3D BUILDING GENERALIZATION FOR DIGITAL MAP APPLICATIONS
A digital map application enables display of a large amount of 3D buildings or 3D structures to provide enhanced display and navigation features. The 3D models (116, 216, 316) are composed from a detailed set of attributes which, when combined, portray a highly detailed visual rendering of a physical object as it exists in real life. By selectively suppressing attributes, and in appropriate cases deriving new attributes from existing data, varying degrees of the 3D model (116, 216) can be represented in lower levels of detail with reduced processing resources and to achieve a more realistic depiction. The generalization of the 3D models can be structured as a function of the distance between the 3D model and an imaginary observer datum or other suitable reference point. In one embodiment, a plurality of contemporaneous rendering zones (34, 36, 38) are established so that a 3D model (116, 216, 316) is displayed with a particular combination or set of attributes depending which rendering zone (34, 36, 38) it is in.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/202,585 filed Mar. 16, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and relied upon.
STATEMENT OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIALA portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the official patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to digital maps, and more particularly toward a method for rendering three-dimensional models of real-life physical objects in a digital map.
2. Related Art
Personal navigation devices and/or map reading devices 10, like that shown for example in
The navigation device 10 shown in
Although the use of Regions with an associated LoD provide benefits in terms of efficient utilization of computer processing power, they have still many drawbacks particularly in the field of navigation and 3D model renderings, where it is important that the renderings simulate live, fluid motion rather than abrupt transitions and snapshots. For example,
Therefore, it is to be understood that when a personal navigation device 10 is required to display a large amount of 3D buildings or 3D structures, the available memory or power of the enabling computer presents a formidable technical limitation and/or cost factor. A typical prior art approach to addressing this issue is handled by the software that is responsible for presenting the display image. As described earlier, the approach is to load only the area that is currently in the view port of the display screen 12, and to use multiple Level of Details resolution features. These techniques, however, either fail to provide an optimal Level of Detail for navigation purposes or provide too much detail such that performance is wasted processing large amounts of unnecessary data that can slow or even overload the memory of the personal navigation device 10. They also result in a non-realistic presentation of distant objects rendered with the same level of detail as near objects.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved method for generating 3D model images of physical objects, such as buildings and points of interest (POI), and presenting such 3D models in a digital map application in an efficient, optimal, and realistic manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to methods and techniques for rendering three-dimensional (3D) objects on a display screen with varying degrees of detail for digital mapping applications. A digital map is provided having at least one 3D model corresponding to a physical object in reality. A plurality of attributes are associated with the 3D model which, when combined, portray on the display screen a detailed visual rendering of the physical object as it exists in real life. According to one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of contemporaneous rendering zones are established in the digital map as viewed in the display screen 12 of a navigation device 10. These contemporaneous rendering zones include at least a proximal rendering zone and a distal rendering zone. The 3D model is selectively displayed in the display screen with varying levels of attributes depending upon which rendering zone the 3D model is in. When the 3D model is displayed in the proximal rendering zone, all or most of its attributes are used in the rendering thereby creating a detailed, lifelike image of the physical object in reality. However, when the 3D model is located in the distal rendering zone, it is portrayed with a minimal number of its attributes which requires less processing resources. The attributes can be either based on stored, and/or derived from stored attributes.
In one embodiment, the invention is distinguished from prior art techniques by enabling the addition or removal of attributes, rather than changes in pixel resolution, to determine the Level of Detail (LoD) at which a particular 3D model is rendered on the display screen. The subject method is particularly well adapted for use in guiding a traveler along a predetermined route in a digital map. The display screen of the navigation device will show 3D models with varying levels of attributes depending upon their distance away from the observer datum or other suitable reference point.
