Graphical search and replace

Abstract

Graphical search is a technique for finding all instances of a graphical pattern in a synthetic picture in which objects are regions bounded by lines and curves. The pattern may describe shape, color and other properties. Matched objects may be allowed to differ from the pattern in rotation and scale or may differ in shape by a specified tolerance. Graphical replace is a technique for replacing the shape, color, or other properties of matched objects with new properties described in a replacement pattern. Combined, the two techniques are similar to textual search and replace in text editors. Graphical search and replace can be used to make global changes to illustrations with repetitive patterns, independent of the means used to make those patterns. It can also be used to create a class of iterative or recursive shapes that can be specified by replacement rules.