3D BUILDING GENERALIZATION FOR DIGITAL MAP APPLICATIONS
First Claim
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.
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Abstract
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.
33 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method for rendering three-dimensional (3D) objects on a display screen (12) for digital mapping applications, said method comprising the steps of:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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2. A method for rendering three-dimensional (3D) objects on a display screen (12) for digital mapping applications, said method comprising the steps of:
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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.
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3. A method for rendering three-dimensional (3D) objects on a display screen (12) for digital mapping applications, said method comprising the steps of:
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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′
); andselectively 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′
).
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Specification