Annotating real-world objects

1. A computer-implemented method for visualizing a computer-generated annotation in a real-world environment on a computerized system, the method comprising:

creating a three-dimensional (3D) model of a real-world object, wherein:

the 3D model is a computer-generated model; and

the 3D model can be annotated;

displaying the 3D model and the real-world environment simultaneously on a computer screen, wherein the 3D model appears within the real-world environment at a specified location and a specified scale; and

displaying the real-world object corresponding to the 3D model on the computer screen, wherein the real-world object appears in the real-world environment simultaneously displayed with the 3D model;

aligning the displayed 3D model and the corresponding displayed real-world object on the computer screen;

on the computer screen, reducing the visibility of geometric entities of the 3D model to display the 3D model less conspicuously than the corresponding real-world object while one or more annotations of the 3D model are displayed conspicuously; and

annotating the displayed 3D model in the displayed real-world environment, wherein annotation is displayed on the displayed real-world object as a result of the simultaneous display of the 3D model and the real-world object.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting the real-world object at a location; and

referencing geometry of the 3D model corresponding to the selected location on the real-world object.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the 3D model and the real-world environment simultaneously uses augmented reality to project the 3D model and the real-world environment onto the computer screen.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein prior to aligning the displayed 3D model and the corresponding displayed real-world object, the 3D model is translated to prevent overlap of the real-world object and a marker used to position the 3D model on the computer screen.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein aligning is at least one of (a) accomplished manually using at least one of a user interface tool and an interactive device, (b) accomplished automatically using object recognition technology, and (c) accomplished by physically moving the real-world-object in the real-world environment.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein aligning enables a location on the displayed real-world object to be mapped to geometry defining the 3D model.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein to reduce the visibility of the geometric entities of the 3D model, the geometric entities are one of changed to a transparent state and suppressed from being displayed.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the computer screen is one of a heads-up display and a display on a mobile device.

9. A computer-aided design system comprising:

a processor operatively coupled to a data storage system, the data storage system storing a three-dimensional model; and

a data storage memory operatively coupled to the processor and comprising instructions to configure the processor to:

generate the three-dimensional (3D) model, the 3D model being of a real-world object;

simultaneously display on a computer screen the 3D model and the real-world object in a real-world environment;

align the displayed 3D model and the displayed real-world object on the computer screen;

reduce the visibility of geometric entities of the displayed 3D model causing the 3D model to appear fully or partially transparent; and

display a computer-generated annotation wherein:

the annotation annotates the 3D model; and

the annotation appears on the displayed real-world object due to the reduced visibility of the displayed 3D model geometric entities.

10. The computer-aided design system of claim 9 further comprising instructions to configure the processor to:

enable a user to select the displayed real-world object at a location; and

reference geometry of the 3D model corresponding to the selected location on the real-world object.

11. The computer-aided design system of claim 9 , wherein simultaneously displaying the 3D model and the real-world object in the real-world environment uses augmented reality to project the 3D model, the real-world object, and the real-world environment onto the computer screen.

12. The computer-aided design system of claim 9 , wherein prior to aligning the displayed 3D model and the displayed real-world object, the 3D model is translated to prevent overlap of the displayed real-world object and a marker used to position the displayed 3D model.

13. The computer-aided design system of claim 9 , wherein the instruction to align the displayed 3D model and the displayed real-world object enables a location on the displayed real-world object to map to geometry defining the 3D model.

14. The computer-aided design system of claim 13 , wherein mapping the location of the displayed real-world object to geometry defining the 3D model enables an operation performed on the 3D model to appear as being performed on the displayed real-world object.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium comprising instructions causing a computer to:

generate a three-dimensional (3D) model of a real-world object;

simultaneously display on a computer screen the 3D model and the real-world object in a real-world environment;

align the displayed 3D model and the displayed real-world object on the computer screen;

reduce the visibility of geometric entities of the displayed 3D model causing the 3D model to appear fully or partially transparent; and

display a computer-generated annotation wherein the annotation annotates the 3D model and appears on the displayed real-world object due to the reduced visibility of the 3D model geometric entities.

16. The computer-readable data storage medium of claim 15 further comprising instructions to causing a computer to:

enable a user to select the displayed real-world object at a location; and

reference geometry of the 3D model corresponding to the selected location on the real-world object.

17. The computer-readable data storage medium of claim 15 , wherein simultaneously displaying the 3D model and the real-world object in the real-world environment uses augmented reality to project the 3D model, the real-world object, and the real-world environment onto the computer screen.

18. The computer-readable data storage medium of claim 15 , wherein prior to aligning the 3D model and the corresponding real-world object, the 3D model is translated to prevent overlap of the real-world object and a marker used to position the 3D model.

19. The computer-readable data storage medium of claim 15 , wherein:

the instruction to align the displayed 3D model and the displayed real-world object enables a location on the displayed real-world object to map to geometry defining the 3D model, and

the mapping of the location of the displayed real-world object to geometry defining the 3D model enables an operation performed on the 3D model to appear as being performed on the displayed real-world object.