JP4088320B2 - Diagram creation apparatus and diagram creation method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing creation apparatus and drawing creation method for creating a desired figure by drawing or editing a figure using a pointing device, and more particularly to a drawing creation apparatus and drawing creation for drawing using a figure prepared in advance. Regarding the method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of apparatus and method, an apparatus using an existing figure generally called clip art is known. The clip art records a plurality of graphics prepared in advance in a predetermined format, and makes it easy to create a diagram by using it in a diagram creation device. These clip arts are provided in a format that is unique to the diagram creation device or in a format that is prepared by the operating system as a standard. It is generally drawn in

  However, when importing clip art from a file, it is difficult to confirm in advance the clip art to be imported. There was a problem that it took a considerable amount of time to confirm the relationship.

  The method of importing by cut and paste can be operated more easily than reading directly from a file. However, "Select figure" "Cut figure (copy)" "Move to desired position" "Paste figure" The problem is that it takes a lot of time to import graphics, such as requiring four steps, not being able to know the exact position of the graphic until pasting, and adjusting the location of the graphic again after pasting. was there.

  The diagram creation apparatus and the diagram creation method of the present invention have been made for the purpose of solving such problems and taking a graphic prepared in advance into a drawing area by a simple operation, and have the following configuration.

The drawing creation apparatus of the present invention
A drawing creation device that draws and edits a figure using a pointing device and creates a desired figure,
Cursor display means for displaying a cursor indicating a pointing position by the pointing device in response to an operation of the pointing device;
A graphic display means for displaying a plurality of previously prepared graphics in a selectable manner;
After selecting one of the figures designated by the cursor displayed corresponding to the operation of the pointing device, the coordinates of the start point and the end point are set in a predetermined range in the drawing area in accordance with the operation of the pointing device. And a graphic extracting means for taking out the selected graphic into the specified range of the drawing area;
Drawing means for arranging and drawing the extracted figure in the designated range of the drawing area by a predetermined operation using the designated arrangement method with reference to the start point; and the cursor display means Is
When one of the figures is selected, a cursor indicating the operation of the pointing device when designating the predetermined range is combined with the selected figure, and the cursor used for designating the range is the selection The gist of the present invention is that it has a cross-cursor shape regardless of the figure, and the selected figure has means for displaying without overlapping the cursor.

  In the drawing creating apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, a plurality of previously prepared figures are displayed by the figure display means so as to be selectable, and one of these figures is extracted. The means is selected and taken out to the drawing area as the pointing device is operated. At that time, the cursor is combined with the selected figure, and the cursor used to specify the range is a cross cursor shape regardless of the selected figure, and the selected figure does not overlap the cursor. Since it is displayed, the user performs a predetermined operation while confirming the extracted figure, and causes the drawing means to draw the figure in the drawing area. Therefore, a figure prepared in advance can be taken into the drawing area while checking the figure with a few operations.

  Here, as a graphic display means, a means for displaying a graphic prepared in advance and stored in a file format in an mxn square is prepared, and a display replacement means for displaying a set of different graphic based on file selection is provided. If provided, a set of graphics prepared in advance can be switched, and handling of a large number of graphics can be made easier.

  Further, as this graphic display means, a means for displaying a plurality of previously prepared figures in an m × n grid is prepared, and for a figure exceeding m × n (m and n are integers of 1 or more), If a means for displaying in another switchable grid is provided, a large number of figures can be displayed efficiently.

  Further, an object drawn in the drawing area is selected, and the selected object is moved to the display position of the graphic display means in accordance with the operation of the pointing device, and the moved object is moved by a predetermined operation. If registration is made at the corresponding position of the previous graphic display means, not only can a graphic prepared in advance be taken into the drawing area, but also an object can be taken in from the drawing area, thereby further improving usability.

  Further, if the figure extracting means is provided with range specifying means for specifying a predetermined range in the drawing area, and if means for expanding the figure extracted by the figure extracting means is provided within the specified range, the same figure can be obtained. You can easily draw more than one.

