Soft-occlusion Rendering for Misaligned Virtual Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mapping applications face challenges in integrating virtual elements with real-world imagery due to misalignments between geometric data and image data, leading to issues like virtual elements appearing on top of physical objects or being occluded at incorrect locations.
Innovation Solution
A computing system generates soft-occlusion parameters to define a soft-occlusion region around physical objects, blending virtual elements with image data using composite rendering techniques, which includes generating reduced and extended geometries to mask misalignments and render virtual elements with proper occlusion, even with incomplete geometric data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If virtual elements are integrated with real-world imagery using geometric data, then the integration quality improves, but misalignments between geometric data and image data cause virtual elements to appear on top of physical objects or be occluded at incorrect locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating soft-occlusion parameters and identifying soft-occlusion regions before rendering virtual elements. This pre-processing step establishes the occlusion mask that will be applied during rendering, ensuring that virtual elements are correctly occluded by physical objects even when geometric data is incomplete or misaligned with imagery
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different occlusion qualities to different regions of the image. Soft-occlusion parameters are generated specifically for regions where misalignment is detected, while other regions use standard occlusion. This localized approach addresses alignment issues only where they occur, improving overall integration quality without unnecessary processing elsewhere
2Manufacturing precision
If soft-occlusion parameters are generated for each frame to handle misalignments, then the visual quality of virtual element integration improves, but the processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates soft-occlusion parameters in advance as a pre-processing step that can be reused across multiple frames. By establishing the occlusion mask beforehand based on the relationship between geometric data and imagery, the system avoids repeating computationally intensive alignment calculations for every frame, thus improving processing efficiency while maintaining integration quality
Solution Approach 2:
The soft-occlusion parameters generated serve multiple purposes: they correct misalignments between geometric data and imagery, handle incomplete geometric data, and provide consistent occlusion across multiple frames. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate processing steps, reducing overall processing overhead while maintaining high integration quality
3Reliability
If hard occlusion is used to occlude virtual elements behind physical objects, then the occlusion effect is strong and clear, but it creates visible artifacts and does not blend well with the imagery
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different occlusion characteristics to different parts of the occlusion region. Within the soft-occlusion region, virtual elements are blended with imagery using transparency and opacity variations, creating a natural transition. This local differentiation between full occlusion and blended occlusion regions maintains reliable occlusion effects while eliminating visible artifacts and improving visual blending quality
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems and methods for rendering computer graphics using soft-occlusion are provided. A computing system can obtain display data for a virtual element to be displayed in association with imagery depicting an environment including a physical object. The computing system can generate a set of graphics occlusion parameters associated with rendering the image data and the display data based at least in a part on an estimated geometry of the physical object,. The set of graphics occlusion parameters can define blending of the display data for the virtual element and the imagery at a soft-occlusion region that includes one or more locations within the estimated geometry. The computing system can render a composite image from the display data for the virtual element and the imagery based at least in part on the set of graphics occlusion parameters.