Anquet 3D update released

[Paul Saunders]

Only the beta, but get it now if you can't wait another fortnight!
http://www.anquet.co.uk/software_updates.asp

So far it looks really good.

Paul
--
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http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk
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[Andy Laycock]

> So far it looks really good.

I was using an earlier BETA release last week and have to agree with you
earlier comment that 3D looks better in Memory Map with the aeriel
photographs insted of OS maps.

I like the idea of being able to fly over your route though.

Cheers

Andy

[Paul Saunders]

Andy Laycock wrote:

> I was using an earlier BETA release last week and have to agree with
> you earlier comment that 3D looks better in Memory Map with the aeriel
> photographs insted of OS maps.

Yeah, and the light source is more controllable too. Anquet's light
source seems to give you a sun that rises due east, sets due west and
passes directly above at midday (instead of the 60 degree maximum
altitude that we see in summer).

MM is easier to control with the mouse rather than the clumsy keys in
Anquet, but the view is very limited, and the resolution is terrible
when you zoom in.

Anquet's 3D doesn't look so good (being a map) but is far more
versatile, with far more different viewing angles possible. At one
extreme you can increase the height and point directly downward, giving
almost the same as the 2D map view, but with shading so that you can
still see the 3D shape, even though looking directly down.

At the other extreme you can reduce the height so that you see the view
as though you were standing on the ground (well slightly higher
actually). If you input the grid ref of a summit (I cut and paste them
from Excel) you can then use the rotate keys to view the panorama from
that summit. This really does give a good impression of what you'd
actually see (allowing for the fact that you're looking at contour lines
with text scrawled all over it rather than aerial photos).

Naturally this is really cool for finding photo viewpoints, which is
what I've always wanted. I can now wander over the virtual landscape
checking out the views from various crags and bumps. When I find a good
viewpoint I can use the split screen view to mark a waypoint at the
camera position, to help me find the exact spot with my GPS. Although
the lighting is very simplistic, it can at least give me a rough idea of
what the light may look like during morning or evening (the best times
to shoot photos). I can even take a "virtual photograph" by printing
the result out (seems to be roughly equivalent to a 28mm lens).

> I like the idea of being able to fly over your route though.

Yes, that's pretty cool. I've already relived a few walks using this
feature, and when the camera is at ground level it really does look very
close to the real thing (allowing for it being a map of course), so I
presume I can trust it for planning new walks. Unfortunately it doesn't
tell me how boggy the ground is going to be.