The drawing creation method of the present invention
A drawing creation method for drawing and editing a figure using a pointing device to create a desired figure.
In response to the operation of the pointing device, a cursor indicating the pointing position by the pointing device is displayed.
A plurality of pre-prepared figures are displayed so that they can be selected.
When one of the figures designated by the cursor displayed corresponding to the operation of the pointing device is selected, a cursor indicating the operation of the pointing device is combined with the selected figure, and the range is designated. The cursor used for performing the cross-cursor shape regardless of the selected figure, the selected figure is displayed without overlapping the cursor, and a predetermined range in the drawing area in accordance with the operation of the pointing device. Is specified by the coordinates of the start point and end point,
Taking the selected figure into the specified range of the drawing area;
The gist is to place and draw the extracted figure in the designated range of the drawing area by a predetermined operation by using a designated arrangement method with the start point as a reference.

  In such a map creation method, a plurality of graphics prepared in advance are displayed so as to be selectable, and one of these graphics is selected and taken out to the drawing area in accordance with the operation of the pointing device. At that time, the cursor is combined with the selected figure, and the cursor used to specify the range is a cross cursor shape regardless of the selected figure, and the selected figure does not overlap the cursor. Since it is displayed, the user performs a predetermined operation while confirming the extracted graphic, and draws this graphic in the drawing area. Therefore, according to the present invention, as in the case of the above-described apparatus invention, it is possible to capture a graphic prepared in advance in a drawing area while confirming the graphic with a few operations.

  As described above, according to the drawing creation apparatus and drawing creation method of the present invention, a plurality of previously prepared figures are displayed so as to be selectable, and one of these figures is selected for pointing. As the device is operated, it can be taken out to the drawing area. The user performs a predetermined operation while confirming the extracted graphic, and draws the graphic in the drawing area. Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an excellent effect that a figure prepared in advance can be taken into the drawing area while confirming the figure with a few operations.

  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. The mouse 42 is provided with a left button 422 and a right button 424, and an object is selected by an operation (so-called “click” operation) in which the mouse pointer is placed on the object on the work area 401 and the left button 422 is pressed. Processing is possible.

  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 corresponding 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 changing mode, map symbol display icon for displaying list display window for inputting map symbol, clip art display icon for displaying clip art list display window There are six types of icons.

  A 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. 1, 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. 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, icons to be switched to a tool for drawing a straight line, a rectangle, a circle / ellipse, an arc, a fan, a bow, a rectangle with a rounded corner (rectangle), a polygonal line, a polygon, a freehand curve, 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 position of these ribbons 405 can be changed as in 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.

  When the map symbol display icon in the mode selection tool box 402 is selected, a map symbol list display window 430 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. In this window 430, eight tags 432, which are images of folders, are arranged, and by clicking with the mouse 42, map symbols for eight pages can be displayed as a list. Each page displays map symbols divided into 8 × 8 = 64 grids 435. When any one of the cells 435 is clicked with the mouse 42, the name assigned to the map symbol is displayed at the top of the tag 432. Therefore, even when the meaning of a map symbol is lost, it is possible to know the meaning of the map symbol simply by clicking on the map symbol. When the map symbol is clicked, the shape of the mouse pointer is changed to the map symbol, and when the mouse pointer is moved and clicked on the work area 401 as it is, the map symbol is drawn at the clicked position. Since the mouse pointer is maintained as it is, a plurality of map symbols can be drawn in the work area by operating the left button 422 of the mouse 42 one after another while moving the place.

  When the clip art display icon in the mode selection tool box 402 is selected, a clip art list display window 440 is displayed as shown in FIG. In this window 440, as with the map symbol list display window 430, eight tags 442 that are images of folders are arranged. By clicking with the mouse 42, a list of clip art for eight pages can be displayed. it can. Each page displays clip art divided into 4 × 4 = 16 cells 445. When any one of the cells 445 is clicked with the mouse 42, the cell 445 is selected, and a character string attached to the clip art is displayed on the upper portion of the tag 442. Therefore, it is possible to use such a method that a comment is attached to the clip art and the clip art is referred to at the time of use.

In the upper part of the clip art list display window 440, as shown in FIG. 6B, seven icon groups 447 are arranged. These icons are used for switching or registering clip art. These icons indicate the following functions in order from the left side.
Register the selected object in the work area as a clip art in the currently selected cell.
Register the clip art description string in the currently selected cell (a string registration window will be displayed, allowing you to enter the string).
-Delete the clip art that exists in the currently selected cell.
-Create a new clip art file that records multiple clip arts (the clip art list display window is in a state where no clip art is displayed).
-Load an existing clip art file (the clip art list display window is marched by the contents of the loaded file).
-Write the changes in the contents displayed in the current clip art list display window to the clip art file.
-Export the contents displayed in the current clip art list display window as a clip art file with a new name.

