JP3788466B2 - Diagram creation apparatus and diagram creation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a diagram creation apparatus and a diagram creation method for easily creating diagrams such as maps and leaflets using a computer, and in particular, can handle a plurality of objects and create an accurate and easy-to-view diagram by a simple operation. The present invention relates to a diagram creation apparatus and a diagram creation method.

  Conventionally, the following two types of devices and methods of this type have been provided. The first is for creating an extremely accurate and easy-to-view diagram, and is a type that can finely design and change figures, symbols, and characters constituting the diagram (for example, a map). With this type of device, it is possible to give detailed instructions for the figure to be drawn. In other words, this type can be said to have a function that can accurately represent almost the same figure as the object to be drawn by increasing the degree of freedom in drawing the figure.

JP-A-3-286378 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-313566

  On the other hand, main figures, symbols, and characters constituting the figure are prepared in advance, and these are combined like a puzzle to assemble a figure that matches the object. In other words, the main figures necessary for drawing are prepared in advance, and the drawing is used for drawing to standardize the drawing, aiming at simplification and simplification of the procedure.

  However, the following two problems have not been solved in the above-described conventional two types of drawing apparatus. Although the former diagram creation device can express the target to be drawn almost accurately and can create a map that is easy for a third party to see, it requires a considerable amount of time and effort. In addition, satisfactory drawings cannot be created until they are skilled in the apparatus and method, and specialists and full-time personnel are required for drawing creation. In other words, the user of this diagram creation device or the like is limited to a specific person who creates various diagrams as specialized work.

  On the other hand, the latter figure creation device etc. is the opposite of the former one and can complete the figure in a short time with a simple operation, but it has only the freedom to combine the prepared figures etc. Even if there is a large gap between the completed figure and the object, this cannot be corrected. Therefore, in this diagram creation device or the like, even if it is desired to create a diagram that is easy to see for a third party or an accurate diagram, there is a limit due to the limitation of the drawing ability.

  The diagram creation apparatus and the diagram creation method of the present invention have been made for the purpose of solving these problems and creating a desired diagram by a simple operation, and have the following configuration.

The drawing creation apparatus of the present invention
A drawing creation device that edits figures and characters using a computer and creates a desired figure ,
A specific figure defined as a specific object, a basic figure such as a circle or square, and each element of a character string consisting of characters are set as independent objects, and the drawing state including at least deformation or rotation of the object is indicated. Object storage means for storing the attribute to be performed for each object;
Priority storage means for storing a priority determined for each object;
When a link of a plurality of objects is instructed, according to the priority order stored in the priority order storage means, an object having a lower priority order based on an attribute of an object having a higher priority order among the plurality of objects. The gist of the invention is to provide an automatic link means for automatically changing attributes.

The drawing creation method of the present invention
A diagram creation method for creating a desired diagram by editing figures and characters using a computer,
A specific figure defined as a specific object, a basic figure such as a circle or square, and each element of a character string consisting of characters are set as independent objects, and the drawing state including at least deformation or rotation of the object is indicated. Memorize the attribute for each object,
When the link of multiple objects is instructed, the attribute of the object with the lower priority order is automatically changed based on the attribute of the object with the higher priority order among the plurality of objects according to the predetermined priority order. The gist is to do.

In the drawing creating apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, a drawing state including at least deformation or rotation of an object such as a figure is defined as an attribute for each object and stored in the object storage means. The priority order storage means stores a priority order determined for each object. Then, the automatic link means is activated when a link of a plurality of objects is instructed, and based on the attribute of the object having the higher priority among the linked objects according to the priority order stored in the priority order storage means. Automatically change the attributes of objects with lower priority. That is, simply by instructing a link of a plurality of objects, the drawing state including at least deformation or rotation of the objects automatically changes according to the priority order.

Also, the mapping method of the present invention, for each object graphic such as attributes for indicating a drawing state including at least deformation or rotation of the object is stored. When the link of a plurality of objects is instructed, the attribute of the object having the lower priority is automatically changed based on the attribute of the object having the higher priority defined in advance among the plurality of objects. . Therefore, according to the present invention, as in the case of the above-described apparatus invention, the drawing situation including at least deformation or rotation of the object is automatically changed according to the priority only by instructing the link of the plurality of objects.

