Integrat|ng a Geo|og|c Map and Cross-Sect|ons |nto an

Interact|ve 3-D 8|ock D|agram w|th Goog|e SketchUp

au| karab|nos
Department of Geosc|ences
W||||ams Co||ege
W||||amstown, MA 01267
Iune, 2011
1hls ls a descrlpLlon of my meLhod for creaLlng lnLeracLlve 3u block dlagrams wlLh
Coogle SkeLchup, whlch l developed from March 2010 Lhrough !une 2011.
1o lllusLraLe Lhe deLalls of Lhe meLhod, l used Lhe 8edrock Ceologlc map and cross-
secLlons of Lhe 8ochesLer, vermonL, Cuadrangle publlshed by Creg Walsh and ChrlsLlne lalLa ln
2001. l chose Lhls map because Creg Walsh used lL as one of Lwo examples ln hls excellenL
paper:
Walsh, C.!., 2009, A meLhod for creaLlng a Lhree dlmenslonal model from publlshed
geologlc maps and cross secLlons: u.S. Ceologlcal Survey Cpen-llle 8eporL 2009-1229, 16 p.
avallable aL hLLp://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1229/
Creg's paper descrlbes how Lo drape a geologlc map on Lhe Lopographlc surface ln
Coogle LarLh and use Coogle SkeLchup Lo poslLlon cross-secLlons ln Lhelr correcL poslLlon wlLhln
Lhe geologlc map. 1hls allows Lhe user Lo vlew LhaL parL of a cross-secLlon whlch ls above Lhe
Lopographlc surface LogeLher wlLh Lhe geologlc map ln a 3-u conLexL. SLeve WhlLmeyer from
!ames Madlson unlverslLy has creaLed a wonderful Lool LhaL makes poslLlonlng a cross-secLlon
ln Coogle LarLh sLralghLforward.
hLLp://csmres.[mu.edu/Ceollab/WhlLmeyer/web/vlsuals/CoogleLarLh/Lools/xS.hLml
1hls gulde shows how Lo make a 3-u block dlagram wlLh Coogle SkeLchup LhaL
lnLegraLes a geologlc map wlLh cross-secLlons below Lhe Lopographlc surface. 1hls approach
requlres Lhe ablllLy Lo make segmenLs of Lhe map lnvlslble ln order Lo see Lhe cross-secLlon. 1he
lmage below shows whaL Lhe flnlshed model looks llke:


lf you dlscover ways Lo lmprove Lhe meLhod descrlbed here please emall me
(pkarabln[wllllams.edu) and l wlll updaLe Lhls documenL and acknowledge your conLrlbuLlon.
rograms kequ|red-
1. Clobal Mapper 12 or ArcMap 10 for dlglLal elevaLlon model (uLM) creaLlon.
2. ArcMap 10 for cropplng map and cross secLlon lmages.
3. hoLoshop (CS3) for addlLlonal lmage processlng.
4. SkeLchup 8 or SkeLchup ro 8 for comblnlng maps and cross secLlons lnLo a 3u model.
Mater|a|s kequ|red-
1. A DLM of Lhe area downloaded from hLLp://seamless.usgs.gov/.
2. A geo|og|c map and cross sect|ons. 1hese can be scanned from paper coples or
downloaded ln dlglLal formaL. l downloaded a sld flle of Lhe 8ochesLer Cuadrangle,
vermonL from Lhls slLe: hLLp://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ngmdb/ngm_caLalog.ora.hLml.
Creat|ng the Mode|-
1. Down|oad a DLM of Lhe area of lnLeresL from hLLp://seamless.usgs.gov/. noLe LhaL you
musL Lurn off op-up 8locker Lo navlgaLe Lhe Seamless server.

