Re-creating Trippy AI-Generated Terrain Contours

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

here's a big pile of exported maps if you want to download them: www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-living-atlas/mapping/make-this-ai-inspired-topo-landscape-please/

[@rosswade3602]

"Always have friends who are smarter than you are." You're my smarter friend, Mr Nelson.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Ha! 😂

[@louis1372]

Thanks for the new desktop background! I like the ones without the cartoonizing outlines better, too. I want to print it and get your autograph on it :)

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

sweet! well maybe i'll see you at the esri user conference.

[@thomascalton3067]

If I could like a thousand times, I would! I love contours so much

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks Thomas! contours are pretty glorious.

[@saintuk70]

Witchcraft!! But something I'm going to try. Enjoying the outros too.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks! i'd love to see what you make!

[@orsonhyuri]

Hi John, simply amazing thank you. One question though. If i wanted to add highways, and points of interest, it seems the alignment will be off due to the offsets of the contours... any suggestions or work arounds? Please and thank you.

[@orsonhyuri]

I divided by 100 instead of 10 and that fit my map better. Cheers.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks! yes, this is true, overlain layers will not share that vertical pseudo-3D offset. what i would do (and maybe might demonstrate sometime) is using the "union" tool to split an overlay layer (like roads or trails) where they intersect the topo boundaries, run the "spatial join" tool to assign each line segment the contour polygon's elevation, then offset the line segments the same way.

[@FalakShoukat-e5h]

Can we do this in ArcGIS desktop??

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

i really don't know. if ArcMap lets you apply a y-move based on attributes, than yes. otherwise no. but the good news is, if you have a license to ArcGIS desktop, you have a license to Pro.

[@Maxine_Lee]

This contour is awesome. I followed the steps, but when I want to export the map, ArcGIS Pro transformation warning window is displayed, and said "A datum transformation cannot be found. The data may draw with an offset." This problem puzzled me for several days. Hope to get your answer, thank you very much!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

yeah, i don't know exactly why it's saying that. it says it for me, too. we create the contour layer in the application, so there should be a matching coordinate system. but maybe it's a setting i overlooked in the contour creation dialog. either way, it's not important since offsetting the contours is the whole point of this exercise and there isn't a need to perfectly align its content with other layer (which wouldn't work, given our visual offsets). we can safely ignore it in this context.

[@Maxine_Lee]

@@JohnNelsonMaps Thank you for your reply, I will continue to follow your videos to learn more interesting ways of mapping! Your maps are really great! It inspired me a lot!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@Maxine_Lee thanks!

[@jeniferbratsch7488]

This is awesome. I tried doing this with bathymetry data (the data has both positive and negative elevations) and anything below the water surface is covered...I can't wrap my head around why.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

hmmm, that's odd. i do recall having to do some experimentation with the contour options. i chose "contour shell up" but with negative values, maybe one of the other options is appropriate?

[@jeniferbratsch7488]

@@JohnNelsonMaps It was an easy fix. Just had to set the contours to start at a negative number. Duh. Thanks!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@jeniferbratsch7488 ah, great! glad you got it sorted. how does it look?

[@erikmain4957]

I don't know how you do it, this is incredible! You've been a big inspiration on me taking my maps to another level. I'm going to give this a shot.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

wow, thanks Erik! i hope you give this one a shot, it's a lot of fun.

[@ODWC-GIS]

Pretty cool! I was able to create something similar utilizing either the Terrain Tools v1.1 (created by Kenneth Field and Linda Beale, for ESRI in 2016) or one of WarrenDz's Effects Packages, combined with your own "paper texture" as the image-fill. ...I've a large and confusing folder titled "Cartography Nerd Resources" within my "Add-Ins" folder. But the end result _really does_ resemble paper-cut topography maps.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@ODWC-GIS awesome! I’d love to see it!

[@talathussain5078]

Just amazing. I am very weak in ArcGIS,but I am trying. I have a question. I am preparing a geological Map. Will this Method help me in Separating Rock Unit,? Can I draw contacts of Formations with it?

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@talathussain5078 welcome, and enjoy! I wouldn’t consider this method good for analytical work, it’s more of a fun representation of terrain

[@talathussain5078]

@@JohnNelsonMaps Thank you so much for your feedback. Anyways,very, very beautiful presentation. I love it.

[@sebastiengentet9032]

Lovely! Very beautiful and technical complex! I will also do the same thing for lake's bathymetry! In the expressions of move effects, should I multiply rather than divide to have the right deph effect? Thank you for everything!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@sebastiengentet9032 thanks! No just do the same formula for above and below water. Otherwise the water will appear inverted and look like hills.

[@catafest]

what software is this ?

