Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!aplcen!samsung!munnari.oz.au!sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au!george From: george@ucs.adelaide.edu.au (George Travan) Newsgroups: comp.graphics Subject: Re: Marching Cubes Summary: i dont know how GE can patent marching cubes? Message-ID: <1432@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> Date: 10 Sep 90 06:26:34 GMT References: <5300038@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Organization: Information Technology Division, The University of Adelaide, AUSTRALIA Lines: 31 In article , montnaro@spyder.crd.ge.com (Skip Montanaro) writes: > > GE holds a patent on Marching Cubes. Lots of people have implemented it for > their own use. There's nothing wrong with that. To make money from it, > however (for instance, use MC in a volume visualization system you sell), > you must license it from GE. > > -- > Skip (montanaro@crdgw1.ge.com) how can GE patent marching cubes?! i'm sure they can patent the NAME Marching Cubes or even Dividing Cubes but how can they patent the idea when the same method to construct a surface from a grid of 3D values was described by Wyvill et al 1986. sure the implementation details were slightly different as were the optimizations, application area. The surface generated is the SAME nevertheless.Better in some respects, due to fact that Lorenson, Cline method might produce 'false' holes in some cases. this 'smells' the same as the PIXAR patent on MAXIMUM LIKLIHOOD feature classifiers for medical images. what gives here? this has to be a joke! Reference: Wyvill G et al... Data Structures for Soft Objects. The Visual Computer (AUGUST 1986), 227-234. George Travan "rebel without a clue" PHONE : +61 8 2285968 University of Adelaide Telex : UNIVAD AA89141 G.P.O Box 498 Adelaide FAX : +61 8 2240464 AUSTRALIA 5001 e_mail: george@frodo.ua.oz.au