Drawing support program, drawing support device, and drawing support method

Abstract

An operation receiving unit (111) receives a selection operation for selecting multiple parts displayed on the screen. A selection order determination unit (112) determines a selection order of the multiple parts based on the selection operation received by the operation receiving unit (111) and the positional relationship of the multiple parts on the screen. A parent-child relationship setting unit (113) sets a parent-child relationship for the multiple parts, with an earlier part in the selection order being a parent part and a later part in the selection order being a child part.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a drawing support program, a drawing support device, and a drawing support method. [Background technology]

[0002] One known technique for supporting drawing is to set a parent-child relationship between multiple parts displayed on a screen. Among multiple parts with a parent-child relationship set, the settings of the parent part can be passed on to the child part, making it easier to operate the parts. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for setting a parent-child relationship between shapes displayed on a screen in an application for creating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3402350 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned technology, there is a demand for making it easier to set parent-child relationships for multiple components, thereby reducing the effort required for setting multiple components.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a drawing support program etc. that can reduce the effort required to set multiple parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the drawing support program according to the present disclosure includes: an operation receiving means for receiving a selection operation for selecting a plurality of parts displayed on the screen; a selection order determination means for determining a selection order of the plurality of parts based on the selection operation received by the operation reception means and a positional relationship of the plurality of parts on the screen; The selection unit functions as a parent-child relationship setting unit that sets a parent-child relationship between the plurality of parts, with the part selected earlier being a parent part and the part selected later being a child part. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the present disclosure, a selection order of multiple parts displayed on a screen is determined based on a selection operation for selecting multiple parts and the positional relationship of the multiple parts on the screen, and a parent-child relationship is set for the multiple parts such that a part selected earlier in the selection order is a parent part and a part selected later in the selection order is a child part. Therefore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the effort required for setting multiple parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a drawing support device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of parts displayed in the drawing support device according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows a first example of a selection operation for drawing a linear trajectory input to the drawing support device according to the first embodiment, and a parent-child relationship set by the selection operation; [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second example of a selection operation for drawing a linear trajectory input to the drawing support device according to the first embodiment, and a parent-child relationship set by the selection operation; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 shows a first example of a selection operation for drawing a rectangular area input to the drawing support device according to the first embodiment, and a parent-child relationship set by the selection operation; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 shows a second example of a selection operation for drawing a rectangular area input to the drawing support device according to the first embodiment, and a parent-child relationship set by the selection operation; [Figure 7]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a parent-child relationship that is set by a selection operation that draws a linear trajectory in a case where the shapes of a plurality of parts displayed on the drawing support device according to the first embodiment are other than rectangular; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of selection order information generated in the drawing support device according to the first embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of parent-child relationship information generated in the drawing support device according to the first embodiment; [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which settings are applied to a plurality of parts for which a parent-child relationship is set in the drawing support device according to the first embodiment; [Figure 11] A flowchart showing the flow of a parent-child relationship setting process executed by the drawing support device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of a setting application process executed by the drawing support device according to the first embodiment; [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a parent-child relationship set in the drawing support device according to the second embodiment; [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changing a side for which a parent-child relationship is set in the drawing support device according to the third embodiment; [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changing a part for which a parent-child relationship is set in the drawing support device according to the fourth embodiment; [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of changing a part for which a parent-child relationship is set in the drawing support device according to the fifth embodiment; [Figure 17] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example in which a parent-child relationship set between parts is reversed in the drawing support device according to the sixth embodiment; [Figure 18] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of parent-child relationship information generated in the drawing support device according to the sixth embodiment; [Figure 19] A flowchart showing the flow of a setting application process executed by a drawing support device according to a sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) 1 shows a configuration of a drawing support device 10 according to embodiment 1. The drawing support device 10 is a device in which drawing software is installed, and has a function of supporting a user's operations related to drawing.

[0011] Here, the drawing software is screen design software for an HMI (Human Machine Interface) that is used to design the appearance and internal behavior of a screen in the HMI. The drawing software is GUI application software that has a function of arranging and editing multiple parts arranged on a screen. As an example, the drawing software is software for drawing a display screen that is displayed on a programmable display device that displays the status of devices such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) and a sensor and accepts operations for the devices.

[0012] The drawing support device 10 is a terminal device operated by a user. The drawing support device 10 may be any device, such as a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, etc., as long as it is a terminal device that can be operated by a user. As shown in FIG. 1, the drawing support device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation unit 13, a display unit 14, and a communication unit 15.

[0013] The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU is also called a central processing unit, central arithmetic unit, processor, microprocessor, microcomputer, etc., and functions as a processing unit that executes processes and calculations related to the control of the drawing support device 10. In the control unit 11, the CPU reads out and operates programs and data stored in the storage unit 12, and performs overall control of the drawing support device 10.

[0014] The storage unit 12 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 12 stores programs and data used by the control unit 11 to perform various processes. The storage unit 12 also stores data generated or acquired by the control unit 11 performing various processes. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores selection order information 121 and parent-child relationship information 122.

[0015] The operation unit 13 includes input devices such as a touch panel, a touch pad, a keyboard, a mouse, and physical buttons, and receives operation input from a user. The user can input various instructions to the drawing support device 10 by operating the operation unit 13.

[0016] The display unit 14 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel, etc. The display unit 14 is driven by a display drive circuit (not shown) to display various images.

[0017] The communication unit 15 includes a communication interface for communicating with devices external to the drawing support device 10. For example, the communication unit 15 communicates with devices external to the drawing support device 10 in accordance with well-known communication standards such as LAN (Local Area Network) and USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0018] The control unit 11 functionally comprises an operation receiving unit 111 which is an example of an operation receiving means, a selection order determination unit 112 which is an example of a selection order determination means, a parent-child relationship setting unit 113 which is an example of a parent-child relationship setting means, and a setting application unit 114 which is an example of a setting application means.

[0019] Each of these functions is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in the storage unit 12. The control unit 11 then executes the programs stored in the storage unit 12 to realize each function.

[0020] <Accepting selection operations> The operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for selecting a plurality of parts displayed on the screen. Here, a part is an element included as an image on the display screen. More specifically, a part corresponds to a GUI component, a figure, etc. used for operating the HMI. Examples of parts include a desk arranged in a room, a concrete object such as a part constituting a product, a switch, a meter, etc., a specific function, and text, a figure, etc.

[0021] 2 shows, as an example, a case where five parts A to E are displayed on the screen of the display unit 14. The user operates the operation unit 13 to input a selection operation for selecting a plurality of parts to be grouped from among the five parts A to E displayed on the screen in this manner. The operation receiving unit 111 receives an operation for selecting a plurality of parts from among the five parts A to E displayed on the screen in accordance with the selection operation input by the user.

[0022] 2, for ease of understanding, each of the parts A to E has a rectangular shape of the same size. However, each of the multiple parts displayed on the screen is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may have other shapes including other polygonal shapes, circles, ellipses, etc., and may have different sizes.

[0023] In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for selecting three parts A to C from the five parts A to E shown in Fig. 2. The operation receiving unit 111 can receive the selection operation by two selection methods: (1) a method of inputting a linear trajectory at a position on the screen that crosses multiple parts, and (2) a method of inputting a rectangular area at a position on the screen that overlaps multiple parts.

[0024] (1) As a first selection method, the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation of inputting a linear trajectory at a position on the screen that crosses a plurality of components. Here, the linear trajectory is a linear trajectory drawn by the user on the screen, and may be a straight trajectory or a curved trajectory.

