Touch Interface Plane Tool for 3D CAD Object Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current three-dimensional CAD software on touch-only devices, such as tablets and smartphones, face limitations in navigating, manipulating, and selecting objects simultaneously due to the absence of mouse modifiers, leading to conflicts between gestures for viewing and selecting working planes.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that allows users to select and manipulate objects by transforming a plane-shaped graphical tool into a selection tool upon activation, enabling intuitive navigation and selection without the need for a selection manipulator, using gestures like long holds or button presses to differentiate actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mouse modifiers (left/middle/right clicks) are used to differentiate navigation and selection actions on desktop, then the workflow is intuitive and productive, but on touch-only devices without buttons, the user cannot have different behaviors based on which button is clicked
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the function of the plane manipulator based on the state of the pointing element. When the pointing element is pressed down (activated state), the plane manipulator transforms from a navigation tool to a selection tool. This dynamic state change allows touch-only devices to have differentiated behaviors similar to mouse modifiers, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device adaptability.
2Ease of operation
If a plane manipulator is used to define a new drawing plane, then the user can navigate in the three-dimensional scene, but on touch-only devices the user cannot simultaneously navigate and select an object without a selection manipulator
Solution Approach 1:
The plane manipulator is designed to perform multiple functions: navigation when the pointing element is not pressed, and selection when the pointing element is pressed down. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate navigation and selection manipulators on touch-only devices, reducing device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The plane manipulator dynamically switches between navigation and selection modes based on the activation state of the pointing element. This dynamic behavior allows a single manipulator to replace multiple manipulators, simplifying the interface on touch-only devices while preserving full functionality.
3Ease of operation
If the plane manipulator is used for navigation, then the user can move through the three-dimensional scene, but there is no prehighlight selection capability without mouse over
Solution Approach 1:
When the pointing element is pressed down on the plane manipulator, the system performs preliminary selection action by highlighting the object at the current position before the user releases the pointing element. This preliminary action provides selection feedback similar to mouse over, preventing loss of information about which object will be selected.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides visual feedback by transforming the plane manipulator into a selection graphical tool with different representation when activated. This feedback mechanism informs the user about the current selection state, compensating for the lack of mouse over capability on touch-only devices.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method for designing a three-dimensional modeled object comprising the steps of : - providing the three-dimensional modeled object in a three-dimensional scene; - displaying a plane-shaped graphical tool (PSGT) defining a current working plane; - pointing and activating the plane-shaped graphical tool (PSGT) with a pointing element (PE); - without releasing the pointing element (PE), hovering a part of the three-dimensional modeled object; - selecting said part of the three-dimensional modeled object when releasing the pointing element (PE); - extracting a working plane from the selected object at the current position of the pointing element and defining said plane as the current working plane represented by the plane-shaped graphical tool (PSGT); and - performing a designing operation in the current working plane.