[OSGeo-Discuss] multipatch shapefile FIRST_RING structure

[Frank Warmerdam]

Eric Wolf wrote:
> Frank and Peter,
> 
> Maybe we we need an ogr_cleaner app that can read in poorly structured 
> shapefiles and normalize them to the standard. Maybe even a general 
> topology cleaner that's file-format agnostic. Sounds like a fun summer 
> project for a CompSci student.

Eric,

OGR already does geometric analysis on read, and write so a simple
ogr2ogr should clean up most things.

But multipatch files are not (well?) supported by OGR and don't fit
the original OGC geometry model smoothly so OGR wouldn't be the right
tool to cleanup multipatch files.

> And are shapefiles really being used much in the 3D world? 

As Peter mentions, it depends where you swim.  Certainly I haven't
seen *real* 3D use of shapefiles, though there are a reasonable number
of 2.5D ones with elevations attached to geometries.

Best regards,
-- 
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
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and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent