Multi-resolution 3D Models Research Articles

Indexing Mixed Aperture Icosahedral Hexagonal Discrete Global Grid Systems

Discrete global grid systems (DGGSs) are an emerging multiresolution 3D model used to integrate and analyze big earth data. The characteristic of multiresolution is usually realized by hierarchically subdividing cells on the sphere using certain refinement. This paper introduces mixed aperture three- and four- icosahedral hexagonal DGGSs using two types of refinement, the various combinations of which can provide more resolutions compared with pure aperture hexagonal DGGSs and can flexibly design the aperture sequence according to the target resolutions. A general hierarchy-based indexing method is first designed, and related indexing arithmetics and algorithm are developed based on the indexing method. Then, the grid structure on the surface of the icosahedron is described and by projection spherical grids are obtained. Experiments show that the proposed scheme is superior to pure aperture schemes in choosing grid resolutions and can reduce the data volume by 38.5% in representing 1-km resolution raster dataset; using the proposed indexing arithmetics to replace spherical geometry operations in generating discrete spherical vector lines based on hexagonal cells can improve the generation efficiency.

An Integrated Approach to 3D Web Visualization of Cultural Heritage Heterogeneous Datasets

The evolution of the high-quality 3D archaeological representations from niche products to integrated online media has not yet been completed. Digital archives of the field often lack multimodal data interoperability, user interaction and intelligibility. A web-based cultural heritage archive that compensates for these issues is presented in this paper. The multi-resolution 3D models constitute the core of the visualization on top of which supportive documentation data and multimedia content are spatial and logical connected. Our holistic approach focuses on the dynamic manipulation of the 3D scene through the development of advanced navigation mechanisms and information retrieval tools. Users parse the multi-modal content in a geo-referenced way through interactive annotation systems over cultural points of interest and automatic narrative tours. Multiple 3D and 2D viewpoints are enabled in real-time to support data inspection. The implementation exploits front-end programming languages, 3D graphic libraries and visualization frameworks to handle efficiently the asynchronous operations and preserve the initial assets’ accuracy. The choice of Greece’s Meteora, UNESCO world site, as a case study accounts for the platform’s applicability to complex geometries and large-scale historical environments.

GeoMaTree : Geometric and Mathematical Model Based Digital Tree Authoring System

This study proposes a method to develop an authoring system(GeoMaTree) for diverse trees that constitute a virtual landscape. The GeoMaTree system enables the simple, intuitive production of an efficient structure, and supports real-time processing. The core of the proposed system is a procedural modeling based on a mathematical model and an application that supports digital content creation on diverse platforms. The procedural modeling allows users to control the complex pattern of branch propagation through an intuitive process. The application is a multi-resolution 3D model that supports appropriate optimization for a tree structure. The application and a compatible function, with commercial tools for supporting the creation of realistic synthetic images and virtual landscapes, are implemented, and the proposed system is applied to a variety of 3D image content.

Efficient 3D Objects Recognition Using Multifoveated Point Clouds.

Technological innovations in the hardware of RGB-D sensors have allowed the acquisition of 3D point clouds in real time. Consequently, various applications have arisen related to the 3D world, which are receiving increasing attention from researchers. Nevertheless, one of the main problems that remains is the demand for computationally intensive processing that required optimized approaches to deal with 3D vision modeling, especially when it is necessary to perform tasks in real time. A previously proposed multi-resolution 3D model known as foveated point clouds can be a possible solution to this problem. Nevertheless, this is a model limited to a single foveated structure with context dependent mobility. In this work, we propose a new solution for data reduction and feature detection using multifoveation in the point cloud. Nonetheless, the application of several foveated structures results in a considerable increase of processing since there are intersections between regions of distinct structures, which are processed multiple times. Towards solving this problem, the current proposal brings an approach that avoids the processing of redundant regions, which results in even more reduced processing time. Such approach can be used to identify objects in 3D point clouds, one of the key tasks for real-time applications as robotics vision, with efficient synchronization allowing the validation of the model and verification of its applicability in the context of computer vision. Experimental results demonstrate a performance gain of at least 27.21% in processing time while retaining the main features of the original, and maintaining the recognition quality rate in comparison with state-of-the-art 3D object recognition methods.

