The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 08, 2004
Filed:
Mar. 19, 2002
Ignacio Sanz-Pastor, San Francisco, CA (US);
David L. Morgan, III, Redwood City, CA (US);
Aechelon Technology, Inc., San Carlos, CA (US);
Abstract
Terrain is rendered in a three-dimensional computing environment by attaching a number of fixed terrain layers to the viewer, in a configuration such that each layer resembles a “magic carpet” on which the viewer flies. Each concentric layer covers a successively larger area of the visual database, and the vertex density and texture resolution of each layer is independent of other layers. Each layer may feature a fading band around its circumference, which can facilitate fading between consecutive layers. This approach achieves optimal vertex density/range distribution, which enables both very far horizons (exceeding 100 nmi) and very high elevation detail in the foreground, while maintaining strict performance requirements. High texture resolution and sparsely populated terrain texture are also achieved without the use of specialized hardware because each layer is textured independently. This overcomes the need for special-purpose hardware and provides a superior visual experience compared to previously available techniques.