Method and system for 3-D object modeling

Abstract

3-D views of a 2-D image containing objects are provided by simulation of inter-object volume and intra-object volume. Intra-object volume is simulated by defining a plurality of volumetric slices from the object and assigning relative volume values to each. Multiple views of the object are simulated by displacing each slice in accordance with the defined volumetric effect as part of an animation sequence simulating progressive movement about a focus point of the object.

1 . A method for producing an input image for application from a two dimensional image onto an image surface adapted to present interlaced frames of the input image, comprising: 
 receiving an input image, the image including at least one object;    receiving layer definitions for a plurality of layers for at least one object of the input image, the layer definitions include data for object layers that are copied from the object by defining an area containing coplanar portions of the object;    receiving an indication of the total displacement for the object animation;    determining a relative displacement for each layer from the plurality of layers;    generating a sequence of image frames by progressively offsetting said plurality of layers in accordance with relative layer displacement and a total animation displacement; and    interlacing the animated sequence of frames to a combined image to provide an input interlaced image for application to said image surface.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said progressive offsetting is by horizontally offsetting each layer of the plurality of layers.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a focus point for the object, wherein said progressive offsetting for each layer is dependent on the layer location relative to the focus point.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the focus point is within the object.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said progressive offsetting includes offsetting in two directions.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the animation offsetting is symmetrical about a center axis of the object.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the layer definitions include data for object layers that are copied from the object by defining an area containing coplanar portions and removing a previously defined portion from the currently defined layer.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said progressive offsetting to generate a frame sequence, which includes a total frame number, comprises: 
 selecting a focus point, the focus point associated with a layer from the plurality of layers which remains static when an observation point for the animation is varied;    assigning a relative displacement for each layer in the plurality of layers by reference to the received total displacement for the object, the number of frames in the frame sequence, and the number of layers between the layer and the focus point;    setting the layer displacement to a first extreme orientation by displacing each layer in the reverse to the relative displacement direction and by multiplying the reverse relative displacement by half of the total frame number; and    displacing each layer in accordance with the assigned relative displacement and frame number in the sequence, the displacement of each layer in each frame provided by multiplying the frame number by the relative displacement to arrive at the layer displacement at a second extreme orientation to provide a symmetrical sequence of animation frames for the object.    
   
   
       9 . The Method of  claim 8 , wherein the total number of frames is 20.