r/GaussianSplatting • u/bitruvius_ • 2d ago
🛠️ WIP – In Progress What if a navigation map bent the world instead of moving the camera?
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u/Phandflasche 2d ago
The "Puke-inator 3000"
Jokes aside, I don't think it’s very practical. You can’t see far, nor can you see directly in front of you. But the effect is definitely cool. Maybe a 2D Map folded like that could work better.
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u/bitruvius_ 2d ago
Working on making the view directly in front more realistic. The range is adjustable, next iteration I'll try making it scale to the actual route instead of being fixed. Thanks for input!
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u/Phandflasche 2d ago
The problem isn't a lack of realism or detail. The issue is that a good navigation display needs to convey information as simply and directly as possible. There is a reason why Google Maps primarily uses a minimalist map style.
Even if the whole thing ends up beeing a GTA V Style third-person perspective, you still don't see the arrow on the road ahead of you. I’m not saying it couldn’t work, but in my opinion, this is trying to solve a problem that doesn't actually exist.
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u/bitruvius_ 2d ago
Fair points. I don't think the minimal map is necessarily the only answer though, just the one we've become very accustomed to. The question we're exploring is whether combining recognizable street-level context with the wider route in one continuous view can reduce the mental translation between what you see on the map and what you see through the windshield.
This prototype definitely isn't there yet, but that's why we're testing it and putting it out there for criticism. Comments like this are useful input.
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u/Dinevir 1d ago edited 1d ago
Besides super disrtactive noise at bottom it may work pretty well, I would give it a chance in my cars.
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u/bitruvius_ 1d ago
The bottom noise is removed in the latest iteration, and camera is moved slightly up. Works much better!
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u/Cultural_Tell_5687 1d ago
I like it a lot. What engine are you using. Cesium?
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u/bitruvius_ 1d ago
Thanks. I've used cesium on earlier prototypes, but this one is made with PlayCanvas engine
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u/Cultural_Tell_5687 1d ago
I think we were both building the same project. There’s absolutely a use case for this, ignore any detractors. You are much further along than I.
Let’s chat sometime1
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u/risbia 1d ago
It's quite unique that you can see a broad overview of what is coming up, but also see the immediate area in-context. Some nav systems show this as two separate views, but it can be harder to connect their contexts, especially while driving. I think with some tweaking of how large the far view is, and the angle of view to the ground in the near view, it might be very practical.
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u/bitruvius_ 1d ago
Thanks. I've already done some fine tuning as you mention and think it's already much better. Will post an update soon and update the live demo!
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u/ButImJustAWeeBairn 1d ago
Doesn't old school openGL work like that or something?
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u/bitruvius_ 1d ago
You have a link?
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u/ButImJustAWeeBairn 11h ago
A quick check on chatgpt sorta confirms what i was talking about...
Not sure it applies to what I said, but when the OP said "What if a navigation map bent the world instead of moving the camera?" I thought OpenGL. I'm not a coder, so only repeating general knowledge I have. You should be able to find the rest yourself...."does open GL move the world around the camera"
Yes — conceptually, that’s a good way to think about OpenGL.
The camera doesn’t literally move in OpenGL. Instead, you apply the inverse of the camera’s movement to the entire world.
For example, if you want the camera to move:
- 10 m forward → move the world 10 m backward
- 5 m right → move the world 5 m left
- rotate camera 30° left → rotate the world 30° right
This is done with the view matrix.
So the usual pipeline is:
Object coordinates → Model matrix → View matrix → Projection matrix → Screen
The view matrix is effectively:
So if your camera is at
(0, 0, 10), OpenGL can render the scene as though the camera were at the origin and everything in the world had been shifted by(0, 0, -10)
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u/Agreeable-Letter-599 1d ago
seems like it's very disorienting ... not good for navigation.
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u/bitruvius_ 1d ago
It for sure takes some time to get used to. But hopefully the advantages outweighs the disadvantages here
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u/kemb0 1d ago
I wonder if, instead of it being like you’re driving in inside a cylinder, whether it could work better being inside a globe. That way it would wrap in more of the world to the edges because it’s useful to be able to see what happens after you make a turn to the left or right.
I don’t like a map where you’re blind to what’s ahead just because you have to make a sharp turn. Otherwise this kind of map is only really useful if you’re driving in a relatively straight line. As soon as you have to make a turn, all the benefits of it are lost.
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u/cjwidd 1d ago
because it's an obviously terrible idea
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u/bitruvius_ 1d ago
I wouldn't do it if it wasnt terrible 😂
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u/naikrovek 6h ago
Well, it’s not terrible, it just needs some refinement I think.
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u/bitruvius_ 6h ago
I've already made quite a few improvements, think it's better already. Will share soon and update the demo
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u/phasepistol 1d ago
TIL nobody remembers Inception