Expression and visualization of cloverleaf juction in a 3-dimensional city model

Seldom research work has been conducted on cloverleaf junction expression in a 3-dimensional city model (3DCM). One apparent reason is that the cloverleaf junction is often in a complex and enormous construction. Its main body is bestraddle in air, and has aerial intersections between its parts. This complex feature makes cloverleaf junctions quite different from buildings and terrain, it is therefore difficult to express this kind of spatial objects in the same way as for buildings and terrain. In this paper, authors analyzed spatial characteristics of cloverleaf junction, proposed an all-constraint points triangulated irregular network (TIN) algorithm to partition cloverleaf junction road surface, and developed a method to visualize cloverleaf junction road surface using TIN. Accordingly, an appropriate data structure for cloverleaf junction is proposed.