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Visibility volumes for interactive path optimization

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Abstract

We describe a real-time system that supports design of optimal flight paths over terrains. These paths either maximize view coverage or minimize vehicle exposure to ground. A volume-rendered display of multi-viewpoint visibility and a haptic interface assists the user in selecting, assessing, and refining the computed flight path. We design a three-dimensional scalar field representing the visibility of a point above the terrain, describe an efficient algorithm to compute the visibility field, and develop visual and haptic schemes to interact with the visibility field. Given the origin and destination, the desired flight path is computed using an efficient simulation of an articulated rope under the influence of the visibility gradient. The simulation framework also accepts user input, via the haptic interface, thereby allowing manual refinement of the flight path.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science and Automation, Supercomputer Education and Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India

    Vijay Natarajan

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA

    Manohar B. Srikanth

  3. NMR Research Centre, Supercomputer Education and Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India

    P.C. Mathias

  4. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Prakash Naidu

  5. National Institute for Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore, 560012, India

    Timothy Poston

Authors
  1. Manohar B. Srikanth
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  2. P.C. Mathias
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  3. Vijay Natarajan
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  4. Prakash Naidu
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  5. Timothy Poston
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Correspondence to Vijay Natarajan.

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Srikanth, M., Mathias, P., Natarajan, V. et al. Visibility volumes for interactive path optimization . Visual Comput 24, 635–647 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00371-008-0244-x

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