Transitioning between top-down maps and local navigation of reconstructed 3-D scenes

• US 8,624,902 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Billy, Ofek, Eyal, Gedye, David Maxwell, Dughi, Jonathan Robert, Dawson, Mark Ruane, Podolak, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): BROOME, SAID A
• Application Number:
  US12/699,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20110187723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for transitioning between a top-down map of a reconstructed structure within a 3-D scene and an associated local-navigation display. An application transitions between the top-down map and the local-navigation display by animating a view in a display window over a period of time while interpolating camera parameters from values representing a starting camera view to values representing an ending camera view. In one embodiment, the starting camera view is the top-down map view and the ending camera view is the camera view associated with a target photograph. In another embodiment, the starting camera view is the camera view associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display and the ending camera view is the top-down map.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer processing device; and

a memory configured to execute computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer processing device perform an animated transition between

a top-down map display generated from a 3-D point cloud computed from a collection of photographs and

a local-navigation display showing a photograph from the collection of photographs,

wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with the top-down map display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises

interpolate camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a first stage from starting values associated with the currently-viewed photograph to ending values associated with the top-down map display; and

interpolate a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the currently-viewed photograph to an ending value associated with the top-down map display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the animated transition is created by animating a view in a display window over a period of time while interpolating camera parameters from values representing a starting camera view to values representing an ending camera view.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing linear functions over the period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing sigmoid-based functions over the period of time.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed in multiple stages.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the starting camera view is associated with the top-down map display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises:

interpolate a roll parameter of the camera view in a first stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value reflecting a camera-up orientation of the top-down map in regard to the target photograph;

interpolate a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value associated with the target photograph;

interpolate camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a third stage from starting values associated with the top-down map display to ending values reflecting an interim camera position and orientation related to the target photograph; and

interpolate camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a fourth stage from starting values reflecting the interim camera position and orientation to ending values associated with the target photograph.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the animated transition further comprises causing neighboring photographs to fade into view of the local-navigation display as the transition approaches the target photograph.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and the animated transition comprises:

an animated transition from the currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display to the top-down map display; and

an animated transition from the top-down map display to the target photograph in the local-navigation display.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing, by a computing device, a transition between a top-down map display generated from a 3-D point cloud computed from a collection of photographs and a local-navigation display showing a photograph from the collection of photographs; and

animating, by a computing device, a view in a display window over a period of time while interpolating, by a computing device, camera parameters from values representing a starting camera view to values representing an ending camera view,

wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with the top-down map display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a first stage from starting values associated with the currently-viewed photograph to ending values associated with the top-down map display; and

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the currently-viewed photograph to an ending value associated with the top-down map display.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing linear functions over the period of time.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing sigmoid-based functions over the period of time.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed in multiple stages.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the starting camera view is associated with the top-down map display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises:

interpolating a roll parameter of the camera view in a first stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value reflecting a camera-up orientation of the top-down map in regard to the target photograph;

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value associated with the target photograph;

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a third stage from starting values associated with the top-down map display to ending values reflecting an interim camera position and orientation related to the target photograph; and

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a fourth stage from starting values reflecting the interim camera position and orientation to ending values associated with the target photograph.

14. A system comprising:

a user computer connected to a display device; and

a visualization client executing on a processor of the user computer and configured to

provide transitions between a top-down map display generated from a 3-D point cloud computed from a collection of photographs and a local-navigation display showing a photograph from the collection of photographs, and

animate a view in a display window on the display device over a period of time while interpolating camera parameters from values representing a starting camera view to values representing an ending camera view,

wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with the top-down map display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a first stage from starting values associated with the currently-viewed photograph to ending values associated with the top-down map display; and

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the currently-viewed photograph to an ending value associated with the top-down map display.

15. The system claim 14, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing one or more of linear functions and sigmoid-based functions over the period of time.

16. The system claim 14, wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed in multiple stages.

17. The system claim 16, wherein the starting camera view is associated with the top-down map display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises:

interpolating a roll parameter of the camera view in a first stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value reflecting a camera-up orientation of the top-down map in regard to the target photograph;

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value associated with the target photograph;

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a third stage from starting values associated with the top-down map display to ending values reflecting an interim camera position and orientation related to the target photograph; and

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a fourth stage from starting values reflecting the interim camera position and orientation to ending values associated with the target photograph.