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Real world mapping data

Excellent stuff, TE!

I've been working on creating relief shaded maps by using Fractal Terrains / CC2 and Bryce (see examples below). It would be nice to use real world data to do it.

contours.jpg


endor2.jpg


endorcc.jpg


Requires:

Profantasy's fractal terrains
Bryce 5.5
Google Earth
Photshop / PSP

Procedure:

1. Make a planar terrain in Fractal Terrains to your liking
2. View it using the bump shader and save the image (image 1).
3. Fire up Bryce and import the saved image as a new terrain.
4. Fire up Google Earth and find a nice looking terrain (zoom in to the detail you require) and capture the image to PSP/PS making sure it's the same dimensions as image 1.
5. Save the terrain image (image 2) as a jpeg and use it as texture map in Bryce.
6. To get the cutaway effect on the terrain, I intersected a cube with the terrain in Bryce using booleans.
 
Very cool, raws !
Especially the cutaway effect, really a trick.

I wonder if it would be possible to extract elevation data with google earth, too ?
 
As far as I can see Google earth don't provide elevation data, just the satellite pictures. It may be possible to line up a google earth sattelite photo with the USGS elevation data but I suspect that you would have to do some deformations using a paint editor as the projections would not exactly match. Having a go at this is on my to do list.

For traveller purposes it's much easier of course - you can just create a random planet using FT and then use images (as I've done in the second image above) from Google Earth as a texture map, probably with some post production using a paint editor afterwards (lots of healing and cloning). For example below is a desert image from Google Earth on the same model.

The problem with using Google Earth images is that to get them you have to use a screen capture which means that the resolution is not great for using as a texture for a large model. As you can see the textures in image two are very blurry.

For traveller purposes, I would prefer to use the contour map (created by an export from FT to CC2) and maybe put some 3d models on top of it to represent cities etc. (Also on my to do list!)and to use a hysometric colour scheme.

If you want to find out more about relief mapping here are a couple of great resources:

http://www.shadedrelief.com/ and http://www.reliefshading.com/index.html

Ravs

p.s. have you seen the cartographer's guild website ?


enderdesert.jpg
 
You can use Google Earth with 3D Sketchup to create topographical models. You can also import Sketchup objects into your Goggle Earth.
 
Hi !

Bromgrev, I really have to check this. Thing is, that Google Earth uses profile data, so it really would be nice to get it out, too.

Ravs, the links are really cool. I already knew the cartographer board, but sadly time is too limited to care for it all :(

Honestly I was and still I am not satisfied with most of the available (to me) artifical world creation stuff. Compared to any real environment it usually looks odd. Its somehow usable for rough planetary surface maps, but not really good for a closer look (fractal function problem).

Thats why I took a step back and started to use real data as a basis for detailed maps.
IMHO FT serves very well here, because I am able to use the real elevation data, but still can make some modifications, e.g. adjusting elavation levels, create craters, smoothing landscape etc.


TE
 
Brom: When you say 'topographical models' do you mean replica 3d landscapes or buildings / structures etc. As far as I can see sketchup does not import any elevation data from Google earth, it's just a simple 3d modelling package. If I'm wrong about this could you send me a link please?

Mikazoid: I have no doubt you will be producing some beauteous things! If you have any questions etc please don't hesitate to ask although I can't promise to know the answer. Also do have a look at the links I posted in the last message - they are invaluable for this sort of work. The Doyenne of 3d relief mapping is a US Park Ranger, Tom Patterson, the 'shaded relief' website is his and he does answer emails (nice guy).

TE: I agree about the world creation stuff - but for me it is the opposite of what you say in that it looks odd on a planetary scale but better (but still odd) if you zoom in. I initially tried using real world data but had problems importing it into Bryce or FT - the tutorial you posted will hopefully solve that problem. Another problem is that the bump maps that FT produces are still not perfect. If you look at the first image I posted, for example, you can see a 'cliff' running from the middle of the top left edge to the top right corner which should not be there. I would like to cut out FT from the process altogether and just import the USGS straight into Bryce but Mr Patterson's tutorial on how to do this doesn't work for me. More work for me to do there.

Do you find the FT displacement tools produce a good result? I tried them a long time back and found them a bit clumsy. So what I'm working now is importing the 3d mesh into a modelling programme and making adjustments with that where the displacement painting tools are much more versatile.

This is a long term project of mine so, TE / Mickazoid any shared knowledge would be a wonderful thing!

Phew!

Ravs
 
Not sure if Sketchup basic does it, but you can download a Google Earth plugin via the Sketchup website:

http://www.sketchup.com/?sid=37

And yes, it does import real-world topography. Very handy for us landscape architects.
You can use it to build your own little townships or whatever, and then see them on your copy of the Google Earth (I'm told, although I haven't tried the last bit).
 
Thanks Brom! Very tasty but unfortuntately for me it says you need Sketchup Pro-give-us-lots-of-moolah. Pity, it looked like a really good way to go on this.

You're a landscape architect in Hong Kong? Isn't that a little like being a cordon bleu chef in Darfur?

Ravs
 
Heh! Opposite problem!

Have you ever been to that place in China (don't know what it's called) with those weird but beautiful limestone cliffs? Pictures of them always put me in mind to use them as a prop for a traveller adventure.

Actually if you know where they are (google says yangshou - but I'm sure I've seen better ones, they are almost like a collection of towers) could you tell me the name, it would a cool terrain to download from USGS and texture.

Take care,

Ravs
 
Guilin, thank TE, I'll look it up.

Mik, thank's for the offer. Any chance you could download some sample terrain from google earth into sketchup and do a screen capture? Can you modify the terrain with sketchup? Does it texture the sattelite photography on top?

Cheers

Ravs
 
Ravs - i'll check it out. For a little Sketchup fun in the interim, check out my post on the 'Atherton' thread in 'the Fleet'.

Mickazoid
 
Originally posted by TheEngineer:
Hi !

Pretty sure You mean the Guilin area
Click to expand...
Beat me to it. Yup, that's the place, although Yanshou is the actual place to go if you want to see the mountains - Guilin is rather a horrible town from all accounts. And no, I haven't been yet - holidays are too far and few between over here!

Sketchup does have it's own terrain modifying feature (the sandbox), although I haven't used it much myself. I'm looking forward to seeing whatever you and Mickazoid brew up, it's bound to be an eye-opener. :eek:
 
I downloaded the free version of sketchup a few months ago and wonder if you've seen this. These are internal spaceship tiles for sketchup which look rather good.

I had a look at the limestone cliffs on Google Earth (at least I think they were) but the map resolution for that part of china isn't good enough to see them too well. I'm going to try the USGS data to see if I can can get a more detailed import into Fractal Terrains and then into CC2

Mik, email on the way for a project if you're interested!

Ravs
 
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