Virtual reality system and method

Abstract

A method comprises displaying in virtual reality a computer-generated scene; obtaining a movement command from a real-world physical movement of a user, the movement command corresponding to a movement of a virtual body; and adjusting the movement of the virtual body in dependence on an effect of gravity in the computer-generated scene and/or in dependence on the presence of at least one object within the computer-generated scene that inhibits the movement of the virtual body, wherein the adjusting of the movement is such that the adjusted movement of the virtual body does not correspond with the real-world physical movement of the user.

1 . A method comprising:
 displaying in virtual reality a computer-generated scene representative of a structure of interest, wherein the computer-generated scene comprises:   a three-dimensional representation of a first part of a geographical area, and   a two-dimensional representation of a second part of the geographical region, the second part of the geographical area being further from the structure of interest than the first part of the geographical area, wherein displaying in virtual reality the computer-generated scene comprises displaying the computer-generated scene as if viewed from a first viewing position and subsequently displaying the computer-generated scene as if viewed from a second viewing position; and   wherein an appearance of the two-dimensional representation is substantially unchanged between the first viewing position and the second viewing position, and an appearance of the three-dimensional representation is different when viewed from the second viewing position than when viewed from the first viewing position.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises receiving photographic data representative of the geographical area and processing the photographic data to obtain the three-dimensional representation of the first part of the geographical area and the two-dimensional representation of the second part of the geographical area. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein the three-dimensional representation and two-dimensional representation are obtained by processing the same photographic data. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to any of  claim 1 , wherein the photographic data comprises at least one of aerial data, drone data. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional representation of the second part of the geographical area comprises at least one static two-dimensional image of the second part of the geographical area. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional representation of the second part of the geographical area comprises a single panoramic image of the second part of the geographical area. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1 , further comprising determining the first part of the geographical area and the second part of the geographical area, wherein the determining of the first part of the geographical area and the second part of the geographical area is based on distance from the structure of interest. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 7 , wherein the determining of the first part of the geographical area comprises determining a part of the geographical area that is within a threshold distance from the structure of interest, and the determining of the second part of the geographical area comprises determining a part of the geographical area is above a threshold distance from the structure of interest. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 7 , wherein the determining of the first part of the geographical area and the second part of the geographical area comprises dividing a set of structures in the geographical area between the first part of the geographical area and the second part of the geographical area. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the dividing of the set of structures comprises respectively allocating each structure of the set of structures to the first part or to the second part of the geographical area based on at least one of: a distance of the structure from the structure of interest, a size of the structure, an importance of the structure. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the or a structure represented in the computer-generated scene comprises at least one of an architectural structure, a building, a house, an apartment building, a residential building, a commercial building, an office building. 
     
     
         12 . A computer program product comprising computer readable instructions that are executable by a processor to perform a method according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus comprising at least one display screen, at least one user input device, and at least one processor configured to:
 display in virtual reality on the at least one display screen a computer-generated scene representative of a structure of interest, wherein the computer-generated scene comprises:   a three-dimensional representation of a first part of a geographical area, and   
       a two-dimensional representation of a second part of the geographical region, the second part of the geographical area being further from the structure of interest than the first part of the geographical area, wherein displaying in virtual reality the computer-generated scene comprises displaying the computer-generated scene as if viewed from a first viewing position and subsequently displaying the computer-generated scene as if viewed from a second viewing position; and
 wherein an appearance of the two-dimensional representation is substantially unchanged between the first viewing position and the second viewing position, and an appearance of the three-dimensional representation is different when viewed from the second viewing position than when viewed from the first viewing position. 
 
     
     
         14 . An apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
 receive photographic data representative of the geographical area;   process the photographic data to obtain the three-dimensional representation of the first part of the geographical area and the two-dimensional representation of the second part of the geographical area.