Application of multi-resolution 3D techniques in crime scene documentation with bloodstain pattern analysis

In forensic documentation with bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) it is highly desirable to obtain non-invasively overall documentation of a crime scene, but also register in high resolution single evidence objects, like bloodstains. In this study, we propose a hierarchical 3D scanning platform designed according to the top-down approach known from the traditional forensic photography. The overall 3D model of a scene is obtained via integration of laser scans registered from different positions. Some parts of a scene being particularly interesting are documented using midrange scanner, and the smallest details are added in the highest resolution as close-up scans. The scanning devices are controlled using developed software equipped with advanced algorithms for point cloud processing.To verify the feasibility and effectiveness of multi-resolution 3D scanning in crime scene documentation, our platform was applied to document a murder scene simulated by the BPA experts from the Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police R&D, Warsaw, Poland.Applying the 3D scanning platform proved beneficial in the documentation of a crime scene combined with BPA. The multi-resolution 3D model enables virtual exploration of a scene in a three-dimensional environment, distance measurement, and gives a more realistic preservation of the evidences together with their surroundings. Moreover, high-resolution close-up scans aligned in a 3D model can be used to analyze bloodstains revealed at the crime scene. The result of BPA such as trajectories, and the area of origin are visualized and analyzed in an accurate model of a scene. At this stage, a simplified approach considering the trajectory of blood drop as a straight line is applied. Although the 3D scanning platform offers a new quality of crime scene documentation with BPA, some of the limitations of the technique are also mentioned.

Web-based Visualization and Query of semantically segmented multiresolution 3D Models in the Field of Cultural Heritage

Abstract. Many important Cultural Heritage sites have been studied over long periods of time by different means of technical equipment, methods and intentions by different researchers. This has led to huge amounts of heterogeneous "traditional" datasets and formats. The rising popularity of 3D models in the field of Cultural Heritage in recent years has brought additional data formats and makes it even more necessary to find solutions to manage, publish and study these data in an integrated way. The MayaArch3D project aims to realize such an integrative approach by establishing a web-based research platform bringing spatial and non-spatial databases together and providing visualization and analysis tools. Especially the 3D components of the platform use hierarchical segmentation concepts to structure the data and to perform queries on semantic entities. This paper presents a database schema to organize not only segmented models but also different Levels-of-Details and other representations of the same entity. It is further implemented in a spatial database which allows the storing of georeferenced 3D data. This enables organization and queries by semantic, geometric and spatial properties. As service for the delivery of the segmented models a standardization candidate of the OpenGeospatialConsortium (OGC), the Web3DService (W3DS) has been extended to cope with the new database schema and deliver a web friendly format for WebGL rendering. Finally a generic user interface is presented which uses the segments as navigation metaphor to browse and query the semantic segmentation levels and retrieve information from an external database of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI).

A WEB-BASED INTERACTIVE TOOL FOR MULTI-RESOLUTION 3D MODELS OF A MAYA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

