Friday, October 11, 2024
NewsPatents

Apple wants to make it easy to trace 3D objects on iPads, iPhones, Macs

This graphic illustrates embodiments of object tracing and a user interface for object tracing.

Apple wants to make it easy to trace 3D objects on iPads, iPhones, and Macs. The tech giant has filed for a patent (number US 20240319867 A1) for “Systems, Methods, and User Interfaces for Object Tracing.”

About the patent filing

In the patent filing Apple says that tracing objects or images is a useful technique to improve artistic and functional replications of portions of such objects or images. However, the tech giant adds that accurately tracing objects, particularly three-dimensional objects can be “inefficient, challenging, or even impractical.”

Apple wants to change this. The new patent filing involves a user interface for tracing objects on a device configured to display representations of one or more objects within a 3D environment of the computer system. 

In some embodiments, a computer system is configured to display visual representations of tracing objects, such as virtual ink, in accordance with movement of an input object, such as a hand of the user, a device in communication with the computer system (say, an iPad working with a Mac), and/or the hand of the user and the device. 

While the tracing mode is enabled, virtual ink is displayed along edges, contours, and/or surfaces of an object targeted by tracing based on the movement of the input object. In some embodiments, the tracing is based on a projection of a position of the input object toward the target object. The computer system can display representations of a depth evaluation region, candidate edges, contours, and/or surfaces.

Summary of the patent filing

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “In some embodiments, an electronic device is configured to present user interfaces to facilitate tracing of objects within a three-dimensional environment of the electronic device. In some embodiments, the objects are physical and/or virtual. In some embodiments, the electronic device detects input directed to an input object and displays virtual ink tracing objects in accordance with the input.”

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Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.