[0025] The user operates the operation unit 13 to input a selection operation that draws a straight or curved linear trajectory on the screen so that at least a portion of the trajectory overlaps with the multiple parts to be selected. Specifically, the user moves a finger, a touch pen, or the like on the touch panel, or drags a mouse, a tracker, or the like, so as to trace the multiple parts to be selected. The operation acceptance unit 111 accepts the selection operation thus input.

[0026] For example, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 3, when a user inputs a selection operation to draw a linear trajectory L1 at a position that crosses three parts A to C among five parts A to E, the three parts A to C are selected. The linear trajectory L1 runs from the start point above part A to the end point below part C, crossing part A from its upper side to its lower side, crossing part B from its upper side to its left side, and crossing part C from its upper side to its right side.

[0027] 4, when the user inputs a selection operation to draw a linear trajectory L2 at a position that crosses three of the five parts A to E, namely, part C, part B, and part D, the three parts B to D are selected. The linear trajectory L2 runs from the starting point below part C to the end point on the right side of part D, crossing part C from its lower side to its upper side, crossing part B from its lower side to its upper side, and crossing part D from its left side to its right side.

[0028] In this way, the user inputs a linear locus on the screen that crosses multiple parts to be selected. By selecting parts in this way, multiple parts can be selected intuitively with fewer operations.

[0029] (2) As a second selection method, the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation of inputting a rectangular area at a position overlapping with a plurality of components on the screen. Here, the rectangular area is a rectangular area created by the user on the screen.

[0030] The user operates the operation unit 13 to input a selection operation of drawing a two-dimensional area on the screen so that at least a part of the area overlaps with the multiple components to be selected. Specifically, the user moves a finger, a touch pen, or the like on the touch panel from a start point to an end point so as to cover the multiple components to be selected, or drags a cursor displayed on the screen. The operation acceptance unit 111 accepts the selection operation thus input.

[0031] For example, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 5, when a user inputs a selection operation to draw a rectangular region R1 at a position overlapping three parts A to C among five parts A to E, the three parts A to C are selected. The rectangular region R1 covers the range from the start point at the upper left of part A to the end point at the lower right of part C, with the start point and end point being opposite vertices.

[0032] 6, when the user inputs a selection operation to draw a rectangular region R2 at a position overlapping three of the five parts A to E, namely, part B, part C, and part E, the three parts B, C, and E are selected. The rectangular region R2 covers the range from the start point at the upper left of part B to the end point at the lower right of part E, with the start point and end point being opposite vertices.

[0033] In this way, the user inputs a rectangular area on the screen so that it overlaps with multiple components to be selected. By selecting components in this way, multiple components can be selected intuitively with fewer operations.

[0034] <Determining the order of parts selection> 1, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the multiple selected parts based on the selection operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 111 and the positional relationship of the multiple selected parts on the screen. Specifically, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the multiple parts based on the selection method of the multiple parts in the accepted selection operation and the positional relationship of the multiple parts on the screen.

[0035] (1) When the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for inputting a linear trajectory, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the parts, starting with the parts that are crossed by the linear trajectory, among the multiple selected parts.

[0036] For example, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input the linear trajectory L1 shown in the upper part of Fig. 3, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the order of parts to be selected as part A, part B, and part C, which is the order in which the linear trajectory L1 crosses. The selection order of parts determined in this manner is indicated by numbers enclosed in squares in the lower part of Fig. 3.

[0037] Alternatively, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input the linear trajectory L2 shown in the upper part of Fig. 4, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the order of parts C, part B, and part D, which is the order in which the linear trajectory L2 crosses, as the selection order of parts. The selection order of parts determined in this manner is indicated by numbers enclosed in squares in the lower part of Fig. 4.

[0038] In this way, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of a plurality of parts that are present at positions that overlap with the linear trajectory in the order that the linear trajectory input as the selection operation crosses them.

[0039] (2) When the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for inputting a rectangular area, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the parts from among the multiple selected parts, starting with the part closest to the start point of the rectangular area.

[0040] More specifically, when a rectangular area has a vertically long shape, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of parts in ascending order of the part having the smallest absolute value of the difference in vertical coordinate from the start point of the rectangular area. When multiple parts with the same vertical coordinate exist within a rectangular area, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the part having the smallest absolute value of the difference in horizontal coordinate from the start point of the rectangular area, among the multiple parts, to be earlier. Furthermore, when multiple parts with the same vertical coordinate and horizontal coordinate exist within a rectangular area, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the part present at the back, among the multiple parts, to be earlier.

[0041] On the other hand, when the rectangular area is long in the horizontal direction, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the parts in ascending order of the part whose absolute value of the difference in the horizontal coordinate from the start point of the rectangular area is smallest. When there are multiple parts with the same horizontal coordinate within the rectangular area, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the part whose absolute value of the difference in the vertical coordinate from the start point of the rectangular area is smallest, among the multiple parts. Furthermore, when there are multiple parts with the same vertical coordinate and horizontal coordinate within the rectangular area, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the part present at the back, among the multiple parts, to be earliest.

[0042] For example, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input the vertically long rectangular area R1 shown in the upper part of Fig. 5, the selection order determination unit 112 determines, as the selection order of parts, the order of parts A, B, and C, which are closest to the start point of rectangular area R1 in a comparison of their vertical coordinates. The selection order of parts determined in this way is shown by numbers enclosed in squares in the lower part of Fig. 5.

[0043] Alternatively, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input the horizontally long rectangular area R2 shown in the upper part of Fig. 6, the selection order determination unit 112 determines, as the selection order of parts, the order of parts C, B, and E, which are closest to the start point of rectangular area R1 in a comparison of their horizontal coordinates. The selection order of parts determined in this manner is shown by numbers enclosed in squares in the lower part of Fig. 6.

[0044] In this way, selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of multiple parts that overlap a rectangular area, based on the positions of the start and end points of the rectangular area input as a selection operation and the aspect ratio of the rectangular area.

[0045] <Determining the order of edge selection> In addition to determining the selection order of the parts in this way, the selection order determination unit 112 further determines the selection order of the sides of the multiple parts whose selection orders have been determined. The selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the sides from among the four sides of a rectangle circumscribing each of the parts whose selection orders have been determined, in accordance with a predetermined criterion.

[0046] (1) When the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for inputting a linear trajectory, the selection order determination unit 112 first determines the order of one side of a rectangle circumscribing the first part in the selection order among the multiple selected parts, which last intersects with the linear trajectory. Next, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the order of two sides of a circumscribing rectangle, which first and last intersect with the linear trajectory, for each of at least one part other than the first and last parts in the selection order among the multiple selected parts, starting from second. Furthermore, the selection order determination unit 112 finally determines the order of one side of a rectangle circumscribing the last part in the selection order, which first intersects with the linear trajectory.

[0047] For example, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input the linear trajectory L1 shown in the upper part of Fig. 3, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the order of edge selection to be the bottom edge of part A, the top edge of part B, the left edge of part B, and the top edge of part C. The edge selection order determined in this manner is indicated by circled numbers in the lower part of Fig. 3.

[0048] Alternatively, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input the linear trajectory L2 shown in the upper part of Fig. 4, the selection order determination unit 112 determines, as the order of edge selection, the top edge of part C, the bottom edge of part B, the top edge of part B, and the left edge of part D. The edge selection order determined in this manner is indicated by circled numbers in the lower part of Fig. 4.

[0049] (2) When the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for inputting a rectangular area, the selection order determination unit 112 selects, for each pair of two parts that are consecutively selected from among the multiple selected parts, a pair of one side of a rectangle circumscribing the earlier selected part and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the later selected part, in which the distance between the sides is the shortest. Then, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the two sides of the pair selected from each pair of two parts that are consecutively selected, in the order of the side of the earlier selected part and the side of the later selected part.

