[Withdrawn] September-October Challenge: We need those trees

[Redrobes]

I'm considering doing a concept art piece of New York and the waters off the southern tip of Manhattan between Governor Island and Liberty Island. Its another Post Apocalyptic scene where man has polluted the air to such an extent that world wide radical changes had to be introduced and the population of Manhattan and surrounds have decamped to a partially submerged dome (or maybe Pyramid) built using the latest nano technology and all land has been returned to forest regions and left to grow to fix the atmosphere.

So my map will be a perspective view looking down onto the Statue of Liberty across the waters to the ruined sky scrapers and whats left of Manhattan with lots of trees and vegetation taking over and a pristine looking futuristic building on / under the waters in the foreground. The buildings will be of a geodesic 'buckyball' type structures similar to the Eden Project buildings or the equivalent pyramid which is being proposed for Tokyo.

I will start it in 3D but I might have a go at real paint afterward. The 3D is good for getting the shapes in but its a lot of work to texture so I dunno which way ill go.

http://www.elanso.com/U/D/D36/36361f...0869886250.jpg
http://www.wikiwak.com/image/Eden+Pr...s+panorama.jpg

[tilt]

sounds cool - lots of great entries allready and the challenge has just begun

[mearrin69]

Sounds cool! Man, I'm in P-A heaven this challenge.
M

[Redrobes]

I got my usual DEM data for this and looked around for some big maps of manhattan but actually had a lot of trouble finding some that matched what I needed. I got this Nasa one which I have formatted up so that it aligns with the data which was quite a challenge in itself. So now I have some height info and some colour info. The height info is real poor around the skyscrapers. I guess the buildings being so spikey acted like a nice anti reflection coating for the radar so I will have to work on those areas.

Once that is done ill use the colour info as a basis to draw my own substituting the city for ruins and trees. This is all basically going to be the huge and slightly blurred environment map so it doesn't have to be in spectacular detail for the scene.

### Latest WIP ###

[mearrin69]

Heh. I tried to get DEM data for New York but found myself completely befuddled on what to do with it when I got it. Looking forward to seeing this.
M

[Redrobes]

For anyone doing a small scale map of the region around the city then here is the map. But if you look at Manhattan peninsula then you can see its a) low res and b) pretty broken and not much good. I might have to think about whether to use it which is a bummer really as this would save me time.

[mearrin69]

Yeah. That's pretty rough. Mainly posting to say I like your new avatar...sweet!
M

[Redrobes]

Just copying Torstans... it should be mandatory for all entrants. And yours would look good with a spiky tiara as well

[mearrin69]

Hmmm. I'll give that a go
M

[Redrobes]

I seem to be having a real problem with this one. I have DEM data but its not very high res and broken around the scrapers so thats an issue and this is the most high res one I can find. So ok I thought id make my own cos I only need the land shape. Now I am having trouble getting a free map to use. I got QGis and downloaded the Natural earth which is good data but its waay too low a detail and res to cover Manhattan. So I have been looking at the public domain web sites for photos and drawing a blank there too. I can rip up some map and create a new vector outline for it but I don't have the heights or an idea of the visual view from the region where I want it. Since I haven't been there I don't have my own photos either so basically everything I can use is at best creative commons and not usable for commercial purposes or its a full copyright. The best is as usual NASA and there is NOAA stuff too but thats more for the coast which does not cover the harbor north of Staten Island.

Does anyone know of any free to use (in commercial sense) vector maps of Manhattan with a good detail. I saw the open map project is CC. There are 3D objects including a PD statue of liberty but the source of it everyone is quoting is 3DCafe which is down and not likely to be back up - maybe ever. I can make the blocks of scrapers but that's gonna take ages and some people have been on that for years. I don't think I can use the Google earth data or MS virtual earth unless anyone thinks different. So I am drawing a blank, looking at a LOT of work or maybe just be better off with a few tins of acrylic or gouache and a brush and my not so very leet art skillz. Or I can change my idea to something else that I can make a bit easier.

I have been keeping up with the thumbs but not the threads from everyone's posts so I gotta see what everyone else is doing to source their material.

Edit: This is the shot I am after which is from wikipedia and noted as being the public domain. If I edited this severely by taking down many of the scrapers and putting trees in all over the place and then adding the new CGI dome and new new york within then would it be acceptable ?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...pter_edit1.jpg