Panorama maps with non-linear ray tracing

We present a framework for the interactive generation of 3D panorama maps. Our approach addresses the main issue that occurs during panorama map construction: non-linear projection or deformation of the terrain in order to minimize the occlusion of important information such as roads and trails. Traditionally, panorama maps are hand-drawn by skilled illustrators. In contrast, our approach provides computer support for the rendering of non-occluded views of 3D panorama maps, where deformations are modeled by nonlinear ray tracing. The deflection of rays is influenced by 2D and 3D force fields that directly consider the shape of the terrain. In addition, our framework allows the user to further modify the force fields to have fine control over the deformations of the panorama map. User interaction is facilitated by our real-time rendering system in terms of linked multiple views of both linear and non-linear projected terrain and the deformed view rays. Fast rendering is achieved by GPU-based non-linear ray tracing. We demonstrate the usefulness of our modeling and visualization method by several examples.