Abstract. Continuous technological advances in surveying, computing and digital-content delivery are strongly contributing to a change in the way Cultural Heritage is "perceived": new tools and methodologies for documentation, reconstruction and research are being created to assist not only scholars, but also to reach more potential users (e.g. students and tourists) willing to access more detailed information about art history and archaeology. 3D computer-simulated models, sometimes set in virtual landscapes, offer for example the chance to explore possible hypothetical reconstructions, while on-line GIS resources can help interactive analyses of relationships and change over space and time. While for some research purposes a traditional 2D approach may suffice, this is not the case for more complex analyses concerning spatial and temporal features of architecture, like for example the relationship of architecture and landscape, visibility studies etc. The project aims therefore at creating a tool, called "QueryArch3D" tool, which enables the web-based visualisation and queries of an interactive, multi-resolution 3D model in the framework of Cultural Heritage. More specifically, a complete Maya archaeological site, located in Copan (Honduras), has been chosen as case study to test and demonstrate the platform’s capabilities. Much of the site has been surveyed and modelled at different levels of detail (LoD) and the geometric model has been semantically segmented and integrated with attribute data gathered from several external data sources. The paper describes the characteristics of the research work, along with its implementation issues and the initial results of the developed prototype.

QueryArch3D: Querying and Visualising 3D Models of a Maya Archaeological Site in a Web-Based Interface

Constant improvements in the field of surveying, computing and distribution of digital-content are reshaping the way Cultural Heritage can be digitised and virtually accessed, even remotely via web. A traditional 2D approach for data access, exploration, retrieval and exploration may generally suffice, however more complex analyses concerning spatial and temporal features require 3D tools, which, in some cases, have not yet been implemented or are not yet generally commercially available. Efficient organisation and integration strategies applicable to the wide array of heterogeneous data in the field of Cultural Heritage represent a hot research topic nowadays. This article presents a visualisation and query tool (QueryArch3D) conceived to deal with multi-resolution 3D models. Geometric data are organised in successive levels of detail (LoD), provided with geometric and semantic hierarchies and enriched with attributes coming from external data sources. The visualisation and query front-end enables the 3D navigation of the models in a virtual environment, as well as the interaction with the objects by means of queries based on attributes or on geometries. The tool can be used as a standalone application, or served through the web. The characteristics of the research work, along with some implementation issues and the developed QueryArch3D tool will be discussed and presented.

From 2D Images to 3D Tangible Models: Autostereoscopic and Haptic Visualization of Martian Rocks in Virtual Environments

A planetary rover acquires a large collection of images while exploring its surrounding environment. For example, 2D stereo images of the Martian surface captured by the lander and the Sojourner rover during the Mars Pathfinder mission in 1997 were transmitted to Earth for scientific analysis and navigation planning. Due to the limited memory and computational power of the Sojourner rover, most of the images were captured by the lander and then transmitted to Earth directly for processing. If these images were merged together at the rover site to reconstruct a 3D representation of the rover's environment using its on-board resources, more information could potentially be transmitted to Earth in a compact manner. However, construction of a 3D model from multiple views is a highly challenging task to accomplish even for the new generation rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) running on the Mars surface at the time this article was written. Moreover, low transmission rates and communication intervals between Earth and Mars make the transmission of any data more difficult. We propose a robust and computationally efficient method for progressive transmission of multi-resolution 3D models of Martian rocks and soil reconstructed from a series of stereo images. For visualization of these models on Earth, we have developed a new multimodal visualization setup that integrates vision and touch. Our scheme for 3D reconstruction of Martian rocks from 2D images for visualization on Earth involves four main steps: a) acquisition of scans: depth maps are generated from stereo images, b) integration of scans: the scans are correctly positioned and oriented with respect to each other and fused to construct a 3D volumetric representation of the rocks using an octree, c) transmission: the volumetric data is encoded and progressively transmitted to Earth, d) visualization: a surface model is reconstructed from the transmitted data on Earth and displayed to a user through a new autostereoscopic visualization table and a haptic device for providing touch feedback. To test the practical utility of our approach, we first captured a sequence of stereo images of a rock surface from various viewpoints in JPL MarsYard using a mobile cart and then performed a series of 3D reconstruction experiments. In this paper, we discuss the steps of our reconstruction process, our multimodal visualization system, and the tradeoffs that have to be made to transmit multiresolution 3D models to Earth in an efficient manner under the constraints of limited computational resources, low transmission rate, and communication interval between Earth and Mars.