Stereoscopic 3D Model Viewer with Improved Depth Perception for Battlefield Visualization

Abstract

We developed a stereoscopic 3D model viewer and constructed a prototype visualization system to provide an overview of the battlefield as well as the detailed view of a user-selected entity. For the overview of the battlefield, a battlefield visualization software, the SIMDIS, is used. The user is allowed to select an entity on the overview screen; the detailed view of this entity is displayed in the 3D model viewer. In order to provide the user appropriate depth perception under the condition of user movement, the distance of the screen from the user, which is one of the stereo parameters used in the 3D model viewer, is required to be set correctly. In order to update this parameter while the user is moving, we employed a depth camera and applied a real-time head tracking method to the acquired depth image frames. In the implemented system, we used a 2D display and a 3D TV to show the overview of the battlefield by the SIMDIS and the stereoscopic 3D model viewer, respectively.