Google Maps Tiles demo needed improvements

[gkjohnson]

Here's a list of features needed to improve

Improved Globe Orbit Controls

• Use three.js' MapControls which pans along the camera's "up" direction rather than in screen space. Demo update #346
• Use the "Ellipsoid" class to derive latitude, longitude, and surface normal from the camera position position so we can adjust the plane the map controls pans on based on the position. Foreground child tiles are empty for a period #46
• Fix the controls target to be the WGS84 ellipsoid surface so we scroll on a reasonable plane. Demo update #346
• Use raycasting to adjust the camera / controls target height based on loaded geometry / mountains. Demo update #346
• When zooming out transition to an orbital camera

Zoom Controls

• Adjust MapControls to zoom in to the cursor position.

Camera View Range

• Scale the camera near and far so only necessary tiles are loaded - and tiles on the opposite side of the globe are not. Demo update #346
  • Perhaps keeping the camera far fixed at the perpendicular plane at the earth's center is good enough?

Metadata

• Display data copyrights based on visible tiles Google Earth Demo: Add support for retrieving credits #337
  • See tile glb metadata
  • https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/tile/create-renderer
• Display current latitude and longitude Google Tiles: Add Lat / Lon display #338

Jump to location

• Use window hash to specify which latitude and longitude to jump to

[aiden-jeffrey]

• Use three.js' MapControls which pans along the camera's "up" direction rather than in screen space.
• Use the "Ellipsoid" class to derive latitude, longitude, and surface normal from the camera position position so we can adjust the plane the map controls pans on based on the position.

Note that MapControls projects the camera up onto the y=0 plane and pans along that vector. This is one of the main reasons I added the GlobeOrbitControls fork of OrbitControls - so that the camera pans along the surface of the ellipsoid (as per your second bullet).

• Perhaps keeping the camera far fixed at the perpendicular plane at the earth's center is good enough?

I tried that and it still loaded many more tiles than if i set it closer to the surface of the planet (when zoomed in).

[gkjohnson]

Note that MapControls projects the camera up onto the y=0 plane and pans along that vector.

Did you try adjusting camera.up? The docs say that MapControls pan orthogonal to the cameras up direction:

https://threejs.org/docs/?q=map#examples/en/controls/MapControls.screenSpacePanning

[aiden-jeffrey]

Did you try adjusting camera.up? The docs say that MapControls pan orthogonal to the cameras up direction:

Yes, but the panLeft function needs patching to support the same functionality, so I don't think there's any way around forking. See my changes here: https://github.com/NASA-AMMOS/3DTilesRendererJS/blob/master/example/GlobeOrbitControls.js#L412

[aiden-jeffrey]

Did you try adjusting camera.up? The docs say that MapControls pan orthogonal to the cameras up direction:

Also, I don't think camera.up ever gets updated (it's always normalised y vector).

[gkjohnson]

Also, I don't think camera.up ever gets updated (it's always normalised y vector).

Object3D.up is a configurable value - you have to change it.

[gkjohnson]

Closing in favor of other issues