[0050] Here, the distance between the sides is, for example, the Euclidean distance between the midpoint of one side and the midpoint of the other side. When there are a plurality of pairs with equal distances, the selection order determination unit 112 selects one of the plurality of pairs with equal distances according to a predetermined rule. Specifically, when the rectangular area has a vertically long shape, the selection order determination unit 112 selects a pair with a small absolute value of the difference in vertical coordinates between the midpoint of the side of the component with the earlier selection order and the start point of the rectangular area from among the plurality of pairs with equal distances. When there are still a plurality of pairs with equal distances, the selection order determination unit 112 selects a pair with a small absolute value of the difference in horizontal coordinates between the midpoint of the side of the component with the earlier selection order and the start point of the rectangular area from among the plurality of pairs. On the other hand, when the rectangular area has a horizontally long shape, the selection order determination unit 112 selects a pair with a small absolute value of the difference in horizontal coordinates between the midpoint of the side of the component with the earlier selection order and the start point of the rectangular area from among the plurality of pairs with equal distances. If there are still multiple pairs with the same distance, the selection order determination unit 112 selects from among the multiple pairs the pair with the smallest absolute value of the difference in vertical coordinate between the midpoint of the side of the component selected earlier and the start point of the rectangular area.

[0051] For example, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input the rectangular area R1 shown in the upper part of Fig. 5, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the order of edge selection to be the bottom edge of part A, the top edge of part B, the bottom edge of part B, and the top edge of part C. The edge selection order determined in this manner is indicated by circled numbers in the lower part of Fig. 5.

[0052] Alternatively, when the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation to input rectangular area R2 shown in the upper part of Fig. 6, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the order of edge selection to be the top edge of component C, the bottom edge of component B, the right edge of component B, and the left edge of component E. The edge selection order determined in this manner is indicated by circled numbers in the lower part of Fig. 6.

[0053] In addition, when the shape of the part is rectangular as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 6, the rectangle circumscribing the part coincides with the sides forming the periphery of the part. Therefore, expressions such as "lower side of part A" and "upper side of part B" in the above and following descriptions have the same meaning as "lower side of the rectangle circumscribing part A" and "upper side of the rectangle circumscribing part B". In contrast, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, the shape of multiple parts displayed on the screen may be other than rectangular. When the shape of a part is other than rectangular, the rectangle circumscribing the part is located outside the periphery of the part as shown by the dashed line in the lower part of FIG. 7. In this case, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the sides of the virtual rectangle located outside the periphery of such a part.

[0054] In the following, for ease of understanding, it is assumed that the shape of the part is rectangular. Therefore, expressions such as "side of the part" may be rephrased as "side of a quadrangle circumscribing the part." Furthermore, for parts other than rectangular shapes, the same explanation can be given by rephrasing expressions such as "side of the part" as "side of a quadrangle circumscribing the part."

[0055] When the selection order of the parts and edges is determined in this manner, the selection order determination unit 112 stores the determined selection order in selection order information 121. The selection order information 121 is data that temporarily holds the selection order determined by the selection order determination unit 112.

[0056] 8, the selection order information 121 determines the selection order of parts and the selection order of edges. As an example, the selection order information 121 holds the selection order of parts in the order of part A, part B, and part C, and holds the selection order of edges in the order of the bottom edge of part A, the top edge of part B, the left edge of part B, and the top edge of part C.

[0057] <Part parent-child relationship settings> Returning to FIG. 1, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship between the selected multiple parts based on the selection order determined by selection order determination unit 112. Here, the parent-child relationship means a subordinate relationship set between multiple parts. In general grouping, the relationships between multiple parts are equal, but in a parent-child relationship, a subordinate relationship is set between multiple parts. By setting a parent-child relationship between multiple parts, advanced part operations can be performed, such as automatically changing the settings of a child part in response to a change in the settings of a parent part.

[0058] More specifically, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship for the multiple selected parts, with the part selected earlier as the parent part and the part selected later as the child part. At this time, if the multiple selected parts are only two parts, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship for a combination of the two selected parts, with the part selected earlier as the parent part and the part selected later as the child part. On the other hand, if the multiple selected parts are at least three parts, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship for each of a multiple combinations, each of which is a combination of two parts of which the selection order determined by the selection order determination unit 112 is consecutive among the at least three selected parts, with the part selected earlier as the parent part and the part selected later as the child part.

[0059] 3, 5, and 7, when the selection order determined by selection order determination unit 112 is part A, part B, and part C in that order, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 first sets a parent-child relationship for the combination of parts A and B, with part A being the parent part and part B being the child part. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 secondly sets a parent-child relationship for the combination of parts B and C, with part B being the parent part and part C being the child part.

[0060] 4, when the selection order determined by selection order determination unit 112 is part C, part B, and part D, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 first sets a parent-child relationship for the combination of parts C and B, with part C as the parent part and part B as the child part. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 secondly sets a parent-child relationship for the combination of parts B and D, with part B as the parent part and part D as the child part.

[0061] 6, when the selection order determined by selection order determination unit 112 is part C, part B, and part E, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 first sets a parent-child relationship for the combination of parts C and B, with part C as the parent part and part B as the child part. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 secondly sets a parent-child relationship for the combination of parts B and E, with part B as the parent part and part E as the child part.

[0062] <Setting parent-child relationships of edges> In addition to such parent-child relationships of components, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 further sets parent-child relationships of sides. Here, the parent-child relationship of sides corresponds to a corresponding relationship between the sides in the arrangement of two components for which a parent-child relationship has been set. When a parent-child relationship is set between one side of a parent component and one side of a child component, the parent component and the child component are arranged in the layout of a plurality of components including them so that the sides for which a parent-child relationship has been set face each other or so that the sides for which a parent-child relationship has been set are connected to each other.

[0063] For example, if each part represents a desk to be placed in a room, the parts with parent-child relationships are arranged so that the sides with parent-child relationships face each other. Alternatively, if each part represents an individual part for assembling a product, the parts with parent-child relationships are combined so that the sides with parent-child relationships are connected.

[0064] For each of the multiple combinations for which a parent-child relationship has been set, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship between one side of a rectangle circumscribing the parent component and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the child component. More specifically, based on the selection order of the edges determined by the selection order determination unit 112, for a combination of two edges in which the selection order is continuous and the edge selected earlier is on the parent component side and the edge selected later is on the child component side, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship in which the edge selected earlier is the parent and the edge selected later is the child.

[0065] (1) When the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for inputting a linear trajectory, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship between one side of a rectangle circumscribing the parent part that last intersects with the linear trajectory and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the child part that first intersects with the linear trajectory, for each combination of two parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set.

[0066] 3, when the selection order of the edges determined by selection order determination unit 112 is the bottom edge of part A, the top edge of part B, the left edge of part B, and the top edge of part C, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 first sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the bottom edge of part A as the parent and the top edge of part B as the child. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 secondly sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the left edge of part B as the parent and the top edge of part C as the child.

[0067] 4, when the selection order of the edges determined by selection order determination unit 112 is the top edge of part C, the bottom edge of part B, the top edge of part B, and the left edge of part D, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 first sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the top edge of part C as the parent and the bottom edge of part B as the child. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 secondly sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the top edge of part B as the parent and the left edge of part D as the child.

[0068] (2) When the operation receiving unit 111 receives a selection operation for inputting a rectangular area, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship for each combination of two parts for which a parent-child relationship is set, for the combination of one side of a rectangle circumscribing the parent part and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the child part, in which the distance between the sides is the shortest.

