3D layering of map metadata
First Claim
1. A computing device that comprises memory and a processing unit, the computing device being adapted to perform a method of rendering map views for map navigation, the method comprising, with the computing device:
- determining a first viewer position, the first viewer position being associated with a view altitude in 3D space;
determining a first map metadata element with a first metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the first map metadata element is associated with a first feature of a map;
determining a second map metadata element with a second metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the second map metadata element is associated with a second feature of the map, and wherein the second metadata altitude is different than the first metadata altitude;
rendering for display a first view of the map based at least in part upon the first viewer position and layering of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space at the different metadata altitudes, wherein the rendering the first view depends at least in part on relation of the view altitude of the first viewer position to the different metadata altitudes of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space;
determining a second viewer position based at least in part upon input that indicates a change in viewer position; and
rendering for display a second view of the map based at least in part upon the second viewer position and layering of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space at the different metadata altitudes, wherein the rendering the second view depends at least in part on relation of view altitude of the second viewer position to the different metadata altitudes of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space, wherein, compared to the first view, in the second view due to parallax effects the first map metadata element is displaced a different distance than the second map metadata element to account for change between the first viewer position and the second viewer position in the 3D space, and wherein the metadata altitudes and/or scale of the first and second map metadata elements are adjusted for the rendering so as to avoid abrupt displacements in the parallax effects, while maintaining relative ordering and relative distance for the first and second map metadata elements.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques and tools are described for rendering views of a map in which map metadata elements are layered in 3D space through which a viewer navigates. Layering of metadata elements such as text labels in 3D space facilitates parallax and smooth motion effects for zoom-in, zoom-out and scrolling operations during map navigation. A computing device can determine a viewer position that is associated with a view altitude in 3D space, then render for display a map view based upon the viewer position and metadata elements layered at different metadata altitudes in 3D space. For example, the computing device places text labels in 3D space above features associated with the respective labels, at the metadata altitudes indicated for the respective labels. The computing device creates a map view from points of the placed labels and points of a surface layer of the map that are visible from the viewer position.
58 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A computing device that comprises memory and a processing unit, the computing device being adapted to perform a method of rendering map views for map navigation, the method comprising, with the computing device:
-
determining a first viewer position, the first viewer position being associated with a view altitude in 3D space; determining a first map metadata element with a first metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the first map metadata element is associated with a first feature of a map; determining a second map metadata element with a second metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the second map metadata element is associated with a second feature of the map, and wherein the second metadata altitude is different than the first metadata altitude; rendering for display a first view of the map based at least in part upon the first viewer position and layering of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space at the different metadata altitudes, wherein the rendering the first view depends at least in part on relation of the view altitude of the first viewer position to the different metadata altitudes of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space; determining a second viewer position based at least in part upon input that indicates a change in viewer position; and rendering for display a second view of the map based at least in part upon the second viewer position and layering of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space at the different metadata altitudes, wherein the rendering the second view depends at least in part on relation of view altitude of the second viewer position to the different metadata altitudes of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space, wherein, compared to the first view, in the second view due to parallax effects the first map metadata element is displaced a different distance than the second map metadata element to account for change between the first viewer position and the second viewer position in the 3D space, and wherein the metadata altitudes and/or scale of the first and second map metadata elements are adjusted for the rendering so as to avoid abrupt displacements in the parallax effects, while maintaining relative ordering and relative distance for the first and second map metadata elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A method of facilitating map navigation, the method comprising, with a server computing device:
-
receiving, from a client computing device, a request for map information, wherein the request indicates one or more search terms; based at least in part on search results for the one or more search terms and based at least in part on metadata altitude as a level-of-detail control parameter for the search results, determining first and second map metadata elements with different metadata altitudes in 3D space, wherein the first map metadata element is associated with a first feature of a map, wherein the second map metadata element is associated with a second feature of the map, and wherein the first and second map metadata elements are usable to render views of the map depending at least in part on relation of view altitude of viewer position to the different metadata altitudes of the first and second map metadata elements as layered in the 3D space according to their respective metadata altitudes; and sending, to the client computing device, the first and second map metadata elements. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computing device programmed thereby to perform a method of rendering views of a map using map metadata elements layered at different metadata altitudes in 3D space, the one or more computer-readable media comprising a nonvolatile memory component, the method comprising:
-
determining a first map metadata element with a first metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the first map metadata element is associated with a first feature of a map; determining a second map metadata element with a second metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the second map metadata element is associated with a second feature of the map, and wherein the second metadata altitude is different than the first metadata altitude; and for each of one or more viewer positions between an initial viewer position and a destination viewer position; determining the viewer position, the viewer position being associated with a view altitude in the 3D space; and rendering for display a view of the map based at least in part upon the viewer position and layering of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space at the different metadata altitudes, wherein the first map metadata element is a map metadata text label, and wherein; as the view altitude of the viewer position decreases and approaches a target altitude in the 3D space or target distance, the label becomes larger and sharper from view to view; and as the view altitude of the viewer position further decreases below the target altitude in the 3D space or target distance, the label becomes larger but fades from view to view. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
-
-
15. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions for causing a computing device programmed thereby to perform a method of rendering map views for map navigation, the one or more computer-readable media comprising a nonvolatile memory component, the method comprising, with the computing device:
-
determining a first viewer position, the first viewer position being associated with a view altitude in 3D space; determining a first map metadata element with a first metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the first map metadata element is associated with a first feature of a map; determining a second map metadata element with a second metadata altitude in the 3D space, wherein the second map metadata element is associated with a second feature of the map, and wherein the second metadata altitude is different than the first metadata altitude; rendering for display a first view of the map based at least in part upon the first viewer position and layering of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space at the different metadata altitudes, wherein the rendering the first view depends at least in part on relation of the view altitude of the first viewer position to the different metadata altitudes of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space, and wherein, in the first view, the first map metadata element and the second map metadata element are rendered in substantially parallel orientation in the 3D space to a surface layer of the map; determining a second viewer position based at least in part upon input that indicates a change in viewer position; and rendering for display a second view of the map based at least in part upon the second viewer position and layering of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space at the different metadata altitudes, wherein the rendering the second view depends at least in part on relation of view altitude of the second viewer position to the different metadata altitudes of the first and second map metadata elements in the 3D space, and wherein, in the second view, the first map metadata element is rendered in substantially perpendicular orientation in the 3D space to the surface layer of the map. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification