Our Designs
Why do some of your maps look 3-D?
We use highly detailed DEMs (digital elevation "models") - images that represent elevation above sea level - that have been collected via airplane and satellite imagery, to add shading to various maps.
For our eyes, a world without shading is a world without depth. Shading is part of what gives us depth perception.
When we use hill shading, aka relief shading, we make maps appear to pop of the page. Using detailed models and sophisticated software, we can make our maps appear truly 3 dimensional.
With detailed DEMs, we can use a variety of computer software to
1) Prepare a map
2) Virtually distort the map image to add relief with a DEM
3) Cast digital sunlight onto the distorted map, which adds the shading
4) Capture or render an image from "above"
