Skyscraper Altitude Test
This test is similar to going up in a high altitude balloon. It allows you to view skyscraper buildings from different altitudes on both a flat surface and a spherical surface. The sphere has a circumference of 24,901 miles which is the equivalent of the earth at the equator.
Each building is exactly the same size which is 1,966 feet tall and 197 feet in width and depth. This is very similar in size to the Ping An International Finance Centre in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China which is the 5th tallest building in the world. The buildings are very simple and use only a basic color material. This is to prevent possible performance issues and allow the demo to run on as many devices as possible.
The buildings are placed in pairs. One building 1,500 feet left of center and the other 1,500 feet right of center. Each pair is separated by 25 miles. The horizon doesn't meet the eye regardless of altitude on a sphere like we experience in the real world. Putting the two views side-by-side really shows the difference.
A link to the test is below along with a babylon.js playground link if you would like to view the code and experiment with it yourself.
Move Up/Increase Altitude
- Press up arrow key on keyboard.
- Scroll mouse wheel forward.
- Left click with mouse and drag down.
- Swipe down on touch screen.
Move Down/Decrease Altitude
- Press down arrow key on keyboard.
- Scroll mouse wheel backward.
- Left click with mouse and drag up.
- Swipe up on touch screen.
Zoom In
- Hold the Shift key on the keyboard and scroll the mouse wheel forward.
Zoom Out
- Hold the Shift key on the keyboard and scroll the mouse wheel backward.