a. LxacL coordlnaLes can be speclfled ln Lhe Seamless vlewer uownloads area uslng
Lhe ueflne uownload by CoordlnaLes Lool.
b. AlLernaLlvely, Clobal Mapper or ArcMap can be used Lo cllp a uLM of larger
exLenL uslng Lhe coordlnaLes or a polygon feaLure LhaL corresponds exacLly Lo
Lhe area of lnLeresL. 1he easlesL workflow ls Lo open Lhe downloaded zlp flle of
Lhe uLM ln Clobal Mapper, deflne Lhe coordlnaLe sysLem, and exporL Lhe flle ln
an LlevaLlon Crld lormaL as a uLM or an uSCS uLM. l llke Lo lmporL a blL larger
area and Lrlm lL wlLh Clobal Mapper Lo Lhe exacL coordlnaLes when l exporL Lhe
uLM. 1hls exLra sLep helps prevenL funny edge effecLs LhaL dlsLorL Lhe
Lopography along Lhe borders of Lhe uLM.
2. repare the DLM for your mode|.

a. Cnce downloaded, open Lhe zlp flle dlrecLly ln Clobal Mapper or unzlp lL and
open lL ln ArcMap.
b. ueflne Lhe pro[ecLlons you wlsh Lo use. lor Clobal Mapper: 1ools
menu/ConflguraLlon/ro[ecLlon. unpro[ecLed Ceographlc CoordlnaLe SysLem
(CCS) uLMs wlll be square for a 7.3' quadrangle, whereas pro[ecLed u1M uLMs
wlll be recLangular and have Lhe same shape as Lhe publlshed map.

c. l prefer Lo use Clobal Mapper Lo prepare Lhe uLM for Coogle SheLchup. l exporL
lL ln an LlevaLlon Crld lormaL as a uLM or uSCS uLM: llle menu/LxporL
8asLer/lmage lormaL.
3. Import the DLM |nto Goog|e SkechUp.

a. ln Lhe llle menu selecL lmporL. ?ou have Lo use Lhe drop down menu Lo leL
SkeLchup know you are lmporLlng a uLM, and you can use Lhe CpLlons buLLon Lo
conLrol Lhe level of deLall you wanL Lo preserve ln Lhe uLM. More polnLs (and
more faces) preserve more Lopographlc lnformaLlon from Lhe uLM, buL more
polnLs also creaLe a larger flle LhaL can bog down SkeLchup durlng subsequenL
sLeps. l used 10,000 polnLs for Lhe model of Lhe 8ochesLer Cuadrangle, whlch ls a
reasonable compromlse beLween Lopographlc deLall and flle slze. 1he lmporLed
uLM becomes a 1ln, or 1rlangulaLed lrregular neLwork. 1he 1ln ls a component,
or self-conLalned enLlLy ln SkeLchup, when you cllck on any parL of lL, Lhe enLlre
feaLure ls selecLed. 1o edlL a componenL, lL ls necessary Lo rlghL-cllck on lL and
selecL LdlL ComponenL from Lhe conLexL menu. 1yplcally, Lhe uLM does noL look
very promlslng when lL ls flrsL lmporLed. 1here may be a verLlcal wall along one
edge of Lhe uLM, and Lhe borders of Lhe Lrlangular faces LhaL deflne Lhe surface
are vlslble.

b. 8lghL-cllck on Lhe uLM componenL, selecL LdlL ComponenL ln Lhe conLexL menu,
selecL Lhe Lrlangular faces on verLlcal walls LhaL may exlsL on Lhe uLM edges wlLh
Lhe SelecL 1ool, and deleLe Lhem.

