Vectric Newsletter - Issue 30 - May 2012

[StuartH]

This month’s newsletter is now available – please follow the links below to read more about each item.

You can subscribe to the Vectric Newsletter by clicking here: http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/ ... cribe.html

Newsletter Issue 30 - http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/ ... 0-may.html

• Free Project - Grocery List Plaque - http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/ ... laque.html
• Army Sign - Customer Case Study - http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/ ... _sign.html
• Vectric User Group Meeting 2012 - http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/ ... m_2012.htm
• Vectric at Maker Faire 2012 - http://www.vectric.org/labs/index.php/l ... -the-world
• User Showcase:
  • 3D Signs - http://www.vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=14441
  • Student Cabinets - http://www.vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=14374
  • 3D Bear Head - http://www.vectric.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 2&start=15
  • Welcome Sign - http://www.vectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14415

The Vectric Team

[cac67]

Interesting reading. Is the hack to aspire to import the geo data going to make it to an update?

[EdwardP]

Hi Chris,

Well, that's a good question but I'm afraid I can't give you a very good answer just yet

We set up Vectric Labs to allow us to distinguish our 'skunk works' projects from our commercial offerings and there is a lot of further investment required to get a hack like this up to the quality we would need to turn it into a proper Aspire feature. I have already found *a lot* of variation in the Digital Elevation Model, DEM, files that I have looked at and reliably loading all the ones that we would inevitably encounter in 'the wild' would be my first hurdle.

We're obviously interested to gauge opinion, but we always have to think about the other things we could be doing instead that might give more people more bang for buck - this might be a little too niche.

Glad you liked it though.

E

[fretsman68]

Thanks so much for the free project once again!

Dave

[SparksStudios]

...a lot of further investment required to get a hack like this up to the quality we would need to turn it into a proper Aspire feature.

EdwardP,
Is there any process you can describe for using Digital Elevation Model files that doesn't involve hacking Aspire or using a great deal of programming skills? I am very interested in carving topo maps but have no idea how to get started.

-Taylor

[Toywood]

Any one interested in doing topo maps should get the program Global Mapper 14 from www.bluemarblegeo.com

[AJF]

I looked at the GlobalMapper program you mentioned to try to understand how you would use it with Aspire to create 3d maps. I'm assuming because the program has the ability to output GIS information in a STL vector format that Aspire can use this file to create a 3d model. By chance do you have a example of a map model created using Global Mapper and Aspire as I'm very curious to see the quality of the model created.

[Toywood]

Hope the pictures help. I carved this using 2" layers of construction foam. The total project is 12" deep by 6 feet by 6 feet.

[David Warkentin]

Now that is cool.

[AJF]

The model detail is very impressive. Did the map you created in Global Mapper use DEM information for the area and when you exported the file to Aspire (I'm assuming in STL format) was it a manageable size our were you forced to break it up into sections. The reason I'm asking is I've tried doing something similar with other programs and constantly getting "out of memory" errors in Aspire even though my computer is maxed out with memory.