  Here, the priority order stored in the priority order storage means is determined according to the depth of the relationship between the specific figure, the basic figure, the character string, and the specific object, in order to reduce the trouble of drawing. It is suitable.

  In addition, such a specific object is a terrain, and the specific figure is a map constituting figure such as a road, a railroad, and a river constituting the map. Above is desirable.

  Furthermore, the character string is set to the lowest priority, and the automatic link means may be configured to place the character string in association with the object according to the attribute of the object having a higher priority than the character string. Preferred above.

  Furthermore, if the automatic link means is configured to deform an object having a lower priority than the map configuration graphic in accordance with the shape of the graphic that is one of the attributes of the map configuration graphic, it becomes easy to deform a plurality of graphics.

  In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, a map creating apparatus which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a basic screen displayed on the monitor 40 when the map creation software of the embodiment provided in the form of application software is operated on the personal computer 20, and FIG. 2 starts the application software. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram inside the personal computer 20. That is, by executing this map creation software on a normal personal computer 20, the map creation apparatus of this embodiment is realized.

  For convenience of explanation, the internal configuration of the personal computer 20 will be described first. As shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2, the basic configuration of the personal computer 20 in which the map creation software is started is well known, and the CPU 22 that executes logical operations, and the program executed by the CPU 22 are nonvolatile. I / O interface 28 between a logical circuit portion comprising a ROM 24, a large-capacity RAM 26 for storing programs and data, and a monitor 40, a mouse 42, a keyboard 46, a printer 48 and a hard disk 50 as peripheral devices. To 36.

  As shown in the figure, a GUI using a mouse 42 that is a pointing device is used for the operation of this map creation software, and a work area 401 or a print job according to the size of the paper on which the map is to be printed by the printer 48. A part of it is displayed on the monitor 40. On the left side of the work area 401, various tool boxes 402, 406, and 408 for drawing are displayed. A tool box 402 displayed at the top is for setting a drawing mode (hereinafter referred to as a mode selection tool box) as shown in FIG. Arrow icons for switching to the selection / edit mode, road icons indicating road / river / railway (hereinafter collectively referred to as road objects) drawing modes, straight lines, rectangles, ellipses and arrows (hereinafter collectively referred to as graphic objects) Graphic icon indicating drawing mode, character icon indicating character input and character attribute change mode, map symbol display icon for displaying map symbol input display window, clip art display icon for displaying clip art list display window Six types of icons are available.

  The tool box 406 in the middle on the left side is a line type tool box for selecting the type of a selected line or a line to be drawn as shown in FIG. 3B, and draws a rectangle or an ellipse as well as a road object and a straight line. In this case, the thickness of the contour line and the type of line such as a solid line or a broken line are selected. FIG. 3B illustrates the thickness of the corresponding line on the right side. A tool box 408 below the line type tool box 406 is a color setting tool box, as shown in FIG. 3C, and sets the color of the boundary line or internal pattern of a selected figure or a figure to be drawn in the future. Is. In the figure, it is drawn in black and white, but actually it is shown in the corresponding color on the monitor 40. Also, on the right side of the work area 401, as shown in FIG. 3D, a fill pattern type tool box 410 for selecting a fill pattern type of a selected figure or a figure to be drawn is displayed.

  In FIG. 2, among these various tool boxes 402, 406, 408 and 410, only the fill pattern type tool box is in the form of a floating palette, but these tool boxes can all be displayed in the form of a floating palette. Yes, it can be placed anywhere in the work area. These modes, line types, patterns, colors, and the like can be selected from a menu bar 403 displayed on the upper end surface of the monitor 40 in a pull-down format.

