Being in the GIS and Geovisualization field I have been visualizing terrains through traditional GIS softwares such as ArcGIS and QGIS. Most of the time, the purpose of the terrain visualization is as a base map that can help with perception of depth. The data is elevation models which are employed for analysis purposes. I recently experimented with rendering GIS data in a non-GIS software, and the results showed great potential for my future cartography adventures. In this project, I did a very basic rendering and display of a DSM (Digital Surface Model) derived from Lidar for the city of Salzburg, Austria.
After acquiring the 1m Lidar dataset, The first step was clipping the raster into a smaller AOI. Since DSMs have associated projections with them that need to be preserved I applied transformation in ArcGIS, followed by rescaling the data into a suitable range and exporting it into an unsigned 16-bit int. The result was a heightmap that Blender was able to interpret. I found Daniel Huffman's tutorial on relief shading in Blender to be very helpful in the pre-processing stage.
After importing the processed raster in Blender and adding properties to it to displace the height information, I had a decent looking surface of the city. I am interested to compare rendering a DSM to rendering OSM building information on top of a DEM (a usual technique I have seen people use). Blender's relief shading is very realistic compared to the GIS software's. Of course, it might not be as practical for analysis but it definitely wins aesthetically.
As for the choice of lighting for my model, I took a few pictures in Salzburg that I used as an inspiration :)
As for the choice of lighting for my model, I took a few pictures in Salzburg that I used as an inspiration :)
Hillshade in QGIS
Data Credits: Land Salzburg; 1m Lidar
