Dynamic gaze-controlled levels of detail of polygonal objects in 3-D environment modeling

We present a new method for controlling levels of detail (LODs) of triangulated polygonal objects by a gaze-driven approach. The method relies upon a hierarchical mesh representation we call a merge-and-split tree (MST) of vertices, in which objects are described at nearly continuous LODs. The idea behind the LOD control is to adjust the mesh shape quality adaptively under a geometrical definition of gaze points and fovea regions. Not only does it generate a circular fovea region with smooth transition of LODs, but it also makes possible a real time updating of the whole mesh for moving gaze. We have applied our LOD control technique to several large models, and the results show that the method is effective in revealing high details in a fovea region guided by a gaze point moving freely across 3D surfaces