CompuServe Messages

Hi Mary, ->"I have the contour map (bird's eye view). How can I draw the landscape in Autodesk 3D Studio?" I just did this for a client who's building a large outdoor performing arts theatre. It really depends on how much resolution you need. My client had a difficult contour map (only had about a 50' variation over a 1/2 mile square area). They only had a print hardcopy with the architectural plans and it was combined with sewer lines, etc.. After my head stopped spinning, I did this: 1. Plotted a 50×50 grid over the drawing (that's 2500 points) 2. Recorded the Z values (elevations) into a text file 3. Downloaded a utility from the Vistapro bbs that converts a text file full of Z coordinates into a Vistapro DEM file. 4. Loaded the DEM into Vistapro and exported DXF to 3D Studio. Was a pain but worked great and I had killer accuracy when it came down to placing all the structures and landscaping components onto the mesh. The Displace ipas was not an option in this case, and the original Autocad drawings had text labels *embedded* into each contour line (flattened into the same layer with the contour lines). Good luck, -Heinz.