{"id":1130402,"date":"2021-02-03T12:03:25","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T20:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/?post_type=blog&p=1130402"},"modified":"2021-08-02T13:33:28","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T20:33:28","slug":"gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d","title":{"rendered":"GIS Visualization and Storytelling In 3D"},"author":9842,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":""},"categories":[23771,37121],"tags":[],"industry":[],"product":[421922,36781,36731,36741,36561,36851,380802,36611],"class_list":["post-1130402","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3d-gis","category-real-time","product-arcgis","product-city-engine","product-arcgis-earth","product-maps-for-adobecc","product-arcgis-pro","product-arcgis-pro-net","product-arcgis-storymaps","product-story-maps"],"acf":{"short_description":"3D enables GIS users to make new stories that explore spatial data in new ways.","flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Maps have always been about describing location, examining data, and telling a story.\u00a0\u00a0 As ArcGIS users, we\u2019re fortunate to be able to enhance our storytelling of GIS data in ways that weren\u2019t possible before.\u00a0 While 2D will always enable us to create compelling stories about location, 3D and emerging interactive technologies are now enabling us to bring our data to a wider audience.<\/p>\n

The use of game engines like Unreal and Unity with the ArcGIS Maps SDK for game engines enables you to compile your data into an immersive, interactive, and often photorealistic environment.\u00a0 And with the ability to author and visualize complex 3D data in ArcGIS, we can now mirror locations that immediately become recognizable to our audience.\u00a0 CityEngine provides procedural modeling for cities and urban regions.\u00a0 ArcGIS Pro enables us to consume these, visualize BIM models, Lidar, I3S, and many other complex data types in 3D.<\/p>\n

These workflows of digital representations are now culminating into projects of need for digital twins<\/a>, architecture, and synthetic environment generation.\u00a0 And they are often huge projects.\u00a0 Projects ranging from Singapore\u2019s integrated map system<\/a>, called OneMap, to the U.S. Army\u2019s Synthetic Training Environment (STE).<\/p>\n

The overall scope for 3D is growing exponentially, and so is our appetite to emulate our world with detail that is compelling and real.<\/p>\n

This post will highlight some ways you can enhance a 3D scene using ArcGIS.\u00a0 Tricks often employed by game developers like billboarded clouds and even ArcGIS\u2019s robust lighting will be a few of the highlighted ways that can help you develop more immersive 3D content for your GIS data.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130512,"id":1130512,"title":"InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2","filename":"InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2.jpg","filesize":278761,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/interactiveslicesubwayline2","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"ArcGIS Pro\u2019s Local and Global maps enable you to explore your 3D data with both analysis and highend visualization capabilities.","name":"interactiveslicesubwayline2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:06:59","modified":"2021-02-09 00:19:15","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1041,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":252,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":416,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1041,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2-1536x833.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":833,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1041,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2-826x448.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":448,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/InteractiveSliceSubwayLine2.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1041}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/arcgis-pro\/overview"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

Really, it\u2019s all about eyeballs.\u00a0 Getting our data out to a larger audience often has as much to do with the delivery as the information itself.\u00a0 GIS data is incredibly valuable.\u00a0 3D and new emerging immersive technology is just another tool to create a story that attracts a wider audience.\u00a0 Such as, enabling our audience to not only be able to view their building from above, but also letting them explore it in 3D.\u00a0 To walk the hallways, analyze the sunlight passing through the windows, and explore how large pedestrian movement is handled by the corridors.\u00a0 And we can do this by combining the power of visualization with delivery platforms like stereo display, VR, and AR.<\/p>\n

As ArcGIS users, we now have a variety of tools at our disposal that enable us to tell stories about GIS with technology utilized by AAA games and films.\u00a0 But the key is how we, as cartographers and GIS technologists, use these tools.\u00a0 It\u2019s not enough to consume and view the data in 3D, but we need to massage it to look it\u2019s best.\u00a0 After all, just as we take pride in perfecting the accuracy of our data, we need to make sure we show it in it\u2019s best light.\u00a0 And while things like ArcGIS\u2019s ability to perform physically based rendering (PBR) or ambient occlusion enhances our capability to view our data, we need to be cognizant of the same workflows used across other industries for visualization.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1131812,"id":1131812,"title":"C152BaltimoreRain","filename":"C152BaltimoreRain.jpg","filesize":378854,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/c152baltimorerain","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"Microsoft\u2019s newest release of Flight Simulator shows the power of visualization melding real world terrain, data, and various game quality effects.\u00a0 Image Source: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Press Image","name":"c152baltimorerain","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-03 04:10:20","modified":"2021-02-09 00:20:20","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":432,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1080,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain-1536x864.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":864,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1080,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain-826x465.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/C152BaltimoreRain.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1080}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

