3D nautical chart

[kitepaulx2]

New venture for me. Handcrafted 3D nautical art, using any maritime chart a favourite cove, your mooring, a memorable trip or where ever you like. http://fiftyminusfive.co.uk/

[david doyle]

Neat stuff. Built maps like that are always a hit, people like them.

If your up for some constructive criticism from an old cartography and public presentation hand:

- Labels that cross topo lines getting cut removes some of the pleasing nature of the work. The Saint Ives chart on your web site has Saint Ives top dead center but Saint and Ives are grossly interupted and make what should be something nice to look at for minutes at a time aggravating on first glance. In contrast the 'A' inset of New Quay Bay chart is handsome as could be and is a joy to look at.

- The depth of the frame and the limitation it imposes on your ability to portray non- wetted topography detracts alot from the map. The eye wants the map to make sense and going from 2d to 3d like that does'nt work for all charts. I understand the challange and realize that you cannot have a frame too deep. Maybe try hill shading the land? ie get freely available DEM data create a hill shade polygon, crop your chart's land portion to preserve lables etc and lay one over the other and reprint. You'd end up with the land being somewhat 3d while keeping the cartography of the parent chart.

- I am not certain but it seems you are using the same thickness of card stock to form the depth for multiple scales of maps? For your 1:12 500 chart it looks brilliant but for the 1:75 000 it becomes not so perfect giving a choppy unreadbale jumble at the littoral zone. Thinner stock may allow you to carry the 3d cutouts onto terra firma?

- If your a MAC guy you might want to get a PC in your office and start fiddling with GIS software. Might give you some options.

Love the idea and the presentation. Maps, most especially Charts are always a joy to own and study. Anyone who cannot happily spend an afternoon with coffee and a chart of anywhere is grossly lacking in imagination! Every school in the Common Wealth should have one of your 3D maps on the wall of every classroom, maybe then folks would learn to read a map! A good map is worth a thousand google earths eh LOL.

[kitepaulx2]

Hi David

Glad you like them.

I agree the label ending up on two levels bothered me too very nearly got cut off, would be nice to do the land too.

Thanks Paul