Google Earth Beaten By Autorendering From Photos 176
Flu writes "Sweden's major engineer newspaper NyTeknik writes about a new technology which is used to automatically convert 60.000 aerial photographs of Stockholm, Sweden, into a 3d-world, similar to Google Earth's rendering of major buildings in some US cities. But unlike Google's laser-measured rendering, this technique took less than 8 days (including the photography) to automatically generate the 3D-model of Stockholm — which includes every building and details as high as individual trees!
The program was developed by C3, a subsidiary of the Swedish defense industry company SAAB, together with a PC gaming company called Agency 9. The complete article is available (sorry, Swedish only), but the 3D-rendering of Stockholm is available as a Java applet from the Swedish phone-dictionary service Hitta.se (tick the checkbox — it's an ordinary disclaimer, and click 'Till 3D-kartan')." The technique used gives a cool water-color look to the scenes, too.
first post (Score:5, Funny)
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Game mods (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Game mods (Score:5, Funny)
Oh wait. Someone's at the door. Guantanamo ? But I don't want to go to
Re:Game mods (Score:5, Informative)
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Attention game mappers (Score:2)
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I did not have evil intentions with it.
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Heh, I mapped out my jr. high school years ago when duke nukem 3d had a built in level designer, of course this was long enough ago that my jr. high had just stopped its skeet shooting class a half decade earlier
Our HS shop teacher was a gunsmith.
We made and refinished rifle stocks in woodshop and repaired the actual mechanisms of old rifles and refinished them in the metal shop (Parkerizing usually, re-blueing is really difficult). We didn't have a formal skeet-shooting club, but the teacher didn't mind if we reloaded our empties during study hall (meaning we had gunpowder in large quantities at school).
Wow, times have changed. This wasn't really all that long ago.
I never used our school as a video game map, but
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Oh god GTA 5 is gonna be great.
Re:Game mods (Score:5, Insightful)
With the amount of dataset rework / additional work that would be necessary to create an artistically pleasing & competitive game with such data it will be a long long time before you see it even coming close to being more cost effective than hand creating a world to fit a game's specific needs.
Re:Game mods (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Game mods (Score:4, Interesting)
But also remember, there is a LOT of continuity in cities. Especially on commercial buildings.
The best one I could think of are those huge industrial chillers that commercial institutions have on their roofs for their AC. There aren't a billion models of them, so if you could somehow detect the model of the AC units in one photo you already have a good amount of geometry going for you.
Then you figure out what cars are on the street. A Prius has a specific shape that really doesn't change from Prius to Prius, so you know some of the details about every car on the street.
Manholes are a standard size, if you were to figure out what type of manholes you had in your picture you have more data. How many police boxes and fire hydrants are there in a photo of a NYC block?
If you gave me a super-high-resolution photo of a city block I could find literally hundreds if not thousands of points of reference. Soda bottles and cans... the list goes on
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How long until someone uses technology like this to do a GTA-like in actual New York City, with real buildings as opposed to Liberty City? Admittedly, that would start getting creepy when you realize those are real residences and the like.
Yeah that was always a dream of mine as a kid. A fully detailed and accurate 3d rendition of a chosen town. Not necessarily with violent ambitions but with the freedom to do as you wish. But if it's GTA we're talking about I'd like to go on a rampage in Tillamook, Oregon [wikipedia.org] =)
I'm sure the outrage that would commence of real city GTA would be substantial. However if it was marketed as something more mundane it would avoid some concerns I'm sure.
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Happy drive-bys!
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Java applet served by an ASPX page (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Java applet served by an ASPX page (Score:4, Funny)
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OMG (Score:5, Funny)
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Microsoft was so close... (Score:5, Interesting)
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viewing angle (Score:5, Informative)
If you want decent street level views, you really do need street level photographs. And laser scanners are still a lot more reliable than image based 3D reconstruction.
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Re:viewing angle (Score:4, Interesting)
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No, that isn't the beauty of "this". These people have done a poor job at 3D rendering from aerial imaging. If you want to see well-rendered photographs based on aerial imaging, have a look at the Mars Express pictures:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEM565R03EF_0.html [esa.int]
That was done 10 years ago, and even then, the underlying technologies weren't new.