  Further, in the map creation apparatus of the present embodiment, a command (eg, a ribbon (hereinafter referred to as a ribbon) icon) for displaying a command for assisting map drawing, for example, enlargement / reduction of screen display, printing, etc. is displayed below the menu bar 403 of the monitor 40. 404 and 405 are prepared. The ribbon 404 on the right side of the screen is a common ribbon, and the same ribbon is displayed regardless of the selected mode. In the ribbon 404, as shown in FIG. 4A, functions such as undo for canceling the effect of the executed command and changing the display magnification of the figure displayed in the work area 401 are shown as icons. .

  On the other hand, the ribbon 405 on the left side of the screen is a mode-specific ribbon whose display and function are switched according to the mode selected by the mode selection tool box 402. When the mode is switched by operating the mode selection tool box 402, the ribbon 405 is selected. Depending on the selected mode, the display is switched to the display of icons assigned different functions. For example, when the arrow icon of the mode selection tool box 402 is selected, the ribbon 405 has icons for executing commands for rotating and deforming the figure, and the arrangement of the front and back of the figure, as shown in FIG. An icon indicating a command for switching and an icon indicating grouping or cancellation thereof are arranged. On the other hand, when the road icon is selected, the mode-specific ribbon 405 is assigned various strokes necessary for drawing road objects such as roads, rivers, and railways, and a function for controlling the strokes. ), Corresponding icons are arranged. For example, switch to a tool that draws straight lines or curved roads, rivers, JR railroads, private railways with a specified line width, a tool that switches to a tool that specifies up and down of a three-dimensional intersection, and a tool that specifies the end shape of a road or river Functions etc. are displayed by corresponding icons. Similarly, when a graphic icon is selected, a function for switching to various drawing tools is displayed on the mode-specific ribbon 405 by a corresponding icon as shown in FIG. For example, the icons to be changed to tools for drawing straight lines, rectangles, circles / ovals, arcs, sectors, bows, rectangles with rounded corners (rectangles), polygonal lines, polygons, freehand curves, various arrow lines, and the like are displayed.

  When a character icon is selected, a function for switching to a tool for changing the attribute of a character string is displayed on the mode-specific ribbon 405 with a corresponding icon as shown in FIG. Tools for changing the attributes of character strings include typeface, size, text decoration (bold and italics, etc.), horizontal alignment (left alignment, centering, right alignment), vertical alignment (top alignment, center alignment, bottom alignment) ), Character string direction designation, relation designation with figure (middle, top, bottom).

  The arrangement positions of these ribbons 405 can be changed in the same manner as the toolbox in the embodiment, and can be dragged from the default state shown in FIG. 1 to an arbitrary position in the work area 401, but may be fixed. There is no problem. The command is selected by bringing the mouse cursor over each icon and clicking the left button 422 of the mouse 42. When the right button 424 adjacent to the left button 422 of the mouse is clicked, the command is selected. Copy, delete, erase, move to front, move to back, group, deselect, select mode commands are pulled down. As described above, the map creation apparatus of the present embodiment is designed with operability so that various commands can be selected and executed by a slight movement of the pointer of the mouse 42.

  The normal map creation procedure will be described. The mouse 42 is operated to select any icon in the mode selection tool box 402, and the drawing mode is determined. Then, the corresponding mode-specific ribbon 405 is displayed. For example, when a road icon is selected, a dedicated ribbon 405 is displayed. Therefore, an icon corresponding to the object to be drawn is further selected from the ribbon. For example, a tool for drawing a straight road having a specified line width is selected, and the mouse is dragged from the start point (start point) to the end point (end point) of the road. Thus, a predetermined straight road can be drawn. The designation of the line width can be changed by selecting a predetermined menu from the menu bar 403. When multiple objects are drawn, they have an overlapping relationship. By default, what is drawn later is drawn to exist in the foreground, but in the case of the same type of road object, it is combined, It has different properties from other objects. That is, when a plurality of road objects are drawn at overlapping positions, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the end points of the road objects are joined to other road objects and drawn as a continuous road. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, three straight roads and one curved road are drawn so as to overlap each other. When the drawing is completed, as shown in FIG. 5B, End point processing is performed, and a series of roads are displayed in the work area 401. In the case of roads and rivers, the shape of the end points can also be set.

