Panoramic imaging and virtual reality - filling the gaps between the lines

Close range photogrammetry projects rely upon a clear and unambiguous speci fication of end-user requirements to inform decisions relating to the forma t, coverage, accuracy and complexity of the final deliverable. Invariably s uch deliverables will be a partial and incomplete abstraction of the real w orld where the benefits of higher accuracy and increased complexity must be traded against the cost of the project. As photogrammetric technologies mo ve into the digital era, computerisation offers opportunities for the photo grammetrist to revisit established mapping traditions in order to explore n ew markets. One such market is that for three-dimensional Virtual Reality ( VR) models for clients who have previously had little exposure to the capab ilities, and limitations, of photogrammetry and may have radically differen t views on the cost/benefit trade-offs in producing geometric models. This paper will present some examples of the authors' recent experience of such markets, drawn from a number of research and commercial projects directed t owards the modelling of complex man-made objects. This experience seems to indicate that suitably configured digital image archives may form an import ant deliverable for a wide range of photogrammetric projects and supplement , or even replace, more traditional CAD models. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.