Hill shaded digital terrain model
![hill shaded digital terrain model hill shaded digital terrain model](https://www.intelligence-airbusds.com/utils/download?file=r16853_39_worlddem_us_hot-springs_arkansas_usa_2014-4.jpg)
- #HILL SHADED DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL PRO#
- #HILL SHADED DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL SOFTWARE#
- #HILL SHADED DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL DOWNLOAD#
Try to keep the front (foreground) relatively straight and gently curve the background down so that it disappears. Follow these steps:Ī) In Natural Scene Designer Pro, export your elevation data as an ASCII Grid DEM.ī) Launch Terrain Bender and open the ASCII Grid DEM that you just exported.Ĭ) In Terrain Bender, adjust the curve histogram similar to what I did in the illustration below.
#HILL SHADED DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL SOFTWARE#
Warping your terrain on a convex arc with Terrain Bender software is an effective way of adding a horizon and sky to your scene, especially when there is a limited amount of elevation data in the background. Merging terrain "A" with terrain "B" to create terrain "C" with a horizon and sky.
#HILL SHADED DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL DOWNLOAD#
Finally, use layer masks to blend these renders as a seamless scene with a visible horizon-oh, and add a blue sky with the gradient tool (see "C" below).Ĭlick here to download a layered Photoshop file to check out how I constructed the example below. Next, in Photoshop, paste each of these renders into a file with the high angle view placed on the bottom layer and the shallow angle views above. Then, without changing the camera direction, render one or more additional views at progressively shallower pitches that reveal the horizon (see "B" below). Start by rendering a high angle view that depicts the foreground in a map-like manner (see "A" in the illustration below). If needed, use the Transform Selection technique again, but in the opposite direction, to elevate the mountains along a narrow strip at the horizon.Ĭompressing the background with Photoshop's Transform Selection tool moves the horizon down and makes room for the sky.Īnother way to add a horizon and sky to your scene is by rendering multiple views of the same terrain in Natural Scene Designer Pro, then combining them in Photoshop. Note: Compressing the background causes mountains on the horizon to lose much of their height. You now have a basic sky above a false horizon. Then fill the selection from top to bottom with a blue-to-white gradient. I usually repeat this process with two or three progressively shorter selections to apply increasingly greater compression near the horizon.Ĭ) In Photoshop, use the Magic Wand selection tool to select the empty area at the top, above the lowered horizon. Then click-drag the top of the selection down, which will compress the terrain. Next, in the Select drop menu, choose Transform Selection. Try to place the front of the selection in an area with nondescript terrain. The back edge should also truncate just beyond a high feature, such as a mountain range, which will serve as the false horizon in the final scene.ī) In Photoshop, use the Rectangular Marquee selection tool to select the background terrain in your scene, including the back edge.
![hill shaded digital terrain model hill shaded digital terrain model](https://slideplayer.com/slide/4991194/16/images/2/Adding+the+third+dimension.jpg)
The following steps refer to the lettered illustration below:Ī) Render a 3D scene looking in a cardinal direction-north, south, east, or west-as it is important to have the back edge of the terrain aligned perpendicular to the view direction. This will create a more compact scene that fits better in tight graphical layouts. Starting with a truncated terrain, you will use the Transform Selection tool in Photoshop to compress background areas on the vertical axis. This technique is similar to that used for Flight 93, but with one extra step. The back edge of the digital elevation model serves as a false horizon in this scene.
#HILL SHADED DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL PRO#
As a side note, if the Flight 93 elevation data had extended outward indefinitely, the true horizon calculated by Natural Scene Designer Pro would be far away and higher up on the page, probably in this text.įlight 93 National Memorial, Pennsylvania. The addition of background haze helps unify the terrain and sky. Otherwise, an uneven horizon will result. Take note that this technique works only when the view direction is perpendicular to the rectangular chunk of terrain loaded in Natural Scene Designer Pro.
![hill shaded digital terrain model hill shaded digital terrain model](https://live.staticflickr.com/5653/21860080819_42db581123_b.jpg)
Above this convenient break, I patched in a sky gradient using Photoshop. In the Flight 93 example below, the elevation data truncates on the far side of the low background hills, creating a false horizon at the ridge tops.
![hill shaded digital terrain model hill shaded digital terrain model](https://images.ctfassets.net/qfhr9fiom9gi/2d9FptW1dUGMxpxbvR7L6U/76a7cb43c3d1be33f78c3dddfb49527a/image22.png)
This quick Photoshop technique works best in scenes rendered with shallow or intermediate camera pitches. These are the four techniques that I use to create and modify skies: But such extremely oblique scenes hardly qualify as maps.įortunately, you can force fit the sky into almost any 3D scene, even those viewed from up high. Only when the virtual camera is moved down and given a shallow pitch will the horizon sneak into your scene. On maps viewed from a high elevation and with a steep camera pitch, the horizon is nowhere to be seen. Fitting the horizon and sky into 3D terrain maps is a problem with 3D software, including Natural Scene Designer Pro.