We present a system for incorporating multiple level of detail (LOD) models of 3D objects within a single hierarchical data structure. This system was designed for a scientific visualization application involving terrain and volume rendering. Our data structure is a modified Binary Space Partitioning (BSP) tree. We describe how our tree construction and traversal routines may be used with a variety of LOD methods. This is demonstrated with two different LOD methods: a new method specialized for terrain elevation height fields, and an existing method for general objects. Images, timings, and storage data for our implementation are provided.
Charles Wiley, A. T. Campbell III, Stephen A. Szyg