Simulated city generation

• US 7,707,012 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2004
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Activision Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Activision Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Stephens, Adrian
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US10/850,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20040236543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,169 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/2, 703/6, 701/207, 701/209, 345/419, 345/619, 358/1.1, 358/302, 358/471, 707/104.1, 340/995.11
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A city model generation process. A city model is generated using information about an actual city. A roadway database including segments of roadways is used to generate a city model having grid points corresponding to intersections between the roadway segments. A type of roadway determined from the roadway database information is associated with sets of grid points defining a single roadway. Elevation data is added to the city model using a topographic database. Features, such as a road profile, are added to the roadway using the type. Photographic and zoning information is used to further refine the type of a roadway with a subtype corresponding to features of buildings that may be associated with the roadway. Generic building models and features are associated with the roadways based on the subtypes. Landmark building models are added to the city model to complete the city model.

Claims

1. A method of generating a city model, comprising:

receiving a set of roadway segments, the roadway segments corresponding to a plurality of roadways of a city;

generating a set of grid points using the set of roadway segments, the grid points corresponding to intersections between the roadway segments;

associating a feature model to each subset of the set of grid points, each subset of the set of grid points corresponding to at least a portion of a roadway of the plurality of roadways of the city, the feature model representative of buildings expected to be found along each roadway segment.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a type to a subset of the set of grid points, the subset corresponding to a roadway from the plurality of roadways; and

associating a road profile to the subset of grid points using the type.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein associating a feature model further includes using a photograph of a portion of the city to be simulated corresponding to an area through which each roadway segment passes to determine buildings expected to be found along each roadway segment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the feature model further includes using zoning information for the city to be simulated to determine the feature model.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a model of a landmark to the subset of the set of grid points corresponding to the roadway segment where the landmark is located.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

receiving topographic information for the city; and

associating elevation values to the grid points using the topographic information.

6. A data processing apparatus for generating a city model, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions executable by the processor stored therein, the program instructions including program instructions for;

receiving a set of roadway segments, the roadway segments corresponding to a plurality of roadways of a city;

generating a set of grid points using the set of roadway segments, the grid points corresponding to intersections between the roadway segments;

associating a feature model to each subset of the set of grid points, each subset of the set of grid points corresponding to at least a portion of a roadway of the plurality of roadways of the city, the feature model representative of buildings expected to be found along each roadway segment.

7. The data processing apparatus of claim 6, the program instructions further including:

associating a type to a subset of the set of grid points, the subset corresponding to a roadway from the plurality of roadways; and

associating a road profile to the subset of grid points using the type.

8. The data processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the instructions for associating feature models further includes instructions for using zoning information for the city to be simulated to determine the feature model.

9. The data processing apparatus of claim 6, the instructions further including instructions for associating model of a landmark to the subset of the set of grid points corresponding to the roadway segment where the landmark is located.

12. The data processing apparatus of claim 6, the program instructions further including instructions for:

receiving topographic information for the city to be simulated; and

associating elevation values to the rid points using the topographic information.

10. A method of computer generating a cityscape using a city model data to form a computer-generated three dimensional model corresponding to actual city parameters, comprising:

generating a roadway connectivity model using road profiles from the city model;

applying elevation information from the city model to the roadway connectivity model to obtain an elevated roadway connectivity model; and

using feature models from the city model to generate buildings associated with each roadway in the elevated roadway connectivity model.

13. A method of generating a display information for roadside depictions in a video game, comprising:

representing a roadway by a set of grid points;

determining building types along portions of the roadway by using zoning information; and

associating the building types with the portions of the roadway.