Using these icons, it is possible to freely create, update, and save clip art files. A method of drawing the clip art in the work area 401 will be described in detail later. The map symbol list display window 430 and the clip art list display window 440 described above are displayed in the form of floating windows and can be arranged at arbitrary positions on the screen.

  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. 7, 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. 7A, three straight roads and one curved road are drawn so as to overlap each other. When the drawing is completed, as shown in FIG. 7B, 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. 8 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. The example shown in FIG. 8 shows a case where 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. In addition, each object has a selection pointer for connecting a group of objects in the selection state when the object is selected by clicking with the pointer of the mouse 42, 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. 8, 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. 8 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. 7 also shows an example of a character string by a character object arranged in 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 “National Route 10” is set along the road that is bent from the middle because the relationship “arranged in the figure” is set. , Bend from the middle. 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.

Next, a method for continuously arranging map symbols using the map symbol list display window 430 shown in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a map symbol continuous arrangement processing routine. When this process is started, it is first determined whether or not a map symbol is selected (step 200). In the selected state, the shape of the mouse pointer is switched to a combination of the cross cursor and the selected map symbol, as shown in an example in FIG. If it is in the selected state, the range is designated and a process for holding the coordinates of the start point and end point of the range is performed (step 210). This corresponds to an operation of pressing the left button 422 of the mouse 42 at a certain point P and dragging the mouse 42 to a different point Q as shown in FIG. The range 470 is held as the coordinates of the start point P and end point Q.

  When this processing is performed, the dialog box shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the monitor 40, and the user is prompted to specify the continuous arrangement method and the arrangement interval (step 220). FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram showing this dialog box. As shown in this figure, in this dialog box, a continuous arrangement method (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, vertical and horizontal grid, vertical and horizontal diagonal (staggered)) and an arrangement interval (horizontal and vertical intervals) are set. Note that another map symbol setting dialog box is shown in FIG. This is a dialog box that is opened by double-clicking the map symbol after it has been placed in the work area (pressing the left button 422 twice at short intervals). The width, style and color of the line surrounding the map symbol Etc. can be specified.

  After such designation is made, the setting of the arrangement is judged (at step 230 in FIG. 9, when horizontal arrangement or diagonal arrangement is designated, the start point P is set for each horizontal interval set by the previous dialog box. (Step 240) In the case of the diagonal arrangement, when the map symbols are arranged for each horizontal interval, they are simply shifted in the vertical direction by the vertical interval. On the other hand, if it is determined that the map symbols are arranged vertically rather than horizontally or diagonally (steps 230 and 250), each time the vertical interval set in the dialog box is determined. The map symbol is arranged from the start point P to the end point Q at step 260. Further, when it is determined that the lattice-like or staggered-arrangement is designated (step 260). 230, 250), map symbols are arranged from the start point P to the end point Q for each horizontal interval and vertical interval (step 270) Example of arrangement in a staggered pattern at predetermined intervals 10 (C).

  When map symbols are arranged diagonally, there are two methods of arranging the map symbols diagonally upward or diagonally downward. In addition, a plurality of selections can be made as to whether the starting position of the map symbol is left, right, top or bottom within the range 470, including vertical and horizontal and grid-like arrangements. In this embodiment, the movement of the mouse pointer when the range is designated is stored, and the mouse pointer is arranged with the start point P side as a reference point. Therefore, when the upper pointer moves from the upper left to the lower right and the range is specified, the map symbols are arranged with the upper left as the reference position. For example, when the diagonal arrangement is specified, the map symbol is inclined downward. Be placed.

  In the present embodiment, the map symbols are arranged by designating the vertical and horizontal intervals. However, the map symbols may be arranged by designating the number of vertical and horizontal arrangements. It is also possible to provide a designation of “random” and arrange them randomly within a designated range. Furthermore, it is possible to arrange according to an arrangement pattern stored in advance.

