This article was published on November 6, 2020, by John Nelson on the Esri ArcGIS Blog, under the title Digital Map Folding Part 2: 3D.
Prologue
What initially sparked my interest in all of this was the need to photograph my maps for the portfolio section of my new website (which, by the way, has been in a "coming soon" state for far too long, but that's another story).
At first, I reached out to photographers, explained what I needed, and asked for quotes and related details. But I had several concerns: Would the final images be suitable for a map portfolio? What if I changed my mind later and wanted a different angle or presentation of a particular map? I just couldn’t decide how to move forward. And to make matters worse, I had already tried capturing the maps myself using my phone—a total disaster.
I began to think there had to be another way. I figured there must be a method to simulate the look of a professionally photographed map, something like a mockup. So I turned to the internet, searching for alternative solutions, mainly through Photoshop or Illustrator tutorials. To my surprise, I found plenty of them, most offering similar techniques for creating realistic mockups. Watching and reading through these, I started to wonder if I could apply the same techniques within ArcGIS Pro.
After countless late nights and dozens of hours in front of my screen, I finally managed to replicate the folds, shadows, and the realistic oblique perspective of a physical map. The result, I believe, is quite satisfying. In the following paragraphs, I’ll walk you through the process I’ve developed so far, which, of course, is still open to refinement.
Simulate the third dimension
I pick up the story from where my previous post, How to Fold a Map left off. At this point, I’ve already created the grid polygon feature layer that simulates the folds, applied my usual ArcGIS Pro style, and now I’m sitting—somewhat uncomfortably—staring at my screen.
Sure, it looks realistic enough, but I couldn’t help thinking: why settle for just a top-down view? If I had handed the map to a professional photographer, they would’ve likely taken it into a studio and captured it from various oblique angles, not just from above. So naturally, I needed to find a way to simulate those alternate perspectives.
I knew that the Scene View in ArcGIS Pro offers a wealth of possibilities—so long as you feed it with the right Elevation Surface. But that raised the next question: how exactly do I create such an elevation source?
Understanding the folds’ vertices
Time to get hands-on. In ArcGIS Pro, I open the Map View of the project I’ve been working on and add, once again, the incredibly useful grid polygon feature layer that simulates the map folds (Pictures 1 and 2).
To better understand the geometry of the folds, I symbolize this polygon layer using a marker symbol layer, setting the placement to On vertices (Picture 3).
What I observe is quite interesting—some vertices appear to pop out of the map, while others seem to sink in. This observation gives me an idea: by creating a point feature layer that captures these vertices and assigning appropriate elevation values to them, I could generate a custom elevation surface for use in the Scene View.
Creating the folds’ vertices
If you’re lucky enough to have an Advanced ArcGIS Pro license, you can use the Feature Vertices To Points tool to generate the required point layer with ease.
But since I (like most of us mere mortals) only have access to a Basic license, I’ll do it manually. I start by creating a new point feature layer using the Create Feature Class tool, and then I add a new attribute field to store the elevation values (Picture 4).
Next, I add the new point layer to the table of contents (Picture 5).
Using the editing tools, and with vertex snapping enabled, I manually place the points on each fold vertex (Picture 6).
Assigning Elevation Attributes to Vertices
The next step is to categorize the vertices into two groups:
- Group 1: those that appear to pop out of the map and
- Group 2: those that seem to sink in.
I do this by making simple selections of the vertices directly on the map canvas and then using the Calculate Field tool (Picture 7).
I assign a value of 200 to the vertices that pop out, and -200 to those that dive into the map (Picture 8).
These values, 200 and -200, are arbitrary and represent the vertex’s distance from the horizontal plane. Think of it this way: if you were to unfold a paper map completely flat on a table, all these values would approach zero. You may need to experiment a bit to find the elevation values that work best for your specific project.
Creating the Elevation Source
ArcGIS Pro’s Scene View supports various types of Elevation Sources, so I can generate one by interpolating the point feature layer I created in the previous steps.
There are several ways to approach this. If you have access to the Spatial Analyst or 3D Analyst extension, you can easily create a TIN surface or interpolate using methods like IDW, Spline, or others. Each method will yield slightly different results, so some experimentation may be necessary to find what works best for your map.
Since my personal license doesn’t include those extensions, I performed the interpolation using SAGA GIS instead. The resulting elevation raster should look something like the one shown in Picture 9.
Convert to Scene View
Now that the Elevation Source is ready, this is where the real magic begins. I simply convert the map to a Local Scene View (Picture 10).
Next, I drag the elevation raster and drop it into the Ground group under the Elevation Surfaces section, located at the very bottom of the table of contents (Picture 11).
I then clean things up by removing any layers I no longer need, such as the temporary vector layers created earlier, and also delete the default WorldElevation3D/Terrain3D from the Elevation Surfaces group (Picture 12).
Finally, I rotate and tilt the view to find the most visually appealing angle (Picture 13)!
Refining the Scene View
To make the scene truly realistic, a few final refinements are needed. First, the vertical exaggeration appears too strong (clearly, the -200/200 elevation values were a bit much). So, I adjust the exaggeration by changing the default value from 1.00 to 0.40 in the vertical exaggeration box (Picture 14).
Much better! But something still feels off. The map looks like it’s floating in space. To fix this, I add a subtle shadow beneath the map. The easiest way? I reintroduce the grid polygon layer (after all, it matches the exact extent of the map) and drag it into the 3D Layers group at the very top of the table of contents (Picture 15).
In the Layer Properties panel, under the Elevation tab, I set the layer to be displayed At an absolute height. Then, using the Expression Builder, I enter an expression that shifts the entire layer 200 map units below the map surface (Picture 16).
And since it’s highly unlikely to find a pink shadow in the real world (unless you’re the Pink Panther), I update the layer’s symbology—renaming it to Shadow—and style it to resemble an actual shadow (Picture 17).
Et voilà (Picture 18)!
For a final touch, I also change the Background color of the scene to better complement the map (Picture 19).
And that’s it (Picture 20)!
Epilogue
What began as a simple need to showcase my maps in a more professional and visually engaging way turned into an unexpectedly creative journey through the tools and possibilities of ArcGIS Pro. Along the way, I discovered that with a bit of curiosity, some workaround thinking, and a few extra steps, it's possible to simulate studio-quality visuals without the studio, or even the expensive software extensions.
This method is still evolving, and I'm sure there are ways to refine it further, but for now, it’s a satisfying blend of cartography, design, and a little bit of digital illusion. I hope this inspires you to explore your own creative solutions within the tools you already have.
Kindest regards from Crete, Greece!
Spiros
