MAPPING

What is an orthomosaic?

Each orthomosaic map is made up of dozens of orthoimages, which are stitched seamlessly together from drone footage. These maps offer a photo realistic, time-specific portrayal compared to satellite.

The drone's lattice method fly-over allowed a 3D model to also be created by knowing the placement of each pixel, relative to the next picture's location. The following .obj was made in DroneDeploy:

The caveat of such large models -- especially in the context of higher drone footage -- is that the smaller details often slip through the cracks. Although still very high quality, the closeup of the dinosaur footprints within this object did not hold their integrity:

The scale at which photogrammetry can be captured allowed us to take close-up shots -- and therefore models -- on PolyCam with the iPads. From the individual footprints and stone ripples to the whole surface of the exposed rock, this approach gave those small-scale details which the larger model lacked.

As a result, the two, ranged models could then be puzzle-pieced into one, exciting mega-model: a larger, true-to life world allowed by the drone, and the few smaller details in question as captured through Lidar scans:

From an academic standpoint, the models in question offer a way to experience places -- dinosaur footprints or not. The shaping of the worlds themselves allow for additional, infinite creative liscense, in regard to how information is presented, or evenm physically manifested.

(the unrendered model unfortunately does not reflect the dynamic sky add-on I set up)

With some slight landscape blending and intense tilting, they clicked quite nicely

(save for, perhaps, the doubled launchpad)

Despite the fact that my magnum opus of a render took an indefinite amount of time (it did not work on Smith's Neilson computers), I was able to screen record the beginning of its trajectory; this is the backend of basic movement in animation and modeling, -- without any of the sky, clouds, or realistic aspects, as those would have been in my render.

Below are some very early, non-stitched and no-sky renders to explore the world. Since this was before I created the sun, it is darker than I would like