Hierarchy of Generalized Maps for Modeling and Rendering Complex Indoor Scenes

Geometric modeling softwares make use of topological models to describe and modify an environment. Topology expresses adjacency and incidence relations between objects. It corresponds to a fine representation often considered as time and memory consuming for rendering or lighting simulation. In this paper, we propose a topology-based representation dedicated to complex indoor scenes. Taking into account memory management and performances, our model enlarges a topological model (called generalized maps) with multi-partition and hierarchy. Multi-partition allows the user to group sets of objects together according to semantics. The hierarchy representation provides a coarse-to-fine description of the environment. Our modeler prototype was used to create buildings made up with several million polygons. Resulting topological information has been efficiently used in the context of several applications such as global illumination and wave propagation simulation at 1 GHz.