<title>RapidScene photogrammetry and visualization system</title>

Abstract

A system has been developed which combines the accuracy of digital photogrammetry with simulation quality rendering to create a 3D imagery visualization system. Users input various types of imagery: aerial survey photos, Landsat, SPOT or other overhead imagery, and transform the 2D images into a true 3D database. Once the database is built the user can view the 3D world form any perspective and produce various output products including a video 'fly-through' suitable for briefings. The Rapid Scene system offers a new way to construct a high quality 3D database, to use imagery to build the entire database, including terrain, features and texture. The benefits of this method include faster database production time, increased accuracy and realism. Key features of the system include the ability to combine imagery or digital sources, extract terrain data from stereo imagery, texture extracted features in an automatic fashion, create levels-of-detail to speed rendering, and allow placement of generic features and moving models in the database.