[0069] 5, when the selection order of the edges determined by selection order determination unit 112 is the bottom edge of part A, the top edge of part B, the bottom edge of part B, and the top edge of part C, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 first sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the bottom edge of part A as the parent and the top edge of part B as the child. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 secondly sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the bottom edge of part B as the parent and the top edge of part C as the child.

[0070] 6, when the selection order of the edges determined by selection order determination unit 112 is the top edge of part C, the bottom edge of part B, the right edge of part B, and the left edge of part E, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 first sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the top edge of part C as the parent and the bottom edge of part B as the child. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 secondly sets a parent-child relationship of the edges with the right edge of part B as the parent and the left edge of part E as the child.

[0071] In the lower rows of Figs. 3 to 7, the parent-child relationship that is set when multiple parts are selected as in the upper rows of Figs. 3 to 7 is indicated by an arrow pointing from the parent part to the child part. In this way, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 displays an arrow pointing from the parent part to the child part on the screen as a symbol indicating the parent-child relationship of the parts. At this time, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 displays the arrow pointing from the parent part to the child part so as to connect the midpoints of the pair of sides for which the parent-child relationship is set. In addition, the arrow is an example of a symbol indicating a parent-child relationship, and a symbol other than an arrow may be used to indicate the parent-child relationship.

[0072] In this way, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 executes the process of setting a parent-child relationship for two parts that are consecutive in the selection order for each pair of two parts that are consecutive in the selection order and are included in the three or more parts selected by the selection operation. Furthermore, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 also sets a parent-child relationship for the edges of the parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set. The group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 will be referred to as "parent-child relationship set parts" below.

[0073] After setting the parent-child relationships between the parts and the edges in this manner, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 stores information indicating the set parent-child relationships in parent-child relationship information 122. The parent-child relationship information 122 is data that holds the parent-child relationships set between the parts and the edges by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113.

[0074] In order to facilitate changing the settings for each component with a parent-child relationship, the parent-child relationship information 122 is not held separately for each component, but is held collectively in the parent-child relationship setting component. The settings held in the parent-child relationship information 122 are applied recursively from the parent component to the child components.

[0075] 9, parent-child relationship information 122 has each piece of information, such as a parts list, a root part, an edge list, and a setting list. The parts list has information on a plurality of parts held in selection order information 121 in the same selection order as selection order information 121. The edge list has information on a plurality of edges held in selection order information 121 in the same selection order as selection order information 121. In this way, parent-child relationship information 122 holds references to parts and edges for which parent-child relationships are set, according to the selection order determined by selection order determination unit 112.

[0076] A root part is a part that does not have a parent part among multiple parts for which a parent-child relationship is established, and corresponds to the highest-ranking part in the parent-child relationship. For example, if the selection order of parts determined by selection order determination unit 112 is part A, part B, and part C, the root part is part A. Parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets the highest-ranking part among multiple parts for which a parent-child relationship is established as the root part.

[0077] The setting list defines settings that are applied recursively to components that have a parent-child relationship. Specifically, the setting list holds information on settings, setting values, and forward offsets.

[0078] The settings are information related to the placement, alignment, and attributes of parts. Here, the placement of parts is, for example, the X coordinate, Y coordinate, etc. of the parts on the screen. The alignment of parts is, for example, the width of the parts on the screen, the height of the parts, the spacing between adjacent parts, etc. The attributes of parts are, for example, the fill color of the parts, the line width of the parts, a character string related to the parts, a memory address, etc. The placement, alignment, and attributes of parts are collectively referred to as "settings." In the example of FIG. 9, the setting list holds information on the fill color of the parts and the Y coordinate of the parts as settings.

[0079] The setting value is a specific value when applying a setting to a root part. The forward offset is a value added to the setting value of a parent part to derive a setting value of a child part. The forward offset is used to align multiple parts at a certain interval or to set consecutive values ​​for multiple parts. In the example of FIG. 9, the setting list holds RGB (Red, Green, Blue) brightness values ​​as the forward offset of the fill color, and holds a value equivalent to the difference in Y coordinate between the parent part and the child part as the forward offset of the Y coordinate. The user can input the setting value and forward offset of each setting in the setting list by operating the operation unit 13.

[0080] <Apply settings> The setting application unit 114 applies settings based on the settings of the parent component to the settings of the child components for each of the multiple combinations for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113. The user operates the operation unit 13 to input an operation to apply the settings from the operation screen of the parent-child relationship information 122. In response to this operation, the setting application unit 114 recursively applies the settings defined in the setting list of the parent-child relationship information 122 to the group of components for which a parent-child relationship has been set.

[0081] Specifically, the setting application unit 114 sets the setting value of the child part to a value obtained by adding an offset to the setting value of the parent part for each of a plurality of combinations in which a parent-child relationship is established. First, the setting application unit 114 applies the setting value of each setting defined in the setting list to the root part. Second, the setting application unit 114 applies a value obtained by adding a forward offset to the setting value of each setting applied to the root part to a child part having the root part as a parent. Third, the setting application unit 114 applies a value obtained by further adding a forward offset to the setting value of each setting to a child part having the above child part to which the setting is applied as a parent. By repeating such processing, the setting application unit 114 recursively applies the setting to each combination of two parts in which a parent-child relationship is established.

[0082] Specifically, referring to Fig. 10, an example will be shown in which settings are applied to a plurality of parts by the setting application unit 114. In a state in which settings are made independently for parts A to C in which a parent-child relationship is set as shown in the upper part of Fig. 10, when the setting application unit 114 applies the settings in the setting list shown in Fig. 9, the settings are applied to parts A to C as shown in the lower part of Fig. 10.

[0083] Specifically, the setting application unit 114 sets the fill color of part A, which is the root part, to blue, and sets the Y coordinate of part A to 10. Next, in accordance with the setting that there is no forward offset for the fill color and the forward offset for the Y coordinate is 30, the setting application unit 114 sets the fill color of part B, which is a child of part A, to blue, and sets the Y coordinate of part B to 40, which is the Y coordinate of part A plus 30. Furthermore, the setting application unit 114 sets the fill color of part C, which is a child of part B, to blue, and sets the Y coordinate of part C to 70, which is the Y coordinate of part B plus 30. This makes it possible to change the settings of multiple parts in accordance with a certain rule with fewer steps.

[0084] Next, a flow of drawing support processing executed in the drawing support device 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. The parent-child relationship information processing shown in Fig. 11 and the setting application processing shown in Fig. 12 are examples of a drawing support method.

[0085] The parent-child relationship setting process shown in FIG. 11 is started when the user starts up drawing software pre-installed in the drawing support device 10 and causes a plurality of parts to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 14.

[0086] When the parent-child relationship setting process is started, the control unit 11 functions as the operation receiving unit 111 and receives a selection operation for selecting a plurality of parts to be selected from among a plurality of parts displayed on the screen (step S1). Specifically, the control unit 11 receives a selection operation for inputting linear trajectories L1, L2 at positions intersecting the plurality of parts to be selected as a first selection method, as shown in Fig. 3, Fig. 4, or Fig. 7. Alternatively, the control unit 11 receives a selection operation for inputting rectangular regions R1, R2 at positions overlapping the plurality of parts to be selected as shown in Fig. 5 or Fig. 6 as a second selection method.

[0087] When the selection operation is accepted, the control unit 11 functions as a selection order determination unit 112 and determines the selection order of the selected parts (step S2). Specifically, the control unit 11 determines the selection order of the selected parts in the order in which the input linear trajectory crosses, or based on the start point and aspect ratio of the input rectangular area.