  According to the map symbol arrangement process described above, map symbols necessary for creating a map can be freely arranged in the work area 401, and a plurality of map symbols are arranged at predetermined intervals in a specified range. can do. For this reason, it is possible to easily draw an object extending over a certain area such as a field or a forest. Note that when the map symbol once arranged in the work area 401 or the position range thereof is remarkably reduced, the handle that appears when the map symbol arranged alone is clicked with the mouse pointer may be dragged. For the map symbols arranged continuously in the range, drag the handle that appears to surround the range. In the latter case, the drawing range is reduced / expanded, and the map symbols are rearranged accordingly.

  Next, how to use clip art is explained. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing for extracting clip art from the list display window 440. When this process is started, it is determined whether or not the left button 422 of the mouse 42 is still operated on each figure in the list display window 440 and the switch is turned on (step 350). When it is determined that the mouse button is turned on on each cell 445 of the list display window 440, processing for extracting graphic information of the corresponding cell on the list display window 440 is performed (step 360). Processing for converting the graphic information into display data is performed (step 370). In the clip art list display window 440, the image data is handled in a common format prepared by the operating system in which this program is executed, so that it is formatted in the same manner as other objects shown in FIG. Convert it.

  Next, the image converted into display data is moved according to the movement of the mouse pointer (step 380). This is shown in FIG. When the mouse button is turned on in the grid 446 with the clip art list display window 440, the mouse 42 is moved and the mouse pointer is moved in the direction of the work area, as shown in FIG. As if a figure (here a butterfly picture) was copied from 446 and moved out, it moves as a figure 446a of the original size as the mouse 42 moves. Therefore, when the left button 422 of the mouse 42 is turned OFF at a desired location, the position is stored (step 390), and the selected graphic is pasted at this position according to the original graphic information (step 395).

  According to the above processing, after the clip art display icon in the mode selection tool box 402 is selected to display the clip art list display window, the tag 442 is clicked to open a desired page and the mouse is moved to a desired square. Move the pointer, press the mouse button, drag the mouse 42 as it is to move to the work area 401, and turn the mouse button off at the desired position, and the selected figure is actually placed in the work area. It is possible to handle while confirming the size and position of insertion. Therefore, it is not necessary to cut and paste the figure one by one or read from the file and link it.

  Next, processing for registering an object in the work area as a clip art will be described. FIG. 14 shows a clip art list registration processing routine. When this routine is activated, it is first determined whether or not the left button 422 of the mouse 42 is turned on on any figure in the work area (step 300). ). Since the figure is selected by moving the mouse pointer over the figure and turning the mouse button ON, processing for creating display information from the selected figure is performed (step 310). As shown in FIG. 15, the processing for generating the display information is performed by developing the selected figure (here, the figure to be registered as clip art) into standard document format data (step 312). Then, a reduction ratio is calculated for accommodating this in the cell 445 of the list display window 440 (step 314). After the magnification calculation, the display magnification is set and the display image is developed on the memory (step 316), and this display image is converted into an image for reverse display (step 318). Through the above processing, graphic information for registering the selected graphic as clip art and display information for displaying in reverse to indicate that it is selected for registration on the screen are generated. The figure existing in the work area 401 also has color information, but the display information is generated as black and white bitmap data and inverted data. When the mouse pointer is moved while the figure is selected in this way, the display information created and inverted is displayed in accordance with the movement of the mouse pointer (step 320). That is, the inverted figure is moved together with the mouse pointer.

  Thereafter, the process waits until the left button 422 of the mouse is turned off. If the left button 422 is turned off, a process for determining whether or not the clip art list display window 440 is displayed is performed (step 330). If it is not on the clip art list display window 440, nothing is performed and the process returns to “END” to end the present processing routine. On the other hand, if it is determined that the position at which the mouse button is turned off is on the clip art list display window 440, the selected graphic information is registered in the cell at the corresponding position in the list display window 440. Processing is performed (step 340). In this case, the graphic information to be registered is in a format prepared by the operating system as standard as described above.

  Through the processing described above, a figure existing in the work area 401 can be registered in the list display window 440 as clip art at any time. If clip art has already been registered at the grid pointed by the mouse pointer, a dialog box is displayed to confirm whether or not the clip art can be registered by replacing it with the registered clip art. In addition, since the graphic registered in the grid of the list display window 440 also stores data such as its reduction ratio, when the clip art is next taken out from this grid by operating the mouse 42, The extracted figure is pasted in the work area 401 in the original size.

