Exploring virtual prototypes using time-critical rendering

We present an application of our time-critical multiresolution rendering algorithm to the visual and possibly collaborative exploration of large digital mock-ups. Our technique relies upon a scene description in which objects are represented as multiresolution meshes. We perform a constrained optimization at each frame to choose the resolution of each potentially visible object that generates the best quality image while meeting timing constraints. We present numerical and pictorial results of the experiments performed that support our claim that we can maintain a xed frame-rate even when rendering very large datasets on low-end graphics PCs