Solid Landscape Models in the Twenty-first Century – A Balanced Approach

Abstract

Cartography in general, and building solid landscape models in particular, requires an interdisciplinary set of skills in order to be done well. Traditional handcrafted construction methods provide quality results, but are extremely labour-intensive and therefore costly. Modern methods using digital terrain models (DTMs) and computer numerical control (CNC) milling are fast and accurate, but the finished models are visually less than optimal. Solutions are proposed using DTMs and CNC milling to create landscape models in which the initial shaping is done mechanically and the fine details are carved by hand. This ‘balanced approach’ to landscape modelling combines the time- and cost-advantages of modern digital technology with the quality of traditional handcrafted techniques resulting in highly accurate landscape models which still retain the artistic ‘feel’ of the human touch.

Keywords:

• solid landscape model
• DTM
• CNC
• stereolithography
• topographic relief
• art