This project involves collaboration between Studio Harm Havenaar , the municipality of Almere , and Staatsbosbeheer. This project involved creating a 3D web map that showcased the area with simplified landmark buildings, as well as designated hiking trails and markers highlighting important events and locations within the park.

Our APPROACH

In constructing the scene, height data is utilised to reflect the real-life topography based on satellite information accurately. One of our primary focuses during the map's construction was to keep it easy to use and flexible. Facilitating easy adjustments to elements such as tree density, height displacement, and overall topology density allows us to hone in on the ideal configuration.

CUSTOM TOOLS

Because the map will be used on the web, we spend a lot of effort creating custom tools to automate the process for optimisation. These tools focus on instancing more than 2,000 tree meshes, targeting the optimal topology density for areas where it is most needed, and generating data required for offsetting markers and trails based on the height data. Additionally, there are options for corrections and adjustments that allow for modifications of height data and tree removal as needed.

To accurately visualise hiking trails and markers on the map, we required the height data of the terrain separately. To obtain this information, we created a reprojected square grid based on the displaced topography, which provided a rough estimate of the height. This process generated over 250,000 data points, which we exported into a JSON file, ensuring the data remained compact.

For the tree placement, we followed a similar approach. We utilised a Python script to export the transformed data along with the tree type for each park. With this information, we were able to select the appropriate mesh to be instanced numerous times.

Experience the beauty of Stadsbos Almeerderhout! Explore diverse hiking trails, picturesque landmark buildings, and a variety of tree species.