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Modern

The design of the UI is what users now expect.  It is extremely intuitive and easy to use while at the same time providing all capabilities necessary to derive rich 3D visualizations and analysis from GIS source data.

Need not be an expert in 3D

Users do not need to know anything about 3D graphics to effectively assemble  informative 3D visualizations from their data.

Ease to learn

For first time users, we offer a sample dataset and an associated product walkthrough to get users familiar with use very quickly.

Contextual

Based upon which tab or which TOC item the user selects, the appropriate shelf will be displayed.  This ensures that widgets that are not applicable to the task at hand are hidden and makes the users workflow streamlined and effective.

Intuitive

This is not an interface full of omnipresent small buttons and icons that deliver with a lengthy users guide.  This is the opposite.

Enjoyable to use

This interface will make using this revolutionary 3D application a pleasure to use.  When it’s both enjoyable and effective, you will continue to get more out of your data.

3D Tabs

The latest in game quality, GPU accelerated 3D GIS visualization.

Web Tabs

Users need choose web applications or 3D.  You can use both within one application.  Expand your workflow and introduce the ability to visually communicate your data like never before.

ArcGIS Tabs (Optional)

For ESRI users, extend your visualization capabilities without disrupting your current tools or production environment.

Loading

Loading imagery can be done through a browse dialog, a history pull down menu, or dropping file(s) atop the 3D window from the filesystem.  Most formats are supported and are reprojected automatically. A web link currently displays a host of resources for downloading and will soon be expanded to provide a range of geosearch options from the web.

Manipulating

From the table of contents, a right click launches a context menu of options such as zoom to layer, renaming, and removing. A left click on the layer will display its shelf of controls that include an overview, properties, zoom to layer, image layering priorities, transparency options to remove borders, overlay mode options for non imagery (e.g. a map), and an option to delete.

Loading

Loading elevation data can be done through a browse dialog, a history pull down menu, or dropping file(s) atop the 3D window from the filesystem.  Most formats are supported and are reprojected automatically. A web link currently displays a host of resources for downloading and will soon be expanded to provide a range of geosearch options from the web.

Manipulating

From the table of contents, a right click launches a context menu of options such as zoom to layer, renaming, and removing. A left click on the layer will display its shelf of controls that include an overview, properties, zoom to layer,  vertical exaggeration, selecting a null elevation threshold, the paging distance, and an option to remove.

Loading

Loading vector data can be done through a browse dialog, a history pull down menu, or dropping file(s) atop the 3D window from the filesystem. Most formats are supported and are reprojected automatically.

Creating

Users can create vector data (Shapefiles) by editing in the 3D scene including full attribute editing. More details on this are below within 3D editing.

Manipulating

From the table of contents, a right click launches a context menu of options such as zooming to layer, viewing the attribute table, representing the data in various ways based upon type, renaming, and removing the layer. A left click on the layer will display its shelf of controls that include an overview, properties, zoom to layer, representation options, viewing the attribute table, and removing the layer.

Adding Web Feeds

Most any XML feed can be displayed in Geoweb3d as dynamic data. As this capability is extensive, a dedicated post has been put together with sufficient description and instruction.  Read More

Google Warehouse

Geoweb3d makes it simple to load 3D models from Google Warehouse, a good source of free models.   A single click will download and load the model into the 3D scene.

3D models

KML, and KMZ (zipped KML), files can contain one or model references to a COLLADA 3D model and its geographic position.

KML features

Geoweb3d supports much of the KML specification such as models, geometry, and placemarks.  Some of the current items not supported such as network links and regions will be forthcoming in a future release.

3D model as representation

Users can place a 3D model at each point in a vector dataset such as a Shapefile.  Attribute mapping can specify a unique model per point such as shown in the adjacent video clip.  3D models can be grouped by category such as as a 3D pine tree for all points having a type of evergreen or they can be global to a dataset such as a lamp post at each utility pole location.

Google Warehouse

As highlighted in the section above, Adding KML Files, 3D models can be loaded from Google Warehouse in a single click.

3D editing

Users can interactively edit and place 3D models in the scene.  Example videos can be found here and here.