  By repeating these operations, a figure such as a rectangle indicating a road, a river, a building, or a character string or the like is created and displayed in the work area 401. At this time, the map data drawn and displayed on the monitor 40 is sequentially stored or edited in the RAM 26 as the main memory or the predetermined storage area of the hard disk 50 in which the virtual storage area is set. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of map data created by the map creation software.

  Each element such as roads, characters, and figures constituting a map created using the road icons, character icons, graphic icons, etc. described above constitutes a set of data collected as one object. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the map data is composed of two graphic objects 60 and 62, two character objects 64 and 66, and one road object 68. Further, in order to explicitly indicate that one map data is completed by a series of these objects, a set of top data 70 and end data 72 of map data is prepared, and these data are indicated by solid lines in the figure. As indicated by an arrow X, a pointer that points to adjacent data is provided. This is because, in map data, when objects are drawn, the overlapping relationship between the objects becomes important. For example, the drawing situation of the three-dimensional intersection changes depending on which of the two road objects is placed in front. is there. The object overlap relationship (front / rear relationship) has a structure in which only the pointer is changed, and the right button 424 of the mouse 42 described above is operated to execute the “move to front” or “move to back” command. By executing this, it is possible to easily change the overlapping relationship of the objects.

  In this way, data constituting one object expresses an important attribute that indicates the drawing status of the object, and position data regarding the position where the object is to be drawn as an attribute common to each object, There is size data indicating the size of drawing and type data indicating the type of figure to be drawn. Each object has a selection pointer for connecting a group of objects in the selected state when the object is clicked by the pointer of the mouse 42 to be in a selected state, as indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow Y in FIG. The selection data 80 indicating that a selection situation has occurred is prepared at the head of these selection pointers. In the example of FIG. 6, the graphic object 60, the character objects 64 and 66, and the road object 68 are selected. This information is used when processing such as transformation or rotation is performed on a plurality of selected objects.

  The graphic objects 60 and 62 are provided with presence / absence of an arrangement character string and graphic-specific data as attributes other than those described above. The road object 68 has the presence / absence of an arrangement character string in the same manner as the graphic objects 60 and 62. In addition, the road drawing start point, end point, width, road boundary line type information, road paint pattern information, etc. Consists of a lot of road-specific information. The character objects 64 and 66 are composed of an arrangement character string state, an arrangement relative position, character string data, character size information, and an arrangement pointer for arrangement on another object such as a figure or a road. The arrangement pointers of the character objects 64 and 66 shown in FIG. 6 are connected to the road object 68 as indicated by the solid line arrow Z. This indicates that the character string stored in the character string data of the character objects 64 and 66 should be arranged in relation to the road object 68. FIG. 5 also shows an example of a character string by a character object arranged on the road drawing by the arrangement pointer. As shown in the figure, the relative position of the character object composed of the character string data of “National Route 10” is set in the middle of the road that is bent from the middle because the relationship “arranged in the figure” is set. It is arranged by bending from. The relative position of the character object composed of the character string data “Nichome intersection” is set outside the road because the relationship “place below the figure” is set. In the case of a road drawn vertically, the upper and lower sides are determined such that the right hand side is the lower side in the direction in which the road is drawn.

  As described above, the map creation apparatus of the present embodiment adopts an object format as its data structure, and can easily draw a map representing a desired terrain by freely setting the attributes of each object. Can do. For the setting of this attribute, the most common default value is prepared, and whenever a change is necessary, a change command may be executed. There is also a mode for changing the attributes of an object at once. FIG. 7 shows an example of a dialog box 100 displayed on the monitor 40 when a road drawing displayed on the monitor 40 as map data is double-clicked with the mouse 42. In this way, when a road drawing is double-clicked, most of the attributes of the road object, which is a collection of attributes for the road drawing, are visually represented along with the current values, and the desired attributes can be checked while checking the current settings. The drawing status can be changed as desired at any time by appropriately changing the value of, and clicking the OK button 102.

