Three-dimensional visualization forest of landscapes by VRML

Computer technology has been used to develop three-dimensional (3D) forest landscape visualization systems that include the function of three-dimensional digital plant modeling. While the earlier systems accurately simulated forest landscapes, they lacked sufficient speed and could not adequately perform walk-through simulations. The objective of this study is to describe the forest landscape visualization procedure capable of walk-through simulations and its application. We developed a forest landscape visualization system using virtual reality modeling language (VRML). This visualization system works with data of forest stands rather than individual trees. To confirm the feasibility of the system, we visualized an actual forest landscape with thousands to tens of thousands of trees. We also simulated a variety of forest landscapes and showed how this system can be used to simulate the changes of forest landscapes that occur as a result of natural processes or man-made disturbances such as planting, thinning, and harvesting. This visualization system was capable of walk-through simulation and the three-dimensional images rendered by the system enabled us to effectively visualize the forest landscape resources. The visualization by computer graphics also made it possible to confirm the accuracy of forest data.