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{\Large
  The Department of Computer Science and Engineering\\
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  University of Nevada, Reno
}

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{\large cordially invites you to a Master's colloquium}

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{\huge \bf Projective Grid Mapping for \\ Planetary Terrain

}

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A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the\\
requirements for the degree of Master of Science\\
with a major in Computer Science.

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by

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{\LARGE Joseph D. Mahsman}

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\noindent
{\bf Abstract:}
{
Planetary terrain presents a number of issues that terrain rendering
techniques commonly fail to address: displaying a vast amount of data
at both small and large scales, using datasets in an appropriate map
projection for the geographic area depicted, and rendering terrain
features that rise from behind the horizon, such as tall mountains.
The utility of planetary terrain rendering increases with both
the availability of planetary data and the ubiquity of powerful,
consumer-level GPUs. In addition, the visualization of full-scale
planetary bodies has benefits for education and science.  Projective
Grid Mapping (PGM) is a GPU terrain rendering technique that combines
the advantages of ray casting and rasterization, providing gradual
level-of-detail transition and steady framerates. We formulate a
version of the projective grid mapping algorithm for planetary terrain;
this involves the view-dependent creation of reference spheres for ray
casting and the construction of a sampling camera that approximately
samples the geographic area of the planet that could possibly affect
the final image. In addition, we reduce ray-sphere intersection to two
dimensions, which simplifies implementation on the GPU.  In order to
create a complete planetary terrain renderer, we combine this spherical
PGM technique with deferred texturing, which composites overlapping
datasets. The visualization operates on the desktop and in two virtual
reality displays. We achieve efficient framerates for various grid and
screen resolutions, and we demonstrate high-quality views of Mars for
both the equatorial and polar regions.
}
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{\Large \bf 1:00 pm, Thursday, October 21, 2010}\\
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{\Large Scrugham Engineering and Mines (SEM) room 201}

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{\large
  For more information contact
  Dr. Fred Harris @ 784-6571 (Fred.Harris@cse.unr.edu)
}


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