Definitions of 3D Software refers to objects and in our case maps, constructed in three planes (X, Y and Z), which interactively rotates objects at different angles and must be created in a 3D mapping program, such as our low cost user friendly 3D GIS Mapping Software Global Mapper. The 3D View command in Global Mapper 3D mapping software allows registered users to view gridded elevation data and any overlying raster or vector data in a true perspective 3D manner.
When selected, the 3D View command displays a window containing a 3D view of the data in the current Global Mapper view. Any imagery or vector data being drawn on top of the elevation grid(s) in the main Global Mapper view will automatically be draped on top of the elevation data in the 3D View window.  The image to the left depicts a sample of the 3D View window (click for larger image) displayed in our 3D software using 250K USGS DEM data for Salt Lake City, UT overlaid with DOQ satellite imagery from the TerraServer import command under the File menu.
The 3D View window contains a toolbar with command buttons allowing you to modify the default view. You can use the mouse to rotate the view around as well as zoom in. The arrow keys on the toolbar allow you to pan the data visible in the 3D view in any direction. The zoom in and out buttons allow you to zoom in or out on the center of the 3D view. Additional buttons are also available for modifying the vertical exaggeration, displaying water, and saving the 3D view contents to a Windows BMP, TIFF, PNG, or JPG file. The contents of the 3D View window will always reflect what is visible in the main Global Mapper view. This means that as you pan and zoom around the main Global Mapper view, the contents of the 3D View window will pan and zoom around as well. The reverse is also true in that the pan and zoom buttons on the 3D View window will cause the main Global Mapper 3D software view to pan and zoom as well.  Another example of the 3D view is displayed on the left (click for larger image). This time, it is several 24K USGS DLGs for Blue Springs, MO overlaid on several 24K USGS DEMs for the same area.
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