Microsoft Flight Simulator\u2019s latest release (2020) shows off the power of high definition terrains populated with buildings and vegetation.\u00a0 Microsoft’s Flight Simulator’s use of high end visuals, like volumetric clouds and advanced shaders, enhance immersion and the overall believability of the experience.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s done so well, many stills from the game almost replicate a photograph.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1132342,"id":1132342,"title":"skydome-earth","filename":"skydome-earth.jpg","filesize":134035,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/skydome-earth","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"Using a sky dome or spherical mesh to create clouds helps add detail to the sky.\u00a0 The sky dome in combination with the accurate lighting in ArcGIS Pro contributes to the overall immersion of the 3D project.\u00a0 See below to learn more about sky domes.","name":"skydome-earth","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-03 17:55:42","modified":"2021-02-09 00:20:34","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":954,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":231,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":382,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":954,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth-1536x763.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":763,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":954,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth-826x410.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":410,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/skydome-earth.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":954}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130542,"id":1130542,"title":"image2-WaterReflections","filename":"image2-WaterReflections.jpg","filesize":137727,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/image2-waterreflections","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"ArcGIS\u2019s capability to visualize water with reflections enhance viewers ability to understand the environment.","name":"image2-waterreflections","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:16:13","modified":"2021-02-09 00:21:05","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1040,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":251,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":416,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1040,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections-1536x832.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":832,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1040,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections-826x447.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":447,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/image2-WaterReflections.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1040}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

3D scenes can be immediately more visually engaging with reflections.\u00a0 As shown above, water in ArcGIS Pro has realistic variations of movement and reflectivity.\u00a0 This added ability to visualize your content in ArcGIS Pro adds to the immersion of your 3D map.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ArcGIS helps you tell a compelling story in 3D<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Visualizing maps in 3D is relatively new for most of us.\u00a0 Presenting your data in 2D poses its own set of challenges.\u00a0 How do you symbolize it?\u00a0 How do you describe regions and clumping?\u00a0 All these questions and more need to be answered in 3D as well.<\/p>\n

The spatial complexities of your data in 3D are hard to simplify.\u00a0 For the average person viewing 3D, it might be difficult to understand the data.\u00a0 A couple hundred points on a 2D map is vastly different to look at than 3D, and it requires a unique approach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130552,"id":1130552,"title":"moana-loa-2D","filename":"moana-loa-2D.jpg","filesize":37866,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/moana-loa-2d","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"","name":"moana-loa-2d","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:18:24","modified":"2021-02-02 22:18:24","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":720,"height":419,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","medium-width":448,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","medium_large-width":720,"medium_large-height":419,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","large-width":720,"large-height":419,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","1536x1536-width":720,"1536x1536-height":419,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","2048x2048-width":720,"2048x2048-height":419,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","card_image-width":720,"card_image-height":419,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-2D.jpg","wide_image-width":720,"wide_image-height":419}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130562,"id":1130562,"title":"moana-loa","filename":"moana-loa.gif","filesize":1064678,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/moana-loa","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"Earthquake or tremor activity is often captured underground, and the exploration of this data can be enhanced with 3D.\u00a0 While 2D let's us view these tremor locations quickly, 3D let's us explore them spatially.","name":"moana-loa","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:18:55","modified":"2021-02-09 00:21:24","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/gif","type":"image","subtype":"gif","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":720,"height":417,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa-213x200.gif","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","medium-width":451,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","medium_large-width":720,"medium_large-height":417,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","large-width":720,"large-height":417,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","1536x1536-width":720,"1536x1536-height":417,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","2048x2048-width":720,"2048x2048-height":417,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","card_image-width":720,"card_image-height":417,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/moana-loa.gif","wide_image-width":720,"wide_image-height":417}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Art direct your data<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve spent countless hours preparing data and compiling your research material to tell a story, it\u2019s important to take the time in displaying it properly.<\/p>\n

