Introduction
3D data can be found in a wide variety of formats and applications, ranging from extruded shapes to terrain surfaces, point clouds, and even entire buildings for visualization and coordination of work.
This article is an overview of a selection of 3D resources for working with data that supports a Z or elevation value. For more specific resources on CAD, point clouds, or Building Information Modeling (BIM), please refer to the linked format pages.
For a high-level overview of how FME can help you with 3D, see our website
3D Terminology
Appearance: A set of information that describes a surface and can be shared between surfaces and across features. An appearance may detail color, reaction to lighting, or provide an image as a texture. Appearances can be set on geometry, such as extrusions, faces, and surfaces.
Extrusion: A solid volume in 3D space, defined by a "base" face and an extrusion vector.
Face: A planar (2D) area in a 3D space. It is an example of a surface feature.
Surface: Geometries that have a planar area. Surfaces are 3D features and can be simple or composite.
Texture: Textures store information about how an image will be applied to a surface.
Geometry Traits: Attributes at the geometry level, rather than the feature level. These are
typically used with data formats with hierarchical geometries, such as SketchUp or CityGML.
Find out more about how Surfaces, extrusions, and faces work in the FME Geometry Model.
Tutorials
Getting Started Articles
- Tutorial: Getting Started with 3D
- Inspecting 3D Data
- Creating Simple 3D Models from Extruded Building Outlines
- Using Point Clouds to Create a Terrain Model with Buildings
- Basic 3D KML
Intermediate Articles
- Add Appearances to a 3D City Model
- Extract Layers from Traits and Swap Appearances
- Adding Different Textures to a 3D City Model
- Creating a Textured CityGML Model
- Preserving Textures and Georeferencing
- Convert Autodesk FBX (Filmbox) to KML
- Draping Imagery Textures on Terrain Surfaces
- Getting Started with the CityEngineModelGenerator
- Writing Cesium 3D Tiles with FME
- Uploading Assets to Cesium Ion
Advanced Articles
Before completing the following articles, please work through the Getting Started Articles first.
- BIM Tutorial
- Converting CityGML to INSPIRE 3D Buildings (Annex III)
- Create Three.js from SketchUp
- How to Clip TIN Surfaces
Format Documentation
- Adobe 3D PDF Writer
- Cesium 3D Tiles Writer
- OGC CityGML Reader/Writer
- Esri Indexed Scene 3D Layer (I3S) Writer
- Trimble SketchUp Reader/Writer
- OBJ Reader/Writer
Top Questions and Answers
- 3D Solids in PostGIS
- Place Datasmith mesh location not in origin?
- Convert DWG solid colors to OBJ
Additional Resources
Blogs
- Advanced 3D Worlds with ArcGIS Data Interoperability
- Top 4 LiDAR and Point Cloud Processing Workflows
- Visualizing Geospatial Data in a Web Browser with Cesium Ion and FME
Templates
- 3D Building Generator
- Footprint and DEM to Cesium 3D Tiles
- CityGML to Esri Geodatabase
Webinars
How to Easily Read and Write CityGML Data (Without Coding) [1:02:27]
- Learn how to read and write data to CityGML and understand its role within the broader context of GeoBIM, enabling you to achieve interoperability with your most challenging datasets.
FME Hocus Pocus: 3D Transformations [1:12:46]
- Get the fundamentals of how 3D geometries work in FME and how to best handle them in transformations.
Gaming with FME [1:13:17]
- Learn how to bring 3D data into environments like Unreal Engine, Roblox, or Minecraft.
Visualizing Data in a Web Browser with Cesium Ion and FME [56:02]
- Learn how to pre-process and bring data into Cesium Ion with FME.
Your Data in Unreal: How to Bring Your Data into Real-Time Environments [1:13:00]
- Integrate your existing data, like BIM, GIS, and CAD, and bring it into Unreal Engine so anyone can experience it in a real-time environment
Troubleshooting
Known Issues
For a list of Known Issues, see the following articles:
Support
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