Dem/Topography question

[Dave Buchhofer]

So, in the past I've used the usgs national map viewer to extract 3d topography in GeoTiff format, which i then converted via 3dem to DEM format, which i then imported into max with some free plugin I'd found online.. a bit of an evil process to say the least.

 

Now, i need to dig me up some topo for the LA valley and was wondering if there is any other good/reccommended ways to get it nowadays that doesn't involve a java interface from 2001 and many hours of work?

[Dave Buchhofer]

its kind of funny, I'm basically looking for this: http://www.davidrumsey.com/GIS/losangeles3D.htm and using the same 3d engine he is too though i have a much nicer control scheme lol.

[dbibb]

Dave,

I get elevation data from this site: http://data.geocomm.com/catalog/US/61057/431/group4-3.html

 

You can download the data for free using the green download arrows.

 

There's a free program called sdts2dem.exe. Use that to create the DEM file. (just copy sdts2dem.exe into the folder with the elevation files and run it)

 

I then use polytrans (not free) to import the DEM data, export to a 3ds, and import into max.

 

I think you can also import the DEM data directly to max, but it is a super heavy mesh. Polytrans does a much better job of interpolating the data into a usable mesh.

 

If anyone has a better/faster method than that I'd also like to know about it

Hope that helps,

[Dave Buchhofer]

Thanks for the info Derik, thats much easier than finding and downloading by lat/long values

 

I have polytrans here, albeit we bought it many years ago for a specialty project and haven't installed it in a long long while

[Antisthenes]

would this help?

 

http://www.rhinoterrain.com/page405-392-input-data.html

[Andrew Schroeder]

http://www.landdata3d.com has a LA package on there, and currently offers 50% off with the coupon code "celebrate" (Until the 4th)

[Dave Buchhofer]

would this help?

 

http://www.rhinoterrain.com/page405-392-input-data.html

 

Hey now, that looks like it outputs a much nicer mesh than the evil max terrain tool at least

 

Probably beats the current workflow of making terrain, and draping a cloth sim on it to get a decent quad mesh to begin editing on lol.

[Claudio Branch]

 

Probably beats the current workflow of making terrain, and draping a cloth sim on it to get a decent quad mesh to begin editing on lol.

 

 

Just curious, why does it even matter if the final terrain mesh is composed of quads?

 

I regularly create large terrain models with only the road surfaces using quads for texture placement. Everything else is sweet clean triangles!

[Claudio Branch]

 

I think you can also import the DEM data directly to max, but it is a super heavy mesh.

 

If anyone has a better/faster method than that I'd also like to know about it.

 

I was able to download a portion of that terrain and use the executable to get it into Max. You're right about it being a huge mesh.

 

I was also able to import the DEM file into AutoCAD using EasySite. ES has a routine that will create new contour lines from a set of faces and I can tell it the height interval. I can now triangulate these contours and build a terrain mesh with much lighter density wherever I need it.

 

Furthermore, ES gives great control for integrating the rest of the modeled infrastructure (roads, parking lots, building pads, etc.).

[Dave Buchhofer]

Just curious, why does it even matter if the final terrain mesh is composed of quads?

 

I regularly create large terrain models with only the road surfaces using quads for texture placement. Everything else is sweet clean triangles!

 

It doesn't really, its more for areas where i have to do heavy editing, we tend to get existing condition topography lines of dubious quality from civil guys, but are in early enough phases that we are grading/modifying the site ourselves

[Dave Buchhofer]

Easysite eh? I'd looked at that a couple times a few years back, but hadn't gotten to the point of actually testing it

 

boy do they need a real website though http://www.cadeasy.com/software_information.asp?detail_id=118

[Claudio Branch]

 

boy do they need a real website though

 

 

In short, an understatement, but don't judge a book by it's cover...

 

It is a solid tool with extremely useful features for large-scale terrain modeling.

 

I have been using it for nearly 3 years now on all of my rendering and animation projects. Big/small and everything in between...