USGS DEM
15 messages in this thread
WOW! This is just the thing I am looking for!!!!! I want to import
USGS DEM files to creates fly-by animations over real (actual)
terrain in 3-D!!! I am very interested in software that will read in
the USGS DEM data I already have on CD-ROM and create a file that can
be read in by animator software. I do not have animation software
yet. I guess I need a DXF file. Call me ASAP!!!! Voice =
1-800-451-DATA and ask for Dave, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm EST. Thanx!!!!
Jeff:
I wasn't able to find the parent to this message, but VistaPro will
do exactly what you are looking for. Let me know if you want more info.
Clint <VRLI>
Thanks! Who makes VistaPro? What exactly does it do? And can I get
broadcast quality terrain using "3 Arc Second Elevation Data" from
USGS? Also, I have vector data for roads, county lines, rivers, etc.
Can I and How can I import these in and overlay them on top of the
terrain? -JMF
Jeff:
I'll let Clint answer your questions, but I just had to pop in and say "wow".
I'm a beta tester for VRLI's stuff, and I find Vista Pro to be excellent in
generating realistic looking landscapes. And it's easy. Real easy. I know
that there is even a data converter for USGS files to the VP DEM format. Never
used it though. Someday I'll grab some off the Internet, and see how they go.
I'm not sure in the specifics of your application, but I think that Vista Pro,
and all it's tools to be a must for anyone interested in real, or realistic
looking landscapes. It renders quickly too.
(Clint-I like TF.. I'll pop over my findings/ideas pretty soon. It scared me
silly! <g>)
Thanks John! I am very interested in rendering 3-D views of actual terrain
using USGS DEM data. (I have the whole US available right now.) I would like
to overlay radar (precipitation/rain) images on the ground and make broadcast
quality images. Anyone that can help me with info I'd really appreciate it! I
am completely new with 3-D rendering/etc. and have no software now to do any of
this. I am looking for complete software recommendations. -Jeff
I suggest looking into Vista Pro. It does all the rendering/etc. all in the
program. It's 3D, and very customizable. You can even do flythru's of the
landscape, panoramic renderings, etc. Lots of stuff. I'm not sure about the
radar images, but I believe it's possible. I haven't tried anything like that
lately. Clint, from VRLI should be popping in to tell more on VP, I believe.
JNJ
John:
You can map images onto a landscape using the PCX->Col and View->Col
features.
Clint <VRLI>
Clint:
Yeah, I forgot about that. How do the images effect the scenery? It
replaces everything under it right? I suggest an option to allow 32bit targa
files (24bit +alpha channel) as the maps, and use the alpha channel to
determine the transparency of the map over the normal coloring.
I know this can be done with View->PCX, and then using a paint program like
Picture Publisher to merge the two into one file, and then doing the PCX->View
stuff, but it would be neat to have that built in. Alpha channel use is
getting quite commonplace, and I'd be a good idea for the next VP. I guess
that can go on my suggestions list. 🙂
I'm getting 3DS really soon. (Got the check today!) How does this latest
version work with it? What kind of DXF features does it have? I don't think I
have any doc's for that around.
Try not to run the A/C too much over there.. <g>
JNJ
John Hinkley might know what you are talking about, but you are
way over my head. <grin> John has used 3DS while I have played
briefly with Imagine on the Amiga. I am sufficiently artistic, that
with the use of the appropriate tools, I can actually draw a straight
line. <grin> That's one of the things that I like about VistaPro, I
can make quite nice pictures with absolutely no artistic ability to
back me up. <grin> I will tell him that he needs to read this thread,
I think he missed it. John will have to answer your DXF questions, as
all that I know is that it saves landscapes in DXF format. I have a
vague idea of what DXF format looks like in terms of file format, but
that's about all.
John,
Under the current design of Vistapro there's no way of using the alpha
channel from a TGA32 file, although that's a possibility in the
future. What's a few more megabytes of RAM anyway!
Vistapro 3.1 can save Vistapro DEM files as a DXF object (polyface
mesh). If you mark off a rectangular region with the Bounding Box
only that area will be saved. Since the DXF files get very large you
can choose to save out lesser detail with the Polygon Size setting on
the main control panel. The regular "Small" landscape saved at
polygon size 1 (the most detail) is a 13MB DXF file. You can use the
Bounding Box to mark off several sub-regions and then load them into
3DS — they will all show up at the correct relative locations.
The DXF files created by Vistapro do not contain the coloration or
fractal detail that Vistapro adds when it renders. So I added the
ability to save a TGA24 texture map that can be used with 3DS. The
texture map of a small landscape contains 256×256 pixels so if you
use it with a DXF landscape saved out at polygon size 1 you will have
one pixel per polygon. If you need more detail in the texture map
you can "Enlarge" the DEM within Vistapro until it is 1024×1024 or
2048×2048 data points and then save a texture map of that size.
Vistapro 3.1 also comes with a program that can translate 3DS camera
VUE files into Vistapro scripts. This makes it easy to synchronize
the camera motions of the two program. You can use Vistapro to
render the landscape backgrounds and 3DS to render other foreground
objects. Use 3DS's ability to load background images to load the
Vistapro generated pictures.
If you need to have foreground objects that disappear behind the
landscape you can use the DXF from Vistapro as a matte in 3DS. The
matte will be transparent to the Vistapro rendered background but
will obscure 3DS objects that go behind it. A plane that disappears
behind a mountain in the DXF will appear to have disappeared behind
the mountain rendered by Vistapro. This technique doesn't work
perfectly because of a small (about 1 pixel) discrepancy between the
two programs and because Vistapro will be adding all the fractal
detail to the landscape (a cliff face that 3DS sees as a flat surface
may be ragged in Vistapro) but will be sufficeint for many purposes.
John.
Jeff:
Try out the demo version of VistaPro, it will give you a feel for
what it can do. It's VP3DMO.TXT over in Lib 15 (VRLI) of GraphAVend.
Clint <VRLI>
John:
Thanks for your reply. I've been swamped lately, but finally got the
jury duty out of the way, so I at least have room to breathe again. <grin>
Clint <VRLI>
Jeff:
Normally we use 30 meter (about 1 arc sec) data with VistaPro, though
3 arc second works quite nicely. There is a demo version of VP3 over in
the VRLI Library in GraphAVend, (VP3DMO.EXE) as well as a sample
animation. (VPANIM.EXE) There is a feature list (VP3PCF.TXT) which hasn't
yet been updated with the latest DXF saving attributes, but otherwise is a
good description of VistaPro 3.1.
Currently, the only way to overlay the vector data would be to turn
it into an image and use the PCX->Col to map it onto the terrain. The
terrain rendering itself is quite realistic, and images as large as
4096×4096 can be created from maps as large as 2048×2048 data points.
(Assuming that you have alot of ram, disk space or a combination of
both.)
VistaPro is written by John Hinkley and published by Virtual Reality
Labs, Inc. (805) 545-8515.
Clint <VRLI>
Thanx! I am look into it and reply! -Jeff
Vistapro will quite easily render realistic looking images from USGS
DEM data. Vistapro also has the ability to overlay a PCX image onto
the landscape. The problem I foresee you having is aligning the DEM
data with the image data; and you will need some other software to
produce the PCX images from your DLG (or whatever) files.
The Vistapro demo (that others have mentioned) uses a small part of
Yosemite Valley as an example.