Working as a visual database engineer building a defense simulator some 20 years ago was an education for me on the importance of melding the artistic sensibilities of an art director with the precise accuracy of engineers, scientists, and GIS professionals.\u00a0 For trainees, enhancing their tactical execution on a simulator required perfect accuracy of terrains and physical dynamics.<\/p>\n

Immersion through photorealism was almost as vital as the data itself.\u00a0 This culmination of art and technology ultimately lead to a more immersive experience for the trainee.\u00a0 And this workflow has been further extended today with the use of the Microsoft HoloLens for the IVAS and other wearable technology that is currently being rolled up into the modeling and simulation community.<\/p>\n

This ultimately means taking your data and displaying it in a compelling and engaging way.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at some methods to enhance your data in 3D using ArcGIS and other tools.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I3S, Scanned Meshes, and large textured urban footprints<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Esri\u2019s Indexed 3D Scene Layers (I3S) provides you with the ability to consume urban environments from scans with realism, 3D points, and 3D objects.\u00a0 \u00a0Consuming these meshes into your 3D scene has never been easier.\u00a0 Not only does I3S let you consume very complex urban environments at a high level of precision, it\u2019s often textured with realism.\u00a0 A detailed textured urban environment immediately enhances the terrain by placing recognizable landmarks, streets, and buildings.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not consuming a scanned mesh, creating realistic urban environments can be both time consuming and complicated.\u00a0 CityEngine does make procedural generation of urban areas easier.\u00a0 But large textured city meshes acquired via scanning workflows let\u2019s all of us utilize realistic urban environments easily.<\/p>\n

“An I3S data set, also referred to as a scene layer, can be streamed over the web or it can be viewed locally as large packages of content.\u00a0 ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Earth both consume scene layers either as services or as local scene layer package (SLPK) files.\u00a0 The Scene Viewer in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise is Esri\u2019s WebGL 3D viewer and can consume I3S services coming from anywhere.\u00a0 In fact a huge benefit of the Scene Viewer and other Esri experiences is that they are built to consume a wide variety of open and Esri formats, all of which can be viewed together in the same experience.” – learn more about I3S<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130722,"id":1130722,"title":"city","filename":"city.png","filesize":659589,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city.png","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/city","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"Indexed 3D Scene Layers (I3S) of New York City 3D Buildings Model shows the power of a highly detailed mesh with textures.\u00a0 Enhancing your maps with complex meshes like this gives you a solid base to further enhance with points of data, symbology, and more.","name":"city","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:50:00","modified":"2021-02-09 00:21:46","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1319,"height":649,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city-213x200.png","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city.png","medium-width":464,"medium-height":228,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city.png","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":378,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city.png","large-width":1319,"large-height":649,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city.png","1536x1536-width":1319,"1536x1536-height":649,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city.png","2048x2048-width":1319,"2048x2048-height":649,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city-826x406.png","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":406,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/city.png","wide_image-width":1319,"wide_image-height":649}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Use ArcGIS StoryMaps to tell a story with 2D, 3D, and articles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

ArcGIS StoryMaps<\/a> are probably one of the most effective ways to pull together a story that requires complex analysis of data.\u00a0 With ArcGIS StoryMaps, you can comingle 2D, 3D, and text into one cohesive experience.<\/p>\n

StoryMaps is a powerful way to create a single online experience that shows 3D in context with descriptive writing, images, and much more. \u00a0And it enables you to publish all of it as one single easy to navigate webpage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130742,"id":1130742,"title":"3D-Storymaps","filename":"3D-Storymaps.jpg","filesize":129658,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/3d-storymaps","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"","name":"3d-storymaps","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:56:01","modified":"2021-02-02 22:56:01","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1304,"height":904,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps.jpg","medium-width":376,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":532,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps.jpg","large-width":1304,"large-height":904,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps.jpg","1536x1536-width":1304,"1536x1536-height":904,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps.jpg","2048x2048-width":1304,"2048x2048-height":904,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps-671x465.jpg","card_image-width":671,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/3D-Storymaps.jpg","wide_image-width":1304,"wide_image-height":904}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