[0088] After determining the selection order of the parts, the control unit 11 determines the selection order of the sides (step S3). Specifically, the control unit 11 determines the selection order of the sides from among the four sides of a quadrangle circumscribing each of the parts whose selection order has been determined, in accordance with a predetermined criterion.

[0089] When the selection order of the parts and edges is determined, the control unit 11 updates the selection order information 121 (step S4). To be more specific, the control unit 11 stores the determined selection order of the parts and edges in the selection order information 121.

[0090] After updating selection order information 121, control unit 11 functions as parent-child relationship setting unit 113 and sets the parent-child relationships of parts (step S5). Specifically, control unit 11 sets a parent-child relationship for each combination of two parts whose selection order is consecutive as determined in step S2 among the multiple parts selected in step S1, with the part selected earlier as the parent part and the part selected later as the child part.

[0091] After setting the parent-child relationship of the parts, the control unit 11 sets the parent-child relationship of the sides (step S6). Specifically, for each combination of two parts for which the parent-child relationship has been set, the control unit 11 sets a parent-child relationship in which one side of a rectangle circumscribing the parent part is set as the parent, and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the child part is set as the child.

[0092] When the parent-child relationships of the parts and edges are set, the control unit 11 updates the parent-child relationship information 122 (step S7). More specifically, the control unit 11 updates the parts list, edge list, and information of the root part in the parent-child relationship information 122 based on the set parent-child relationships of the parts and edges.

[0093] After updating the parent-child relationship information 122, the control unit 11 releases the selection order of the parts and edges from the memory (step S8). With the above, the parent-child relationship setting process shown in FIG.

[0094] The setting application process shown in Fig. 12 is started when an operation to apply the settings in the setting list to a plurality of components for which parent-child relationships have been set by the parent-child relationship setting process shown in Fig. 11 is input. In the setting application process shown in Fig. 12, the control unit 11 functions as a setting application unit 114.

[0095] When the setting application process starts, the control unit 11 acquires one setting from the setting list in the parent-child relationship information 122 (step S11). In the example of the parent-child relationship information 122 shown in Fig. 9, the control unit 11 acquires one setting from among the fill color, Y coordinate, etc., defined in the setting list.

[0096] When one setting is acquired, the control unit 11 applies the setting value of the acquired setting to the root part (step S12). In the example of Fig. 9, when a fill color setting is acquired, the control unit 11 sets the fill color of the part A, which is the root part, to the setting value "blue".

[0097] When the setting value is applied to the root part, the control unit 11 adds a forward offset defined in the acquired setting to the setting value applied to the root part (step S13).

[0098] When the forward offset is added to the setting value, the control unit 11 applies the setting value after the forward offset has been added to the next part in the forward direction in the parts list (step S14). In the example of Fig. 9, parts B and C exist in the forward direction of part A, which is the root part. Therefore, the control unit 11 applies the setting value after the forward offset has been added to part B, which is the next part after the root part.

[0099] Next, the control unit 11 judges whether or not there are further parts in the forward direction in the parts list (step S15). If there are further parts in the forward direction (step S15; YES), the control unit 11 returns the process to step S13. The control unit 11 then further adds the forward offset to the current setting value, and applies the setting value after the addition to the next part in the forward direction in the parts list. In this way, the control unit 11 applies the setting value to which the forward offset has been added in sequence to each part in the forward direction in the parts list.

[0100] On the other hand, if there are no further parts in the forward direction (step S15; NO), the control unit 11 judges whether or not there are any unapplied settings remaining in the setting list (step S16). If there are any unapplied settings remaining (step S16; YES), the control unit 11 returns the process to step S11 and acquires one unapplied setting from the setting list. Then, the control unit 11 executes the processes of steps S12 to S15 and applies the setting value of the acquired setting to each of the multiple parts with which a parent-child relationship is established. In this way, the control unit 11 applies the setting value of each setting included in the setting list to each of the multiple parts with which a parent-child relationship is established.

[0101] When there is no unapplied setting remaining (step S16; NO), the control unit 11 ends the setting application process shown in FIG.

[0102] As described above, the drawing support device 10 according to the first embodiment determines the selection order of multiple parts based on the selection operation of selecting multiple parts displayed on the screen and the positional relationship of the multiple parts, and sets a parent-child relationship between the multiple parts in which the part selected earlier in the selection order is the parent part and the part selected later in the selection order is the child part. In this way, since the selection order is determined based on the positional relationship of the multiple parts on the screen, the parent-child relationship can be set between multiple parts by an intuitive and easy operation of inputting a linear trajectory or a rectangular area. As a result, the effort required for setting multiple parts can be reduced. In particular, when setting a parent-child relationship for at least three parts, a multi-stage parent-child relationship can be set by a single operation, so that the user does not need to repeat the process of selecting parts one by one and setting the parent-child relationship. Therefore, the user's effort can be significantly reduced when there are a large number of parts.

[0103] Furthermore, the drawing support device 10 according to the first embodiment applies settings based on settings of a parent part to settings of child parts. This allows settings and changes to be made recursively collectively for multiple parts with parent-child relationships, thereby reducing the amount of work required to set multiple parts. In particular, when there are a large number of parts, the amount of work required by the user can be significantly reduced.

[0104] (Embodiment 2) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. Descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of embodiment 1 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0105] The drawing support device 10 according to the second embodiment further sets a parent-child relationship between a group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has already been set and another part. In other words, the drawing support device 10 according to the second embodiment can set multiple parent-child relationships.

[0106] 13 shows an example in which parts A and B, which are a group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has already been set by parent-child relationship setting unit 113, and another part C are displayed on the screen of display unit 14. On such a screen, the user inputs a selection operation of drawing a rectangular area R3 that extends from the lower right of part C to the upper left of part A, as an example of a new selection operation for selecting parts A to C. Note that the new selection operation is not limited to the operation of drawing a rectangular area R3, but may also be an operation of drawing a linear trajectory. In this case, in the second embodiment, the group of parts A and B is treated equivalently to a single part called parent-child relationship set part AB.

[0107] Specifically, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 13, when the user inputs a new selection operation to select parent-child relationship setting part AB, which is a part group of parts A and B in which a parent-child relationship is set, and part C, the operation receiving unit 111 receives the new selection operation.

[0108] The selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the parent-child relationship setting parts AB and C, based on the new selection operation received by the operation reception unit 111. In the example of Fig. 13, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of the part C, which is closest to the start point of the rectangular region R3, to be first, and the selection order of the parent-child relationship setting parts AB to be second.

[0109] The parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a new parent-child relationship between parent-child relationship setting part AB and part C based on the selection order determined by the selection order determination unit 112. In the example of Fig. 13, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship in which part C is the parent part and parent-child relationship setting part AB is the child part. As a result, a parent-child relationship setting part ABC is generated that has parent-child relationship setting part AB and part C in its part list.

[0110] Furthermore, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship between one side of a rectangle circumscribing the parent-child relationship setting component AB and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the component C. Here, the rectangle circumscribing the parent-child relationship setting component AB corresponds to the smallest rectangle that contains the components A and B, as shown by the thick solid line in the lower part of FIG.

[0111] When a parent-child relationship is set with part C as the parent part and parent-child relationship setting part AB as the child part, the setting application unit 114 applies a setting based on the setting of part C, which is the parent part, to the setting of parent-child relationship setting part AB, which is the child part. Specifically, similar to the first embodiment, the setting application unit 114 sets the setting value of parent-child relationship setting part AB to a value obtained by adding a forward offset to the setting value of part C. At this time, the setting application unit 114 treats parent-child relationship setting part AB as one part having a rectangular shape circumscribing parent-child relationship setting part AB, and sets parent-child relationship setting part AB.

