Transitioning between top-down maps and local navigation of reconstructed 3-D scenes

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computer processing device; and

a memory configured to execute computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computer processing device perform an animated transition between

a top-down map display generated from a 3-D point cloud computed from a collection of photographs and

a local-navigation display showing a photograph from the collection of photographs,

wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with the top-down map display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises

interpolate camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a first stage from starting values associated with the currently-viewed photograph to ending values associated with the top-down map display; and

interpolate a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the currently-viewed photograph to an ending value associated with the top-down map display.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the animated transition is created by animating a view in a display window over a period of time while interpolating camera parameters from values representing a starting camera view to values representing an ending camera view.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing linear functions over the period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing sigmoid-based functions over the period of time.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed in multiple stages.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the starting camera view is associated with the top-down map display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises:

interpolate a roll parameter of the camera view in a first stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value reflecting a camera-up orientation of the top-down map in regard to the target photograph;

interpolate a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value associated with the target photograph;

interpolate camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a third stage from starting values associated with the top-down map display to ending values reflecting an interim camera position and orientation related to the target photograph; and

interpolate camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a fourth stage from starting values reflecting the interim camera position and orientation to ending values associated with the target photograph.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the animated transition further comprises causing neighboring photographs to fade into view of the local-navigation display as the transition approaches the target photograph.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and the animated transition comprises:

an animated transition from the currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display to the top-down map display; and

an animated transition from the top-down map display to the target photograph in the local-navigation display.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

performing, by a computing device, a transition between a top-down map display generated from a 3-D point cloud computed from a collection of photographs and a local-navigation display showing a photograph from the collection of photographs; and

animating, by a computing device, a view in a display window over a period of time while interpolating, by a computing device, camera parameters from values representing a starting camera view to values representing an ending camera view,

wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with the top-down map display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a first stage from starting values associated with the currently-viewed photograph to ending values associated with the top-down map display; and

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the currently-viewed photograph to an ending value associated with the top-down map display.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing linear functions over the period of time.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing sigmoid-based functions over the period of time.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed in multiple stages.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein the starting camera view is associated with the top-down map display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises:

interpolating a roll parameter of the camera view in a first stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value reflecting a camera-up orientation of the top-down map in regard to the target photograph;

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value associated with the target photograph;

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a third stage from starting values associated with the top-down map display to ending values reflecting an interim camera position and orientation related to the target photograph; and

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a fourth stage from starting values reflecting the interim camera position and orientation to ending values associated with the target photograph.

14. A system comprising:

a user computer connected to a display device; and

a visualization client executing on a processor of the user computer and configured to

provide transitions between a top-down map display generated from a 3-D point cloud computed from a collection of photographs and a local-navigation display showing a photograph from the collection of photographs, and

animate a view in a display window on the display device over a period of time while interpolating camera parameters from values representing a starting camera view to values representing an ending camera view,

wherein the starting camera view is associated with a currently-viewed photograph in the local-navigation display, the ending camera view is associated with the top-down map display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a first stage from starting values associated with the currently-viewed photograph to ending values associated with the top-down map display; and

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the currently-viewed photograph to an ending value associated with the top-down map display.

15. The system claim 14 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed utilizing one or more of linear functions and sigmoid-based functions over the period of time.

16. The system claim 14 , wherein the interpolation of the camera parameters is performed in multiple stages.

17. The system claim 16 , wherein the starting camera view is associated with the top-down map display, the ending camera view is associated with a target photograph to be shown in the local-navigation display, and interpolating the camera parameters comprises:

interpolating a roll parameter of the camera view in a first stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value reflecting a camera-up orientation of the top-down map in regard to the target photograph;

interpolating a field-of-view parameter of the camera view in a second stage from a starting value associated with the top-down map display to an ending value associated with the target photograph;

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a third stage from starting values associated with the top-down map display to ending values reflecting an interim camera position and orientation related to the target photograph; and

interpolating camera position and orientation parameters of the camera view in a fourth stage from starting values reflecting the interim camera position and orientation to ending values associated with the target photograph.