View the 3D Cadastre StoryMap here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not only can you embed 3D into a webpage with StoryMaps, but viewers of your StoryMap can navigate the 3D freely to explore the data at their own will.\u00a0 This is an incredibly powerful way to take a complex 3D map and let your users interact and further understand it through their own exploration.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130752,"id":1130752,"title":"Storymaps","filename":"Storymaps.gif","filesize":2023211,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/storymaps-6","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"","name":"storymaps-6","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:57:22","modified":"2021-02-02 22:57:22","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/gif","type":"image","subtype":"gif","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":720,"height":393,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps-213x200.gif","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","medium-width":464,"medium-height":253,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","medium_large-width":720,"medium_large-height":393,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","large-width":720,"large-height":393,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","1536x1536-width":720,"1536x1536-height":393,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","2048x2048-width":720,"2048x2048-height":393,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","card_image-width":720,"card_image-height":393,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Storymaps.gif","wide_image-width":720,"wide_image-height":393}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Call attention to important data with realistic texturing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is a time and place for the use of textured data.\u00a0 While textured meshes help with realism and immersion, it can often be overwhelming to look at.\u00a0 Therefore, it\u2019s important to use textured meshes to highlight areas of interest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If your data is dense, textured meshes can often call attention to significant areas of interest.\u00a0 Use of textured meshes can not only improve realism, but a well textured 3D Marker will also drive your audience to the area of interest.<\/p>\n

In the example image below, the audience would have a very difficult time isolating the building of interest if all of New York City\u2019s buildings were textured.\u00a0 432 Park is the only textured building in this example, and this isolates it for the audience and provides focus for any story or further analysis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130782,"id":1130782,"title":"texture-432parkave","filename":"texture-432parkave.jpg","filesize":369244,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/texture-432parkave","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"432 Park Avenue is one of the largest condominiums in NYC, and its condo\u2019s offer some of the best views of the city.\u00a0 It's also one of the city's most expensive views.","name":"texture-432parkave","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 22:59:58","modified":"2021-02-09 00:22:07","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1051,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":254,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":420,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1051,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave-1536x841.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":841,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1051,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave-826x452.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":452,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/texture-432parkave.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1051}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Physically Based Rendering<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Materials or surface properties of your 3D content is important.\u00a0 Whether your trying to create a photorealistic look or enhance the look of your symbology, it\u2019s important to use some techniques now available in ArcGIS.\u00a0 For example, ArcGIS Pro and CityEngine provide you with the ability to consume PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials.\u00a0 This means you can author realistic surfaces like brick or glass in a tool like Substance Painter or Blender, and you can consume them with most of their qualities of advanced display.\u00a0 Things like specular highlights, reflectivity, and even bump maps will enhance the way your 3D content looks.\u00a0 And PBR materials will ultimately enable your scenes to be more detailed and immersive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130822,"id":1130822,"title":"SolarPanelFarm_A","filename":"SolarPanelFarm_A.jpg","filesize":340480,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/solarpanelfarm_a","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"3D Symbology or models properly prepared with PBR materials, like bump and specular maps, immediately enhance the detail of a scene.\u00a0 In the image above, the use of specularity on solar panels enable us to view how light moves across them throughout the day.","name":"solarpanelfarm_a","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 23:01:55","modified":"2021-02-09 00:22:22","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1041,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":252,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":416,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1041,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A-1536x833.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":833,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1041,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A-826x448.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":448,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/SolarPanelFarm_A.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1041}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

Lastly, if you aren\u2019t comfortable creating 3D content by using modeling and surfacing workflows, you can still utilize symbology that contain PBR materials.\u00a0 There are several resources for content that contain quality PBR models for free or for purchase.\u00a0 Sketchfab is one of the fastest growing 3D marketplaces, and I\u2019d recommend looking there for quality content.<\/p>\n

