Sillion, FrancoisDrettakis, GeorgeBodelet, Benoit2015-02-152015-02-1519971467-8659https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8659.00158Urban environments present unique challenges to interactive visualization systems, because of the huge complexity of the geometrical data and the widely varying visibility conditions. This paper introduces a new framework for real-time visualisation of such urban scenes. The central concept is that of a dynamic segmentation of the dataset, into a local three-dimensional model and a set of impostors used to represent distant scenery. A segmentation model is presented, based on inherent urban structure. A new impostor structure is introduced, derived from the level-of-detail approach. Impostors combine three-dimensional geometry to correctly model large depth discontinuities and parallax, and textures to rapidly display visual detail. We present the algorithms necessary for the creation of accurate and efficient three-dimensional impostors. The implementation of our algorithms allows interactive navigation in complex urban databases, as required by many applications.10.1111/1467-8659.00158C207-C218