Sketch-based modelling and visualization of geological deposition

• We introduce a method to quickly model and visualize geological illustrations.
• Erosion and deposition of fluvial systems are easy to specify and display in our tool.
• We present a simple and compact representation to manage 3D stratigraphic models.
• Our volumetric representation allows for accessing internal geological features.

We propose a method for sketching and visualizing geological models by sequentially defining stratigraphic layers, where each layer represents a unique erosion or deposition event. Evolution of rivers and deltas is important for geologists when interpreting the stratigraphy of the subsurface, in particular for hydrocarbon exploration. We illustratively visualize mountains, basins, lakes, rivers and deltas, and how they change the morphology of a terrain during their evolution. We present a compact representation of the model and a novel rendering algorithm that allows us to obtain an interactive and illustrative layer-cake visualization. A user study has been performed to evaluate our method.