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stop making things up (Score:5, Informative)
http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/267813.html [psu.edu]
Why do jerks like you insist on presenting things they imagine to be true as fact?
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I can't undo the moderation unfortunately.
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It's not the moderation that annoyed me, it's that hype like this really leads to a lot of duplication of effort, as well as bad funding decisions.
You can bet that Google knows about this stuff and considered it. And, by the results that they show, these Swedish guys look like they have a lot of work to do to catch up with the state of the art.
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Nifty. (Score:2)
While kind of cool, some buildings and roads get rather squiggly.
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The story I read was about creating 3D maps from sat pictures, inserting geodata where it was known, and using this as guidance data for unmanned passenger vehicles like th
Sure this is Stockholm? (Score:5, Funny)
Pretty cool. (Score:1)
Translation with help from Google. (Score:5, Informative)
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Hitta.se beats Google Earth
with new 3D-technology from Saab.
Search company Hitta.se has a new Web service that is better than Google Earth to show Sweden in a 3D view. In Stockholm there, for example, every single building as a realistic 3D model.
With the help of robotics from Saab and the Swedish software for computer games Hitta.se search company has developed a Web service that shows Sweden in 3D and which is clearly better than the corresponding service from Google Earth.
Directly in the browser, users can zoom in, tilt and turn the flygfotograferade views across the country. With the help of altitude measurements images of the land are created where the mountains and valleys appear with genuine feeling of depth.
The new service, which launched May 29, is also all buildings from Stockholm, in the form of realistic 3D models.
Although they can be turned and turned and seen from any height and angle.
Later this year, including the second appearance of Sweden's largest cities as a complete 3-D models.
The major competitor in the show Sweden in 3D is Google Earth. But there are only a few dozen 3-D buildings from Stockholm and a few other cities.
Google's 3D view of Sweden was also much lower quality than that Hitta.se offer. Both in terms of image resolution and altitude.
-- We have created 3-D feature to give users a more fun and more realistic ways to use our maps, "says Rui de Sousa Brit who is president and CEO of Hitta.se
But the new service does not yet cover all planned features. Therefore, it's "sneak launched" and goes by the name of "the lab" on the company's website.
Moreover, such as some 3D buildings refined when the houses angles can be a little crooked and some facades have bad sharpness.
The technology used was developed by the Swedish companies C3 Technologies in LinkÃping and Agency9 in Lulea.
C3 is a subsidiary of Saab and develop technology that has its origin in seeker for robots.
The technology is based on high resolution aerial photography with carefully calibrated cameras. In order to build 3-D model of Stockholm, which covers an area of 200 square kilometres was 60 000 images from 600 metres above sea level, which took three days.
Then, it took only a few more days to automatically create 3-D model, where even individual trees are included.
Tommy Johansson who is president and CEO of C3 know that some defence in the world have developed similar technology. But he is not aware of anyone else who introduced the technology for civilian purposes.
-- We aim to launch our technology globally and believe that, for example, urban planners and businesses similar Hitta.se can become our customers, "says Tommy Johansson.
Other companies based 3-D models of entire cities primarily use lasermÃtningar to collect 3D data. For example, Google and Microsoft for their service Virtual Earth.
It is a technology that is much more costly and time consuming than the C3's way.
Photo and mapping services from Google and Microsoft require users to install special software on your own computer. In Google Earth in the form of a stand-alone program and the Virtual Earth as a plug which is available only for Windows.
But Hitta.se 3D runs directly into the browser by using javateknik and works for most operating systems and browsers.
-- I think that both Google and Microsoft may have some problems with sleep when they see the new service from hitta.se, "says Tommy Johansson.
In order to be able to present all 3D data in the new map in the form of realistic buildings used technology developed for computer games.
It comes from the Agency 9 of Lulea.
The company began by building a so-called rendering engine for web games. Eg. software that draws up 3D environments on the computer screen.
-- But the web
Re:Translation with help from Google. (Score:5, Funny)
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Heetta.se-a beets Guugle-a Iert
veet noo 3D-technulugy frum Seeb. Bork Bork Bork!