[0112] In this way, in the second embodiment, a group of components for which a parent-child relationship has already been set can be treated as one component, and a parent-child relationship can be further set between the group and another component. As a result, for example, when a parent-child relationship setting component ABC that is higher in level than the parent-child relationship setting component AB is generated, the parent-child relationship setting component AB can be set from the parent-child relationship setting component ABC.

[0113] (Embodiment 3) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 3. Descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of embodiments 1 and 2 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0114] The drawing support device 10 according to the third embodiment changes at least one of a pair of sides for which a parent-child relationship has already been set to another side in the same component in response to a user operation.

[0115] 14 shows an example in which parts A to C, which are a group of parts for which parent-child relationships have been set by parent-child relationship setting unit 113, are displayed on the screen of display unit 14. In more detail, a parent-child relationship of an edge is set between the bottom edge of part A and the top edge of part B, and a parent-child relationship of an edge is set between the bottom edge of part B and the top edge of part C.

[0116] In such a screen, the operation receiving unit 111 receives a change operation for changing one side of a pair of sides for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 to another side in the same component. To be more specific, the user can move one end of an arrow, which is an example of a symbol indicating a parent-child relationship displayed on the screen, to another side in the same component by a drag operation. This allows the user to input a change operation for changing one side of a pair of sides for which a parent-child relationship has already been set to another side.

[0117] When the operation receiving unit 111 receives such a change operation, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 changes the parent-child relationship set between a pair of edges to a parent-child relationship between another edge in the same part and the other edge of the pair of edges.

[0118] For example, as shown by a dashed line in the upper part of Fig. 14, the user moves one end of an arrow connecting the bottom side of part A and the top side of part B from the bottom side of part A, which is one of the pair of sides, to the right side, which is the other side of the same part A. In this case, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 14, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 changes the parent-child relationship set for the pair of sides between parts A and B to a parent-child relationship between the right side of part A and the top side of part B, which is the other side of the pair of sides.

[0119] In this way, in the third embodiment, a parent-child relationship of an edge already set between a parent component and a child component can be changed to a parent-child relationship between the same or a different edge of the parent component and the same or a different edge of the child component. This allows the parent-child relationship of an edge to be changed by a simple operation without having to redo the parent-child relationship setting.

[0120] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 4. Descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of embodiments 1 to 3 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0121] The drawing support device 10 according to the fourth embodiment changes at least one of a pair of parts, in which a parent-child relationship has already been established, to another part in response to a user operation.

[0122] 15 shows an example in which parts A and B, which are a group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has already been set by parent-child relationship setting unit 113, and a part C for which a parent-child relationship has not yet been set, are displayed on the screen of display unit 14. More specifically, a parent-child relationship of an edge is set between the bottom edge of part A and the top edge of part B.

[0123] In such a screen, the operation receiving unit 111 receives a change operation for changing one of a pair of parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 to a part other than the pair of parts displayed on the screen. Specifically, the user can move, by a drag operation, one end of an arrow, which is an example of a symbol indicating a parent-child relationship, displayed on the screen to another part for which a parent-child relationship has not been set. This allows the user to input a change operation for changing one of a pair of parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set to a different part.

[0124] When the operation receiving unit 111 receives such a change operation, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 changes the parent-child relationship set between a pair of parts for which a parent-child relationship has already been set to a parent-child relationship between the other part of the pair of parts and another part for which a parent-child relationship has not been set.

[0125] For example, as shown by a dashed line in the upper part of Fig. 15, the user moves one end of an arrow connecting a pair of parts A and B, for which a parent-child relationship has already been set, from the top side of part B, which is one of the pair of parts, to the left side of another part C, for which a parent-child relationship has not yet been set. In this case, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 15, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 changes the parent-child relationship set between parts A and B to a parent-child relationship in which part A, which is the other of the pair of parts, is the parent part and part C is the child part. Then, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 changes the parent-child relationship of the side set between parts A and B to a parent-child relationship in which the bottom side of part A is the parent and the left side of part C is the child.

[0126] In addition to changing the parent-child relationship in this way, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 further sets a parent-child relationship between the other part and one of the pair of parts. Specifically, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 15, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship in which part C, which is the other part, is the parent part and part B, which is one of the pair of parts, is the child part. Then, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship in which the right side of part C is the parent and the bottom side of part B is the child.

[0127] Here, since the child in the parent-child relationship of the side between parts A and C is the left side of part C, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets the parent in the parent-child relationship of the side between parts C and B to the opposite side, the right side of part C. However, this is merely an example, and the side that is the parent in the parent-child relationship of the side between parts C and B may be set based on any criteria.

[0128] In this way, in the fourth embodiment, it is possible to change the parent part or child part of a pair of parts for which a parent-child relationship has already been set. This allows the parent-child relationship of parts to be changed with a simple operation, without having to redo the parent-child relationship setting.

[0129] (Embodiment 5) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 5. Descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of embodiments 1 to 4 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0130] The drawing support device 10 according to embodiment 5 can reselect the constituent parts of a group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 after the setting application unit 114 has applied settings to the group of parts.

[0131] 16 shows an example in which parts A to C, which are a group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has already been set by parent-child relationship setting unit 113, and a part D for which a parent-child relationship has not yet been set, are displayed on the screen of display unit 14. In more detail, setting application unit 114 has set the fill color of part A, which is the root part, for parts A to C to (0, 0, 0), and the forward offset to (64, 0, 0).

[0132] On such a screen, the user can input a reselection operation to reselect the constituent parts of the group of parts A to C. This allows the user to change the constituent parts of the group of parts to which a parent-child relationship has already been set and to which the setting has been applied, or the selection order of the constituent parts.

[0133] As an example, the user selects "Reselect part" - "Select rectangle" from the operation screen of parent-child relationship setting parts A to C. Then, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 16, the user inputs a reselection operation to reselect parts A to D as components of the part group of parts A to C. For example, the user inputs a selection operation to draw a rectangular area R4 that extends from the lower right of part D to the upper left of part A. Note that the reselection operation is not limited to the operation of drawing a rectangular area R4, but may also be the operation of drawing a linear trajectory.

[0134] When the user inputs a reselection operation to select parts A to D, the operation receiving unit 111 receives the reselection operation. The selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order of parts A to D based on the reselection operation received by the operation receiving unit 111. In the example of Fig. 16, the selection order determination unit 112 determines the selection order as follows: part D, part C, part B, and part A in order of proximity to the start point of rectangular region R4.

[0135] Based on the selection order determined by selection order determination unit 112, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets parent-child relationships between parts D and C, between parts C and B, and between parts B and A. At this time, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets part D, which is first in the selection order, as the root part. As a result, parent-child relationship set parts A to D, each having parts A to D in its part list, are generated.

[0136] The setting application unit 114 reapplies the settings applied to the group of parts A to C prior to the reselection operation to the group of parts A to D after the constituent parts are reselected by the reselection operation. Specifically, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 16, the setting application unit 114 sets the fill color of part D, which is the root part, to (0, 0, 0). Then, the setting application unit 114 sets the fill colors of parts C, B, and A in accordance with the forward offset setting value (64, 0, 0).

[0137] In this way, the drawing support device 10 according to the fifth embodiment accepts the reselection of a component part of a component group for which a parent-child relationship has already been set, and reapplies the same settings as those before the reselection operation to the component group after the component part has been reselected by the reselection operation. This allows the user to reselect the parts and edges for which a parent-child relationship is to be set with a simple operation without having to re-input settings such as setting values ​​and offsets.