Overview

Before vector data is visible in the 3D scene, it must be represented.  This is analogous to assigning a symbol, or legend item, to an item on a 2D map.

Available representations

Based on the type of data (point, line, or polygon) a menu of available representations is presented to the user.  Examples are 3D models, lights, lines, polygons, geometric primitives, and projected images and video.  This list will continually expand and will soon include icons, labels, and water.

Attribute mapping of the properties

Properties of each of the representations can be mapped to attributes.  Which 3D model to place, the color of the lines, the height of a polygonal extrusion are examples of items that can be mapped to the data fields per feature.

Case Study

Extruded Polygons

The adjacent video provides an overview of loading a shapefile of building footprints and extruding them to their native height by attribute.

The extruded building geometry is then used for visibility analysis.

Finally, a project file is then created to show just how easy the saving and recalling of an authored scene can be.

Overview

Attribute Mapping is the mechanism to tailor the visual appearance of the 3D scene to the users vector data.  The attributes, sometimes known as fields, properties, or metadata, are used to override layer wide defaults and customize the visualization.

Category and 1:1 Mapping

Category attribute mapping applies to all unique instances of a field.  For example, map each occurrence of the string “pine tree” under a field of tree type to a unique 3D model.  One to one mapping uses the value in the particular field as the value for mapping for each feature.  For example, a field of heading is used to adjust all buildings in the layer to the correct orientation.

Project files are simple XML files that will restore the Desktop product to the exact state as saved.  This includes all layers, attribute mapping, views, tours, 3d bookmarks, time of day, etc.

All tabs are restored to the state they were left including each 3D tab with its view and what web pages were loaded in web tabs.

This makes it easy for users to quickly change datasets or differing views and representations of the same dataset depending on the use case.

Absolutely no data restructuring is done allowing for the native source data to scale independent of its visualization. Each time the application runs, the underlying data could have been updated and the application will scale accordingly.

Layer files are XML files that can be thought of as excerpts of project files.  They are, as the name implies, constrained to a particular layer and include its representations and corresponding attribute mapping.

It is a geographic building block of data that can be isolated and shared amongst different projects.

An example would be all the trees for a city.  The vector Shapefile or geodatabase layer is specified with a representation of 3D models.  All unique tree types as defined in an attribute is mapped to a particular 3D model.

This tree layer then can be shared amongst many different projects of the city that range from GIS, planning, analysis, et al.  Like project files, this simply references the source data and does not change it in any way allowing for independent scalability amongst the data and its representation.

Pan and Zoom

Users can pan by pressing and holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse.  The pointer will lock onto the position beneath the mouse and can be used to push, pull, slide, or flick the position.  The middle mouse wheel zooms in and out on the center location in the window.

Flight Model

Using the flight mode of navigation is much like controlling the stick on an aircraft.  The mouse wheel controls the speed.  To pitch the eye, move the pointer up and down and to adjust heading, move the pointer left and right.  Pressing the shift key will scale movement.

Drive Model

The drive model is much like the flight model but clamped to the terrain.

Overview

3D bookmarks are present geographic viewing locations, much like a KML placemark, that can be recalled at any time.

What is stored

The eye, or the viewing position within the 3D scene is archived consisting of the Latitude, Longitude, Elevation, Roll, Tilt, Heading.  The time of day is stored along with a thumbnail of the scene when saved.

Their use

From the 3D bookmark shelf, bookmark files (.g3b) can be saved and opened.  These are separate files that can be referenced from many projects.

Clicking on the thumbnail will transition to the preset viewing position.  The adjacent menu allows the position to be updated or to modify its name.

Overview

Views are quick, preset eye locations that are available only in the table of contents.

Unlike 3D Bookmarks that have their own files, thumbnails, and store time of day, the views are quick eye locations only that are stored directly in project files.

How to Use

Views can be added either from the Add shelf or by right-clicking within the table of contents and select New View.

The position can be updated and the name can be renamed subsequent to creation.

Overview

Geoweb3d tours are recorded paths and store as a .g3tour file.  It is a controllable flight path through the 3D scene that can be referenced from projects and shared with others.

