4 replies to this topic

[benbakelaar]

Decided to start a new post that is more descriptive, since I've become motivated to do the work myself instead of purchase it from someone else!

Again, I am basing my maps on the following page:
http://www.mapresour...bes&name=Globes

Here is what I have come up with (using ArcView 3.1), can someone help/explain why my lat/long lines are disappearing on the bottom of the globe?

I am using an Orthographic Sphere projection with central meridian of -72.5 and reference latitude of 20.5. My lat/long lines are at 15 degree intervals.

Attached Files

•  americas.jpg   153.38K   120 downloads

[Rick Dey]

It would appear that they disappear as they exit the view of the perspective. Like wise they do the same out in the Pacific ocean where the lines leave your perspective. I think what you're looking for is to place another line around the horizon to close the image or change the background color. There is no definition to the edge of the image. The white oceans and white background are just blending together.

[frax]

I have been using the xplanet software (windows version) to prepare small reference/overview maps to put in the corner of other more small scale thematic maps.

 output.png   84.94K   113 downloads
 reference_malindi_low.jpg   17.05K   117 downloads

Using Xplanet I can reproject any image (all raster, of course) onto a globe, centered on any arbtriary point. It is also possible to remove the shading of the sphere and things like that. One could use a 2 color image with just land/sea and easily vectorize this in Illustrator afterwards

[benbakelaar]

Thanks frax, that's an invaluable piece of software! If I have time this week, I will put together the collection of regional (continents really) maps and post them to the gallery.

[frax]

ben, I have set up a batch file that renders the globe centered on any arbitrary lat/long point that I might need. Whenever I need a globe like that for reference, I just run that batch file.

The basic line of the file is like this:

call xplanet.exe -searchdir . -config config/renderPlanet -longitude %thisLongitude% -latitude %thisLatitude% -geometry %thisSize%x%thisSize% -starfreq 0 -background backgroundWhite.png -num_times 1 -transpng output.png

There are a few lines before that take the in-parameters, but if you have some very basic programming skills you should be able to figure this out, otherwise the batch file is attached... the %thisSize% variable is the size in pixels (since the maps are square, the top and bottom pixel sizes are the same).

Cheers,
Hugo