System and method for minimizing the amount of data necessary to create a virtual three-dimensional environment
First Claim
1. A computer implemented virtual model of an actual city, comprising:
- data representing a plurality of actual city elements, wherein said data includes photographic data collected for at least one actual city element, said photographic data including;
(a) survey photographic data of each representative surface of the actual city element, wherein said representative surface includes at least one detail unique to said representative surface, and (b) detailed photographic data of each representative detail unique to said representative surface of the actual city element wherein said detailed photographic data is adapted to be duplicated;
a plurality of virtual city elements, wherein the virtual city elements include three-dimensional representations of actual city elements constructed from said survey photographic data and detailed photographic data; and
an executable version of the virtual city elements on a storage medium.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for minimizing the amount of photographic data to be collected to reconstruct a model of a three-dimensional object such as a building. In one embodiment a systematic process is used to collect survey and detailed photographic data from designated facades and architectural components of the facades to be processed into graphical tiles. The graphical tiles are textured or coated onto a three-dimensional wireframe model of the building. In one embodiment, the amount of photographic data to be collected is based on the footprint of the building, the height of the building and the number of unique facades and architectural details on the facades. In one embodiment, photographic data of the objects surrounding the building is also collected for modeling with the building. The virtual three-dimensional building models can be incorporated into the virtual three-dimensional city model which is a realistically accurate depiction of a city environment including all the details of an actual city.
241 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A computer implemented virtual model of an actual city, comprising:
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data representing a plurality of actual city elements, wherein said data includes photographic data collected for at least one actual city element, said photographic data including;
(a) survey photographic data of each representative surface of the actual city element, wherein said representative surface includes at least one detail unique to said representative surface, and (b) detailed photographic data of each representative detail unique to said representative surface of the actual city element wherein said detailed photographic data is adapted to be duplicated;
a plurality of virtual city elements, wherein the virtual city elements include three-dimensional representations of actual city elements constructed from said survey photographic data and detailed photographic data; and
an executable version of the virtual city elements on a storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of creating a computer-implemented virtual city model of an actual city, the method comprising:
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collecting information relating to at least one actual city element, wherein collecting said information includes;
i. collecting survey photographic data of each representative surface of the actual city element, wherein said representative surface includes at least one detail unique to said representative surface, ii. collecting detailed photographic data of each representative detail unique to said representative surface of the actual city element creating a virtual three-dimensional model of the actual city element based on the photographic data wherein said virtual, three-dimensional model includes surfaces corresponding to each surface of the actual city element;
adapting the photographic data of each representative surface of the actual city element;
applying to each of the surfaces of the virtual three-dimensional model the adapted photographic data corresponding to each surface of the actual city element;
generating an executable version of the virtual city model based on said information; and
storing said generated executable version of the virtual city model on a storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of minimizing the amount of photographic data necessary to be collected to produce a virtual three-dimensional model of an actual object in an actual city, said method comprising:
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collecting photographic data of the actual object from at least one view for each different surface of the object; and
collecting photographic data of the actual object from at least one view of each different element associated with at least one surface of the object. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method of creating a virtual model of a three-dimensional object, said method comprising:
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a. planning a strategy of collecting photographic data of an object based on a shape of the object;
b. collecting the photographic data, wherein the photographic data includes each different surface of the object and each different element associated with each different surface of said object;
c. documenting a description of the photographic data;
d. creating a virtual three-dimensional model of the geometrical shape of each surface of the object based on at least one of the photographic data, said model including at least one model surface;
e. adapting the photographic data of at least one surface of the object; and
f. applying to each model surface the adapted photographic data corresponding to said surface of the object. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification