Server-Based Rendering Of Large 3d Scenes For Mobile Devices Using G-Buffer Cube Maps

Large virtual 3D scenes play a major role in growing number of applications, systems, and technologies to effectively communicate complex spatial information. Their web-based provision, in particular on mobile devices, represents a key challenge for system and application development. In contrast to approaches based on streaming 3D scene data to clients, our approach splits 3D rendering into two processes: A server process is responsible for realtime rendering of virtual panoramas, represented by G-buffer cube maps, for a requested camera setting. The client reconstruction process uses these cube maps to reconstruct the 3D scene and allows users to operate on and interact with that representation. The key properties of this approach include that (a) the complexity of transmitted data not depend on the 3D scene's complexity; (b) 3D rendering can take place within a controlled and a-priori known server environment; (c) crucial 3D model data never leaves the server environment; and (d) the clients can flexibly extend the 3D cube map viewer by adding both local 3D models and specialized 3D operations.