c. 8lghL-cllck on Lhe uLM agaln, selecL SofLen/SmooLh Ldges, seL Lhe Angle
8eLween normals Lo 120 degrees, check boLh Lhe SmooLh normals and SofLen
Coplanar boxes. 1he uLM should look preLLy good now.
4. repare the Geo|og|c Map and Cross-sect|ons for your mode|. Ceologlc maps and
cross-secLlons can be scanned from paper coples or downloaded ln dlglLal formaL. 1he
followlng slLe ls an excellenL place Lo sLarL looklng for maLerlal:
hLLp://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ngmdb/ngm_caLalog.ora.hLml. 1here are numerous ways Lo
prepare Lhe map and cross-secLlons, Lhe followlng are Lhe sLeps l used Lo creaLe Lhe
map and cross-secLlons for Lhe 8ochesLer, vermonL Cuadrangle.
a. l downloaded Lhe map and secLlons as one flle ln sld formaL and opened lL ln
ArcMap.
b. l seL Lhe daLa frame Lo Ceographlc CoordlnaLe SysLem wlLh Lhe same daLum as
Lhe map. l georeferenced Lhe map and accompanylng secLlons uslng Lhe laLlLude
and longlLude values on Lhe corners of Lhe map. 1hen l changed Lhe daLa frame
Lo Lhe same coordlnaLe sysLem l used for Lhe uLM exporLed from Clobal
Mapper. lL ls worLhwhlle maklng sure LhaL Lhe map and cross-secLlons go
Lhrough Lhe exacL same processes when preparlng Lhe lmages so LhaL no verLlcal
dlsLorLlon of secLlons ls unlnLenLlonally lnLroduced.
c. l used Lhe Arc1oolsbox/uaLa ManagemenL/Cllp 1ool Lo creaLe separaLe rasLer
lmages of Lhe map and each cross secLlon, l ellmlnaLed as much 'collar' as
posslble. ln order Lo use Lhe Cllp 1ool, you musL creaLe a polygon shapeflle,
dlglLlze polygons ln Lhe preclse shape of Lhe map and cross-secLlons, and use
Lhese polygons Lo cllp Lhe larger lmage.

d. l opened Lhe map and each cross-secLlon flle lndlvldually ln ArcMap and
exporLed Lhem as png flles aL 600 dpl resoluLlon.
e. l opened each flle ln hoLoshop Lo crop Lhe lmages and make sure LhaL any area l
wanLed Lo be lnvlslble was LransparenL. noL all lmage formaLs supporL
LransparenL edges. unless you use a formaL whlch does, Lhere wlll be whlLe
boundarles around Lhe edges of Lhe map and cross-secLlons- noL a look you wanL
because Lhe whlLe edges wlll obscure Lhe map behlnd Lhe cross-secLlons. l also
used hoLoshop Lo make sure Lhe base of each cross-secLlon was as close Lo
horlzonLal, l.e. as level, as posslble. l used Lhe 8oLaLe lmage 1ool Lo ad[usL
secLlons as needed.
3. Drape the geo|og|c map onto the DLM surface.
a. use Lhe Camera menu/SLandard vlews/1op Lo look sLralghL down aL Lhe uLM.
1hen use Lhe Camera/Zoom LxLenLs Lo make Lhe uLM flll your screen. llnally,
Camera/arallel ro[ecLlon wlll make Lhe uLM look llke a recLangle wlLh smooLh
edges Lo slmpllfy some of Lhe followlng sLeps.
b. use Lhe 8ecLangle 1ool Lo make a recLangle Lhe same shape and slze as Lhe uLM,
you may have Lo make lL a blL larger so LhaL Lhe recLangle doesn'L lnLeracL wlLh
Lhe uLM componenL.

c. SelecL Lhe recLangle and use Lhe Move 1ool Lo elevaLe lL dlrecLly above Lhe uLM.

d. use llle/lmporL Lo lmporL Lhe lmage of Lhe geologlc map and place lL on Lhe
recLangle. ?ou have Lo use Lhe drop-down menu Lo leL SkeLchup know LhaL you
now wanL Lo lmporL an lmage. use Lhe cursor Lo pln Lhe lower lefL corner of Lhe
lmage on Lhe lower lefL corner of Lhe recLangle, and drag Lhe cursor Lo expand
Lhe lmage Lo Lhe edges of Lhe recLangle. lf Lhe lmage ls noL Lhe same shape as
your recLangle, Lhere ls a mlsmaLch ln coordlnaLe sysLems beLween Lhe uLM and
map. ?ou can use Lhe scale Lool Lo compensaLe for small dlscrepancles, buL
correcLlng a large mlsmaLch Lhls way wlll produce dlfferenL lengLh scales ln Lhe x
and y dlrecLlons.
e. CrblL Lhe model Lo selecL Lhe recLangle below Lhe geologlc map lmage and erase
lL- [usL Lhe recLangle, noL Lhe map.
f. 8lghL-cllck on Lhe map and selecL Lxplode.

g. 8lghL-cllck on Lhe uLM and selecL Lxplode, Lhls may Lake a whlle lf you used
many polnLs when you lmporLed Lhe uLM.

