Create a 3D surface view in ArcInfo Workstation

Summary

An introduction to creating 3D models of landscapes using ArcInfo Workstation.

Procedure

1. Set the SURFACE. This is the elevation lattice for the surface commands to work on. Think of this as the canvas you will draw on top of. You can also use a tin.
   
   

   Code:
   Arcplot: SURFACE LATTICE mysurface
   Arcplot: SURFACEDEFAULTS
   

   
   
2. Orient the view. Set the environment for how and where the surface will be viewed, its resolution, and how much of it will be displayed.
   
   

   Code:
   Arcplot: SURFACEOBSERVER 10 10 1000
   Arcplot: SURFACETARGET 0 0 500
   Arcplot: SURFACEVIEWFIELD 30 30 30 30
   Arcplot: SURFACELIMITS PAGE
   Arcplot: SURFACEEXTENTS 0 0 10000 10000
   Arcplot: SURFACERANGE 100 5000
   Arcplot: SURFACEZSCALE 2
   Arcplot: SURFACERESOLUTION SURFACE

   
   
3. Drape the features. These commands 'melt' vector or raster data over the surface. You can use many of ARCPLOT drawing commands with SURFACEDRAPE.
   
   

   Code:
   Arcplot: LINESYMBOL 15
   Arcplot: SURFACEDRAPE MESH FISHNET 10
   Arcplot: LINESYMBOL 2
   Arcplot: SURFACEDRAPE ARCS myroads
   Arcplot: LINESYMBOL 4
   Arcplot: SURFACEDRAPE ARCS mystreams
   

   
   For more information, see ArcDoc's online documentation under Contents > Spatial modeling > Surface modeling with TIN > Perspective surface viewing.