JPH0417547B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a method for managing a large amount of graphic data, and in particular, to manage graphic data that exists within a certain window specified on the drawing from among all graphic data existing in the drawing. The present invention relates to a graphic data management method suitable for quickly searching only graphic data that is currently available.

[Background of the invention]

When editing a large-scale drawing (for example, AO size) consisting of a large amount of figure data using a computer, you can specify a window on the drawing and move, delete, or rotate the figures that exist inside it. ,
Or, you often perform operations such as copying it to another location. At this time, the graphic editing system needs to search for graphic data existing within the designated window from among all graphic data existing in the drawing. Here, as the drawing becomes larger, the amount of data to be searched increases, so processing time increases.

Therefore, the following methods have been conventionally adopted to speed up the search time.

As shown in Figure 2, the drawing is divided into multiple rectangular areas 1
The rectangular area in which the input figure 2 exists is managed using the two tables shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

The figure data table contains figure data 2 (e ₁ to ₆ ).
are stored, and graphic data existing within the same rectangular area are grouped using an address pointer 7 representing position 6 on the graphic data table. The area management table also stores an address pointer 5 indicating the position on the graphic data table where the first piece of graphic data existing in each rectangular area exists, and a number 4 assigned to the rectangular area. There is.

Using these two tables, graphic data existing within a certain window 3 specified on the drawing is searched in the following steps.

(1) Search for a rectangular area that covers window 3.

(2) Find the corresponding rectangular area number 4 from the area management table, and use the address pointer 5 to extract one piece of graphic data within the corresponding rectangular area from the graphic data table.

(3) Address pointer 7 in the figure data table
is used to extract graphic data existing within the same rectangular area in an easy-to-understand manner.

(4) Search in more detail for the graphic data that exists within the specified window from among the graphic data extracted in (2) and (3).

Here, when the amount of figure data existing in a drawing increases, the size of the figure data table is limited (the size of this table determines the computer region size when operating the drawing editing system). Therefore, it is impossible to store all the graphic data of the drawing in the graphic data table on the main memory.

Therefore, all the graphic data of the drawing is stored in the auxiliary storage device, and only the necessary graphic data is transferred to the main storage device to perform the work.

In the conventional system, data transfer between the main storage device and the auxiliary storage device required complicated control, and data retrieval processing took a considerable amount of time for the following reasons.

(1) Since the number of figures existing in each rectangular area is not constant, the total amount of figure data in each rectangular area is also not constant.

(2) Graphic data existing within the same rectangular area does not necessarily exist consecutively on the graphic data table.

Furthermore, when a figure is moved, deleted, or rotated, the rectangular area in which the figure exists may change. In that case, there was also the hassle of having to change both the area management table and the graphic data table.

A related public knowledge example is "Design of an efficient database to support mutual interference LSI layout system"
(JA Wilmore 16th, Proceedings of the
Design Automation Conference, pp445-450
“The design of an efficient database to
support an interactive LSI la−yout system”)
and so on.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a management system for a large amount of graphic data suitable for quickly searching all the graphic data of a drawing for a group of graphics existing within a specified window on a drawing.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention introduces the idea of FB (Field Block), and makes the unit of figure data transfer between the main memory and auxiliary memory the same as the unit of management of the position where figures exist on the drawing. It has characteristics. This speeds up the search for necessary data.

[Embodiments of the invention]

First, I will explain about FB. The FB is shown in Figure 4. It can be thought of as a memory with a storage capacity that can store a certain amount of graphic data. Graphical data input during the process of editing a drawing is stored one after another in this memory, and when it becomes full, it becomes one FB.

Furthermore, the input graphic data is stored in another memory area to form a new FB. The FB created in this way is managed using information representing its size, as shown in FIG. In other words,
Lower left and upper right coordinate information 10, 10' (X _nio , Y _nio ), (X _nax , Y _nax ) of rectangle 9 that can cover all the figure data stored in the FB and has the minimum area.
That is it. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the graphic data constituting the FB itself also has lower left and upper right coordinate information 70 ((x _nio , y _nio ), (x _nax , y _nax ) as information representing its size.

Using this information, the graphic data existing in a certain window specified on the drawing is searched for using the following procedure.

(1) Search for an FB attached to a window based on information representing the size of the FB.

(2) Pay attention to the FB searched in (1) and search in detail for the graphic data that exists in the window from among the graphic data stored therein.

Here, it is impossible for all the FB data of the drawing to exist on the main storage device for the same reason as mentioned above. Therefore, all FB data is stored in the auxiliary storage device, and only the necessary data is transferred to the main storage device for work. At that time, each
Since the maximum amount of graphic data that can be stored in an FB is fixed, the corresponding FB is stored from the auxiliary storage device.
It becomes extremely easy to read data and transfer the data to main memory, or vice versa.

Furthermore, since the graphic data existing in the same FB exists consecutively in the table storing the FB data, there is no need to search for scattered data as in the conventional method.

Furthermore, even if the size of the FB to which the figure belongs changes as shown in Figures 7 to 8 due to operations such as moving, erasing, or rotating the figure,
Information representing the size of FB (X _nio , Y _nio ), (X _nax ,
Only the Y _nax ) need be changed, and changes in the drawings can also be easily handled.

An embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

Two tables on main memory 80 are used. The FB table 82 stores FB data. However, all FB data of a drawing does not necessarily exist on this table; in the case of large-scale drawings, all FB data is on the auxiliary storage device, and the FB
Only some FB data exists on the table.

The FB management table 84 includes information 10 (X _nio , Y _nio ), (X _nax , Y _nax ) representing the size of each FB, and an address representing the position on the FB table when the FB data is on the main memory. Pointer 15 and FB
An address pointer 16 is stored that indicates the location on the auxiliary storage device when the data is on the auxiliary storage device.

Using these two tables, graphic data existing within a certain window 17 specified on the drawing is searched in the following steps.

(1) Information 18 (x ^w _nio , y ^w _nio ), (x ^w _nax , y ^w _nax ) representing the size of the window specified on the drawing is sent to the drawing editing system.

(2) Search all FB groups related to the window from this information and the information representing the size of each FB stored in the FB management table. Specifically, a group of FBs that satisfy the following conditions are searched.

X _nax x ^w _{nio X nio} and Y _{nax y} ^w _nio Y _nio …… ⁽ 1) x ^w _nax X _nio x ^w _nio and y ^w _nax Y _nio y ^w _nio ……(2) _nio and Y _nax ≧Y ^w _nax ≧Y _nio …… _{( 3} ⁾ X ^w _nax ≧X _nio ≧X ^w _nio and Y ^w _nax ≧Y _nax ≧Y ^w _nio ……(4) _nio and Y _nax ≧Y ^w _nio ≧Y _nio …… ₍ 5 ⁾ X ^w _{nax ≧} X _nax ≧X ^w _nio and Y ^w _nax ≧Y _nio ≧Y ^w _nio ……(6) _nio and Y _nax ≧Y ^w _nax ≧Y _nio ……(7) X ^w _nax ≧X _nax ≧X ^w _nio and Y ^w _nax ≧Y _nax ≧Y ^w _nio ……(8) (1)or(2)or (3)or(4)or(5)or(6)or(7)or(8) Determine whether the corresponding FB data exists on the main memory by looking at address point 15 of the FB management table. do.

If the value is 0, the address pointer 16 is referred to and the corresponding FB is stored on the auxiliary storage device.
Find the location where the data exists and transfer the data to the FB table on the main memory in FB units.

(3) Information representing the size of the graphic data (x _nio , y _nio ), (x _nax , y nax ) that exists in the specified window from among the FB data that exists on the FB _table ) to search.

According to this method, data transfer between the main storage device and the auxiliary storage device can be controlled by extremely simple table operations.

According to this embodiment, since the unit of data transfer between the main storage device and the auxiliary storage device is the same as the unit of management of the position where the figure exists on the drawing, Out of all the graphic data of the drawing being displayed, only the graphic data existing within a specified window on the drawing can be transferred to the main storage device at high speed, thereby speeding up data retrieval.

Also, even when a figure is moved, deleted, or rotated, information representing the size of the figure itself and the figure to which it belongs are stored.
It is only necessary to change the information representing the size of the FB, and the position on the drawing where the figure exists can be managed extremely easily.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, graphic data can be searched, moved, etc. at high speed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is an example of a table according to this method, Figure 2 is an example of dividing a drawing into rectangular areas, Figure 3 is an example of a table according to the conventional method, Figure 4 is an example of a data structure according to the new method, and Figure 5 is an example of the FB. For example, Figure 6 is an example of figure data in FB, Figure 7 is an example of FB before figure deletion, Figure 8 is
The figures each show examples of FBs after figure deletion. 1... Rectangular area, 2... Figure, 3... Window, 4... Rectangular area number, 5... Address pointer of the figure data table, 6... Address of the figure data table, 7... Exist within the same rectangle address pointer for grouping figures, 8... Information indicating the size of figure data, 9... FB, 10
...Information representing the size of the FB, 11... Rectangle covering the figure data, 12... Figure, 13... FB before figure deletion, 14... FB after figure deletion, 15...
FB table address pointer, 16...Auxiliary storage device address pointer, 17...Window, 18...Information representing the size of the window.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a system that includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device for storing graphic data and manages the graphic data, search information for a field block including a plurality of graphics includes an area containing a group of these graphics. Using the positional information of the two points on the diagonal of the smallest rectangle, the positional information of the two points on the diagonal of the rectangle with the smallest area that includes each figure is used as the search information for each figure that makes up the field block. A graphic data management method characterized in that the storage device is managed and transferred using the search information as a unit. 2. In claim 1, the auxiliary storage device stores all field block data, and the main storage device stores a field block table that stores some field block data, and search information for the field block. , a field block management table that stores at least information indicating whether or not field block data exists on the main storage device, and information indicating the position on the auxiliary storage device if the field block data does not exist, and If there is a field block corresponding to the field block stored in the main storage device from the data representing the specified window size, select it; if there is no corresponding field block, select the corresponding field block in the auxiliary storage device, A graphic data management method that transfers selected field block data to the main storage device.