- Messages
- 12
- Country
Here are all steps I followed for making my fictional islands.
I started in a CAD software to have more control on drawing, and then shifted to GIS software.
By the way, you could save much more time starting directly in a GIS.
I'll try not to be too long:
1. Making the island map data in a CAD software (dxf files).
1.1. Decide where your island lays on Earth, and start drawing at the chosen WGS84 geographical coordinates.
1.2. Draw all map data, i.e. ocean, coastlines, beaches, streams, lakes, rivers, roads, towns and cities, city-parks.
1.3. Draw contour-lines to represent the relief.
2. Making a digital terrain model for your island in a GIS software (I used QGIS).
2.1. Convert the contour-lines dxf to shp.
2.2. Assign height values to the shp contours.
2.3. Use the interpolation command to make the Digital Terrain Model - DTM (GEOtiff file) from the shp contours.
3. Converting all island data dxf to shp files.
3.1. In QGIS you can do this with the dxf2shp plugin.
4. Converting the DTM to a BGL file.
4.1. Use the SDK Resample Tool to convert the GEOtiff DTM to a BGL file.
5. Converting all island data SHP to BGL files.
5.1. You can either use the SDK Shp2Vec Tool or SbuilderX. I took it simple, and used that great software named SbuilderX.
6. Making WaterClass, LandClass, and PopulationDensity maps.
6.1. Draw these maps in QGIS and get GEOtiff files.
6.2. Load the WC GEOtiff in SbuilderX to make a WC BGL.
6.3. Load the LC GEOtiff in SbuilderX to make a LC BGL.
6.4. Load the PD GEOtiff in SbuilderX to make a PD BGL. I haven't done this yet. My islands are still not populated.
7. Making Exclusion polygons.
7.1. Draw a large polygon covering all other data, and have it sliced. I made this in SbuilderX.
8. Adding fictional airports.
8.1. Use whatever method you prefer, I made airports in ADEX software.
9. Adding landmarks and bridges.
9.1. Still WIP... I just placed lighthouses, gas stations and skyscrapers in SbuilderX. I have to make bridges.
I started in a CAD software to have more control on drawing, and then shifted to GIS software.
By the way, you could save much more time starting directly in a GIS.
I'll try not to be too long:
1. Making the island map data in a CAD software (dxf files).
1.1. Decide where your island lays on Earth, and start drawing at the chosen WGS84 geographical coordinates.
1.2. Draw all map data, i.e. ocean, coastlines, beaches, streams, lakes, rivers, roads, towns and cities, city-parks.
1.3. Draw contour-lines to represent the relief.
2. Making a digital terrain model for your island in a GIS software (I used QGIS).
2.1. Convert the contour-lines dxf to shp.
2.2. Assign height values to the shp contours.
2.3. Use the interpolation command to make the Digital Terrain Model - DTM (GEOtiff file) from the shp contours.
3. Converting all island data dxf to shp files.
3.1. In QGIS you can do this with the dxf2shp plugin.
4. Converting the DTM to a BGL file.
4.1. Use the SDK Resample Tool to convert the GEOtiff DTM to a BGL file.
5. Converting all island data SHP to BGL files.
5.1. You can either use the SDK Shp2Vec Tool or SbuilderX. I took it simple, and used that great software named SbuilderX.
6. Making WaterClass, LandClass, and PopulationDensity maps.
6.1. Draw these maps in QGIS and get GEOtiff files.
6.2. Load the WC GEOtiff in SbuilderX to make a WC BGL.
6.3. Load the LC GEOtiff in SbuilderX to make a LC BGL.
6.4. Load the PD GEOtiff in SbuilderX to make a PD BGL. I haven't done this yet. My islands are still not populated.
7. Making Exclusion polygons.
7.1. Draw a large polygon covering all other data, and have it sliced. I made this in SbuilderX.
8. Adding fictional airports.
8.1. Use whatever method you prefer, I made airports in ADEX software.
9. Adding landmarks and bridges.
9.1. Still WIP... I just placed lighthouses, gas stations and skyscrapers in SbuilderX. I have to make bridges.