  Next, processing such as deformation between a plurality of objects in the map creating apparatus of the present embodiment will be described in detail according to a flowchart or the like. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the final part of a program executed when a rectangular object, which is a kind of graphic object, is rotated or bent. When this process is executed, it is first determined whether or not the selected object is a single rectangular object (step 500). When only the rectangular object on the monitor 40 is selected by the mouse 42, a normal rectangular rotation operation process (step 502) is executed. The rectangle rotation operation processing in step 502 is to input a numerical value corresponding to the rotation angle from a dialog box similar to the dialog box 100 illustrated in FIG. 7 to rotate the rectangular object or display it at the four corners of the selected rectangle. This is a process of dragging the handle directly with the mouse 42.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step 500 that a plurality of objects are selected, it is determined whether or not an object other than the selected rectangle is a higher priority object than the rectangular object. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the priority is the highest in an object that draws a natural terrain itself such as a mountain or a river, and then an object that draws an immovable object on a land such as a road, railway, or subway, As the middle ones, graphic objects such as rectangles, circles and polygons for representing buildings and the like, and character objects inserted for explaining the map are defined with the lowest priority. The priority setting can be different depending on the type of map to be created, but in the embodiment, an object that draws an element having a strong connection with the land has a higher priority. Is set. In this embodiment, mountains are not prepared as objects, and rivers have the same priority as roads, railways, and the like. The selection of the plurality of objects and the determination of the priority order can be easily known by following the arrow alternate long and short dash line Y indicating the selection data in the data structure shown in FIG.

  If it is determined in step 504 that an object having a higher priority than the rectangular object is selected together with the rectangular object, the rotation angle or curvature attribute of the higher-order object is read (step 506), and the reading is performed. The rectangular object is changed in accordance with the attribute value of the higher-order object (step 508).

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the process performed by the flowchart shown in FIG. In this example, a rectangular object which is one of the graphic objects is drawn as a station building, and a railway object having a higher priority than this rectangular object is selected along with this rectangular object. A small black square handle H is displayed at the main portion of the selected object so that the selected state can be visually confirmed. When the processing shown in FIG. 8 is executed with both selected, the rectangular drawing representing the station building is bent according to the curvature of the railway object by the attribute change processing of the rectangular object in steps 506 and 508, and the railway Arranged along the object. Accordingly, it is possible to omit operations such as direct input of difficult curvature values that have been conventionally required when arranging two or more objects in a specific positional relationship. Also, there is no need to specify which object to deform.

  The map creating apparatus of the present embodiment also has an automatic link function similar to that described above for the input of a character object having a low priority and the link between the character object after the input and another high-order object.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a character input process executed when a new character object is input. When this process is executed, it is determined whether or not an object having a higher priority than the character object is indicated by the pointer of the mouse 42 (step 600). If no higher object is indicated, a normal character is determined. An input process (step 602) is executed. That is, a character string is input at the position of the mouse cursor.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step 600 that a high-order object is instructed, a pointer (solid arrow X in FIG. 6) indicating the overlapping relationship between the objects is operated to be higher than the object instructed by the mouse 42. A new character object is created, and the arrangement pointer (solid arrow Z in FIG. 6) is set to the higher object (step 604). For example, when the map data shown in FIG. 6 is used, when a character object 64 and a road object 68 exist in advance, the character input process is performed after the road object 68 is indicated by the pointer of the mouse 42. Is executed, a character object 66 is newly provided on the upper side of the road object 68 (a character string is placed upward in the overlapping relationship), and the arrangement pointer is set so as to point to the road object 68. Here, the upper side and the lower side refer to the upper and lower sides of the overlapping method of the objects, and the high level and the lower side refer to the upper and lower sides of the priority order as the attribute of the object.

  Subsequent to step 604, the arrangement character string state such as emphasis, italics, and underline is set (step 606), and the character size information and the attribute of the arrangement relative position are set (step 608) to complete the character input process. Here, the setting of various attributes in steps 604 and 606 is automatically performed in accordance with the attribute of the high-level object designated at this time. For example, in the previous example shown in FIG. The curvature and character size of the arrangement curve of the character string “No. Line” are automatically determined according to the curvature and width attributes of the road object.

