Staged Camera Traversal for Three Dimensional Environment

• US 20140240318A1
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Coombe, Greg, Bailly, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 10,140,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/427
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

A staged camera traversal for navigating a virtual camera in a three dimensional environment is provided. The staged camera traversal can include a launch stage and an approach stage. During the launch stage, the tilt angle can be decreased towards zero tilt (i.e. straight down) with respect to the vertical. During an approach stage, the tilt angle of the virtual camera can be increased from about zero tilt towards the tilt angle associated with a target location. In certain implementations, the staged camera traversal can further include a traversal stage occurring between the launch stage and the approach stage. The tilt angle of the virtual camera can be maintained at about zero tilt during the traversal stage. The approach path of the virtual camera can be aligned along a view direction associated with the target destination during the approach stage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of navigating a virtual camera, comprising:

presenting a view of a three dimensional model from a virtual camera at a first location, the virtual camera having a first tilt angle at the first location;

receiving a user input requesting transition of the virtual camera to a second location, the virtual camera having a second tilt angle at the second location; and

responsive to the user input, transitioning the virtual camera from the first location to the second location according to a staged camera traversal having a launch stage and an approach stage;

wherein transitioning the virtual camera from the first location to the second location according to the staged camera traversal comprises decreasing a tilt angle of the virtual camera from the first tilt angle towards zero tilt during the launch stage and increasing the tilt angle of the virtual camera towards the second tilt angle during the approach stage.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the staged camera traversal comprises a traversal stage occurring between the launch stage and the approach stage.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein transitioning the virtual camera from the first location to the second location according to the staged camera traversal comprises maintaining the tilt angle of the virtual camera at about zero tilt during the traversal stage.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the virtual camera from the first location to the second location according to the staged camera traversal comprises increasing an altitude of the virtual camera during the launch stage and decreasing an altitude of the virtual camera during the approach stage.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tilt angle of the virtual camera is decreased during the launch stage according to a smoothing algorithm.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the tilt angle of the virtual camera is increased during the approach stage according to a smoothing algorithm.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the smoothing algorithm comprises a second order smoothing algorithm.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein transitioning the virtual camera from the first location to the second location according to the staged camera traversal comprises aligning an approach path of the virtual camera with a view direction associated with the second location during the approach stage.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein aligning an approach path of the virtual camera with a view direction associated with the second location during the approach stage comprises:

determining a first camera path extending along the view direction associated with the target location;

determining a second camera path that increases the tilt angle of the virtual camera towards the second tilt angle and decreases the altitude of the virtual camera; and

determining the approach path for the virtual camera by blending one or more camera parameters defined by the first camera path with one or more camera parameters defined by second camera path.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the one or more camera parameters are blended using a spherical linear interpolation.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises disabling the staged camera traversal when the first location and the second location are within a predefined distance from one another.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises disabling the staged camera traversal when the first tilt and the second tilt angle are both less than a predefined threshold tilt angle.

13. A computing system for navigating a virtual camera in a three-dimensional environment, the computing system comprising a processor configured to implement one or more modules, the one or more modules comprising:

a camera parameter module, the camera parameter module configured to determine one or more camera parameters for a virtual camera during a transition from a first location to a second location, the one or more camera parameters comprising a tilt angle of the virtual camera; and

a positioner module that positions the virtual camera according to the one or more camera parameters determined by the camera parameter module;

wherein the camera parameter module is configured to determine the one or more camera parameters according to a staged camera traversal comprising a launch stage and an approach stage, the camera parameter module configured to decrease the tilt angle of the virtual camera during the launch stage and to increase the tilt angle of the virtual camera during the approach stage.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the staged camera traversal further comprises a traversal stage occurring between the launch stage and the approach stage, the camera parameter module configured to maintain the tilt angle of the virtual camera at about zero tilt during the traversal stage.

15. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the one or more camera parameters further comprise an altitude of the virtual camera, the camera parameter module configured to increase the altitude of the virtual camera during the launch stage and to decrease the altitude of the virtual camera during the approach stage.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the camera parameter module comprises an approach path module, the approach path module configured to align an approach path of the virtual camera with a view direction associated with the second location during the approach stage.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the approach path module is configured to align the approach path of the virtual camera with a view direction associated with the second location during the approach stage by performing operations, the operations comprising:

determining a first camera path extending along the view direction associated with the target location;

determining a second camera path that increases the tilt angle of the virtual camera and decreases the altitude of the virtual camera; and

determining the approach path for the virtual camera by blending one or more camera parameters defined by the first camera path with one or more camera parameters defined by second camera path.

18. A computer-implemented method of navigating a virtual camera, the computer implemented method comprising:

presenting a view of a three dimensional model from a virtual camera at a first location, the virtual camera having a first tilt angle at the first location;

determining a second location for the virtual camera, the virtual camera having a second tilt angle at the second location;

transitioning the virtual camera from the first location to the second location according to a staged camera traversal having a launch stage and an approach stage;

wherein during the launch stage, transitioning the virtual camera comprises decreasing the tilt angle of the virtual camera from the first tilt angle towards zero tilt and increasing an altitude of the virtual camera;

wherein during the approach stage, transitioning the virtual camera comprises increasing the tilt angle of the virtual camera towards the second tilt angle and decreasing the altitude of the virtual camera such that an approach path of the virtual camera is aligned with a view direction associated with the second location.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the staged camera traversal further comprises a traversal stage occurring between the launch stage and the approach stage, wherein during the traversal stage, transitioning the virtual camera comprises maintaining the tilt angle of the virtual camera at about zero tilt.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein transitioning the virtual camera during the approach stage such that an approach path of the virtual camera is aligned with a view direction associated with the second location comprises:

determining a first camera path extending along the view direction associated with the target location;

determining a second camera path that increases the tilt angle of the virtual camera towards the second tilt angle and decreases the altitude of the virtual camera; and

determining the approach path for the virtual camera by blending one or more camera parameters defined by the first camera path with one or more camera parameters defined by second camera path using a spherical linear interpolation.