초록 ▼

A methodology for generating a drop shadow effect for objects in a graphical user interface is presented. A first object in a presentation space occludes the illumination from a simulated light source, and a dynamically determined drop shadow from the first object may partially occlude a second obje

A methodology for generating a drop shadow effect for objects in a graphical user interface is presented. A first object in a presentation space occludes the illumination from a simulated light source, and a dynamically determined drop shadow from the first object may partially occlude a second object. A portion of a drop shadow from the first object is shown on the second object; the portion of the drop shadow from the first object is displaced from the first object in direct proportion to a z-depth difference between the first object and the second object. Hence, a drop shadow can be generated in a computationally inexpensive manner, and the dynamically determined drop shadow enhances the perception of depth within the presentation space by a user.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A method for generating a shadow effect for objects in a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface simulates a three-dimensional coordinate space by displaying objects whose dimensions are computed in the three-dimensional coordinate space, the method com

What is claimed is: 1. A method for generating a shadow effect for objects in a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface simulates a three-dimensional coordinate space by displaying objects whose dimensions are computed in the three-dimensional coordinate space, the method comprising: generating a shadow object corresponding to a first object, wherein the shadow object has dimensions and coordinates that are identical to the first object; displacing the shadow object along an x-dimension or a y-dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate space by a user-configurable displacement distance value; computing a z-dimensional difference value between a z-value of the first object and a z-value of a second object; calculating a translation value that is directly proportional to the computed z-dimensional difference value; translating the shadow object in accordance with the calculated translation value along the x-dimension or the y-dimension within the three-dimensional coordinate space that was not used to displace the shadow object such that the translation of the shadow object and the displacement of the shadow object occur along different dimensions in either order; determining an occluding region of the displaced, translated shadow object that partially occludes the second object; and displaying the first object, an unoccluded portion of the second object, and the occluding region of the shadow object on a display device. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first object, the unoccluded portion of the second object, and the occluding region of the shadow object are rendered into a bitmap prior to displaying on the display device. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shadow object is transparent. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the shadow object is subjected to a diffusion filter. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are two-dimensional planar objects within the three-dimensional coordinate space, wherein the objects are parallel to an x-y plane in the three-dimensional coordinate space, wherein the objects may be translated along either of a set of three dimensions in the three-dimensional coordinate space but not rotated about an x-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate space or about a y-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate space. 6. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium for use in a data processing system for generating a shadow effect for objects in a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface simulates a three-dimensional coordinate space by displaying objects whose dimensions are computed in the three-dimensional coordinate space, the computer program product comprising: instructions for generating a shadow object corresponding to a first object, wherein the shadow object has dimensions and coordinates that are identical to the first object; instructions for displacing the shadow object along an x-dimension or a y-dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate space by a user-configurable displacement distance value; instructions for computing a z-dimensional difference value between a z-value of the first object and a z-value of a second object; instructions for calculating a translation value that is directly proportional to the computed z-dimensional difference value; instructions for translating the shadow object in accordance with the calculated translation value along the x-dimension or the y-dimension within the three-dimensional coordinate space that was not used to displace the shadow object such that the translation of the shadow object and the displacement of the shadow object occur along different dimensions in either order; instructions for determining an occluding region of the displaced, translated shadow object that partially occludes the second object; and instructions for displaying the first object, an unoccluded portion of the second object, and the occluding region of the shadow object on a display device. 7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the first object, the unocoluded portion of the second object, and the occluding region of the shadow object are rendered into a bitmap prior to displaying on the display device. 8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the shadow object is transparent. 9. The. computer program product of claim 6, wherein the shadow object is subjected to a diffusion filter. 10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the objects are two-dimensional planar objects within the three-dimensional coordinate space, wherein the objects are parallel to an x-y plane in the three-dimensional coordinate space, wherein the objects may be translated along either of a set of three dimensions in the three-dimensional coordinate space but not rotated about an x-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate space or about a y-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate space. 11. An apparatus for generating a shadow effect for objects in a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface simulates a three-dimensional coordinate space by displaying objects whose dimensions are computed in the three-dimensional coordinate space, the apparatus comprising: means for generating a shadow object corresponding to a first object, wherein the shadow object has dimensions and coordinates that are identical to the first object; means for displacing the shadow object along an x-dimension or a y-dimension of the three-dimensional coordinate space by a user-configurable displacement distance value; means for computing a z-dimensional difference value between a z-value of the first object and a z-value of a second object; means for calculating a translation value that is directly proportional to the computed z-dimensional difference value; means for translating shadow object in accordance with the calculated translation value along the x-dimension or the y-dimension within the three-dimensional coordinate space that was not used to displace the shadow object such that the translation of the shadow object and the displacement of the shadow object occur along different dimensions in either order; means for determining an occluding region of the displaced, translated shadow object that partially occludes the second object; and means for displaying the first object, an unoccluded portion of the second object, and the occluding region of the shadow object on a display device. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first object, the unoccluded portion of the second object, and the occluding region of the shadow object are rendered into a bitmap prior to displaying on the display device. 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the objects are two-dimensional planar objects within the three-dimensional coordinate space, wherein the objects are parallel to an x-y plane in the three-dimensional coordinate space, wherein the objects may be translated along either of a set of three dimensions in the three-dimensional coordinate space but not rotated about an x-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate space or about a y-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate space.