[0138] (Embodiment 6) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 6. Descriptions of configurations and functions similar to those of embodiments 1 to 5 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0139] The drawing support device 10 according to the sixth embodiment reverses the parent-child relationships of a plurality of parts in which parent-child relationships have been set, either partway through the parent-child relationships or in all of the parent-child relationships.

[0140] 17 shows an example in which parts A to C, which are a group of parts for which parent-child relationships have been set by parent-child relationship setting unit 113, are displayed on the screen of display unit 14. In more detail, a parent-child relationship of an edge is set between the bottom edge of part A and the top edge of part B, and a parent-child relationship of an edge is set between the bottom edge of part B and the top edge of part C.

[0141] On such a screen, the operation receiving unit 111 receives a reversal operation for reversing the parent-child relationship in at least one of the multiple combinations for which the parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113.

[0142] The user can reverse the start point and the end point of an arrow, which is an example of a symbol indicating a parent-child relationship, displayed on the screen by a drag operation. For example, the user reverses an arrow extending from part A to part B, and changes it to an arrow extending from part B to part A. Alternatively, the user may open an operation screen for parent-child relationship setting part ABC and change the root part of the parent-child relationship setting part ABC from part A to part B, thereby reversing the parent-child relationship in the combination of part A and part B. In this way, the user can input a reversal operation for reversing the parent-child relationship in at least one combination for which a parent-child relationship has been set. In more detail, since the reversal of the parent-child relationship is performed by changing the root part as described below, at least one combination for which the parent-child relationship is to be reversed must include a root part.

[0143] In response to a user operation, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 reverses the parent-child relationship in at least one of the multiple combinations for which a parent-child relationship has been set. For example, when a reversal operation is received to reverse the parent-child relationship in a combination of part A, which is a parent part and a root part, and part B, which is a child part, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 changes the parent-child relationship in the combination of part A and part B to a parent-child relationship in which part B is a parent part and a root part, and part A is a child part, as shown in the lower part of FIG.

[0144] When the parent-child relationship setting unit 113 changes the parent-child relationship, it updates the parent-child relationship information 122. Fig. 18 shows an example of parent-child relationship information 122 when the parent-child relationship between parts A and B is reversed. In the example of Fig. 18, the parts list remains unchanged from the original selection order of parts A, B, and C, whereas the root part has been changed to part B due to the reversal of the parent-child relationship between parts A and B.

[0145] Furthermore, the parent-child relationship information 122 holds information on a backward offset in addition to a forward offset in the setting list. Here, the backward offset is a second offset prepared separately from the forward offset, which is a first offset, and is used between parts whose parent-child relationships are reversed.

[0146] As an example, the backward offset is set to a value obtained by multiplying the value of the forward offset by −1, as shown in Fig. 18. However, the backward offset is not limited to this, and any value may be set independently of the forward offset.

[0147] More specifically, the forward offset is applied to a child part that is located below a parent part in the parts list, i.e., a child part that comes after the parent part in the selection order determined by the selection order determination unit 112. In contrast, the backward offset is applied to a child part that is located above the parent part in the parts list, i.e., a child part that comes before the parent part in the selection order determined by the selection order determination unit 112.

[0148] Based on the parent-child relationship information 122 including such a backward offset, the setting application unit 114 applies settings based on the settings of the parent part to the settings of the child parts for each of the multiple combinations for which the parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting unit 113.

[0149] Specifically, the setting application unit 114 sets the setting value of the child component to a value obtained by adding a forward offset to the setting value of the parent component for combinations other than at least one combination in which the parent-child relationship has been reversed by the reversal operation among the multiple combinations in which the parent-child relationship has been set. In other words, the setting application unit 114 applies the setting based on the forward offset to at least one combination in which the parent-child relationship has not been reversed, as in the first embodiment.

[0150] In response to this, the setting application unit 114 sets the setting value of the child part to a value obtained by adding a reverse offset to the setting value of the parent part for at least one combination in which the parent-child relationship has been reversed by a reversal operation, among multiple combinations in which a parent-child relationship has been set.

[0151] The flow of the setting application process executed by the setting application unit 114 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

[0152] The setting application process shown in Fig. 19 is started when an operation to apply the settings in the setting list to a plurality of parts for which parent-child relationships have been set by the parent-child relationship setting process shown in Fig. 11 is input. In the setting application process shown in Fig. 19, the control unit 11 functions as a setting application unit 114.

[0153] When the setting application process is started, the control unit 11 executes the processes of steps S11 to S15 described with reference to Fig. 12 in the first embodiment. As a result, the control unit 11 executes the process of applying the setting based on the forward offset to the setting acquired from the setting list.

[0154] After step S15, the control unit 11 returns the setting value to which the forward offset has been added to the initial value, which is the value set in the root part in step S12 (step S21).

[0155] After resetting the setting value to the initial value, control unit 11 adds the reverse offset defined in the acquired setting to the setting value applied to the root part (step S22).

[0156] When the reverse offset is added to the set value, the control unit 11 applies the set value after the reverse offset has been added to the next part in the reverse direction in the parts list (step S23). In the example of Fig. 18, part A exists in the reverse direction of part B, which is the root part. Therefore, the control unit 11 applies the set value after the reverse offset has been added to part A, which is the next part after the root part.

[0157] Next, the control unit 11 judges whether or not there are further parts in the reverse direction in the parts list (step S24). If there are further parts in the reverse direction (step S24; YES), the control unit 11 returns the process to step S22. The control unit 11 then further adds the reverse offset to the current setting value, and applies the setting value after the addition to the next part in the reverse direction in the parts list. In this way, the control unit 11 applies the setting value to which the reverse offset has been added in order to each part in the reverse direction in the parts list.

[0158] On the other hand, if there are no further parts in the reverse direction (step S24; NO), the control unit 11 judges whether or not there are any unapplied settings remaining in the setting list (step S25). If there are any unapplied settings remaining (step S25; YES), the control unit 11 returns the process to step S11 and acquires one unapplied setting from the setting list. Then, the control unit 11 executes the processes of steps S12 to S15 and S21 to S24, and applies the setting value of the acquired setting to each of the multiple parts with which a parent-child relationship is established. In this way, the control unit 11 applies the setting value of each setting included in the setting list to each of the multiple parts with which a parent-child relationship is established.

[0159] When there is no unapplied setting remaining (step S25; NO), the control unit 11 ends the setting application process shown in FIG.

[0160] In this way, in the sixth embodiment, for multiple parts for which parent-child relationships have been set, the parent-child relationships are reversed partway through or entirely. This allows the user to change the root part that is the basis for the settings with a simple operation, without having to redo the parent-child relationship settings. Also, different offset values ​​can be set for the forward and reverse directions, which increases the flexibility of the settings.

[0161] (Modification) Although the embodiments have been described above, it is possible to combine the embodiments, or to modify or omit the embodiments as appropriate.

[0162] For example, in the above embodiment, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 sets a parent-child relationship between edges in addition to setting a parent-child relationship between components. However, parent-child relationship setting unit 113 does not have to set a parent-child relationship between edges. Even if a parent-child relationship between edges is not set, by setting a parent-child relationship between components, a setting based on the setting of a parent component can be applied to the setting of a child component, thereby obtaining an effect of efficiently editing the settings of a plurality of components.

