POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.general : Rendering topographic data Server Time
29 Mar 2024 04:08:50 EDT (-0400)
  Rendering topographic data (Message 1 to 10 of 10)  
From: Josh English
Subject: Rendering topographic data
Date: 30 Jul 2022 20:40:35
Message: <62e5cf83$1@news.povray.org>
Some time around 20 years ago I had a system by which I could download 
USGS topographic data and convert it to a POV-Ray height field. This was 
on a Macintosh running OS 9, I think.
I am now on Windows 11 and I have lost all of my old POV-Ray files for 
reference.
I think it was a .DAT file or .DOT file that I had to convert.

Does such a thing exist anywhere anymore?


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From: Thomas de Groot
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 31 Jul 2022 02:52:03
Message: <62e62693$1@news.povray.org>
Op 31/07/2022 om 02:40 schreef Josh English:
> Some time around 20 years ago I had a system by which I could download 
> USGS topographic data and convert it to a POV-Ray height field. This was 
> on a Macintosh running OS 9, I think.
> I am now on Windows 11 and I have lost all of my old POV-Ray files for 
> reference.
> I think it was a .DAT file or .DOT file that I had to convert.
> 
> Does such a thing exist anywhere anymore?

Yeah... I did that too, and I still have some .DEM files from the USGS. 
There was a conversion program, iirc... GZIP386.EXE possibly? but which 
cannot run any more on modern windows pc's it seems.

This is all I can remember presently. I 'll get back if I fond something 
useful.

-- 
Thomas


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From: jr
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 31 Jul 2022 04:20:00
Message: <web.62e63af479c4acd71be3cd4b6cde94f1@news.povray.org>
hi,

Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
> Op 31/07/2022 om 02:40 schreef Josh English:
> > Some time around 20 years ago I had a system by which I could download
> > USGS topographic data ...
> Yeah... I did that too, and I still have some .DEM files from the USGS.
> There was a conversion program, iirc... GZIP386.EXE possibly? but which
> cannot run any more on modern windows pc's it seems.
>
> This is all I can remember presently. I 'll get back if I fond something
> useful.

I think user 'Melody' did a DEM conversion program (late 2019?  sorry, too busy
to give it time)


regards, jr.


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From: ingo
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 31 Jul 2022 16:10:56
Message: <XnsAEE5E1A583539seed7@news.povray.org>
in news:62e5cf83$1@news.povray.org Josh English wrote:

> Does such a thing exist anywhere anymore?
> 

Maybe Christoph Hormann has something on his site https://imagico.de/

ingo

-- 
https://ingoogni.nl


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From: jr
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 1 Aug 2022 03:15:00
Message: <web.62e77ce179c4acd71be3cd4b6cde94f1@news.povray.org>
"jr" <cre### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> ...
> I think user 'Melody' did a DEM conversion program (late 2019?  sorry, too busy
> to give it time)

<http://news.povray.org/povray.binaries.utilities/thread/%3Cweb.5de4e17e391124cf9da690110%40news.povray.org%3E/>


regards, jr.


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From: Bald Eagle
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 1 Aug 2022 06:25:00
Message: <web.62e7a9c179c4acd71f9dae3025979125@news.povray.org>
Josh English <Jos### [at] joshuarenglishcom> wrote:
> Some time around 20 years ago I had a system by which I could download
> USGS topographic data and convert it to a POV-Ray height field. This was
> on a Macintosh running OS 9, I think.
> I am now on Windows 11 and I have lost all of my old POV-Ray files for
> reference.
> I think it was a .DAT file or .DOT file that I had to convert.
>
> Does such a thing exist anywhere anymore?

I used to use GRASS to process the GDAL data, but I gave up, as it a giant PITA.

Then I found a way to use images with the elevation data encoded into the
grayscale image.

https://news.povray.org/povray.tools.general/thread/%3Cweb.5cd84d809bc00ee54eec112d0%40news.povray.org%3E/


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From: Josh English
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 3 Aug 2022 22:37:21
Message: <62eb30e1@news.povray.org>
On 7/31/2022 1:19 AM, jr wrote:
> hi,
> 
> Thomas de Groot <tho### [at] degrootorg> wrote:
>> Op 31/07/2022 om 02:40 schreef Josh English:
>>> Some time around 20 years ago I had a system by which I could download
>>> USGS topographic data ...
>> Yeah... I did that too, and I still have some .DEM files from the USGS.
>> There was a conversion program, iirc... GZIP386.EXE possibly? but which
>> cannot run any more on modern windows pc's it seems.
>>
>> This is all I can remember presently. I 'll get back if I fond something
>> useful.
> 
> I think user 'Melody' did a DEM conversion program (late 2019?  sorry, too busy
> to give it time)
> 
> 
> regards, jr.
> 

DEM! That was it. Thank you.


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From: Josh English
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 3 Aug 2022 22:41:49
Message: <62eb31ed$1@news.povray.org>
On 7/31/2022 1:10 PM, ingo wrote:
> in news:62e5cf83$1@news.povray.org Josh English wrote:
> 
>> Does such a thing exist anywhere anymore?
>>
> 
> Maybe Christoph Hormann has something on his site https://imagico.de/
> 
> ingo
> 
Thanks. I'll take a look.


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From: Leroy
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 4 Aug 2022 14:15:00
Message: <web.62ec0b7279c4acd7bfc65818f712fc00@news.povray.org>
Josh English <Jos### [at] joshuarenglishcom> wrote:
> Some time around 20 years ago I had a system by which I could download
> USGS topographic data and convert it to a POV-Ray height field. This was
> on a Macintosh running OS 9, I think.
> I am now on Windows 11 and I have lost all of my old POV-Ray files for
> reference.

I did the same thing but I was lucky. Through all those years and computer
upgrades. I still have the folders that has all the tools that I used and the
dems from 'USGA'(I think) I'm sure that there are better tools out there
now.Somewhere!
 But if worst comes to worst you can have them. They are for windows. I started
with win 3.1 and the last time I use them I had XP or 98, I think.
Have Fun!


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From: Leroy
Subject: Re: Rendering topographic data
Date: 4 Aug 2022 15:30:00
Message: <web.62ec1d0c79c4acd7bfc65818f712fc00@news.povray.org>
"Leroy" <whe### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> Josh English <Jos### [at] joshuarenglishcom> wrote:
> > Some time around 20 years ago I had a system by which I could download
> > USGS topographic data and convert it to a POV-Ray height field. This was
> > on a Macintosh running OS 9, I think.
> > I am now on Windows 11 and I have lost all of my old POV-Ray files for
> > reference.
>
> I did the same thing but I was lucky. Through all those years and computer
> upgrades. I still have the folders that has all the tools that I used and the
> dems from 'USGA'(I think) I'm sure that there are better tools out there
> now.Somewhere!
>  But if worst comes to worst you can have them. They are for windows. I started
> with win 3.1 and the last time I use them I had XP or 98, I think.
> Have Fun!

Correction it's USGS not USGA. You need to go there. A lot has changed!
After posting here I revisited my dem stuff I do have the source code for a
thing called Dem2Pov.exe
Have fun


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