Seerch cumpuny Heetta.se-a hes a noo Veb serfeece-a thet is better thun Guugle-a Iert tu shoo Svedee in a 3D feeoo. In Stuckhulm zeere-a, fur ixemple-a, ifery seengle-a booeelding es a reeleestic 3D mudel. Bork Bork Bork!
Veet zee help ooff rubuteecs frum Seeb und zee Svedeesh sufftvere-a fur cumpooter gemes Heetta.se-a seerch cumpuny hes defeluped a Veb serfeece-a thet shoos Svedee in 3D und vheech is cleerly better thun zee currespundeeng serfeece-a frum Guugle-a Iert.
Durectly in zee brooser, users cun zuum in, teelt und toorn zee flygffutugrefferede-a feeoos ecruss zee cuoontry. Veet zee help ooff elteetoode-a meesoorements imeges ooff zee lund ere-a creeted vhere-a zee muoonteeens und felleys eppeer veet genooeene-a feeleeng ooff dept.
Zee noo serfeece-a, vheech loonched Mey 29, is elsu ell booeeldings frum Stuckhulm, in zee furm ooff reeleestic 3D mudels. Bork Bork Bork!
Elthuoogh zeey cun be-a toorned und toorned und seee frum uny heeeght und ungle-a.
Leter thees yeer, incloodeeng zee secund eppeerunce-a ooff Sveden's lergest ceeties es a cumplete-a 3-D mudels.
Zee mejur cumpeteetur in zee shoo Svedee in 3D is Guugle-a Iert. Boot zeere-a ere-a oonly a foo duzee 3-D booeeldings frum Stuckhulm und a foo oozeer ceeties.
Guugle's 3D feeoo ooff Svedee ves elsu mooch looer qooeleety thun thet Heetta.se-a ooffffer. But in terms ooff imege-a resulooshun und elteetoode-a. Bork Bork Bork!
-- Ve-a hefe-a creeted 3-D feetoore-a tu geefe-a users a mure-a foon und mure-a reeleestic veys tu use-a oooor meps, "seys Rooee de-a Suoosa Breet vhu is preseedent und CEO ooff Heetta.se-a
Boot zee noo serfeece-a dues nut yet cufer ell plunned feetoores. Zeereffure-a, it's "sneek loonched" und gues by zee neme-a ooff "zee leb" oon zee cumpuny's vebseete-a.
Mureufer, sooch es sume-a 3D booeeldings reffeened vhee zee huooses ungles cun be-a a leettle-a cruuked und sume-a fecedes hefe-a bed sherpness.
Zee technulugy used ves defeluped by zee Svedeesh cumpuneees C3 Technulugeees in LeenkÃpeeng und Egency9 in Loolea.
C3 is a soobseediery ooff Seeb und defelup technulugy thet hes its ooreegin in seeker fur rubuts.
Zee technulugy is besed oon heegh resulooshun eereeel phutugrephy veet cereffoolly celeebreted cemeres. In oorder tu booeeld 3-D mudel ooff Stuckhulm, vheech cufers un erea ooff 200 sqooere-a keelumetres ves 60 000 imeges frum 600 metres ebufe-a sea lefel, vheech tuuk three-a deys.
Zeen, it tuuk oonly a foo mure-a deys tu ootumeteecelly creete-a 3-D mudel, vhere-a ifee indeefidooel trees ere-a inclooded.
Tummy Juhunssun vhu is preseedent und CEO ooff C3 knoo thet sume-a deffence-a in zee vurld hefe-a defeluped seemiler technulugy. Boot he-a is nut evere-a ooff unyune-a ilse-a vhu intrudooced zee technulugy fur ceefiliun poorpuses.
-- Ve-a eeem tu loonch oooor technulugy glubelly und beleeefe-a thet, fur ixemple-a, urbun plunners und booseenesses seemiler Heetta.se-a cun becume-a oooor coostumers, "seys Tummy Juhunssun.
Oozeer cumpuneees besed 3-D mudels ooff inture-a ceeties preemerily use-a lesermÃtneenger tu cullect 3D deta. Fur ixemple-a, Guugle-a und Meecrusufft fur zeeur serfeece-a Furtooel Iert.
It is a technulugy thet is mooch mure-a custly und teeme-a cunsoomeeng thun zee C3's vey.
