16) corresponds to a geometric feature (17) of the graphical model representation (4) that is displayed in the model display region, and in that for each of the two or more control parameter sets (16), its corresponding widget set (8) and its corresponding geometric feature (17) are visually marked by visual markers (17, 18) in the same manner, and in a different manner than widget sets (8) and geometric features (17) corresponding to other control parameter sets (16).

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of, for each of the two or more control parameter sets (16): displaying within the control region (5) and associated with the control parameter set's widget set (8), a control-related visual marker (18), displaying within the model display region (3) and associated with the geometric feature (17) corresponding to the control parameter set (16), a display-related visual marker (19), wherein the control-related marker (18) and the display-related marker (19) share one or more visual properties, distinguishing them from markers (18, 19) associated with other control parameter sets (16).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more control parameter sets (16) have control parameters (15), the control parameters having a composition, and wherein the two or more control parameter sets (16) have the same composition of control parameters (15).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, with each control parameter set (16) comprising N control parameters, N being an integer number larger than or equal to two, it is possible to number the control parameters of each parameter set with the numbers from one to N such that over all control parameter sets (16) the control parameters numbered with the same n are of a same type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein visual properties of visual markers (17, 18) comprise at least one of shape, colour, brightness, pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of displaying a visual marker (17, 18) associated with a widget set (8) or a geometric feature (17) when a mouse event takes place on the widget set (8) or the geometric feature (17).

7. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of modifying a visual property of a widget set (8) or of a control-related visual marker (18) in the control region (5) when a mouse event occurs at its corresponding geometric feature (17).

8. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of modifying a visual property of a geometric feature (17) or of a display-related visual marker (19) in the model display region (3) when a mouse event occurs at its corresponding widget set (8).

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the mouse event is a mouse click event or wherein it is a mouseover event.

10. A data processing system programmed to perform the method according to claim 1.

11. A computer program loadable into an internal memory of a computer, comprising computer program code to make, when loaded and executed in the computer, the computer execute the method according to claim 1.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code encoding a computer program that, when loaded and executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to claim 1.

13. A reproducible computer-readable signal encoding a computer program that, when loaded and executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to claim 1.

14. A method of manufacturing a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising the step of storing, on the computer readable medium, computer-executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method steps of claim 1.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The subject matter of the invention will be explained in more detail in the following text with reference to exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the attached drawings, which schematically show:

[0038] FIG. 1 a graphical user interface;

[0039] FIG. 2 a computer providing the graphical user interface;

[0040] FIG. 3 a first example of visual markers associated with widget sets and corresponding geometric features, in which each widget set comprises two widgets, each for an associated parameter;

[0041] FIG. 4 a second example, in which each widget set comprises a single widget;

[0042] FIG. 5 a third example, in which each widget set comprises multiple widgets.

[0043] In principle, identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] FIG. 1 schematically shows a computer display 10. A graphical user interface 2 of a CAE/CAD system is displayed on the computer display 10. The graphical user interface 2 comprises a model display region 3, on which a graphical representation of computer model of an object being designed is displayed. The graphical user interface 2 further comprises a control region 5 in which widgets 7 defining parameters of the computer model or of operations performed on the computer model are displayed. The widgets 7 can be arranged in containers 6 according to various GUI paradigms. According to certain GUI paradigms, a screen or display area covered by a widget 7 or a set of widgets 8 being displayed can vary. For example, in an accordion container 6 widgets 7 or widget sets 8 are arranged vertically above one another. Each widget 7 or widget set 8 can be expanded or collapsed in the vertical direction, or they can be displayed in the container 6 or removed, depending on the state of the graphical user interface 2. The widgets 7 can implement GUI controls, that is, visual elements which allow the user to enter, change or delete data. Such controls can be input fields, sliders, check boxes, radio buttons, up/down arrows (spinners) and the like. They are not shown in detail in FIG. 1.

[0045] Further, well known, elements of a computer system that can be used to control the computer system and the CAE/CAD system running on it are, in addition to the computer display 10, a processing unit 12, a pointing device 13 and an input device such as a keyboard 14, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0046] As a user interacts with the graphical user interface 2, a typical sequence of interaction can comprise the user selecting an object or feature of an object or element being modelled and the user selecting parameters of the object to be modified, or an operation to be performed on the object. The operation is also controlled by parameters.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a graphical user interface 2 with the structure as presented in FIG. 1, with exemplary widgets 7a, 7b allowing the user to interact with the CAE/CAD system. In the state of the graphical user interface 2 as shown, a surface element 20 running along a side of the part shown by its graphical model representation 4 has been selected. An operation to be performed on the surface element 20 is an extrapolation of the surface element 20 in both directions along the part. At each ending of the surface element 20, a corresponding geometric feature 17a, 17b is modified by this extrapolation. The modification is controlled by first control parameter 15a, being an extension value, specifying a length by which the surface element 20 is extended (“10.00 mm” at one ending, “5.00 mm” at the other ending), and a second control parameter 15b, specifying how a direction in which it is extended is to be determined (“Automatic” at both endings). The first and second control parameter 15a, 15b are entered or modified using a respective first and second widget 7a, 7b. For the first ending and geometric feature 17a, the first and second control parameter 15a, 15b form a first control parameter set 16a, and the corresponding first and second widget 7a, 7b form a first widget set 8a. Likewise, the second ending with second geometric feature 17b corresponds to a second control parameter set 16b and second widget set 8b. The first and second widget set 8a, 8b have the same composition in that they both comprise one widget for a first control parameter 15a and one widget for a second control parameter 15b as described above. Thus, they cannot be distinguished from one another and it is not evident which widget set 8a, 8b is associated with which geometric feature 17a, 17b.

[0048] In order to provide this information, each widget set 8a, 8b is visually associated with a corresponding control-related visual marker 18a, 18b, and each geometric feature 17a, 17b is visually associated with a corresponding display-related visual marker 19a, 19b. A first control-related visual marker 18a and first display-related visual marker 19a share one or more visual properties. A second control-related visual marker 18b and second display-related visual marker 19b share one or more visual properties that differ from those of the first visual markers 18a, 19a. In FIG. 3, this is shown by different hatching of the visual markers. Other visual properties are shape, colour, brightness or other types of patterns than hatching. The correspondence expressed by the shared visual properties is indicated by dashed double arrows (which are not part of the graphical user interface 2).

[0049] The first control parameter set 16a and second control parameter set 16b together form a control parameter group. More generally, the control parameter group comprises the control parameter sets having the same composition (and that would be indistinguishable except for the visual markers).

[0050] FIG. 4 shows a second example, with first through fourth geometric features 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d and corresponding first through fourth control parameter sets 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d. Each control parameter set 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d comprises a single control parameter 15 and corresponding widget sets 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d each comprise a single widget 7. The correspondence between widget sets and geometric features is indicated by respective first through fourth control-related visual markers 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d and first through fourth display-related visual markers 19a, 19b, 19c, 19d.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows a third example, in which each widget set 8a, 8b comprises multiple widgets 7. The widgets 7 control dimensions and flags or binary parameters and display control parameters. A first widget set 8a, labelled “Left Clearance” corresponds to a first geometric feature 17a, as indicated by respective first control-related visual marker 18a and first display-related visual marker 19a, and a second widget set 8b labelled “Right Clearance” has associated visual markers 18b, 19b.

[0052] While the invention has been described in present embodiments, it is distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practised within the scope of the claims.