Practical Issues in Graphical Constraints

Use of constraint-based techniques in interactive graphics applications poses a variety of unique challenges to system implementors. This paper begins by describing how interface concerns create demands on interactive, constraint-based, graphical applications. We will discuss why such applications must be able to handle systems of non-linear constraints, and survey some of the techniques available to solve them. Employing these numerical algorithms in the contexts of interactive systems provides a set of challenges, including dynamically setting up the equations to be solved and achieving adequate performance and scalability. This paper will explore these issues and describe the methods we have used in our efforts to address

[1]  Alan Borning,et al.  The Programming Language Aspects of ThingLab, a Constraint-Oriented Simulation Laboratory , 1981, TOPL.

[2]  Philip E. Gill,et al.  Practical optimization , 1981 .

[3]  James Arthur Gosling,et al.  Algebraic constraints , 1983 .

[4]  Maureen C. Stone,et al.  Snap-dragging , 1986, SIGGRAPH.

[5]  Charles W. Wampler,et al.  Manipulator Inverse Kinematic Solutions Based on Vector Formulations and Damped Least-Squares Methods , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics.

[6]  Bjørn N. Freeman-Benson,et al.  Constraint Hierarchies , 1992, LISP Symb. Comput..

[7]  Griewank,et al.  On automatic differentiation , 1988 .

[8]  Ivan E. Sutherland,et al.  Sketchpad: a man-machine graphical communication system , 1899, AFIPS '63 (Spring).

[9]  Peter Piela.  Ascend: an object-oriented computer environment for modeling and analysis , 1989 .

[10]  Eurographics Workshop on Object Oriented Graphics , 1989 .

[11]  Bjørn N. Freeman-Benson,et al.  An incremental constraint solver , 1990, CACM.

[12]  A. A. Maciejewsk.  Dealing with the Ill-Conditioned Epuations of Motion for Articulated Figures , 1990 .

[13]  Yoshihiko Nakamura,et al.  Advanced robotics - redundancy and optimization , 1990 .

[14]  John C. Platt,et al.  Constraint methods for neural networks and computer graphics , 1990 .

[15]  Anthony A. Maciejewski,et al.  Dealing with the ill-conditioned equations of motion for articulated figures , 1990, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[16]  Roger B. Dannenberg,et al.  Garnet: comprehensive support for graphical, highly interactive user interfaces , 1990, Computer.

[17]  A. Witkin,et al.  Snap Together Mathematics , 1991 .

[18]  A. Witkin,et al.  Differential Manipulation * , 1991 .

[19]  Steve Sistare.  Graphical interaction techniques in constraint-based geometric modeling , 1991 .

[20]  Ralph D. Hill.  A 2-D Graphics System for Multi-User Interactive Graphics Based on Objects and Constraints , 1991 .

[21]  Michael Gleicher,et al.  Integrating constraints and direct manipulation , 1992, I3D '92.

[22]  Michael Gleicher,et al.  Briar: a constraint-based drawing program , 1992, CHI.

[23]  Mark C. Surles.  An algorithm with linear complexity for interactive, physically-based modeling of large proteins , 1992, SIGGRAPH.

[24]  Mark C. Surles.  Interactive modeling enhanced with constraints and physics with applications in molecular modeling , 1992, I3D '92.

[25]  Michael Gleicher,et al.  Through-the-lens camera control , 1992, SIGGRAPH.

[26]  John H. Maloney.  Using constraints for user interface construction , 1992 .

[27]  Sherman R. Alpert.  Graceful interaction with graphical constraints , 1993, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[28]  Michael Gleicher,et al.  A graphics toolkit based on differential constraints , 1993, UIST '93.

[29]  Steven K. Feiner,et al.  Inferring constraints from multiple snapshots , 1993, TOGS.

[30]  Brad A. Myers.  The garnet user interface development environment , 1994, CHI Conference Companion.