  Another characteristic function related to the attribute setting of the character object is automatic placement processing of the character object that has already been input. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of this automatic arrangement of character strings. If only characters that have already been input and are drawn are selected by the mouse 42, or a plurality of drawing elements are selected, but a higher-order object having a higher priority than the character object is selected at the same time. If not, the program is terminated as it is by the determination processing in steps 700 and 702.

  If it is determined in the determination processing in these steps 700 and 702 that an object having a higher priority than the character object is selected, the pointer of the character object is changed to the upper side of the higher-order object. (Step 704), the arrangement character string state which is one of the attributes is set in accordance with the high-order object (Step 706). Next, the character size information and the placement relative position attribute are also set according to the high-order object (step 708), and the fact that the character object thus changed should be placed is stored in the high-order object. Then, the presence / absence attribute of the high-order object arrangement character string is set to “present” (step 710), and the program is terminated.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 13 which is an explanatory diagram, for example, a character object composed of a character string “here is a destination” and a graphic object composed of a higher-order balloon graphic are selected in FIG. If automatic placement processing is performed for the indicated character string, attributes such as the character size and placement position are changed so that the character string fits in the balloon, and the emphasis font is used to emphasize the characters in the balloon. Is set.

  In the above description, the upper and lower priorities existed among the plurality of objects, but the specific process can be executed even when the priorities of the selected objects are equal. For example, if the two selected objects are JR railway objects and they overlap, they are automatically combined and drawn as a continuous JR railway route. Since it is set from the start point of the object, the JT railway line pattern after synthesis may be shifted at the synthesis location. In such a case, if both are selected and an automatic placement command is selected, it is determined that the priorities of the two are equal and the types of objects are also equal, so it is determined that the pattern should be adjusted, and the combined JR is determined. The pattern is recalculated so that the drawing pattern of the railway line is continuous without deviation, and redrawing is executed. Of course, when the JR railway line pattern is overlaid on the previously drawn JR railway line pattern, the newly drawn pattern can be recalculated according to the connected pattern. .

  According to the map creation apparatus of the present embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. Each element of map drawing such as roads, figures and characters is stored as an object defined as a collection of many attributes. Therefore, a desired map can be created on the display screen of the monitor 40 by changing the attributes defined for each object. That is, the map creation device of the embodiment guarantees a very large degree of freedom when drawing a map.

  On the other hand, if such a large degree of freedom is guaranteed, a large number of attributes must be set to optimum values to determine the drawing status of one object. This requires a considerable amount of experience and considerable ability to handle graphics, and its usability is generally reduced. In order to cope with this, the map creation apparatus of the present embodiment introduces the concept of priority order of each object, and has an automatic link function for setting or changing the attribute of a lower object according to the attribute of the object with higher priority. Prepare. As a result, when setting the attributes of the subordinate object, it is possible to immediately set the optimal and easy-to-view attribute value without trial and error of the optimal value.

  In addition, since the map creation software of this embodiment uses the strength of the connection between the elements on the map drawn as objects and the land when determining the priority order as an index, the attribute is changed by the automatic link function. Objects are limited to objects that are weakly related to land, and attributes of objects that are strongly related to land are maintained. Therefore, the drawing state of the high priority object reflecting the terrain remains unchanged, and the low priority object, for example, the position or size of the river or road name is linked to the high priority object. Automatically adjusted. With this function, an accurate and easy-to-see map corresponding to the actual terrain can be obtained by a simple operation.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in this embodiment, the priority order is determined according to the strength of the connection with the land. However, the priority order may be determined from other viewpoints, and a plurality of priority orders may be prepared and their relations can be changed. The priority order may be freely editable based on the intention of the map creator. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the map creation device, but can be applied to any diagram creation device capable of drawing a plurality of types of objects that can be given priorities. For example, in a so-called simple DTP device that can draw a border, a figure, a character string as an object, and create a leaflet, etc., a priority order can be given between these objects, and the border object is placed with the highest priority. In a CAD device that can set the attributes of each object according to the attribute of the frame line object or draw a perspective view, etc., as a structure material such as a wall or a pillar, a fitting such as a window or door, a desk, a sofa, etc. It is possible to draw a piece of furniture or the like, increase the priority of the structural material, and consider a configuration that automatically deforms the fitting or furniture according to the shape of the structural material.