h. use Lhe Wlndow menu Lo open Lhe MaLerlals wlndow. SelecL Lhe Lyedropper
Lool ln Lhe MaLerlals wlndow and cllck on Lhe geologlc map. ?ou should see a
Lhumbnall of Lhe map ln Lhe upper lefL corner of Lhe MaLerlals wlndow,
lndlcaLlng LhaL you can use lL as a maLerlal.

l. When you move Lhe cursor over Lhe uLM, lL wlll change appearance and lndlcaLe
LhaL Lhe alnL 8uckeL 1ool ls acLlve. When you cllck on Lhe uLM wlLh Lhe alnL
8uckeL Lool you wlll drape Lhe map over lL. 1hls may Lake a whlle, so be paLlenL.
?ou can rlghL-cllck on Lhe recLangle and selecL Plde lL Lo hlde Lhe upper layer and
admlre your uLM wlLh Lhe geologlc map draped on lL. uon'L erase Lhe recLangle
yeL, because we are golng Lo use lL ln Lhe nexL sLep.
6. Create the cross-sect|on p|anes. 1here ls no one correcL way Lo lnLegraLe geologlc cross-
secLlons wlLh Lhe map, alLhough some meLhods are far easler and more preclse Lhan
oLhers. WhaL follows ls a deLalled descrlpLlon of a meLhod l developed Lo accommodaLe
Lhe free verslon of SkeLchup, whlch ellmlnaLes a greaL deal of poLenLlal frusLraLlon LhaL
goes along wlLh a sLrlcLly manual approach Lo poslLlonlng Lhe secLlons. Advanced users
of SkeLchup ro have oLher opLlons avallable lf Lhey make Lhe cross-secLlons dynamlc
componenLs and Lake advanLage of Lhe ComponenL ALLrlbuLes wlndow.
a. unhlde Lhe recLangle above Lhe uLM lf necessary. 1o be on Lhe safe slde, selecL
lL, make a copy uslng Lhe Move 1ool ln con[uncLlon wlLh Lhe ConLrol key, move
Lhe copy up or down from Lhe orlglnal, and hlde Lhe copy ln case Lhlngs go badly.

b. use Lhe Llne 1ool Lo Lrace Lhe cross-secLlons llnes on Lhe flaL map above Lhe
uLM. Make four-slded polygons and connecL ad[acenL cross-secLlon llnes along
Lhe edges of Lhe map. Lach secLlon llne should only connecL wlLh one oLher llne,
lf Lhere are an odd number of llnes, creaLe a polygon conLalnlng Lhe odd secLlon
llne and Lhree edges of Lhe map.

c. use Lhe ush/ull 1ool Lo elevaLe Lhe polygons [usL creaLed aL leasL as hlgh as Lhe
verLlcal rellef of Lhe cross-secLlons. 1here ls no need Lo be preclse here, Lhe
verLlcal planes wlll exlsL only long enough Lo help lmporL Lhe cross-secLlon
lmages.

d. SelecL ALL planes and llnes LhaL are noL Lhe verLlcal planes correspondlng Lo Lhe
cross-secLlon llnes, and deleLe Lhem. (1he hldden copy of Lhe map serves as
backup.)
e. lmporL Lhe cross-secLlon lmages one by one, pln Lhem Lo Lhe lower lefL corners
of Lhe correspondlng verLlcal secLlon planes, and expand Lhem Lo flll Lhe
horlzonLal exLenL of Lhe secLlon planes.

