[OSGeo-Discuss] Open Source Viewer for 3D Maps

[Brent Fraser]

Landon,

   We've used VTP (vterrain.org) and modified the GUI of it's Enviro viewer to 
be a little more end-user friendly.  VTP does a good job of providing an 
interactive 3d environment of DEM and texture (e.g  satellite image), and 
optionally 3d structure models.  On the downside, you have to author your 
datasets carefully (using VTBuilder) to get good performance, and you have to 
limit your map/model to an extent (it doesn't model a globe, only a projection). 
  There's a ton of 3d modeling info on the VTP web site.

   Ossim (www.ossim.org) has OssimPlanet which DOES model a globe but it can be 
an effort to set up (I've never tried it).

   While we've seen some interest in 3D mapping environments, one difficulty is 
ease of use from the end user's perspective.  They're OK with rendered 3d 
perspective images, and they LIKE "fly-thru" movies of terrain.  But they LOVE 
interactive 3d environments, as long as they navigate with ease (and this can be 
a big problem).

   They mainly care about the terrain (dem+image) and overlaying map data like 
points, lines, and polygons (with styling and annotation).  While we've shown 
demos of including 3d structures models (buildings), it hasn't generated much 
interest.  But then we talk to mapping depts, not engineering/construction.

Best Regards,
Brent Fraser
GeoAnalytic Inc.


Landon Blake wrote:
> I’m curious if anyone knows of a decent open source viewer for 3D maps. 
> Does such a viewer exist? How widespread is its adoption?
> 
>  
> 
> I know that Adobe PDF has become a fairly common way to share 2D maps 
> digitally, but I didn’t see a lot on the web about a PDF solution for 3D 
> maps. If you build 3D maps and models as part of your work, how do you 
> share them with your clients and the wider public?
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for your thoughts.
> 
>  
> 
> Landon
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. – Here are a couple of links I ran across for what appear to be 
> open file formats for 3D models. I’m not sure how applicable they would 
> be to 3D maps:
> 
>  
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COLLADA
> 
> http://www.web3d.org/about/overview
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
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