Adaptive Gesture Navigation for 3D AEC Models
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile viewers for AEC models struggle with consistent navigation, often requiring users to interact with modes and UI elements, and fail to accurately determine 'inside' and 'outside' spaces, particularly on the Android platform.
Innovation Solution
The solution provides adaptive gesture-based navigation that automatically adjusts camera operations based on distance and field of view, uses a floor/ceiling test for accurate inside/outside determination, and prioritizes rendering of objects under the user's focus using progressive rendering techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users interact with modes and UI elements to navigate models, then camera operations can be controlled, but ease of operation deteriorates due to complexity of interface elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes modes, gizmos, and UI elements from the navigation interface, extracting only the essential gesture-based controls. Users navigate directly through natural gestures without intermediate interface layers, eliminating the complexity while preserving navigation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically adapts to user needs by detecting gestures and contextually adjusting camera operations without requiring user configuration or mode switching. The navigation system serves itself by interpreting gestures directly into appropriate camera actions based on the current view and model context.
2Measurement precision
If prior art viewers use bounding box definition for inside/outside determination, then implementation is simple, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from simple bounding box coordinate comparison to a floor/ceiling height parameter test. By incorporating vertical position parameters (floor and ceiling heights) into the inside/outside determination, the system achieves accurate spatial classification while maintaining implementation feasibility through straightforward height comparisons.
3Reliability
If viewers provide consistent navigation across platforms, then reliability improves, but adaptability to different platform conventions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal gesture-based navigation system that functions consistently across iOS and Android platforms. By using platform-agnostic gestures and contextual adaptation logic, the same navigation approach works reliably on both platforms without requiring platform-specific implementations, achieving both consistency and adaptability.
4Productivity
If progressive rendering prioritizes all objects equally, then rendering is uniform, but productivity deteriorates due to slower focus area rendering
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies progressive rendering with priority to the focus area (region under user's finger or current view center) while rendering other areas with lower priority. This creates local quality differentiation where the important focal region renders faster and with higher detail, while peripheral areas render subsequently, improving overall perceived performance without sacrificing complete model rendering.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system provide the ability to perform a navigation operation of a three-dimensional (3D) model. A 3D model is rendered on a touch screen of a multi-touch device from a camera viewing point a first object of the model is located a first distance from the camera viewing point. An operation (e.g., pan or zoom) is activated using a multi-touch gesture. The operation is performed and behavior of the gesture is adaptive based on the first distance. In alternative embodiments, an inside-outside test is utilized to determine/identify the operation (e.g., an orbit or look-around) is performed. Further, progressive rendering may prioritize objects under the user's focus as defined by finger placement.