f. When Lhe cross-secLlon lmages are all lmporLed, selecL Lhe verLlcal planes used
as guldes, and deleLe Lhem. 1he cross-secLlon planes should now be hoverlng
over Lhe uLM dlrecLly above Lhe secLlon llnes.
7. D|v|de the DLM |nto segments def|ned by the cross-sect|on ||nes. AL Lhls polnL, Lhe
uLM ls a slngle enLlLy. lf we wanL Lo be able Lo see where Lhe cross-secLlons and map
meeL aL Lhe Lopographlc surface, we need Lo be able Lo 'Lurn off' porLlons of Lhe uLM.
a. SelecL one of Lhe hoverlng cross-secLlon planes, and use Lhe Move 1ool ln
con[uncLlon wlLh Lhe ConLrol buLLon Lo move a CC? of Lhe cross-secLlon plane.
Move Lhe plane parallel Lo Lhe Z dlrecLlon, or 8lue Axls unLll Lhe plane lnLersecLs
Lhe uLM. When SkeLchup recognlzes LhaL you are movlng verLlcally, a floaLlng
box appears wlLh Lhe message Cn 8lue Axls". Cnce Lhls box appears you can
hold down Lhe shlfL key and resLrlcL movemenL parallel Lo Lhe blue axls, or you
can Lype ln a speclflc value for dlsplacemenL of Lhe plane. 1he values you Lype
appear ln Lhe MeasuremenLs 8ox ln Lhe lower rlghL-hand corner of Lhe SkeLchup
wlndow- you don'L have Lo cllck ln Lhe box, [usL sLarL Lyplng and press LnLer Lo
move Lhe plane by Lhe speclfled amounL. Also, you can Lype ln anoLher value Lo
move Lhe plane a dlfferenL amounL lf necessary. l hlghly recommend Lhls
approach Lo geL used Lo flne-Lunlng Lhe placemenL of planes. AL Lhls polnL,
however, we are noL Lrylng Lo make flne ad[usLmenLs, [usL lnLersecL Lhe cross-
secLlon plane wlLh Lhe uLM.

b. use Lhe Scale 1ool Lo make Lhe cross-secLlon plane a blL wlder Lhan Lhe uLM.
WlLh Lhe cross-secLlon plane selecLed, cllck on Lhe Scale 1ool, and grab Lhe
handle on Lhe easL slde, hold down Lhe conLrol key, and sLreLch Lhe plane abouL
Lhe cenLer polnL Lo make lL longer Lhan Lhe uLM.

c. WlLh Lhe secLlon plane copy sLlll selecLed, go Lo LdlL/lnLersecL laces/WlLh Model.
1hls wlll dlvlde Lhe uLM lnLo Lwo segmenLs on opposlLe sldes of Lhe cross-
secLlon plane. An easy way Lo Lell lf you have succeeded ls Lo cllck on one
segmenL wlLh Lhe SelecL 1ool, lL should be Lhe only parL of Lhe map selecLed lf
you correcLly lnLersecLed Lhe plane wlLh Lhe uLM, and lL should be posslble Lo
hlde Lhls segmenL. ueleLe Lhe cross-secLlon plane copy.
d. 8epeaL Lhls process for all cross-secLlon planes. lf you have n cross-secLlons, you
should have n + 1 uLM segmenLs.
8. Integrate the cross-sect|on p|anes w|th the DLM and geo|og|c map.
a. SelecL one of Lhe cross-secLlon planes and use Lhe Move 1ool Lo lower lL unLll Lhe
Lopographlc surface of Lhe secLlon maLches Lhe Lopographlc surface of Lhe uLM.
lL ls easler lf you Plde one of Lhe uLM segmenLs ad[acenL Lo Lhe secLlon plane. l
prefer Lo use Lhe MeasuremenLs 8ox Lo move Lhe secLlon-plane by preclse
lncremenLs Lo achleve Lhe besL flL. lf all wenL well ln prevlous sLeps, Lhe !"#$%&"'
of Lhe secLlon planes should colnclde exacLly wlLh Lhe cross-secLlon llnes on Lhe
geologlc map, Lhe Lopographlc surface wlll almosL cerLalnly '"% maLch exacLly. lf
Lhe locaLlon of Lhe secLlon planes and llnes do noL colnclde someLhlng wenL
wrong ln an earller sLep.

