12 replies to this topic

[EOSGIS]

This is a 3D map of Numancia (a town in Spain that resisted Romans to death) in which I used a 25 meter DEM as a base to start drawing all the elements. I also used a plan of the arqueological city, and some satelite images.
The goal was to give the map an unusual look, with some taste of XIX century maps, but modern at the same time... strange thing... I hope you like it.

Attached Files

•  HISTORIA_96_62hh.jpg   720.74K   324 downloads

[DaveB]

Oh, that's different and interesting and cool.

[EOSGIS]

thank you again
its just to illustrate in the map gallery that cartography can have several ways to show a map, using real data. Part of a map can be just "art", but always based and maintaining science
in this example part of the engrave of clouds and the drawn camps have been loosed due to jpeg compression
i will post tomorrow a portion with little compression so they are not lost and moire dissapears

[P Riggs]

I like perspective maps. They really change how you look at things.

This was a great success for your goals, in my opinion. Modern with a taste of XIX century maps. Excellent work!

[EOSGIS]

thats the goal.
thank you philip

I like perspective maps. They really change how you look at things.

This was a great success for your goals, in my opinion. Modern with a taste of XIX century maps. Excellent work!

[arhyth]

that is beautiful! thanks for sharing. just curious, does this kind of map making require extensive use of photoshop and other photo enhancement softwares? if you were to quantify on the time alloted to photoshop vs other software (arcgis maybe?)used, how much would it be?


David

[EOSGIS]

David
this tupe of map uses GIS to put all geographic data together, georreference the archeological information to place and once all this is put together I pass everythig to 3D terain visualizatin programs (in this case World contruction set).
The las step is use of photoshop and other painting programs (paint shop pro)
I calculate the first step (GIS) takes about 25% of time.
Making some 3D views usually takes in this cases about 10-20% of time because Its just about of making several terrain views with different textures, just overlaying in 3d the sattelite, shaded relief, rivers etc, but not integrated to make one 3d image but several images to be used as layers later in pain programs.
The 50% of time is in photoshop etc, drawing, filtering, adjusting levels, etc.... about 2/3 of this time is drawing. This one has a lot of hand drawn since every construction, tree, etc does not exist today and are based on archeological information.
best regards

that is beautiful! thanks for sharing. just curious, does this kind of map making require extensive use of photoshop and other photo enhancement softwares? if you were to quantify on the time alloted to photoshop vs other software (arcgis maybe?)used, how much would it be?


David

[cyl_n]

I think it is visually pleasing and realistic, but I think the clouds detract from the "map" presentation side of it.

[EOSGIS]

Yes it may be the clouds "interferes" a little bit, it was just a decission made to "center" the action on the town (the rest of map does not have any important information) and because there was a doubt in the magazine about that perhaps they will place some information around the map (in the borders). As these maps are for a monthly magazine, there is not too much time to "remake"...
Thank you

I think it is visually pleasing and realistic, but I think the clouds detract from the "map" presentation side of it.

[P Riggs]

Yes it may be the clouds "interferes" a little bit, it was just a decission made to "center" the action on the town (the rest of map does not have any important information) and because there was a doubt in the magazine about that perhaps they will place some information around the map (in the borders). As these maps are for a monthly magazine, there is not too much time to "remake"...
Thank you

I think it is visually pleasing and realistic, but I think the clouds detract from the "map" presentation side of it.

One solution to this could be what RE Harrison did on this map, with additional information or decoration:

[EOSGIS]

Yes, its about the same idea. Just leaving corners and margins to place information, art, etc....

Yes it may be the clouds "interferes" a little bit, it was just a decission made to "center" the action on the town (the rest of map does not have any important information) and because there was a doubt in the magazine about that perhaps they will place some information around the map (in the borders). As these maps are for a monthly magazine, there is not too much time to "remake"...
Thank you

I think it is visually pleasing and realistic, but I think the clouds detract from the "map" presentation side of it.

One solution to this could be what RE Harrison did on this map, with additional information or decoration:

[Adam Wilbert]

I usually like clouds as a way to mask the boundary of the map and focus attention. To me, it feels natural and as if I were floating above the landscape looking down. I'm not sure that the vegetation on Harrison's map accomplishes the same thing. "Giant space trees" is how I read them. Maybe I've just spent too much time staring out plane windows or playing video games that use this technique (ie fog-of-war in Warcraft for unexplored areas of the map)

In this map however, I think its the wavy engraving or woodcut lines in the clouds that are distracting. They're too sharp, too in-focus. In fact, they're the sharpest thing in the image, and my eye keeps traveling to them. Thinking of it in photographic terms, one would expect the clouds to be very blurry as they're on a much higher focal plane than the subject. I feel like the woodcut could be reversed and just used in the transition where map disintegrates to cloud, and not use them for shading. That would help keep the eye focused on the center part of the map.

That said, I think this is very nice work. It's pleasing and inspiring.

[EOSGIS]

Thank you for the comments Adam.
I think the trees on Harrison map are more "a window to look through", a "travel window to the caribean". I like them in the map context.
The clouds in my map are more to communicate certain distance in time and action (and as you say to focus attention). Is more to tell reader: "you cant get implied in what you see down there, its happenning, you see everything but just look, but too long ago "
Perhaps , yes, the clouds look too crispy. In this case it may be because image resampling to post here. the hatching got "dirty" and it got too much presence.
BUT Yes, at design I was in the doubt about making blurred and clean clouds or engraved clouds. I tested the two of them and decided about engraved ones because the map itself is engraved, and clean clouds overlayed in the map just looked as a rubbered zone around it.
I tested it as you say, engraving just the clouds near the map action and eliminating it in the rest of clouds, but I didnt like it for the map composition ( this is just personal criteria).
but I totaly agree with your comments

I usually like clouds as a way to mask the boundary of the map and focus attention. To me, it feels natural and as if I were floating above the landscape looking down. I'm not sure that the vegetation on Harrison's map accomplishes the same thing. "Giant space trees" is how I read them. Maybe I've just spent too much time staring out plane windows or playing video games that use this technique (ie fog-of-war in Warcraft for unexplored areas of the map)

In this map however, I think its the wavy engraving or woodcut lines in the clouds that are distracting. They're too sharp, too in-focus. In fact, they're the sharpest thing in the image, and my eye keeps traveling to them. Thinking of it in photographic terms, one would expect the clouds to be very blurry as they're on a much higher focal plane than the subject. I feel like the woodcut could be reversed and just used in the transition where map disintegrates to cloud, and not use them for shading. That would help keep the eye focused on the center part of the map.

That said, I think this is very nice work. It's pleasing and inspiring.