Texturing models of structures

• US 9,349,211 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Klein, Robert J., Findley, David Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Faulk, Devona
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sun, Hai Tao
• Application Number:
  US13/928,980
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for forming a model of a structure. Input data comprising a set of values for a set of attributes is received. The set of values for the set of attributes is matched to a number of texture decks in a plurality of texture decks. A texture deck in the plurality of texture decks is associated with a set of assigned attributes. Each assigned attribute in the set of assigned attributes is assigned at least one assigned value. A texture deck from the number of texture decks is selected as a final texture deck for use in forming the model of the structure.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a texture library comprising a plurality of texture decks; and

a texture manager that receives input data comprising a set of values for a set of attributes, matches the set of values for the set of attributes to a number of texture decks from the plurality of texture decks, and selects a texture deck from the number of texture decks as a final texture deck for use in forming a model of a structure;

wherein the texture manager generates texture information for use in forming the model of the structure using the final texture deck, wherein the texture manager receives geometric information corresponding to a geometric shape identified for use in forming the model of the structure and selects final textures from the final texture deck for use in texturizing the geometric shape based on the geometric information to form the texture information, wherein the geometric information identifies a number of sides of the geometric shape and a number of segments for each side in the number of sides to be texturized;

wherein the texture manager selects a final texture from the final texture deck for each segment in the number of segments for the each side in the number of sides based on a policy, wherein the policy indicates a number of rules for selecting the final texture from the final texture deck for each of the number of segments, wherein the number of segments are arranged in rows and columns;

wherein a first rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that a texture having a feature that is a door is only used for a segment representing a ground level or ground floor of the structure;

wherein a second rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates to use only a texture having no features and only a background for a segment located along an edge of a side and the segment having a smaller size than the texture having no features and only a background; and

wherein a third rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that only a texture from a first group of textures in the texture deck is used to texturize a segment in a row that is not a bottommost row, and

wherein a fourth rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that only a texture from a second group of textures is used to texturize a segment in the bottommost row.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a model manager that identifies the geometric shape for use in forming the model of the structure and texturizes the number of sides of the geometric shape using the texture information to form the model of the structure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input data is received in at least one of user input, a configuration file, a geospatial data file, and a table.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a texture deck in the plurality of texture decks is associated with a set of assigned attributes comprising attributes for a region, a subregion, a structure type, a building material, an architectural feature, and a sensor type that are each associated with at least one assigned value.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the final texture deck comprises:

a number of textures, wherein a texture in the number of textures comprises at least one of a background and a number of features.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the background is selected from one of a brick background, a concrete background, a stone background, a slab background, a stucco background, a wood paneling background, a glass background, and a metal background and wherein the number of features includes at least one of a window, a door, a balcony, a railing, and an architectural feature.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a model manager and the texture manager are implemented within a three-dimensional visualization system.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the model of the structure is configured for use in forming an environment model of a three-dimensional environment.

11. The apparatus of claim 4,

wherein the region identifies a geographic region and values for region attributes include North America, North Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa, Asia, and Europe;

wherein the subregion identifies a geographic subregion and values for subregion attributes include urban, rural, desert, and mountain;

wherein values for structure type attributes include a building, a tower, a factory, a manufacturing plant, a residential dwelling, an apartment complex, and a commercial building;

wherein values for sensor type attributes include an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, an electro-optical sensor, a radar system, a nighttime sensor, a classified sensor, a daytime sensor, and a thermal imaging device; and

wherein a number of textures in the final texture deck all share a same background.

9. A visual simulation system comprising:

a processor;

a texture library comprising a plurality of texture decks in which a texture deck in the plurality of texture decks is associated with a set of assigned attributes in which each assigned attribute in the set of assigned attributes is associated with at least one assigned value;

a texture manager that receives input data comprising a set of values for a set of attributes, matches the set of values for the set of attributes to a number of texture decks from the plurality of texture decks, and selects a texture deck from the number of texture decks as a final texture deck for use in forming a number of models of a number of structures, wherein the texture manager generates texture information for use in forming the model of the structure using the final texture deck, wherein the texture manager receives geometric information corresponding to a geometric shape identified for use in forming the model of the structure and selects final textures from the final texture deck for use in texturizing the geometric shape based on the geometric information to form the texture information, wherein the geometric information identifies a number of sides of the geometric shape and a number of segments for each side in the number of sides to be texturized; and

a model manager that identifies the geometric shape for use in forming a model of a structure and texturizes each of a number of sides of the geometric shape using the final texture deck to form the model of the structure;

wherein the texture manager selects a final texture from the final texture deck for each segment in the number of segments for the each side in the number of sides based on a policy, wherein the policy indicates a number of rules for selecting the final texture from the final texture deck for each of the number of segments, wherein the number of segments are arranged in rows and columns;

wherein a first rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that a texture having a feature that is a door is only used for a segment representing a ground level or ground floor of the structure;

wherein a second rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates to use only a texture having no features and only a background for a segment located along an edge of a side and the segment having a smaller size than the texture having no features and only a background; and

wherein a third rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that only a texture from a first group of textures in the texture deck is used to texturize a segment in a row that is not a bottommost row, and

wherein a fourth rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that only a texture from a second group of textures is used to texturize a segment in the bottommost row.