b. 8epeaL Lhls sLep for each cross-secLlon plane. PonesLly, lL ls unllkely LhaL Lhe
Lopographlc surfaces of Lhe secLlon plane and uLM wlll exacLly colnclde. AL Lhls
polnL Lry for Lhe besL flL and save Lhe flne Lunlng for laLer.
9. I|ne tune the |ntegrat|on of the cross-sect|ons w|th the DLM and geo|og|c map. lf Lhe
Lopographlc surfaces of Lhe cross-secLlon plane and uLM maLch exacLly, lL ls lrrefuLable
evldence LhaL you have a guardlan angel or LhaL you made a deal wlLh Lhe uevll. lf all
wenL well ln earller sLeps, Lhe verLlcal rellef of Lhe cross-secLlon and uLM should maLch.
8uL Lhere are many poLenLlal causes for Lhe Lopographlc surfaces of Lhe cross-secLlons
and uLM Lo be dlfferenL. 1he publlshed geologlc cross-secLlons may have been drawn
wlLh some sllghL lnaccuracles. 1he geologlc map may have used an older base map Lhan
Lhe one used Lo creaLe Lhe uLM. 1he resoluLlon of Lhe uLM you downloaded, and Lhe
capaclLy of your compuLer Lo preserve elevaLlon deLall may have hlndered allgnmenL.
1hls secLlon descrlbes some relaLlvely easy ways Lo flx small problems ln reglsLry.
a. lf one end of Lhe cross-secLlon plane ls clearly lower Lhan Lhe oLher, Lhe 8oLaLe
1ool can help wlLh allgnmenL. SelecL Lhe cross-secLlon plane, selecL Lhe 8oLaLe
1ool, move Lhe compass-shaped Lool LhaL appears Lo Lhe cross secLlon plane Lo
allgn lL wlLh Lhe plane, hold down Lhe shlfL key Lo keep lL ln Lhe plane, and Lhen
move lL Lo Lhe lower lefL corner of Lhe plane. Cllck one Lo seL Lhe axls, move Lhe
cursor along Lhe boLLom edge of Lhe secLlon plane and cllck agaln Lo seL Lhe
reference llne, and roLaLe Lhe plane ln Lhe approprlaLe dlrecLlon Lo correcL Lhe
allgnmenL. Cnce you begln roLaLlng, you can Lype ln a speclflc value Lo move Lhe
secLlon plane very small amounLs. 1hlnk ln Lerms of 0.1
o
lncremenLs. lLeraLe
beLween roLaLlons and verLlcal movemenL Lo lmprove Lhe allgnmenL beLween
Lhe secLlon plane and Lhe uLM.

b. 1o furLher lmprove allgnmenL, you can use Lhe Smoove 1ool (as ln smooLh move)
ln Lhe Sandbox 1oolbox. (1he flrsL Llme you use Lhe Sandbox 1ools you may have
Lo Lurn on Lhe Sandbox exLenslon ln Wlndow/references/LxLenslons.) keep Lhe
uLM on boLh sldes of Lhe secLlon plane vlslble and use Lhe Smoove Lool Lo make
mlnor ad[usLmenL Lo Lhe uLM so LhaL lL maLches Lhe Lop of Lhe secLlon plane
more closely. ?ou can ad[usL Lhe radlus over whlch Lhe Smoove Lool operaLes Lo
opLlmlze efflclency and preclslon.
10. Use Layers to manage the appearance of your mode|. AL Lhls polnL, your uLM ls dlvlded
lnLo segmenLs deflned by Lhe cross-secLlon llnes, and Lhe cross-secLlon planes are under
Lhe uLM. lL ls easy Lo rlghL-cllck on any uLM segmenL and hlde lL Lo see Lhe cross-
secLlon below, buL Lhls becomes a blL Ledlous afLer a whlle. lL ls much easler Lo manage
Lhe appearance of your model uslng Layers. lL also faclllLaLes Lhe creaLlon of anlmaLlons
of your model, descrlbed ln Lhe nexL secLlon. SkeLchup uses a brllllanL sysLem for
asslgnlng feaLures Lo layers LhaL lnvolves Lhe Layers and LnLlLy wlndows.
a. ln Lhe Wlndow menu selecL Layers. When lL opens Lhere ls only one layer, Layer
0. use Lhe + buLLon Lo creaLe new layers. lL ls worLhwhlle asslgnlng each layer a
useful name Lo keep Lrack of whaL lL conLalns. use Lhe cursor Lo selecL a feaLure
LhaL wlll be asslgned Lo Lhe layer. ln Lhe Wlndow menu open LnLlLles. 1he
selecLed feaLure wlll be llsLed ln Lhe Lop of Lhe wlndow. use Lhe drop-down
menu labeled Layers Lo asslgn Lhe selecLed feaLure Lo Lhe approprlaLe layer. 1o
hlde Lhe feaLure, uncheck Lhe box ln Lhe vlslble column ln Lhe Layers wlndow.
Check Lhe layer Lo make Lhe feaLure vlslble agaln.