[0163] In the above embodiment, the linear trajectory L1 shown in FIG. 3 and the linear trajectory L2 shown in FIG. 4 have their starting and ending points located outside the parts, and completely cross from the first part to the last part. However, the linear trajectory input as the selection operation may start in the middle of the first part and end in the middle of the last part. In other words, the parts crossed by the linear trajectory may include not only parts completely crossed by the linear trajectory, but also parts partially crossed by the linear trajectory. The operation receiving unit 111 may select only parts completely crossed by the linear trajectory, or may select all parts that exist in positions overlapping with the linear trajectory, including parts partially crossed by the linear trajectory. In this way, the setting of the parts selected by the linear trajectory can be changed as appropriate.

[0164] In the above embodiment, the rectangular area R1 shown in Fig. 5 and the rectangular area R2 shown in Fig. 6 have their start and end points located outside the parts, and completely contain the multiple parts to be selected. The operation reception unit 111 may select only the parts that are completely contained in the rectangular area in this way, and exclude parts that only partially overlap with the rectangular area from the selection targets. Alternatively, the operation reception unit 111 may select not only parts that are completely contained in the rectangular area, but also parts that only partially overlap with the rectangular area. In this way, the settings of the parts selected by the rectangular area can be changed as appropriate.

[0165] In the above embodiment, in the control unit 11 of the drawing support device 10, the CPU executes a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 12 to function as each of the operation reception unit 111, the selection order determination unit 112, the parent-child relationship setting unit 113, and the setting application unit 114. However, the control unit 11 may be dedicated hardware. The dedicated hardware is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. When the control unit 11 is dedicated hardware, the functions of each unit may be realized by individual hardware, or the functions of each unit may be realized together by a single piece of hardware.

[0166] In addition, some of the functions of each unit may be realized by dedicated hardware, and other parts may be realized by software or firmware. In this way, the control unit 11 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0167] By applying an operation program that defines the operation of the drawing support device 10 to a computer such as an existing personal computer or information terminal device, it is possible to make the computer function as the drawing support device 10. Such a program is an example of a drawing support program.

[0168] Furthermore, such programs may be distributed in any manner, and may be distributed by storing them on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk ROM), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), an MO (Magneto Optical Disk), or a memory card, or may be distributed via a communications network such as the Internet.

[0169] Various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0170] The present disclosure can be suitably adopted in drawing support technology. [Explanation of symbols]

[0171] 10 drawing support device, 11 control unit, 12 storage unit, 13 operation unit, 14 display unit, 15 communication unit, 111 operation reception unit, 112 selection order determination unit, 113 parent-child relationship setting unit, 114 setting application unit, 121 selection order information, 122 parent-child relationship information, L1, L2 linear trajectory, R1, R2, R3, R4 rectangular area

Claims

1. Computer, an operation receiving means for receiving a selection operation for selecting a plurality of parts displayed on the screen; a selection order determination means for determining a selection order of the plurality of parts based on the selection operation received by the operation reception means and a positional relationship of the plurality of parts on the screen; a parent-child relationship setting means for setting a parent-child relationship between the plurality of parts, with the part selected earlier in the selection order being a parent part and the part selected later in the selection order being a child part; Drawing support program.

2. the parent-child relationship setting means, when the plurality of parts are at least three parts, sets a parent-child relationship for each of a plurality of combinations, each of which is a combination of two parts among the at least three parts whose selection order determined by the selection order determination means is consecutive, in such a way that the part whose selection order is earlier is a parent part and the part whose selection order is later is a child part; The drawing support program according to claim 1 .

3. the parent-child relationship setting means further sets a parent-child relationship between one side of a rectangle circumscribing the part having an earlier selection order and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the part having a later selection order.

3. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the operation receiving means receives, as the selection operation, an operation of inputting a linear trajectory at a position on the screen that intersects with the plurality of components; the selection order determination means determines the selection order in the order of the parts intersected by the linear locus, from among the plurality of parts.

3. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the parent-child relationship setting means further sets a parent-child relationship between one side of a rectangle circumscribing the part having an earlier selection order that last intersects with the linear locus, and one side of a rectangle circumscribing the part having a later selection order that first intersects with the linear locus.

5. The drawing support program according to claim 4.

6. the operation receiving means receives, as the selection operation, an operation of inputting a rectangular area at a position on the screen that overlaps with the plurality of components; the selection order determination means determines the selection order from among the plurality of parts in order from a part closest to a start point of the rectangular area.

3. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

7. the parent-child relationship setting means further sets a parent-child relationship for a combination of any one side of a rectangle circumscribing the part having an earlier selection order and any one side of a rectangle circumscribing the part having a later selection order, the combination having the shortest distance between the sides; 7. The drawing support program according to claim 6.

8. the operation receiving means receives a new selection operation for selecting a group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting means and a part other than the group of parts displayed on the screen; the selection order determination means determines a selection order of the group of parts and the other part based on the new selection operation accepted by the operation acceptance means; the parent-child relationship setting means sets a new parent-child relationship between the group of components and the other component based on the selection order determined by the selection order determination means.

3. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

9. the operation receiving means receives a change operation for changing one side of a pair of sides for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting means to another side in the same component; when the operation receiving means receives the change operation, the parent-child relationship setting means changes the parent-child relationship set between the pair of sides to a parent-child relationship between the different side and the other side of the pair of sides. The drawing support program according to claim 3.

10. the operation receiving means receives a change operation for changing one of a pair of parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting means to a part other than the pair of parts displayed on the screen, when the operation receiving means receives the change operation, the parent-child relationship setting means changes the parent-child relationship set between the pair of parts to a parent-child relationship between the other part of the pair of parts and the different part.

3. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

11. the parent-child relationship setting means, when the operation receiving means receives the change operation, sets a parent-child relationship between the other part and the one of the pair of parts. The drawing support program according to claim 10.

12. The computer, a setting application unit that applies a setting based on the setting of the parent part to the setting of the child part; 3. The drawing support program according to claim 1 or 2.

13. the setting application means sets the setting value of the child part to a value obtained by adding an offset to the setting value of the parent part. The drawing support program according to claim 12.

14. the operation receiving means receives a reselection operation for reselecting a component part of the group of parts after the setting application means applies a setting to the group of parts for which a parent-child relationship has been set by the parent-child relationship setting means, the setting application means reapplies the setting to the group of parts after the component part has been reselected by the reselection operation. The drawing support program according to claim 12.

15. the parent-child relationship setting means, when the plurality of parts is at least three parts, sets a parent-child relationship for each of a plurality of combinations, each of which is a combination of two parts among the at least three parts whose selection order determined by the selection order determination means is consecutive, in such a way that a part whose selection order is earlier is a parent part and a part whose selection order is later is a child part; the parent-child relationship setting means, in response to a user operation, reverses the parent-child relationship in at least one of the plurality of combinations for which the parent-child relationship has been set; The drawing support program according to claim 12.

16. the setting application means sets a setting value of the child part to a value obtained by adding a first offset to a setting value of the parent part for combinations other than the at least one combination among the plurality of combinations, and sets a setting value of the child part to a value obtained by adding a second offset to the setting value of the parent part for the at least one combination among the plurality of combinations. The drawing support program according to claim 15.

17. an operation receiving means for receiving a selection operation for selecting a plurality of parts displayed on a screen; a selection order determination means for determining a selection order of the plurality of parts based on the selection operation received by the operation reception means and a positional relationship of the plurality of parts on the screen; a parent-child relationship setting means for setting a parent-child relationship between the plurality of parts, with a part selected earlier in the selection order being a parent part and a part selected later in the selection order being a child part, Drawing support device.

18. determining a selection order of the plurality of parts displayed on a screen based on a selection operation for selecting the plurality of parts and a positional relationship of the plurality of parts on the screen; a parent-child relationship is set for the plurality of parts, with the part selected earlier being a parent part and the part selected later being a child part; Drawing support method.

Images