THREE DIMENSIONAL TEXTURE GENERATOR FOR COMPUTED TERRAIN IMAGES

Abstract

An improvement for the real-time computer generation of visual scenes based on an algorithm that reduces the processing of elevation data to simple repetitive accumulations and a compare operation to generate occult data using grid elevation data bases is disclosed. The improvement adds three dimensional texture to close approach scenes to provide visual cues to the observer. The texture data is derived from the grid elevation data base itself and includes delta elevation and delta color values. The delta elevation values are added to the interpolated elevations computed by the image generator and the delta color values modulate the interpolated colors computed by the image generator. Since the texture data base is derived from the grid data base itself, the texture data base is already on-line thereby simplifying the memory and computational requirements of the computer image generator. This approach results in the generation of very realistic terrain images in which the texture correlates with the actual terrain and the texture is already properly sun shaded.

Source: Google Patents

35 USC §181 Secrecy Order

Inventor

• 1ROBERT A. HEARTZ