Anti-aliased, textured, geocentric and layered fog graphics display method and apparatus

• US 6,943,803 B1
• Filed: 09/21/1998
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp. (Elevate Entertainment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Despain, Eric, Fowler, W. David, Cosman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARRISON, CHANTE E
• Application Number:
  US09/157,710
• Time in Patent Office: 2,549 Days
• Field of Search: 345/426, 345/431, 345/179, 345/432, 345419-425, 345427-433, 345/619, 345/629, 345/581, 345/582, 345/589, 382254-256, 382/225, 382/154, 342/179, 342/26, 356/28
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/503 Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing

Abstract

A method and apparatus in a preferred embodiment for generating anti-aliased layered fog which is textured manipulated as if in a geocentric virtual environment to thereby show horizon depression at high altitudes. Hardware is provided such that layer model data and texture model data is combined to generate fogged pixel color.

Claims

1. A method for providing a multilayer visual cloud effect in a computer-generated synthetic environment, said method comprising the steps of:

applying a texture motif to a cloud layer, wherein the texture motif is associated with each of two horizontal texture planes disposed inside the cloud layer;

determining an eyepoint distance from the cloud layer to be used for modifying the texture motif and selecting a texture plane;

utilizing the texture motif to modify a brightness and a visual density of the cloud layer;

selecting an upper texture plane when an eye position is above the upper texture plane, and selecting a lower texture plane when the eye position is below the lower texture plane; and

concatenating a plurality of the cloud layers to account for curvature of the earth.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the method further comprises the step of attenuating a texture effect when the eye position moves from outside the cloud layer toward the upper texture plane or the lower texture plane, such that when the eye position is at a same altitude as one of the texture planes, the texture motif of that texture plane is not visible.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 wherein the method further comprises the step of applying to the computer-generated synthetic environment the texture motif at a lateral position relative to the eye position as an instantaneous layer fog color and density delta.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 wherein the method further comprises the step of generating a visual effect of scudding when moving the eye position inside the cloud layer, wherein the eye position is able to fly through the cloud layer and avoid a sudden penetration of a texture plane.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the method further comprises the step of utilizing an altitude based blend region to thereby transition from a distant to a local texture effect as the eye position approaches the texture plane of the cloud layer, to thereby mask penetration of the texture plane, and wherein the scudding effect is spatially and % temporally correlated.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein the method further comprises the step of providing visual attributes to the cloud layer, wherein these visual attributes include color, texel size, texel stretch, texel level of detail control, brightness modulation amplitude, visual density modulation amplitude and an illumination direction flag.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the method further comprises the step of assigning independent intensity modulation gains to a top texture layer and to a bottom texture layer, wherein the intensity modulation gain is applied to the texture to thereby scale texture values.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the method further comprises the step of applying a visual density modulation gain factor to the texture layer, wherein the visual density modulation gain factor modifies a visual thickness of fog in the cloud layer.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein the method further comprises the step of utilizing texture to modify a visual density of the cloud layer, wherein a density variation is constrained by an available cloud layer density to thereby prevent visual anomalies.

10. The method as defined in claim 9 wherein the method further comprises the step of moving light and dark portions of the texture motif based on a prior look-up of that texture motif to thereby enhance a three dimensional appearance of the texture motif.

11. The method as defined in claim 10 wherein the method further comprises the step of reversing perception of movement of the light and the dark portions of the texture motif by modifying a direction of illumination that reaches the cloud layer.

12. The method as defined in claim 11 wherein the method further comprises the step of concatenating the plurality of the cloud layers in an order determined by relative altitudes of the pixel to eye vector and a view ray intercept.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the method further comprises the step of including an additional concatenation stage to thereby apply a horizon blend, wherein the concatenation is based on combining an incoming and a stage color based on stage opacity.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 wherein the method further comprises the step of utilizing a non-linear transformation in a texture scanning process to thereby account for curvature of a horizon.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein the method further comprises the step of applying the non-linear transform to a length of a texture scanning vector that causes a horizontal plane to appear to follow a curvature of the horizon.

16. The method as defined in claim 15 wherein the method further comprises the step of providing separate non-linear transforms for horizontal planes that are above and below the eye position, to thereby simulate an appearance of cloud decks and cloud ceilings.

17. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein the method further comprises the step of applying non-linear transforms that modify a computation of texture level of detail so that it correlates with a curved visual result.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 wherein the method further comprises the step of modifying the non-linear transform to thereby account for a relative proximity, in altitude, of the eye position to the cloud decks and the cloud ceilings.

19. The method as defined in claim 18 wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

(1) determining the texture level of detail by separating a range determination process and a slant factor determination process; and

(2) applying separate limits to the range determination process and to the slant factor determination process.

20. The method as defined in claim 19 wherein the method further comprises the step of determining the texture level of detail as determined by a combination of a perspective size of a texel in either a visually compressed or uncompressed directions, to thereby provide better homogeneity of textural detail for oblique surfaces.

21. The method as defined in claim 20 wherein the method further comprises the step of generating a visual effect of the cloud deck on a curved horizon that correctly occults scene detail that lie above the altitude of the cloud layer, but which lie beyond a cloud horizon range, and below an eye to horizon slope.

22. The method as defined in claim 21 wherein the method further comprises the step of utilizing a pixel level blend process to antialias a nominal horizon, and which depresses an altitude of scene detail that should be occulted, on a pixel by pixel basis, to thereby hide the scene details beneath the cloud deck.

23. The method as defined in claim 22 wherein the method further comprises the step of applying a blending effect based on a relative range of scene details and the cloud horizon, to thereby prevent visual anomalies for the scene details at the cloud horizon range.

24. A method for providing a multilayer visual cloud effect in a computer-generated synthetic environment, said method comprising the steps of:

applying a texture motif to a cloud layer, wherein the texture motif is associated with each of two horizontal texture planes disposed inside the cloud layer;

determining an eyepoint distance from the cloud layer to be used for modifying the texture motif and selecting a texture plane;

utilizing the texture motif to modify a brightness and a visual density of the cloud layer;

selecting an upper texture plane when an eye position is above the upper texture plane, and selecting a lower texture plane when the eye position is below the lower texture plane;

concatenating a plurality of the cloud layers to account for curvature of the earth; and

concatenating the plurality of the cloud layers in an order determined by relative altitudes of the pixel to eye vector and a view ray intercept.