Unreal and Unity both provide their own marketplaces, although much of their content is catered for their respective game engines.\u00a0 ArcGIS does consume many popular formats though, and you should have no problem finding surfaced models that can be consumed across the platform.\u00a0 glTF or GLB is probably the easiest formats to consume that have both PBR surfaces and provide consistency within ArcGIS for rendering of models.\u00a0 Both these formats can be downloaded on Sketchfab.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130832,"id":1130832,"title":"sketchfab","filename":"sketchfab.jpg","filesize":160858,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/sketchfab","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"Sketchfab is a great resource to both find free and paid content to populate your maps with.\u00a0 It\u2019s a huge database made up of mostly quality content.\u00a0 Not only is there a plethora of content ranging from street furniture to vehicles, but all the models are downloadable in the glTF format.","name":"sketchfab","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 23:04:32","modified":"2021-02-09 00:22:37","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1302,"height":929,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab.jpg","medium-width":366,"medium-height":261,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":548,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab.jpg","large-width":1302,"large-height":929,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab.jpg","1536x1536-width":1302,"1536x1536-height":929,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab.jpg","2048x2048-width":1302,"2048x2048-height":929,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab-652x465.jpg","card_image-width":652,"card_image-height":465,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/sketchfab.jpg","wide_image-width":1302,"wide_image-height":929}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

What’s the difference between glTF and GLB?<\/p>\n

glTF contains the model and texture files separate, and the GLB file contains the model and textures as a single file.\u00a0 What this means? GLB, when available, has less that can go wrong when consuming it.\u00a0 Although if you want to edit the materials, you\u2019ll need the glTF to get access to the necessary texture files.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Using Blender, GIMP, and 3rd<\/sup>-Party 3D authoring applications with ArcGIS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Converting industry standard formats, like OBJ or DAE, into a glTF or GLB file is relatively easy.\u00a0 Blender is my current go-to for conversion into glTF, although numerous 3D modeling applications are implementing plugins for the file format.<\/p>\n

Blender is a popular and opensource application you can download for free.\u00a0 It not only will let you perform almost any modeling or surfacing workflow, but it\u2019s a great tool to perform conversion of files.\u00a0 Both glTF and GLB is supported in Blender’s most recent version.<\/p>\n

Blender can be downloaded here: https:\/\/www.blender.org\/download\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130842,"id":1130842,"title":"Blender-Example","filename":"Blender-Example.jpg","filesize":117721,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/blender-example","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"Blender is an opensource (free) application that is an extremely powerful tool to create and edit meshes.\u00a0 Not only can you build and edit the mesh and it's materials, but Blender also lets you create physically based materials (PBR) and export it to glTF.\u00a0 Lastly once authored in Blender, the glTF\/GLB can then be consumed in ArcGIS.","name":"blender-example","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 23:07:31","modified":"2021-02-09 00:22:50","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1051,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":254,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":420,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1051,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example-1536x841.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":841,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1051,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example-826x452.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":452,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Blender-Example.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1051}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":{"ID":1130852,"id":1130852,"title":"satallite-pro","filename":"satallite-pro.jpg","filesize":202171,"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis\/3d-gis\/gis-visualization-and-storytelling-in-3d\/satallite-pro","alt":"","author":"9842","description":"","caption":"Consuming an asset configured with PBR materials via glTF enables you to highlight realism through reflections, specularity, and bump maps.\u00a0 This workflow of prepping data in Blender to push into ArcGIS (above ArcGIS Pro) enables you to view your geospatial data and ultimately tell a more engaging story about it.","name":"satallite-pro","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":1130402,"date":"2021-02-02 23:08:16","modified":"2021-02-09 00:23:04","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1043,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro-213x200.jpg","thumbnail-width":213,"thumbnail-height":200,"medium":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro.jpg","medium-width":464,"medium-height":252,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":417,"large":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro.jpg","large-width":1920,"large-height":1043,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro-1536x834.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":834,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1043,"card_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro-826x449.jpg","card_image-width":826,"card_image-height":449,"wide_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/app\/uploads\/2021\/02\/satallite-pro.jpg","wide_image-width":1920,"wide_image-height":1043}},"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

 <\/p>\n

Another method to convert a model is using Sketchfab.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t a conventional method, although I\u2019ve done it a few times and it works well.\u00a0 This is a good method for generating glTF models for symbology.\u00a0 Sketchfab does limit it\u2019s uploads to 50mb, so the limitation will most likely exclude heavy models like terrain or photogrammetry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once again, Sketchfab is a huge and growing marketplace for 3D content, and it can consume many common file formats.\u00a0 Sketchfab can consume a number of formats, although the recommended file formats include:<\/p>\n