3D Visualization Introduction¶
Introduction¶
Gemini Terrain contains functions for visualizing projects such as construction sites in a professional manner. We can perform surface treatment (rendering) directly in our projects.
What is rendering (surface treatment)?¶
- Colors and textures can be filled in surfaces
- Multiple light sources can be inserted: sunlight, point lights, spotlights
- Multiple types of animations
The rendering functions can be found in a separate rendering toolset on the tool menu that becomes active when we are in 3D view.
The three-dimensional drawing is initially a wireframe model:
Figure: Wireframe model
The wireframe model can be displayed as a surface-treated model (rendering) with real-time surface treatment:
Figure: Real-time surface treatment
The wireframe model can be displayed as a surface-treated model (rendering) with advanced surface treatment (maximum shadow calculation):
Figure: Advanced surface treatment with maximum shadow calculation
As we can see, the result depends on the rendering method. There is access to two known standards:
- Real-time surface treatment (OpenGL)
Available to all users.
-
Advanced surface treatment (LightWorks)
This is a more advanced method where there are no limitations regarding textures and different ways to handle this. The same light sources as with real-time surface treatment are also available here. If there is no licensed access to advanced surface treatment, a watermark will appear in front of the model.
Light Sources¶
Three light types can be used, in addition to sunlight. Before the light is inserted, a point (MO) must be entered for the light's position. Pay attention to the Z-coordinate. Light sources can be edited at any time.
- Point light
Point light or point light source (omni) has a position, but does not shine in a specific direction and has no size on the source. As an example, a simple light bulb hanging down from the ceiling in a room can be mentioned. The point light is marked in the drawing as a star.
- Directional light source
A directional light source can be defined with direction from which the light should shine. The rays from this type of light source cover the entire field of view in the specified direction. The light source is drawn in the drawing as a cone with a line at the top that indicates the direction.
- Spotlight
A spotlight has defined direction and position. It emits light in a cone-shaped fashion. It is possible to define the cone's angle, that is, cutoff angle and beam angle where these are strongest. Spotlights are shown in the drawing as a cone-shaped polyhedron.
Animations¶
It is possible to run several types of animations on the screen:
- Sun animation - simulates sunlight and shadows over a given period of time
- Path animation - mark a road for camera that goes through the model. This can be compared to what one sees when driving a car along a given path
- Animation along a line definition - select an existing centerline for, for example, a projected road and follow this
- Path animation with given viewpoint - mark a road for camera (like point 2 or 3), but when the camera follows the road, it focuses only on a specific point in the model
It is possible to create several types of animations that produce AVI files with advanced surface treatment. To be able to print images and create animations from advanced surface treatment, an advanced license is required.
For playback, we can use the viewing program Microsoft Media Player.
Tips and Advice¶
The following tips and advice regarding settings can be helpful when we test the functions for creating animations.
Resolution¶
- 160x100 for testing (FAST! Control of tempo, colors, with shadows, without shadows, etc.)
- 320x200 for demo (a little more time, but very good for showing ideas with others around the screen)
- 480x300 for presentation (run render at night, this can be heavy for smaller machines!)
- 720x576 for TV quality with low or no compression (HEAVY!)
Tip
Use the machine's processing power at night. Don't get stuck with heavy rendering jobs during the day. Do testing with 160x100 during the day and take heavier renderings at night.
Number of frames¶
- 25 frames per second is standard tempo for TV and video
- 12 frames per second is common for demo and testing
Example Collection¶
See example collection for implementation: