Fast cutaway visualization of sub-terrain tubular networks

Abstract

This paper proposes a context-preserving 3D visualization technique for interactive view- and distance-dependent cutaway visualization that reveals the subsurface urban infrastructure network. The infrastructure itself is displayed using the procedural billboarding technique, and its internals are revealed through a new cutaway algorithm that operates directly on the procedurally generated structures in the billboard proxy geometry. Both described cutaway techniques achieve interactive frame rates for the infrastructural network of a mid-sized city. Performance benchmarks and a domain expert evaluation support the potential usefulness of this technique in general and its particular utilization for the sewer network visualization.