12. The visual simulation system of claim 9, wherein the input data is received in at least one of user input, a configuration file, a geospatial data file, and a table.

13. The visual simulation system of claim 9, wherein a texture deck in the plurality of texture decks is associated with a set of assigned attributes comprising attributes for a region, a subregion, a structure type, a building material, an architectural feature, and a sensor type that are each associated with at least one assigned value.

14. The visual simulation system of claim 13,

wherein the region identifies a geographic region and values for region attributes include North America, North Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa, Asia, and Europe;

wherein the subregion identifies a geographic subregion and values for subregion attributes include urban, rural, desert, and mountain;

wherein values for structure type attributes include a building, a tower, a factory, a manufacturing plant, a residential dwelling, an apartment complex, and a commercial building;

wherein values for sensor type attributes include an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, an electro-optical sensor, a radar system, a nighttime sensor, a classified sensor, a daytime sensor, and a thermal imaging device; and

wherein a number of textures in the final texture deck all share a same background.

15. The visual simulation system of claim 9, wherein the final texture deck comprises:

a number of textures, wherein a texture in the number of textures comprises at least one of a background and a number of features.

16. The visual simulation system of claim 15, wherein the background is selected from one of a brick background, a concrete background, a stone background, a slab background, a stucco background, a wood paneling background, a glass background, and a metal background and wherein the number of features includes at least one of a window, a door, a balcony, a railing, and an architectural feature.

10. A computer-implemented method for forming a model of a structure, the method comprising:

receiving input data comprising a set of values for a set of attributes;

matching the set of values for the set of attributes to a number of texture decks in a plurality of texture decks, wherein a texture deck in the plurality of texture decks is associated with a set of assigned attributes in which each assigned attribute in the set of assigned attributes is assigned at least one assigned value;

selecting a texture deck from the number of texture decks as a final texture deck for use in forming the model of the structure; and

generating texture information for use in forming the model of the structure using the final texture deck, wherein the texture manager receives geometric information corresponding to a geometric shape identified for use in forming the model of the structure and selects final textures from the final texture deck for use in texturizing the geometric shape based on the geometric information to form the texture information, wherein the geometric information identifies a number of sides of the geometric shape and a number of segments for each side in the number of sides to be texturized;

selecting a final texture from the final texture deck for each segment in the number of segments for the each side in the number of sides based on a policy, wherein the policy indicates a number of rules for selecting the final texture from the final texture deck for each of the number of segments, wherein the number of segments are arranged in rows and columns;

wherein a first rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that a texture having a feature that is a door is only used for a segment representing a ground level or ground floor of the structure;

wherein a second rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates to use only a texture having no features and only a background for a segment located along an edge of a side and the segment having a smaller size than the texture having no features and only a background; and

wherein a third rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that only a texture from a first group of textures in the texture deck is used to texturize a segment in a row that is not a bottommost row, and

wherein a fourth rule of the number of rules in the policy indicates that only a texture from a second group of textures is used to texturize a segment in the bottommost row.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the input data is received in at least one of user input, a configuration file, a geospatial data file, and a table.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein a texture deck in the plurality of texture decks is associated with a set of assigned attributes comprising attributes for a region, a subregion, a structure type, a building material, an architectural feature, and a sensor type that are each associated with at least one assigned value.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18,

wherein the region identifies a geographic region and values for region attributes include North America, North Africa, Sub-Sahara Africa, Asia, and Europe;

wherein the subregion identifies a geographic subregion and values for subregion attributes include urban, rural, desert, and mountain;

wherein values for structure type attributes include a building, a tower, a factory, a manufacturing plant, a residential dwelling, an apartment complex, and a commercial building;

wherein values for sensor type attributes include an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, an electro-optical sensor, a radar system, a nighttime sensor, a classified sensor, a daytime sensor, and a thermal imaging device; and

wherein a number of textures in the final texture deck all share a same background.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the final texture deck comprises:

a number of textures, wherein a texture in the number of textures comprises at least one of a background and a number of features.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 20, wherein the background is selected from one of a brick background, a concrete background, a stone background, a slab background, a stucco background, a wood paneling background, a glass background, and a metal background and wherein the number of features includes at least one of a window, a door, a balcony, a railing, and an architectural feature.