Capabilities

The tour file is a simple format allowing users to generate from other formats or solution requirements.  Any number of tours can be referenced in the table of contents and can be triggered by double clicking, its context menu, or its shelf.

Export

Tours can be exported as Shapefiles for general GIS import and as KML tours for interoperability with other products and solutions.

Overview

Visibility analysis can be used interactively with the mouse or can be attached to a tour.  The results are accurate to the pixel and performance is independent of scene content.

How to

From the Add shelf, select add viewshed analysis.  From the viewshelf shelf, users can either create an interactive analysis by using the mouse or attaching to an existing tour.  There are numerous controls for customization of appearance, size, and the ability to move and delete. Double clicking the analysisfrom the TOC will co-locate the eye with the viewshed origin. There is a context menu by right clicking on the analysis in the TOC.

Export

Viewshed results can be exported as Shapefiles for general GIS import and as KML for interoperability with other products and solutions.

Overview

All items in the 3D scene can be selected with the pointer for identification.  Both the feature picking and the corresponding highlighting can be enabled or disabled from the pull down menu on the identify dock widget.

A menu allows the user to choose whether the closest feature per layer or all features in all layers are to be identified.  For each feature selected, a table is populated with the attribute fields and values.

A single click then can turn the identified item into a selection set that can be adjusted as shown in the video.

Overview

Capturing the results of the screen and 3D scene is an easy task with Geoweb3d.  The image can be put into the copy buffer, a file, or spooled to the printer.

How to

On the tools shelf, there is a frame for capturing a screenshot and one for printing.  The screenshot frame places in the copy buffer, the open tab at the time being a 3D scene, a web page, or ArcGIS.

Users can alternatively specify an image file to place the contents of the window.  The print frame brings up the print dialog that allows users to spool the image directly to the printer.

The keyboard shortcuts of Ctrl+Shift+S will copy the current window to the clipboard and Ctrl+Alt+S will save to a file.

Overview

The time and data can be set for Geoweb3d.  This is used to derive the sun location for the scene lighting.

How to

On the 3D Settings shelf, the first frame is Time/ Date.  The slider has a 24 hour time of day adjustment.  The menu arrow to the right of the time display brings up a calendar.  The menu arrow adjacent the slider lets the user configure if the time is relative to eye or users timezone.

3D bookmarks store and reset its time of day as does each project.

Overview

There are several parameters of adjustment for the look of the sky.  Together with the time of day, the cloud cover, speed, sharpness, and size are adjustable for customization.

How to

On the 3D Settings shelf, there is a sky frame with sliders for various parameters.   The size of the clouds can be adjusted and is similar to raising and lower the ceiling. The sharpness adjusts the brightness of the clouds.   The speed controls how rapid the clouds move and the cover adjusts the density or number of clouds.

Project files store and recall the time of day and all of the sky parameters while 3D bookmarks only store time of day.

Overview

Style sheets, based on html Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), allow the user to change the look and feel of the application.  Most all User Interface (UI) components including the windows, shelf, and widgets can be tailored in size, color, and style.

How to

A style sheet frame on the tools shelf allows users to load files either by browsing or from a recent history.  The application includes 10 of these files to get the users started.

Style sheets are saved to project files to allow for specific tailoring or can be applied to application wide defaults.

Overview

Geoweb3d Desktop makes it easy to extend the visualization across multiple computers.  Users can extend the field of view or represent the data differently on multiple computers.

Extend field of View

Clicking a single button on the Desktop application begins communication with other instances running on networked computers.  Each instance has a configurable heading offset that allows for a scalable field of view amongst the applications.  Users can double their view or extend to a full 360 degrees.

Overview

Geoweb3d makes it easy for ESRI users to extend their workflow into powerful 3D visualizations.

Licensing and Version

Geoweb3d checks for an ESRI license each time it runs. If there is an ArcGIS Desktop or runtime license active on the computer, Geoweb3d will allow users to open an ArcGIS tab.
The installed version of ArcGIS, for example 9.3 or 10.0, is used for the application ensuring compatibility.

Opening an ArcGIS View

An ArcGIS tab can be opened from the plus icon to the left of the tabs beneath the default shelf location of from the add shelf. If there is no entry to add this view there is a problem finding the license.