Dockable billboards for labeling objects in a display having a three-dimensional perspective of a virtual or real environment

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing software instructions, which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of steps of:

• rendering portions of a three-dimensional environment as viewed from a perspective of a user while moving along a path from a first position in the three-dimensional environment to a second position in the three-dimensional environment based on user navigational input, wherein each three-dimensional object included in a plurality of three-dimensional objects in the three-dimensional environment has an associated datadisplay area that is displayed as appearing fixed to a portion of the dimensional object, wherein at least one additional three-dimensional object is represented in the three-dimensional environment, each of the at least one additional three-dimensional objects having an associated data display area that is displayed as appearing fixed to a portion of the additional three-dimensional object;
• as each portion of the three-dimensional environment is rendered:
• based on a determination that each of the plurality of three-dimensional objects is within a specified angle as viewed from the perspective of the user, moving each associated data display area from appearing affixed to the portion of the corresponding three-dimensional object to a foreground position in the rendered portion of the three-dimensional environment, wherein the specified angle is less than 360 degrees;
• based on a determination that the at least one additional three-dimensional object is not within the specified angle as viewed from the perspective of the user, maintaining each respective associated data display area as affixed to the at least one additional three-dimensional object;
• causing display of the rendered portion of the three-dimensional environment;
• and
• based on detecting at least one lateral change in relative positions of the plurality of three-dimensional objects, dynamically rearranging at least a portion of the associated data display areas located in the foreground position to reflect the relative positions.

An apparatus comprising:

• a display processor that renders portions of a three-dimensional environment as viewed from a perspective of a user while moving along a path from a first position in the three-dimensional environment to a second position in the three-dimensional environment based on user navigational input, wherein each three-dimensional object included in a plurality of three-dimensional objects in the three-dimensional environment has an associated data display area that is displayed as appearing fixed to a portion of the dimensional object, wherein at least one additional three-dimensional object is represented in the three-dimensional environment, each of the at least one additional three-dimensional objects having an associated data display area that is displayed as appearing fixed to a portion of the additional three-dimensional object;
• as each portion of the three-dimensional environment is rendered:
• the display processor, based on a determination that each of the plurality of three-dimensional objects is within a specified angle as viewed from the perspective of the user, moves each associated data display area from appearing affixed to the portion of the corresponding three-dimensional object to a foreground position in the rendered portion of the three-dimensional environment, wherein the specified angle is less than 360 degrees;
• the display processor, based on a determination that the at least one additional three-dimensional object is not within the specified angle as viewed from the perspective of the user, maintains each respective associated data display area as affixed to the at least one additional three-dimensional object;
• the display processor causes display of the rendered portion of the three-dimensional environment;
• and
• based on detecting at least one lateral change in relative positions of the plurality of three-dimensional objects, the display processor causes at least a portion of the associated data display areas located in the foreground position to be dynamically rearranged to reflect the relative positions.