A preliminary review on three-dimensional city model

In this paper a review on current research on 3DCM is presented, and an alternative approach by integrating the concepts and techniques of object-oriented method and Computer Aided Design (CAD) is suggested. Through the approach urban spatial entities as objects are extracted, which are represented with primary 3D elements (node, edge, face and body) and their combinations. In the light of the concept of object, the method supports the multiple representation of Level of Details (LOD). More importantly, topological relationships between objects are described so that 3D topological operations can be implemented.