Creating 3D Geological Maps Using Sketch Up

Jaime ToroDepartment of Geology and Geography

West Virginia University

On the Cutting Edge - Professional Development for Geoscience Faculty Teaching with New Geoscience Tools: Visualizations, Models, and Online Data

University of Massachusetts – Amherst Feb. 11-12, 2008

Problem:

• Find a low-cost and easy to use way of creating 3D models of geological structures

Solution: SketchUp

• Software for making Architectural 3D Models

• Widely used in other industries

• Costs: – SketchUp 6.0– Free (some limitations)– SketchUp Pro 6.0- $495 or Free Educational

License

• Systems: Windows, Mac OS X 10.4

http://www.sketchup.com/

3D Warehouse: Lots of free models of everything

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse

3D Warehouse: Geological models are beginning to appear

Mars Geology

Global Paleogeography

How SketchUp works

• Clever user interface for extruding 2D objects

• Great for architectural stuff (cubes, cylinders, pyramids, etc)

• It is based on edges and planes, not volumes

• Not so great for free-form objects, but….

• http://sketchup.google.com/products.html

How to Make a 3D Geological Model

1. Make sequential cross sections with kinky geometry2. Interpret both above and below the ground3. Export to SketchUp as .dxf together with 2D map4. Put each geological unit in a SketchUp layer5. Hide all layers but one6. Join the cross sections to form a surface7. Repeat for all your units8. Import the DEM9. Intersect the 3D model and the DEM10. Optional: add colors, textures, etc.

Interaction with other software

EXPORT

Google Earth

ArcScene: Import as 3D Marker Symbols

AutoCAD .dxf, .dwg

.vrml (for GeoWall, etc)

IMPORT

• .jpg, .tif, .bmp

• .dem

• ESRI shapefiles

• AutoCAD .dwg, dxf