  Also, any figure in the work area 401 can be easily captured as a clip art in each cell of the clip art list display window 440. Once imported, it can be handled without any difference from clip art prepared in advance. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, there is no need to load an existing figure (clip art) as a file or write it out as a file, or to repeat cut and paste, or to align the figure after pasting. I don't need it.

  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 the present embodiment, the clip art is displayed in a 4 × 4 = 16 cell, but the clip art may be displayed in a smaller cell to increase the number of clip arts that can be listed. It is also possible to handle map symbols and clip art in the same way.

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 an example of a map symbol list display window. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a clip art display window. 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 a flowchart which shows the continuous arrangement | sequence processing routine of a map symbol. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of the continuous arrangement | positioning of a map symbol. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the dialog box for a setting which arrange | positions a map symbol. It is a flowchart which shows a clipart extraction process routine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of taking out a clip art. It is a flowchart which shows a clipart list registration process routine. It is a flowchart which shows the display information creation process routine of a clip art.

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 430 ... Map symbol list display window 432 ... Tag 435 ... Grid 440 ... Clip art list display win Doe 442 ... Tag 445, 446 ... Grid 447 ... Icon group H ... Handle

Claims (8)

A drawing creation device that draws and edits a figure using a pointing device and creates a desired figure,
Cursor display means for displaying a cursor indicating a pointing position by the pointing device in response to an operation of the pointing device;
A graphic display means for displaying a plurality of previously prepared graphics in a selectable manner;
After selecting one of the figures designated by the cursor displayed corresponding to the operation of the pointing device, the coordinates of the start point and the end point are set in a predetermined range in the drawing area in accordance with the operation of the pointing device. And a graphic extracting means for taking out the selected graphic into the specified range of the drawing area;
Drawing means for arranging and drawing the extracted figure in the designated range of the drawing area by a predetermined operation using the designated arrangement method with reference to the start point; and the cursor display means Is
When one of the figures is selected, a cursor indicating the operation of the pointing device when designating the predetermined range is combined with the selected figure, and the cursor used for designating the range is the selection A drawing creation apparatus comprising means for displaying a crossed cursor shape regardless of the figure, and displaying the selected figure without overlapping the cursor. The graphic display means is a means for displaying a graphic prepared in advance and stored in a file format on an m × n grid (m and n are integers of 1 or more),
The diagram creation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display replacement means for displaying a set of different figures based on file selection. A drawing creation device according to claim 1,
Graphic display means
Means for displaying a plurality of graphics prepared in advance in m × n cells (m and n are integers of 1 or more);
A drawing creation device comprising: means for displaying a graphic exceeding m × n in a switchable grid. A drawing creation device according to claim 1,
The drawing means, as one of the designated arrangement methods, is a means for arranging the figure in the specified range vertically and horizontally when the extracted figure is expanded in the designated range. .   2. The drawing creating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying a dialog box for designating the arrangement method. A drawing creation device according to claim 1,
Means for displaying a dialog box for designating an arrangement method of the graphic in the range by selecting the range in which the selected graphic is drawn with the pointing device;
And a means for changing the arrangement of the graphic displayed in the range in accordance with the arrangement method designated by the dialog box. The drawing creating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coordinates of the start point and the end point by the operation of the pointing device are the start point specified first and the end point specified later are end points. Is a drawing device. A drawing creation method for drawing and editing a figure using a pointing device to create a desired figure.
In response to the operation of the pointing device, a cursor indicating the pointing position by the pointing device is displayed.
A plurality of pre-prepared figures are displayed so that they can be selected.
When one of the figures designated by the cursor displayed corresponding to the operation of the pointing device is selected, a cursor indicating the operation of the pointing device is combined with the selected figure, and the range is designated. The cursor used for performing the cross-cursor shape regardless of the selected figure, the selected figure is displayed without overlapping the cursor, and a predetermined range in the drawing area in accordance with the operation of the pointing device. Is specified by the coordinates of the start point and end point,
Taking the selected figure into the specified range of the drawing area;
A drawing creation method in which the extracted figure is arranged and drawn in a specified range of the drawing area by a predetermined operation using a specified arrangement method with the start point as a reference.

Images