3D Visualization of Pipeline Buffer

So, I wanted to demonstrate how to create a buffer through a mountainous area and view it in 3D. I took a corridor in southwestern Colorado and created this 3D perspective. The project of course allowed complete 3D interaction and the user can fly around the full length of the pipeline corridor.

3D Bridges

I traveled to Australia to give several workshops on ERDAS IMAGINE that included basic Image Processing tools, Photogrammetry and 3D Visualization. One of the questions that I was asked during a presentation was "is it possible to create bridges in 3D?". At the time I answered "no, it is not because the elevation data would not allow it and you can't see what is under the bridge from the perspective of an aircraft".

On my plane ride home I did some thinking and figured out a methodology to include bridges in an 3D environment using photogrammetry, 3D feature extraction, making some graphic and raster edits, and then including that in a 3D visualization environment.

This is the result.


Here is the fly through!

3D Visualization of residential communities

The City of San Luis Obispo, CA wants to view their residential areas in 3D. How do you do that. Well I used high-resolution stereo photography to extract 3D models of each of the homes in the area. Then I included a lot of other GIS data layers. This is the result.

Here it is without the GIS layers and the fog!

3D GIS by Frank Obusek

One of the first few collections of 3D visualizations during my time with ERDAS. This has it all!

3D Visualization from the Cockpit: Day/Night landing

After a meeting with some airline folks, I created this fly through to demonstrate how IMAGINE VirtualGIS can be used to familiarize pilots of runway approaches. I experimented and figured out a way to make the landing merge from a day time to a night time scenario.

2D and 3D Viewshed Analysis

Are you interested in determining who/what can see you and who/what you can see from your location? Huh? Try viewshed analysis, both 2D and 3D. In this project we wanted to use 2D viewsheds with 3D intervisibility domes (3D viewshed). This is a good application for telecom tower siting and military reconnaissance.


Depending on which side of the building you are on, you can determine what you can see and what can see you.

You can also determine a strategic approach for a target of interest. How do I get to this building without the building see me? You better have a good 3D GIS dataset of your surrounding buildings.


3D viewshed analysis allow you to set a range and field of view and multiple locations and any desired height.

Determine flight paths into hostile territories.

Roaming intervisibility domes anyone?

Is it real? Or is it photogrammatic visualization?

The power of photogrammetry and 3D visualization. This orthophotography was acquired by PhotoScience, Inc. based in Kentucky. Using orthorectification and stereo feature extraction, it is possible to create realistic scenes like this and navigate through it on your desktop.

The Days Inn wasn't really there in its current location. However we wanted to see what it would look like if we did "put" one there and then drive by it. I extracted the Days Inn from another area of the stereo photography and placed it in its new location.

What a fantastic way to visualize an urban area before the buildings are actually there.