The invention also contemplates a navigation device configured to display a generalized, i.e., simplified, 3D model on its display screen in which the attributes used for the rendering are derived from existing attribute data and then attached to the 3D model. The method of generalizing 3D model attributes is beneficial for display purposes, and also advantageous for data storage/processing purposes.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following detailed description and appended drawings, wherein:
Referring to the figures, wherein like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, this invention pertains to digital maps as used by navigation systems, as well as other map applications which may include those viewable through internet enabled computers, PDAs, cellular phones, and the like. 3D models can be rendered from numerous individual attributes which, when combined together, result in a highly detailed, realistic visual depiction of the physical object to which they correspond. However, these same 3D models can be rendered from fewer or different attributes which result in a less detailed visual depiction of the physical object, as compared with the full-attribute rendering. And still further, the same 3D models can be rendered with a minimum number or selection of attributes which result in a very basic, coarse visual depiction of the physical object. Generally, a 3D model rendered with fewer attributes requires less computing resources than one rendered with more attributes.
Attributes are features well known to those skilled in digital map fields for other (non-3D model) applications. When applied to 3D models, the attributes may for example include meta information pertaining to object position (x, y, z), object shape, pediment shape, roof detail, and façade detail. Other attributes are certainly possible. Some attributes can even be derived from given attributes. An average color can be derived e.g. from a textured image of the façade (analyzing the single or some characteristic pixels of the image) or composed from single roof elements having different colors.
Consistent with known teachings, an attribute (like the façade texture for example) may be composed of numerous assembled components for purpose of data compression. Thus, in the example of
The concepts of this invention enable the selective generalization of attributes used to render 3D models 116, 216, 316 of physical objects. These data can be either pre-processed and stored so that an application may simply “read” the pre-processed data and put in on the display screen 12, or the other possibility is to read the original data, calculate the additional attributes and then display it without having the results stored. Naturally, several forms in between are possible as well, so that one may pre-process some of the data and calculate the remaining attributes on-the-fly. This, of course, depends on the application and hardware preferences, memory and storage availability, CPU power, time to calculate on-the-fly, and so forth.
An appropriate storage medium is provided to store the 3D model attributes and data needed for augmenting a digital map according to these principles. Such data can be converted in different formats for the display such as, for example, in KMZ/KML files. Accordingly, maps with three-dimensional information about the buildings and structures can be delivered in different formats (shape, database, files, etc.) and then accessed by an application and further processed.
Based on a set of textured buildings 316 acquired from the full use of attributes, various actions can be executed on a single building so that one gathers additional information that can be added as new attributes or features and used to render lower resolution 3D images. These for example might include computing the representative color of the building based on LoD-3 digital texture images (e.g., façade, pediment, eaves, basements, etc.) for LoD-2 presentations, or computing the representative building height from geometric details of the building element (e.g., building body, building roof, etc.) for LoD-1 views.
Based on certain defined rules which will be apparent to those of skill in the art (functional, physical, geographical, etc.), single groups can be composed to building groups at the lower level of detail settings. This is shown, for example, in
Of course, these spans are offered here for exemplary purposes only and may be adjusted to suit the particular application. Furthermore, it is not essential that an intermediate rendering zone 36 be used, as adequate functionality may be achieved with only proximal 34 and distal 38 rendering zones. Similarly, more than one intermediate rendering zone 36 may be included so that four or more rendering zones are active, each rendering models with varying Levels of Detail and attribute data. Different rendering zone geometries can be established, and the rendering zone boundaries can be dynamic rather than fixed.
3D models 116, 216, 316 that appear in the display screen 12 will be selectively rendered with varying levels of attributes (i.e., different LoDs) depending upon which rendering zone the 3D model is in. 3D models 316 displayed in the proximal rendering zone 34 will be displayed with the most attributes and corresponds to LoD-3 in the example of
In the example of FIGS. 9 and 10A-C, a reference point is established in relation to the digital map at the lower edge (0 m) of the display screen 12. The proximal rendering zone 34 is disposed directly adjacent this reference point and the distal rendering zone 38 is spaced farthest from this reference point.