Phutu und meppeeng serfeeces frum Guugle-a und Meecrusufft reqooure-a users tu instell speceeel sufftvere-a oon yuoor oovn cumpooter. In Guugle-a Iert in zee furm ooff a stund-elune-a prugrem und zee Furtooel Iert es a ploog vheech is efeeeleble-a oonly fur Veendoos.
Boot Heetta.se-a 3D roons durectly intu zee brooser by useeng jefetekneek und vurks fur must oopereteeng systems und broosers.
-- I theenk thet but Guugle-a und Meecrusufft mey hefe-a sume-a prublems veet sleep vhee zeey see-a zee noo serfeece-a frum heetta.
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This just in... (Score:2)
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Saab. One name. Two companies.
http://www.saabgroup.com/static/split.htm [saabgroup.com]
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Re:This just in... (Score:4, Interesting)
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Sorry, butSweden is cheating themselves by insisting on using inferior local technology.
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Thankfuly, as you mentioned the car manufacturer is now separate, so we won't have to put up with the new invite-only 9-5 Beta! for five years, at which point it would be replaced by a more popular model developed by BMW.
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At least google earth works (Score:2, Insightful)
Anyway, I'm sure this may be cool for people in Stockholm, but unless they plan to expand this to worldwide scale, this will just remain another web's curiosity for the bored and an occasional
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I have a Compaq nc6400 laptop with an Intel Core 2 Duo and an ATI Mobility X1300 video card. Without direct rendering, I am lucky to get three frames per second when Google Earth is zooming/moving. With direct rendering (through fglrx), the smoothness is incredible.
Same goes for glxgears: full-screen gets me 168 fps with direct rendering, and less than 3 fps without.
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Zoom in as far as you can go, tilt the model as far close to horizontal as it will go, then spin the model around it's center point by dragging the compass dial in a circle - you can do this even as the model continues to download and refine itself.
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Even my Pentium 3 laptop with Intel 815 graphics can do it fairly well.
Of course there are some pretty horrendous graphic glitches but it does work.
Scary ... (Score:4, Funny)
There may be dragons...
slashdotting (Score:5, Interesting)
This article is gonna have quite an effect on their servers
At first I though: *yuch* this is awful with the geometries being at very low resolution and with strong artifacts. But as the script kept processing it's looking really good by now, except that it's still hour-glassing and I can't zoom in after minutes.
Re:slashdotting (Score:5, Funny)
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Real-time geometry calculation (Score:2, Interesting)
That wasy my initial thought, but (having watched it load, but not read the (F) article) now I'm thinking perhaps it's just an incremental load of a height field.
The height-field v. polygon guess is also supported by seeing how bridges are handled - for example, with flat sides that include images of boats striped up them.
"Sorry, Swedish only"?! (Score:2)
Do not apologize for Swedish-only! Ingmar Bergman movies are Swedish-only!
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Illegal in the States? (Score:2)
mnb Re:Illegal in the States? (Score:3, Insightful)
The COE is still so far b
Google Earth Beaten? (Score:2, Insightful)
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But I would be genuinely shocked if Google doesnt have similar tech being made.
Stockholm is melting! (Score:1)
Sweden, Huh... (Score:2)
Very nice. (Score:2)
Very nice. It's beautiful from high angles, and not too bad from low angles. (Middle-click and hold to change view angle, mouse wheel to zoom, left click to pan.) They put in enough photographs to have side images for most of the buildings. It's really impressive when you look at a courtyard from the inside.
There seems to be some support beyond the height-map level. It usually misunderstands bridges, but in at least one place, it got a multi-level situation right, so they have the right machinery, t
No speed demon (Score:1)
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A disaster! (Score:5, Funny)
this is great! Let me zoom in...
OMG - Stockholm has been hit by an earthquake!
the point... (Score:1)
I say (Score:2)
more than 10 year old technology (Score:2)
http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/267813.html [psu.edu]
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=5073723324007466679 [google.com]
Oblig. Simpsons Ref (Score:2)
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perhaps at August 2008 SIGGRAPH (Score:2)
Not technically better, but cheaper (Score:2)
Hats off for Hitta, they've done
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Re:I guess.... (Score:4, Insightful)
Now, were you trying to suggest that a majority of
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Re:google hate (Score:4, Insightful)
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