Interface-based modeling and design of three dimensional spaces using two dimensional representations

A method, comprising:

• converting a spherical three dimensional space into a two dimensional space using a map projection schema that includes at least one projection type;
• selecting coordinates for placement of an asset within a spherical three dimensional rendering of the two dimensional space, wherein the two dimensional space is bounded by ergonomic limits of a human and a model of a three dimensional display generated by an optical display system;
• generating, for display, an ergonomic user interface comprising the two dimensional space, wherein the two dimensional space is bounded by the ergonomic limits of a human, the ergonomic limits being identified on the two dimensional space using indicia that reference various viewing angles for the human relative to the spherical three dimensional space;
• generating the spherical three dimensional rendering for display within the optical display system using the ergonomic limits and the model, wherein the spherical three dimensional rendering comprises the two dimensional space that has been rendered into the spherical three dimensional space for display along with the asset;
• and
• displaying the asset in combination with the spherical three dimensional rendering at the selected coordinates in such a way that the asset is displayed to the viewer using the optical display system in two dimensions while the spherical three dimensional rendering is displayed to the viewer as a three dimensional image.

A method for generating a virtual model, comprising:

• defining three dimensional positioning of virtual cameras that represent eyes of a viewer, and an inner-pupillary distance;
• establishing a field of view for an optical display system;
• selecting a map projection schema to convert a spherical three dimensional space into a two dimensional space;
• determining a stereo view frustum;
• defining a desired distance for placement of elements in the spherical three dimensional space;
• establishing a two dimensional reference plane that intersects the stereo view frustum at the desired distance;
• defining ergonomic limits of a human by:
• rotating the virtual model in various directions using maximum comfortable head movements;
• and
• defining two dimensional labels in the spherical three dimensional space that are based on the head movements;
• and
• generating an ergonomic user interface based on the ergonomic limits of the human using the map projection schema to create a two dimensional space from the spherical three dimensional space, the ergonomic limits being identified on the two dimensional space using indicia that reference various viewing angles for the human relative to the spherical three dimensional space;
• re-converting the two dimensional space back into the spherical three dimensional space for display along with the asset, within an optical display system;
• and
• displaying the re-converted spherical three dimensional space in the optical display system, the re-converted spherical three dimensional space comprising the asset located in the line of sight of the viewer.