A WebGL-Based Interactive Visualization Framework for Large-Scale Urban Seismic Simulations with a Dual Multi-LOD Strategy

Abstract

The effective visualization of urban-scale earthquake simulations is pivotal for disaster assessment but presents significant challenges in terms of computational performance and accessibility. This paper introduces a lightweight, browser-based visualization framework that leverages Web Graphics Library (WebGL) to provide real-time, interactive 3D rendering without requiring specialized software. The proposed framework implements a novel dual multi-level-of-detail (LOD) strategy that optimizes both data representation and rendering performance. At the data level, urban buildings are classified into simplified or detailed geometric and computational models based on structural importance. At the rendering level, a dynamic graphics LOD approach adjusts visual complexity based on camera proximity. To realistically reproduce dynamic behaviors of complex structures, skeletal animation is introduced, while a quad tree-based spatial index ensures efficient object culling. The framework’s scalability and efficacy were validated by successfully visualizing the seismic response of approximately 100,000 buildings in New York City. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed strategy maintains interactive frame rates (>24 frames per second) for views containing up to 4000 detailed buildings undergoing simultaneous and dynamic seismic behaviors. This approach significantly reduces rendering latency and proves extensible to other urban regions. The source code supporting this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.