One of my favorite aspects of ArcGIS was the ability to make 3D map renditions, and so I am able to complete those from WebGIS as well! 3D maps in WebGIS, however, are referred to as either web scenes or 3D scenes. The book states some of its own examples of 3D scenes as giving a wider ability for story telling, helping with architectural ideas, urban planning, stimulations for defense, and creating films. I would also like to add to that list that 3D scenes allow for views to get a greater understanding. Sometimes, normal maps and scenes are hard to understand from their 2D view. What’s even more interesting about 3D scenes is that they are able to add an “X-ray” feature to a scene, allowing the viewer to move in and out of the objects to see what is inside. Furthermore, 3D scenes also allow those looking at them to see how sunlight or other implements might impact an area that a 2D scene wouldn’t be able to do. This allows for a further analysis of the scene and its contents. 3D scenes are able to be broken down into two different types. The first type is a photorealistic scene. A photorealistic scene is supposed to look as close to real life as possible. They utilize photos and texture features to recreate it to the best of their abilities. Typically, they are best used to show visible objects (like a city). The second type is cartographic. These use a 2D mapping technique and transitions them into a 3D scene. A lot of the time, these use attribute-driven symbols: height, size, color, etc. They do this to display physical, abstract, or invisible features.
I am not exactly sure what I would make from this chapter. I think I would pick an already created map and turn it into a 3D scene or take a feature in the map and turn it 3D. This would create a cartographic scene as opposed to a photorealistic scene. I think it would be interesting to take a 2D map of campus and have a pop up window for one of the buildings that would be a 3D rendition of it and allow it to be x-rayed.
