GeoMapApp© Help
Using the 3D View Tool
The 3D View Tool allows the user to create perspective views of any image in the Main Map Window. To create your own perspective view, zoom to your region of interest and use the tools in the Grid Options window to modify coloring, illumination and vertical exaggeration. Then press the 3D View button to see an interactive preview and make modifications. A final version can be saved.
An excellent example of a perspective view that can be made with GeoMapApp is this image of Monterey Canyon off the west coast of North America. It was made by Bill Haxby, creator of GeoMapApp.
Creating your own perspective view
A movie tutorial (requires Flash software) is available which demonstrates creation of a 3-D view.
First, zoom to an area of interest. This is a view of the Southwest Indian Ridge where the spreading center is equidistant from Africa and Antarctica in the far South Atlantic ocean.
The 3D View Tool is a button in the Grid Options window. This window pops up whenever a grid is loaded, for example by clicking the Grid Toolbar button
or by selecting View on the main menu bar and choosing Grids...
The Grid Options Window opens.. If you wish to adjust the coloring using this tool window, there is more information available at: Palette Tool.
Press the 3D View button to access the 3D Tool.
After the 3D View button is pressed, the 3D Tool appears. Note that a low resolution Preview will load. The purpose of the 3D Tool is to allow interactive modification of the image using the Preview window. When a 'final' view is achieved, it can be viewed and saved to disk at full resolution.
Expand the window so that all of the tools are in view:
Modifications you can make
Vertical Exaggeration can be adjusted by changing the numerical value in the text box. The image will change when you press 'enter'.
Higher numbers produce steeper peaks, lower numbers create a flatter landscape.
Pressing the Rotate 
button as you drag the mouse left-right causes the image to rotate (spin) .
Pressing the Tilt 
button as you drag the mouse up-down within the Preview window tilts the image .
Pressing the Zoom 
button as the mouse is dragged left-right within the window moves the user's viewpoint closer or farther away .
Quality and Image size in pixels - To speed up the rendering of the preview image, you may select so-so quality instead of better (the default).
You may also change the width and height of the view. This will be the size of the final image in pixels.
Viewing the final result
To see the result of your manipulations, press 
and a new window opens.
Note the information on viewpoint location and height as well as the geographic location of the image center and the vertical exaggeration used.
You may save the image to your computer by clicking the Save Image button.
Pressing OK at the bottom of the window closes it without saving.