Navigation techniques for large-scale astronomical exploration
Chi‐Wing Fu, Andrew J. Hanson, Eric Wernert · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2006
Navigating effectively in virtual environments at human scales is a difficult problem. However, it is even more difficult to navigate in large-scale virtual environments such as those simulating the physical Universe; the huge spatial range of astronomical simulations and the dominance of empty space make it hard for users to acquire reliable spatial knowledge of astronomical contexts. This paper introduces a careful combination of navigation and visualization techniques to resolve the unique problems of large-scale real-time exploration in terms of travel and wayfinding. For large-scale travel, spatial scaling techniques and constrained navigation manifold methods are adapted to the large spatial scales of the virtual Universe. We facilitate large-scale wayfinding and context awareness using visual cues such as power-of-10 reference cubes, continuous exponential zooming into points of interest, and a scalable world-in-miniature (WIM) map. These methods enable more effective exploration and assist with accurate context-model building, thus leading to improved understanding of virtual worlds in the context of large-scale astronomy.