Abstract: In an example embodiment, a design application receives in its graphical user interface (GUI) user input specifying a boundary of a design region of a 3-D reality model of a site. A ground detection process detects a plurality of ground points within the design region that represent ground. A terrain creation process generates a 2.5D terrain mesh for the design region. A clipping process clips around the design region to show the 2.5D terrain mesh within the design region. A CAD modeling process is then used to place one or more 3-D CAD objects that represent planned infrastructure upon the 2.5D terrain mesh within the design region. The design application displays in the GUI the created combined view including the 3-D CAD objects placed upon the 2.5D terrain mesh within the design region, surrounded by a remaining part of the 3-D reality model that provides context.

Abstract: In example embodiments, techniques are provided integrating 2D images into the display of a 3D reality mesh to recover lost context. A determinization is made whether there is level of detail (LOD) in the 3D reality mesh sufficient to provide full context for a desired view of the 3D reality mesh. When such a LOD does not exist, a subset of the source 2D images that intersect a view frustrum for the desired view is selected from the set of 2D images used to reconstruct the 3D reality mesh. The selected source 2D image is evaluated to determine if it would be visually appropriate for the desired view. If the selected source 2D image is determined to be visually appropriate, the 3D reality mesh is replaced with the selected source 2D image or a portion thereof.

Abstract: In example embodiments, techniques are provided for smoothing a mesh to remove unwanted bumpiness on regular surfaces. In one example embodiment, an editor determines a capture shape (e.g., a user-specified capture shape) that and then extracts a set of vertices of a multi-resolution mesh that include vertices that intersect the capture shape. The editor generates a fitted shape from the extracted set of vertices that more precisely defines the portion of the mesh to be smoothed, the fitted shape to have at least one of a different size or a different orientation than the capture shape. The editor then modifies the vertices that fall within or close to the fitted shape to change their coordinates to smooth the portion of the multi-resolution mesh. The modified vertices are persisted to a storage device for subsequent display or analysis.

Abstract: In various embodiments, techniques are provided for clipping and displaying a multi-resolution textured mesh using asynchronous incremental on-demand marking of spatial index nodes to allow for substantially real-time display refresh after a change is made to clip geometry. Timestamps may be added to spatial index nodes and an upper bound placed on the number of operations performed such that an index in an intermediate (unfinished) state may be produced. Further, operations may be focused on tiles required for display and not simply all tiles affected by the change to the clip geometry. A display process may use the spatial index in the intermediate (unfinished) state to produce a substantially real-time display, without waiting for all operations to complete.

Abstract: In an example embodiment, techniques are provided for displaying contour lines on a multi-resolution mesh substantially in real-time. Contour lines may be computed on a per-tile basis, scaling for various resolutions. The mesh and computed contour lines from lower resolution tiles may be displayed as temporary (referred to hereinafter as “overview”) data while the mesh and contour lines for higher resolution tiles are obtained or computed, to enable substantially real-time update. The techniques may handle very large meshes and large numbers of contour lines, without unduly taxing hardware resources. The techniques may also be applicable to multiple types of meshes (e.g., 2-D, 2.5-D, 3-D, 4-D, etc.).

Abstract: In an example embodiment, a technique is provided for surface mesh clipping. A surface mesh file and clip objects are received, and a unique identifier of a clip object is added to each node of a spatial index of the surface mesh that intersects the respective clip object. For any currently visible nodes, clip geometries and a series of meshes that partition the node into clipped regions are computed and stored in a clip file separate from the surface mesh file. Any non-currently visible nodes are computed and the clip file updated in response to display of the respective node. A clipped surface mesh is rendered by assembling regions of the surface mesh that are not affected by clip objects and clipped regions from the clip file, and the rendered clipped surface mesh is displayed.

Abstract: In an example embodiment, a technique is provided for model review using augmented reality. An augmented reality device obtains tiles from a remote computing device for an overview resolution, and augments the model at the overview resolution and an overview view size into a physical environment at a data location. The augmented reality device displays the model augmented into the physical environment to a user disposed at a view location. In response to input requesting a change to the new resolution, the augmented reality device obtains additional tiles from the remote computing device for the new resolution, augments the model at the new resolution and a new view size into the physical environment, and displays the model augmented into the physical environment to the user disposed at the view location. In response to input that requests navigation of the model, the augmented reality device changes at least one of the data location or the view location.

Abstract: In an example embodiment, a technique is provided for reconstructing and analyzing a mesh surface based on a combination of 2.5D and 3D point data that involves building a hybrid spatial index whose nodes are labeled as containing 2.5D data or 3D data, and whose branching is adapted to such types of data. The hybrid spatial index is then used to reconstruct the mesh surface and analyze the mesh surface, taking advantage of more efficient algorithms adapted to specific types of data. The technique may allow for a hybrid spatial index that uses fewer nodes, and for use of 2.5D specific reconstruction and analysis algorithms for at least a part of the mesh surface.

Abstract: In an example embodiment, a technique is provided for reconstructing a coherent tiled mesh surface that preserves the 2.5D Delaunay property. A spatial index is built for 2.5D data, the spatial index including nodes that correspond to a plurality of tiles of the 2.5D data. A 2.5D Delaunay triangulation algorithm is applied to data of nodes of the spatial index to create a plurality of independent mesh surfaces that each correspond to a tile. The plurality of independent mesh surfaces are stitched together to form the coherent tiled mesh surface. After a coherent mesh surface for a level of detail (LOD) is created, it is determined whether a new level of detail (LOD) is required. If so, one or more independent mesh surfaces that have the new LOD are created and stitching is repeated. Finally, a coherent multi-resolution tiled mesh surface is output.

Abstract: In an example embodiment, a design application receives in its graphical user interface (GUI) user input specifying a boundary of a design region of a 3-D reality model of a site. A ground detection process detects a plurality of ground points within the design region that represent ground. A terrain creation process generates a 2.5 D terrain mesh for the design region. A clipping process clips around the design region to show the 2.5 D terrain mesh within the design region. A CAD modeling process is then used to place one or more 3-D CAD objects that represent planned infrastructure upon the 2.5 D terrain mesh within the design region. The design application displays in the GUI the created combined view including the 3-D CAD objects placed upon the 2.5 D terrain mesh within the design region, surrounded by a remaining part of the 3-D reality model that provides context.

Abstract: In one embodiment, data of a data set that describes the topography of a three-dimensional surface (e.g., a DTM) is obtained at a resolution appropriate for visualization on a display screen. The data is organized into a number of resolutions by spatial indexing. A lowest resolution cluster of data is selected. For any visible data in the selected cluster of data for a type of visualization to be shown on the display screen, a point density in a coordinate system of the display screen resulting from data is compared to a configured threshold. If the point density in the display screen's coordinate system is below the configured threshold, visible data in the selected cluster of data is returned for display. If the point density in the display screen's coordinate system is above the configured threshold, one or more next-higher resolution clusters of data are selected, and the technique repeated.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a technique is provided for semi-automatically extracting a polyline from a linear feature in a point cloud. The user may provide initial parameters, including a point about the linear feature and a starting direction. A linear feature extraction process may automatically follow the linear feature beginning in the starting direction from about the selected point. The linear feature extraction process may attempt to follow a linear segment of the linear feature. If some points may be followed that constitute a linear segment, a line segment modeling the linear segment is created. The linear feature extraction process then determines whether the end of the linear feature has been reached. If the end has not been reached, the linear feature extraction process may repeat. If the end has been reached, the linear feature extraction process may return the line segments and create a polyline from them.