Uploaded November 2013 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
Rendered with Blender using most basic OpenGL rasterization.
Dataset size: 65,804,544 points
Resolution: 1/9 arc-second, which means approximately 3 meters per point
Location: Valdez, Alaska Area
Date of scan: 2008
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Original USGS processing:
The data for the Valdez, AK study area were processed into a NED 1/9th dataset using ESRI software. Float files were imported and converted to grids. The data were then projected to Geographic Coordinate System, decimal degrees NAD83 and the Z values were converted from centimeters to meters. Grids and hillshade products were created for the area, merged and mosaicked together. Quality control was done by reviewing the hillshade product to detect irregularities in the data. The data were then loaded into ArcSDE to be made available for public access download.
My processing:
I converted the data using GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) to 16-bit TIFF files which contained the elevation information and could be used in Blender for displacement and shading. I obviously didn't render all points at once but only around one polygon per pixel by using a distance dependent tessellation fall-off technique.
The main trick for the level of detail is that the height texture map is in a different space than the geometry. So I'm able to move the base geometry with the camera but the displacement stays in its world space location. This way I can always use the same subdivided standard mesh and only let it follow the camera throughout the world where the displacement changes accordingly.
das-raster.de
Tags:
3d scan, 3d scanning, LiDAR, Light Detection And Ranging, Elevation, Digital terrain model, topography, high-resolution, National Elevation Dataset, Blender, Blender 3d, Animation, Fly Through, DX11, tessellation, Gletscher, Chasing Ice, Glacier (Geographical Feature Category)
Rendered with Blender using most basic OpenGL rasterization.
Dataset size: 65,804,544 points
Resolution: 1/9 arc-second, which means approximately 3 meters per point
Location: Valdez, Alaska Area
Date of scan: 2008
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Original USGS processing:
The data for the Valdez, AK study area were processed into a NED 1/9th dataset using ESRI software. Float files were imported and converted to grids. The data were then projected to Geographic Coordinate System, decimal degrees NAD83 and the Z values were converted from centimeters to meters. Grids and hillshade products were created for the area, merged and mosaicked together. Quality control was done by reviewing the hillshade product to detect irregularities in the data. The data were then loaded into ArcSDE to be made available for public access download.
My processing:
I converted the data using GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) to 16-bit TIFF files which contained the elevation information and could be used in Blender for displacement and shading. I obviously didn't render all points at once but only around one polygon per pixel by using a distance dependent tessellation fall-off technique.
The main trick for the level of detail is that the height texture map is in a different space than the geometry. So I'm able to move the base geometry with the camera but the displacement stays in its world space location. This way I can always use the same subdivided standard mesh and only let it follow the camera throughout the world where the displacement changes accordingly.
das-raster.de
Tags:
3d scan, 3d scanning, LiDAR, Light Detection And Ranging, Elevation, Digital terrain model, topography, high-resolution, National Elevation Dataset, Blender, Blender 3d, Animation, Fly Through, DX11, tessellation, Gletscher, Chasing Ice, Glacier (Geographical Feature Category)