b. Asslgn each segmenL of Lhe uLM Lo lLs own layer. Cross-secLlons can each have
Lhelr own layers, or be grouped lnLo one layer, dependlng on how you wanL your
model Lo look.
11. Use Shadows to |||um|nate your mode|.

ln Lhe Wlndow menu selecL Shadows. 1he conLrols allow you Lo slmulaLe shadows casL
by Lhe sun for any Llme of any day of Lhe year! LxperlmenL wlLh Lhe seLLlngs Lo flnd Lhe
besL llghL Lo hlghllghL Lhe Lopography wlLhouL maklng Lhe cross-secLlons Loo dark Lo see.
12. Use Scenes to create an|mat|ons of your mode|. Among Lhe many cool feaLures ln
SkeLchup, Scenes ls very cool. lL allows you Lo record an exacL perspecLlve of your model
wlLh speclflc layers vlslble or lnvlslble. MulLlple scenes can be creaLed Lo organlze a
sequenLlal presenLaLlon of your model. 1he famlly of scenes can also be comblned Lo
produce an anlmaLlon, and Lhe anlmaLlon can be exporLed ln a varleLy of formaLs.

a. ln Lhe Wlndow menu, selecL Scenes. no scenes wlll be llsLed unLll you creaLe
Lhem. SeL up your model wlLh Lhe layers you wanL Lo be vlslble and Lhe deslred
perspecLlve. Cllck Lhe + buLLon Lo creaLe Lhe flrsL scene. ?ou can label Lhe scenes
and descrlbe Lhem Lo help you keep Lrack of Lhem.

b. CreaLe a new scene each Llme you change perspecLlve or Lhe vlslblllLy of a
feaLure. Lach Llme you creaLe a new scene, a small box wlLh lLs name appears
[usL above Lhe Skechup model wlndow. lf you cllck on one of Lhese boxes your
SkeLchup model roLaLes and pans smooLhly Lo LhaL scene. So, by cllcklng on Lhe
scenes ln order, you can run a gulded Lour of your model, ln Lhls case your uLM
wlLh a draped geologlc map and lnLegraLed cross-secLlons.
c. Co Lo Lhe vlew menu/AnlmaLlon/lay Lo run an anlmaLlon of your model uslng
Lhe scenes you creaLed. ?ou can conLrol how Lhe speed aL whlch Lhe anlmaLlon
runs and Lhe delay beLween scenes by golng Lo Lhe vlew
menu/AnlmaLlons/SeLLlngs/AnlmaLlon.
d. ?ou can exporL your anlmaLlons by golng Lo llle menu/LxporL/AnlmaLlon. 1here
are several exporL llle 1ypes avallable on Lhe drop-down menu, and a hosL of
posslble opLlons Lo conLrol Lhe quallLy of Lhe exporLed flle wlLh Lhe CpLlons
buLLon.
e.
13. Cne more tr|ck for v|ew|ng your mode|.

Pere ls one Lrlck l dlscovered recenLly. lf you change Lhe opaclLy of Lhe map from 100
Lo a lower value, even 99 wlll due, Lhe cross-secLlons wlll Lake precedence over Lhe
map. 1hls means LhaL you can 'see Lhrough' Lhe map Lo Lhe cross secLlons below,
ellmlnaLlng Lhe need Lo 'Lurn off' segmenLs of Lhe map. lL works flne, buL some vlewers
may have more Lrouble processlng Lhe map and secLlons Lhls way Lhan Lhey would lf Lhe
an enLlre segmenL of Lhe map were lnvlslble. l suspecL parL of Lhe problem has Lo do
wlLh mlsslng vlsual cues Lo help lnLerpreL Lhe lmage. SLlll, lL makes for an amuslng
perspecLlve on Lhe block dlagram.