The invention's effect:
As described above, the drawing creation apparatus and drawing creation method of the present invention define the drawing state of an object as an attribute, and by changing this, it is possible to secure a high degree of freedom of drawing the drawing. A new concept of priority is introduced when setting or changing the above, and the attribute of the lower object is automatically set based on the attribute of the object with the higher priority.

  Therefore, the conflicting demands of a large degree of freedom and simple operability are skillfully satisfied, high operability is realized, and an excellent effect is obtained that a desired figure can be obtained by simple work.

It is explanatory drawing of the basic screen of the map creation apparatus which is one Example of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the personal computer which mounts map creation software and implement | achieves a map creation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the shape of various tool boxes. It is explanatory drawing which shows the shape of various ribbons. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of drawing of a map. It is a conceptual explanatory view of map data composed of a plurality of objects. It is explanatory drawing of the dialog box of the attribute change of a road object. It is a flowchart of the rotation process of the rectangular object by an automatic link. It is explanatory drawing of the priority defined for every object. It is a display explanatory drawing of the rotation process of the rectangular object by an automatic link. It is a flowchart of the character input process by an automatic link. It is a flowchart of the automatic arrangement | positioning of the character string by an automatic link. It is a display explanatory drawing of the automatic arrangement | positioning of the character string by an automatic link.

Explanation of symbols

20 ... Personal computer 22 ... CPU
24 ... ROM
26 ... RAM
28-36 ... I / O interface 40 ... Monitor 42 ... Mouse 46 ... Keyboard 48 ... Printer 50 ... Hard disk 60, 62 ... Graphic object 64, 66 ... Character object 68 ... Road object 70 ... Lead data 72 ... Trail data 80 ... Selection data DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Dialog box 102 ... OK button 401 ... Work area 402, 406, 408, 410 ... Various tool boxes 402 ... Mode selection tool box 403 ... Menu bar 404 ... Common ribbon 405 ... Ribbon classified by mode 406 ... Line type tool box 408 ... Color setting tool box 410 ... Pattern type tool box 422 ... Left button 424 ... Right button H ... Handle

Claims (6)

A drawing creation device that edits figures and characters using a computer and creates a desired figure,
A specific figure defined as a specific object, a basic figure such as a circle or square, and each element of a character string consisting of characters are set as independent objects, and the drawing state including at least deformation or rotation of the object is indicated. An object storage means for storing the attribute for each object;
Priority storage means for storing the priority to which the object belongs;
When a link of a plurality of objects is instructed, according to the priority order stored in the priority order storage means, an object having a lower priority order based on an attribute of an object having a higher priority order among the plurality of objects. A diagram creating apparatus comprising: automatic link means for automatically changing attributes. 2. The drawing creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the priority order stored in the priority order storage means is determined according to a depth of association between the specific figure, the basic figure, the character string, and the specific object. A drawing creation device according to claim 1,
The specific object is a terrain, and the specific figure is a map constituting figure such as a road, a railroad, and a river constituting the map,
The priority order storage means is means for storing a specific figure as the highest priority. A drawing creation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
The priority storage means is means for storing the character string as the lowest priority,
The said automatic link means is provided with a means to arrange | position the said character string in relation to this object according to the attribute of the object with a higher priority than a character string. A drawing creation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
The diagram creating apparatus, wherein the automatic linking means includes means for deforming an object having a lower priority than the map constituting figure according to the shape of the figure which is one of the attributes of the map constituting figure. A diagram creation method for creating a desired diagram by editing figures and characters using a computer,
A specific figure defined as a specific object, a basic figure such as a circle or square, and each element of a character string consisting of characters are set as independent objects, and the drawing state including at least deformation or rotation of the object is indicated. Memorize the attribute for each object,
When the link of multiple objects is instructed, the attribute of the object with the lower priority order is automatically changed based on the attribute of the object with the higher priority order among the plurality of objects according to the predetermined priority order. Yes How to create a diagram.

Images