Animate Map with Blender

Get the data and edit it

Download Data

Download data from https://www.maanmittauslaitos.fi/ . The Licence is Maanmittauslaitoksen avoimien aineistojen CC 4.0 -lisenssi. There can be found

• Map
• Air photos
• Height model

GIMP: Make a larger image

Change the Canvas size of each three downloaded image

• Image → Canvas Size. Height to 2x.

Superpose the images: make it larger.

Python: Adjust the scale of the 3d map

Load the image, concatenate and scale it. Then save.

import rasterio
import numpy as np
from PIL import Image

names = ['Q4121F.tif', 'Q4122E.tif']

imgs = []
for n in names:
    imgs.append(rasterio.open(n))

image = imgs[0].read(1)   
print( np.shape(image) )
for img in imgs[1:]:
    tmp = img.read(1)     
    image = np.concatenate( (tmp, image  ), 0)

print( np.shape(image) )
print( image.max() )
print( image.min() )
image = 256*(image-image.min())/(image.max()-image.min())
im = Image.fromarray( image )
im = im.convert("L")
im.save( "heightModel1.png" )

Easy, fast.

GIMP: Crop the data

Superpose the images and crop to correct size.

Blender: Make the animation

• Add (the earth) plane
• Change the size
• Image Texture
• Add some light to the World
• Make 3d plane (earth)
  • Modifier → Displacement
  • Texture → heightmodel.png
  • Edit mode → subdivide
  • Object → Shade smooth
  • Modifier → Subdivide
• Render F12
• Make the Glass cube
  • Move, rotate, scale. Use N
  • Modifier → Bevel
  • Material → Glass BSDF. Roughness
• Render Engine → Cycles
• Add → Sun
• Make the animation
  • Add → Path
  • Edit mode: E extrude uudet pisteet
  • Move the camera
  • Add object constraint: Follow Path. Offset. I
• Turn the camera
  • Add → Empty Cube: Camera Follow Spot
  • Add Object Constraint: Tracking, Track To
  • Animation & Graph Editor
• Make the smoke
  • Shift D Duplikoi. Skaalaa, siirrä
  • Object → Quick effect → Smoke
  • Cube Glass Smoke → Uncheck Flow
  • Smoke Domain → Buoyancy density
• Animate
• Add → Light → Spot. Power 5000 W
• The Fog
  • Add → Mesh → Cube
  • Material → Surface → Disconnect
  • Volume → Scatter. Density 0.002
• Mix the map and photo
  • Shader Editor. Mix & Factor.