US-12625602-B2 - Method for user interaction for data manipulation in a CAE/CAD system

US12625602B2US 12625602 B2US12625602 B2US 12625602B2US-12625602-B2

Abstract

A method serves for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system for designing physical parts, the parts being components shaped by a forming process or tools used in a forming process. The method comprises displaying to a user: a graphical user interface ( 2 ) with a model display region ( 3 ), and a control region ( 5 ) for displaying widgets ( 7 ) for modifying control parameters controlling operation of the CAE/CAD system, and, on the basis of user input actions in the control region ( 5 ), specifying control parameters ( 14 ), modifying the part model. Each control parameter ( 15 ) corresponds to a geometric feature ( 17 ) of the graphical model representation ( 4 ) that is displayed in the model display region. For each control parameter ( 15 ), its corresponding widget ( 7 ) and geometric feature ( 17 ) are visually marked by visual markers ( 17, 18 ) in the same manner, allowing to differentiate them from those of other control parameters ( 15 ).

Inventors

Christian Wortmann

Assignees

AUTOFORM ENGINEERING GMBH

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220708
Priority Date: 20210708

Claims (10)

1 . A method for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system for designing physical parts, a physical part being a component shaped by a forming process, or a part assembled in an assembly operation, or a tool used in a forming or an assembly process, a physical part being represented in the CAE/CAD system by a computer-based part model, the method being performed by a processing unit of the CAE/CAD system, the method comprising the steps of: displaying to a user, on a computer display, a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising a model display region for displaying a graphical model representation of the part model, a control region for displaying widget sets for directly, in the control region, modifying control parameters of control parameter sets controlling operation of the CAE/CAD system, each of the control parameters defining a property of the part model or an operation to be performed on the part model, on the basis of user input actions in the control region, specifying control parameters of the control parameter sets, for modifying the part model, wherein for two or more of the control parameters sets that have modifiable control parameters, each control parameter set corresponds to a different geometric feature of the graphical model representation that is displayed in the model display region, wherein the two or more control parameter sets have the same composition of a plurality of control parameters, wherein each control parameter is associated with a label, wherein two or more widget sets, which each correspond to a respective different one of the two or more control parameter sets, are at the same time in the control region displayed in a state allowing for user input actions for modifying, directly, in the control region, the plurality of control parameters of the respective two or more control parameter sets corresponding to the two or more widget sets being displayed, and visually marked by visual markers in the same manner as is the geometric feature which is displayed in the model display region and which corresponds to the respective control parameter set, and in a different manner than are widget sets and geometric features corresponding to other ones of the two or more control parameter sets, the method thereby visualizing a correspondence between each widget set and the geometric feature controlled by the widget set, and thereby allowing a user to differentiate between widget sets that are displayed at the same time in the control region and allowing for user input actions at the same time, and wherein widgets sets displayed in the control region may be unambiguously assigned to geometric features based on the set of the composition of control parameters and the visual markers.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of, for each of the two or more control parameter sets: displaying within the control region and associated with the control parameter set's widget set, a control-related visual marker, displaying within the model display region and associated with the geometric feature corresponding to the control parameter set, a display-related visual marker, wherein the control-related marker and the display-related marker share one or more visual properties, distinguishing them from markers associated with other control parameter sets.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, with each control parameter set comprising N control parameters, N being an integer number larger than or equal to two, it is possible to number the control parameters of each parameter set with the numbers from one to N such that over all control parameter sets the control parameters numbered with the same n are of a same type.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein visual properties of visual markers comprise at least one of shape, colour, brightness, pattern.
5 . The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of displaying a visual marker associated with a widget set or a geometric feature when a mouse event takes place on the widget set or the geometric feature.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the mouse event is a mouseclick event or wherein it is a mouseover event.
7 . The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of modifying a visual property of a widget set or of a control-related visual marker in the control region when a mouse event occurs at its corresponding geometric feature.
8 . The method of claim 1 , comprising the step of modifying a visual property of a geometric feature or of a display-related visual marker in the model display region when a mouse event occurs at its corresponding widget set.
9 . A data processing system programmed to perform a method for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system for designing physical parts, a physical part being a component shaped by a forming process, or a part assembled in an assembly operation, or a tool used in a forming or an assembly process, a physical part being represented in the CAE/CAD system by a computer-based part model, the method being performed by a processing unit of the CAE/CAD system, the method comprising the steps of: displaying to a user, on a computer display, a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising a model display region for displaying a graphical model representation of the part model, a control region for displaying widget sets for directly, in the control region, modifying control parameters of control parameter sets controlling operation of the CAE/CAD system, each of the control parameters defining a property of the part model or an operation to be performed on the part model, on the basis of user input actions in the control region, specifying control parameters of the control parameter sets, for modifying the part model, wherein for two or more of the control parameters sets that have modifiable control parameters, each control parameter set corresponds to a different geometric feature of the graphical model representation that is displayed in the model display region, wherein the two or more control parameter sets have the same composition of a plurality of control parameters, wherein each control parameter is associated with a label, wherein two or more widget sets, which each correspond to a respective different one of the two or more control parameter sets, are at the same time in the control region displayed in a state allowing for user input actions for modifying, directly, in the control region, the plurality of control parameters of the respective two or more control parameter sets corresponding to the two or more widget sets being displayed, and visually marked by visual markers in the same manner as is the geometric feature which is displayed in the model display region and which corresponds to the respective control parameter set, and in a different manner than are widget sets and geometric features corresponding to other ones of the two or more control parameter sets, the method thereby visualizing a correspondence between each widget set and the geometric feature controlled by the widget set, and thereby allowing a user to differentiate between widget sets that are displayed at the same time in the control region and allowing for user input actions at the same time, and wherein widgets sets displayed in the control region may be unambiguously assigned to geometric features based on the set of the composition of control parameters and the visual markers.
10 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code encoding a computer program that, when loaded and executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute a method for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system for designing physical parts, a physical part being a component shaped by a forming process, or a part assembled in an assembly operation, or a tool used in a forming or an assembly process, a physical part being represented in the CAE/CAD system by a computer-based part model, the method being performed by a processing unit of the CAE/CAD system, the method comprising the steps of: displaying to a user, on a computer display, a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising a model display region for displaying a graphical model representation of the part model, a control region for displaying widget sets for directly, in the control region, modifying control parameters of control parameter sets controlling operation of the CAE/CAD system, each of the control parameters defining a property of the part model or an operation to be performed on the part model, on the basis of user input actions in the control region, specifying control parameters of the control parameter sets, for modifying the part model, wherein for two or more of the control parameters sets that have modifiable control parameters, each control parameter set corresponds to a different geometric feature of the graphical model representation that is displayed in the model display region, wherein the two or more control parameter sets have the same composition of a plurality of control parameters, wherein each control parameter is associated with a label, wherein two or more widget sets, which each correspond to a respective different one of the two or more control parameter sets, are at the same time in the control region displayed in a state allowing for user input actions for modifying, directly, in the control region, the plurality of control parameters of the respective two or more control parameter sets corresponding to the two or more widget sets being displayed, and visually marked by visual markers in the same manner as is the geometric feature which is displayed in the model display region and which corresponds to the respective control parameter set, and in a different manner than are widget sets and geometric features corresponding to other ones of the two or more control parameter sets, the method thereby visualizing a correspondence between each widget set and the geometric feature controlled by the widget set, and thereby allowing a user to differentiate between widget sets that are displayed at the same time in the control region and allowing for user input actions at the same time, and wherein widgets sets displayed in the control region may be unambiguously assigned to geometric features based on the set of the composition of control parameters and the visual markers.

Description

Swiss patent application number 070035/2021, filed 8 Jul. 2021, is incorporated herein for all purposes. The invention relates to the field of Computer Aided Engineering and/or Computer Aided Design (CAE/CAD) systems, and in particular to a method modifying a parametric model in a CAE/CAD system as described in the preamble of the corresponding independent claims. BACKGROUND In CAE/CAD systems it often is the case that a user repeatedly performs user interface actions to choose objects or elements being modelled, to choose operations to be performed on these objects or elements, to choose parameters for these operations, and finally to trigger execution of the operations. It can also be the case that the parameters specify properties of the objects or elements themselves (rather than an operation affecting the object). Parameters can be entered and modified using a variety of user interface control elements, commonly called widgets. Typically, the widgets are displayed in a graphical user interface in a control region, and a graphical model representation of an object being modelled is displayed in a model display region. There exist operations or elements with more than one parameter, and it can be the case that these parameters are of a same type, such as a linear dimension, an angle, a radius, etc. It can further be the case that the parameters are not readily distinguishable from one another in the context of the object being modelled. For example, the parameters refer to two ends of a linearly extended feature, respectively, or to a front and back side of an object, or to a top and bottom of an object. As the object being modelled is displayed in the model display region, a user must know which part or element of the model shown in the display is associated with a particular parameter of the element or operation affecting the element. The user may modify a parameter using the widget and see the effect of the modification in the model display region. However, this is inefficient. There is a need to assist a user in differentiating between control elements that cannot be unambiguously assigned to an element of the model. It is therefore an object of the invention to create a method for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system of the type mentioned initially, which overcomes the disadvantages mentioned above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These objects are achieved by a method for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system according to the independent claim. The term “CAE/CAD system” used herein is understood to denote Computer Aided Engineering systems and/or Computer Aided Design systems. The method serves for user interaction in a CAE/CAD system for designing physical parts, the parts being components shaped by a forming process, parts assembled in an assembly operation, or tools used in a forming or an assembly process, a part being represented in the CAE/CAD system by a computer-based part model, and the method being performed by a processing unit of the CAE/CAD system. The method comprises the steps of: displaying to a user, on a computer display,a graphical user interface, the graphical user interface comprising a model display region for displaying a graphical model representation of the part model, a control region for displaying widget sets for modifying control parameter sets controlling operation of the CAE/CAD system, on the basis of user input actions in the control region, specifying control parameter sets, modifying the part model. Therein, for two or more of the control parameters sets that are modifiable, each control parameter set corresponds to a geometric feature of the graphical model representation that is displayed in the model display region, and for each of the two or more control parameter sets, its corresponding widget set and its corresponding geometric feature are visually marked by visual markers in the same manner, and in a different manner than widget sets and geometric features corresponding to other control parameter sets. This visualizes the correspondence between the widget set and the geometric feature controlled by the widget set. This allows the user that wishes to modify a geometric feature to select widgets within the correct widget set, which would otherwise be indistinguishable from the other widgets associated with the graphical model representation. This in turn allows for a more efficient user interaction: the user immediately knows which widget set to use in order to modify a particular geometric feature seen in the graphical model representation. A parameter controlled by means of a widget can be a parameter of a geometric feature itself, and thereby affect the feature directly. Alternatively, a parameter can be a parameter of an operation that is applied to the feature and in this way affects the feature. In embodiments, the two or more geometric features whose correspondence with the respective widgets would otherwise be not be clear, are of the same type. For example