Leveraging three.js for visualizing temporal data series

Question

Leveraging three.js for visualizing temporal data series

What is the best approach for using time series data to control the animation of a three.js scene?

For instance:

  Time     | ObjA(x,y,z) | ObjB(x,y,z) | ...
  00:00:00 | 0,9,0       | 1,1,1       | ...
  00:00:10 | 0.1,0,0.1   | 1,0.5,1     | ...
  00:00:15 | 0.1,0.1,0.1 | 0.9,0.5,1   | ...

The data can consist of hundreds or even thousands of lines. Furthermore, the number of objects can vary from one dataset to another.

I have explored using tween.js and linking keyframes, but the idea of creating and connecting thousands of tweens during initialization does not seem like the ideal solution.

Is tween.js the most effective approach? Or is there another extension that would handle this scenario better? Are there any examples of a similar situation that could be beneficial?

UPDATE

Director.js seems capable of providing the desired outcome. However, it appears to be designed for tweening camera movement within a scene rather than controlling the movement of numerous meshes. Is chaining potentially thousands of tweens together across hundreds of meshes the optimal method for creating a scripted replay?

javascript opengl-es three.js webgl

Answer 1

Answer №1

Your portrayal of the table may lead to confusion. In situations where the timeline is involved and the number of objects varies, it is advisable to create distinct timelines for each object. This simplifies the manipulation of the overall set.

var DataPoint = function(time, value){
    this.time = time;
    this.value = value;
};
var DataSignal = function(){
    this.dataPoints = [];
    this.searchValue = function(time){
        //... implementing divide and conquer technique
    }
    this.interpolateValue = function(time){...};
    this.addDataPoint = function(time,value){
        //ensure sequence preservation by checking if time is greater than previous data point time
        this.dataPoints.push(new DataPoint(time,value));
    }
};

var dataSignalA = new DataSignal();
var dataSignalB = new DataSignal();

For playback, some form of interpolation is necessary, and an animation manager is recommended. This manager would take pairs of (signal, object) and update object values based on the current time.

var DataBinding = function(signal, object){
    this.signal = signal;
    this.object = object;
    this.updateTime = function(t){
       var val = this.signal.interpolateValue(t);
       for(var prop in val){
           if(val.hasOwnProperty(prop)){
               this.object[prop] = val[prop]; //copy values into object
           }
       }
    }
}
var DataSimulator = function(){
    this.time = 0;
    this.bindings = [];
    this.advance = function(timeDelta){
        this.time += timeDelta;
        var time = this.time;
        this.bindings.forEach(function(b){
            b.updateTime(time);
        });
    }
}

If memory becomes a concern, consider storing DataPoints in a Float32Array or another binary buffer.

Update:

Please bear in mind that this approach aims to optimize memory usage and data processing. One focuses on reducing heap storage and garbage collection, while the other prioritizes CPU efficiency.

Answer 2

Your portrayal of the table may lead to confusion. In situations where the timeline is involved and the number of objects varies, it is advisable to create distinct timelines for each object. This simplifies the manipulation of the overall set.

var DataPoint = function(time, value){
    this.time = time;
    this.value = value;
};
var DataSignal = function(){
    this.dataPoints = [];
    this.searchValue = function(time){
        //... implementing divide and conquer technique
    }
    this.interpolateValue = function(time){...};
    this.addDataPoint = function(time,value){
        //ensure sequence preservation by checking if time is greater than previous data point time
        this.dataPoints.push(new DataPoint(time,value));
    }
};

var dataSignalA = new DataSignal();
var dataSignalB = new DataSignal();

For playback, some form of interpolation is necessary, and an animation manager is recommended. This manager would take pairs of (signal, object) and update object values based on the current time.

var DataBinding = function(signal, object){
    this.signal = signal;
    this.object = object;
    this.updateTime = function(t){
       var val = this.signal.interpolateValue(t);
       for(var prop in val){
           if(val.hasOwnProperty(prop)){
               this.object[prop] = val[prop]; //copy values into object
           }
       }
    }
}
var DataSimulator = function(){
    this.time = 0;
    this.bindings = [];
    this.advance = function(timeDelta){
        this.time += timeDelta;
        var time = this.time;
        this.bindings.forEach(function(b){
            b.updateTime(time);
        });
    }
}

If memory becomes a concern, consider storing DataPoints in a Float32Array or another binary buffer.

Update:

Please bear in mind that this approach aims to optimize memory usage and data processing. One focuses on reducing heap storage and garbage collection, while the other prioritizes CPU efficiency.

Leveraging three.js for visualizing temporal data series

Answer №1

Update:

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