Landmarking for navigation of large models

In this paper we present a general technique for real-time display of very large models. We combine methods for culling and level-of-detail management with wire-frame representations, generated dynamically from a hierarchy of bounding volumes. Smoothly moving boundary planes ensure that changes of representation do not lead to distracting popping effects. Context-sensitive landmark objects are added to support navigation, with a minimal impact on display frame rates. The method uses four dynamically-managed, overlapping zones to control level of detail. Results from user evaluation experiments are presented to demonstrate that the technique is effective for very large models on a modestly priced PC. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.