Generating Terrain Tiles (DEM) from Raster Datasets

Usage Instructions

Terrain tiles (DEM) are tile files generated based on terrain data, which optimize the display and browsing effects of terrain data.

Function Entrances

  • Workspace Manager->RasterDataset Right-click Menu->Generate 3D Tiles... Button
  • Toolbox->3D Data->Generate Terrain Tiles->Generating Terrain Tiles (DEM) from Raster Datasets

Operation Steps

  1. Select "Generate 3D Tiles..." from the right-click menu of the raster dataset. The "Generate 3D Tiles" dialog box pops up, used to add terrain data and set parameters for terrain tiles.
  2. The default selected dataset has been added to the list. If you need to add other raster datasets, click , and the "Select" dialog box pops up. The left side of the dialog lists all data sources in the current workspace, and the right side lists all datasets in that data source. Users can use the toolbar above the dialog to filter and search for the required datasets. After selection, click the "OK" button.
  3. Return to the "Generate 3D Tiles" dialog box, and you can see the selected terrain dataset displayed in the list.
  4. Toolbar:
    • Select All: Select all datasets in the data list to perform batch operations on the datasets, such as deletion and batch setting of tile parameters.
    • Invert Selection: Select the datasets in the data list that are not selected.
    • Delete: Remove the dataset from the current data list.
    • Set Password: Set a password for the generated 3D tiles. 3D tile data with a password requires entering the password when opened. Click the "Set Password" button, enter the same password in the "Password" and "Confirm Password" boxes, then click "Confirm" to complete the password setting. Note that only the "Compact" storage format supports password setting.
      Notes:
      • When batch setting tile parameters, after typing specific parameter values, you need to press the Enter key to make them effective; otherwise, it may cause the batch assignment of the same parameter values to not work.
  5. Data List Area:
    • Dataset: Shows the name of the dataset used to generate terrain tiles.
    • Data Source: Shows the name of the data source where the dataset used to generate terrain tiles is located.
    • Tile Type: Shows the type of 3D tiles to be generated, here it is "Terrain (DEM)". The tile type is a drop-down button, and the drop-down list shows all tile types supported by the selected data; users can choose from them.
    • Scene Type: There are two scene types: Plane and Sphere. When the dataset has a planar coordinate system, the scene type can only be set to Plane; when the dataset has a geographic coordinate system, the scene type can only be set to Sphere; when the dataset has a projected coordinate system, the scene type can be set to either Plane or Sphere.
  6. Basic Settings:
    • Tile Name: Enter the tile name in the text box to the right of "Tile Name", which is the name of the tile root directory.
    • Storage Path: Enter the output path for the tiles in the text box to the right of "Storage Path", which can be a local path or a network path; users can also select a path via the "Browse" button after the text box.
  7. Tile Range:
    • Check the "Default Range" radio button to use the default dataset range; the four text boxes for top, left, bottom, and right show the system default range.
    • Check the "Select Range" radio button to determine the tile range by specifying the dataset range. The coordinate system of the specified dataset must be consistent with that of the raster dataset to be operated on.
  8. Parameter Settings:
    • Organization Type: The system provides two organization types: Tile Storage and Block Storage.
      • Block Storage: Uses fixed-size block files to store data, which can improve data loading efficiency on the front end. If generating terrain (TIN) tiles of the block storage type, lower version compatibility is not supported.
      • Tile Storage: Uses tiles without fixed sizes to store data.
    • Storage Format: The system provides two storage formats: Compact and Original.
      • Compact indicates that certain compression and encryption mechanisms are used to compress and encrypt data during generation.
      • Original indicates that data is not compressed, retaining the original information of the image data.
    • Encoding Method: Supports the LZW encoding method. For an introduction to encoding methods, please refer to the Dataset Encoding and Compression Methods page.
    • Tile Size (PX): Obtains the sampling size of each tile block file generated after tile preprocessing, in pixels, i.e., pixels*pixels. The application provides sizes such as 128*128, 64*64, 32*32 for users to choose from. Users can select an appropriate size.
    • Thread Count: Sets the number of threads involved in generating tiles to make tile generation more efficient; the parameter value cannot exceed the maximum number of threads supported by the computer.
    • Start Layer, End Layer: Automatically obtains the layer numbers of the terrain tiles; both the start layer and end layer can be modified, with the supported modification range being between the automatically obtained layer numbers.
  9. By default, "Display Progress Bar" and "Automatically Close Dialog After Execution" are checked. After setting is completed, click the "OK" button to execute the terrain tile generation operation. Upon successful execution, DEM tile data will be generated at the specified location.