Realization of 3-D Imaging Using Arcball Algorithm in Laser Scanning System

3-D rotation interaction is an indispensable function of 3-D imaging system of laser scanning, therefore it is also a hot topic of 3-D interaction research. The drag of mouse can be reflected by the on-screen movement of the cursor, when the dragged object is a 3-D object, the contradiction between it and the 2-D screen exposes. Aiming to resolve this problem, arc ball algorithm was used basing on quaternion. In this paper, the mathematical bases of using quaternion to describe rotations was illustrated firstly, secondly, the mathematical foundation of the arc ball algorithm was discussed, and then pseudo code of algorithm were provided. Lastly, this algorithm was applied into research projects and some research results were obtained.