As in the preceding examples, all 3D models 316 located in the proximal rendering zone 34′ will be rendered with the highest level of detail, LoD-3. 3D models 216 residing in the intermediate rendering zones 36′ will be rendered with an intermediate level of detail, LoD-2, like that shown in
The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with the relevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A method for rendering three-dimensional (3D) objects on a display screen (12) for digital mapping applications, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a digital map having at least one 3D model corresponding to a physical object in reality;
- providing a navigation device (10) having a display screen (12) and being configured to display rendered images of the 3D model;
- associating a plurality of attributes with the 3D model which, when combined, portray on the display screen (12) a detailed visual rendering of the physical object as it exists in real life;
- establishing a reference point in the digital map;
- selectively displaying the 3D model in the display screen (12) with different attributes depending upon the distance between the 3D model and the reference point.
2. A method for rendering three-dimensional (3D) objects on a display screen (12) for digital mapping applications, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a digital map having at least first and second 3D models corresponding to two different physical objects in reality;
- associating a detailed set of attributes with the first 3D model which, when combined, portray a detailed visual rendering of the corresponding physical object as it exists in real life;
- associating a detailed set of attributes with the second 3D model which, when combined, portray a detailed visual rendering of the corresponding physical object as it exists in real life;
- providing a navigation system having a display screen (12) capable of presenting a portion of the digital map including the first and second 3D models;
- establishing a reference point in the digital map, the first 3D model being spatially closer to the reference point than the second 3D model; and
- displaying the first 3D model with substantially all of its detailed set of attributes while simultaneously displaying the second 3D model with a modified set of attributes generalized from its detailed set of attributes.
3. A method for rendering three-dimensional (3D) objects on a display screen (12) for digital mapping applications, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a navigation system having a display screen (12);
- providing a digital map having at least one 3D model corresponding to a physical object in reality;
- associating a plurality of attributes with the 3D model which, when combined, portray on the display screen (12) a detailed visual rendering of the physical object as it exists in real life;
- establishing a plurality of contemporaneous rendering zones in the digital map as viewed in the display screen (12), the contemporaneous rendering zones including a proximal rendering zone (34, 34′) and a distal rendering zone (38, 38′); and
- selectively displaying the 3D model in the display screen (12) with different attributes depending upon which rendering zone the 3D model is in, wherein the 3D model is displayed with the most detailed attributes when located in the proximal rendering zone (34, 34′) and with generalized attributes when located in the distal rendering zone (38, 38′).
4. The method according to claim 1 including establishing an intermediate rendering zone spaced between the proximal and distal rendering zones, and when the 3D model is in the intermediate rendering zone displaying the 3D model on the display screen (12) with more generalized attributes than when located in the proximal rendering zone and less generalized attributes than when located in the distal rendering zone.
5. The method according to claim 1, further including establishing a reference point in relation to the digital map, the proximal rendering zone disposed adjacent the reference point and the distal rendering zone spaced farthest from the reference point.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of establishing a plurality of rendering zones includes arranging the rendering zones generally parallel to the road centerline.
7. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of rendering at least two adjacent 3D models as a single building group at a lower level of detail setting.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attributes of the 3D model include object shape, roof shape, average color, and façade detail.
9. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of deriving an average façade color attribute from a façade texture attribute.
10. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of deriving an average roof color attribute from a roof texture attribute.
11. The method according to claim 1 further including the step of moving the 3D model relative to the reference point in the screen, and changing the attributes displayed with the 3D model if the 3D model moves to a different rendering zone.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of establishing a reference point includes designating a centerline of the road segment as the reference point.
13. A navigation-capable device (10) configured to display a driving route on the display screen (12) according to claim 1.
14. A storage medium used to store 3D model attributes for augmenting a digital map according to claim 1.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 15, 2010
Publication Date: Mar 1, 2012
Inventor: Oliver Kannenberg (Wennigsen)
Application Number: 13/256,695