Visibility Visualization And Haptic Path Exploration

Abstract

We propose a real-time system to visualize multi-viewpoint visibility information for terrains, supporting flight path optimization for view coverage or vehicle exposure to ground. A volume rendered display and a haptic interface assist the user in selecting, assessing, and refining the computed flight path. We construct a three-dimensional scalar field representing the visibility of a point above the terrain, describe an efficient algorithm to compute visibility, 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.