3d Terrain models

[tomwillis]

Al - what I've been doing is using Google Sketchup and an STL export....all free. The detail is decent but not like DEM files. Feel free to contact me - and I can walk you thru it. Fairly simple.
Tom

[ajf]

I found by using the programs Microdem and AccuTrans 3d I've been able to manipulate DEM files in such a manner, that when I bring them into Aspire as a STL file they give me the level of detail that I was looking. Still a lot of things to learn about DEM files though.

http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pgu...m/microdem.htm

[chiloquinruss]

I played around with it for a few minutes and came up with this for the sake of further discussions.



The topo pdf had no vectors, so I created a jpg, then inverted it so that black was white and white was black, I then opened Aspire with a 4 inch by 48 x 48 piece, and imported the inverted bitmap, stretched it to fit, then converted the bitmap to a 3d component, I then set the max depth of the compnonent to 4 inches, then I toolpathed a 'final' 3d pass with a 1/4 inch ballnose bit selected. It's certainly not a finished product but I think it may let you do some experimenting on your own. If you are cutting foam you can really fly and may not need to do a roughing pass. Anyhow I was just playing around and this is what I came up with. Have fun! Russ

[ajf]

I'm finding this project quite interesting and I'm probably spending far to much time on it. But it is nice to get the old mind researching and learning new things, sort of like being back in university again. I came across a free open source GIS program that I found just amazing in what you can do with it, called the Quantum GIS Project, if anyone is interested. http://www.qgis.org/