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

ArcGIS Pro

[@CharlieRobertson-f8y]

Thanks, John. So cool! Is there anywhere to get this same DEM data without a NASA account? I'd love to try this, but can't access the data.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

that website is just a very much improved UI to NASA's download website, which requires the account. so not that I know of. you could also try this site, from the USGS, of higher resolution lidar data. not sure if they require an account: apps.nationalmap.gov/lidar-explorer/

[@charlesrobertson8975]

You da man! I think that worked and it looks like the exact same data just not behind a wall. Thanks@@JohnNelsonMaps

[@alfonsocabahugjr.3144]

WWWWWWWWOOOWWW!!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks Alfonso!

[@ricardojaviergarnicapena6749]

I've tried this process and it is amazing. Thank you

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@ricardojaviergarnicapena6749 that’s great wheat, thanks!

[@anhleroy]

Man I have work to do. I can't sit around and watch these videos all day. Quit making them so awesome.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

yes, Charles, you must!

[@GISandGenieCivil]

YOU'RE JUST GENIUS

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

must be a very specific form of genius that doesn't require being smart!

[@keeponkeepinon76]

Where art meets science, much like beer brewing.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Nice!

[@jameswalden7526]

Discovered this channel last night. Mind exploded. You are the absolute best!!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Wow thank you James! Welcome!

[@annadang3023]

Love this!! What happens when you drag the layer into a 3D scene?

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks! it renders as a 3D scene, but the y-move hack makes everything look smeared off in one direction. you could skip the -move hack if you want to make your map in actual 3D, but i've found 2D renders much crisper and 3D has visual artifacts associated with the distance from the camera and you'll see line breaks of lowered resolution.

[@dimitrijepotic3816]

Is this doable in QGIS? Best regards!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

I don’t know

[@terhuneb]

4:06, I did not think you were going to say "SHading"

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Who knows what I’m capable of

[@hamrozjumaev]

Thank you for the amaing tutorial. I have one question, i cannot finde the database button which is beside Offset X and Y, would you assist me with that?

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Yes! First you have to “activate symbol property connections”. It’s an option in the hamburger menu in the top right corner of the symbology pane.

[@hamrozjumaev]

@@JohnNelsonMaps thank you so much for the swift response, much much appreciated!

[@jeannemoore4523]

Hi Pepper!

[@Dr_Meowser]

This is super cool, thanks for sharing!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Glad you liked it!

[@PoorniIshara]

Incredible ur are very talented 🧐

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks Poorni!

[@cshug18]

This might be a silly question, but thanks to your tutorial I've got a great looking map, but it takes forever to render it each time I move around the map. Is there a way to bake all the layers together into a static, hi-res raster that I can move around in easily?

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Great! Yes, export your map as a geoTIFF file.

[@cshug18]

@@JohnNelsonMaps thank you!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@cshug18 you bet, have fun!

[@ianvanelst953]

Awesome stuff!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@StarshipsSteel]

DOGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

😄

[@stephenbrown2367]

Awesome Stuff!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@maestrodome]

It was a treat watching this! I am just starting to learn ArcGIS Pro in my post graduation. Looks damn fun 😊 Will try for sure 👍

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Great to hear! Thanks

[@HerculeYakko]

Way too many overlapping and crossing contours in that AI map. Looks like we get to keep our jobs for a few more months.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

i heard that

Thank you John. It will be a pleasure to follow your instructions and model the contour lines. I have a colleague who made 3D contour models many years ago using cardboard from his children's cereal boxes. I will try to make a visualisation of the 3D model.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

that sounds like a cool dad!

[@ZorkoZerg]

Yet another gem! Thank you John. This may be a nice technique for mount Doom , i.e Mt Ngāuruhoe. 😉

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks Zorko! you will probably do some amazing things with this method.

[@jeremiahpaul2338]

Epic!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@kingastryszowska-hill1648]

What?! How?!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Hi Kinga!

[@michaelhunter274]

Epic!!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks Michael!

[@Benisued]

came out beautifully, how do you make your symbology changes apply automatically?

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks! ah, this is a new feature in Pro 3.2. there is a switch at the bottom of the symbology panel. i love it.

[@rashidimvano1477]

This is Beautiful!, probably i need more than decade to hit this level of creativity, lol!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

give it a shot!

[@zacharyzoet3046]

This is a nice departure from working with attribute tables and schemas all day

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

a change of scenery helps sometimes!

[@GISmag]

Thanks John, I'm definitely gonna use it

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

cool!

[@ThiagoMK]

Amazing tutorial as always, John! Thank you so much for this!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@ega_ortega]

Thank you Mr. John! I really love with what you've created

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks Rafli!

[@jamisoncooper-leavitt5950]

I should be working, but now I am going to have some fun instead.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

it is working, they call it professional development! :) (not really kidding though)

[@tomsedlacek6229]

You continue to inspire me... I'm going to try it and add it to my bag of tricks!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

great, Tom! thanks.

[@theAllucard]

This was definitely worth the wait! I'm gonna try it on some interesting relief features and see how it turns out 😄

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

great! i hope you show me how it turns out!

[@MohdIslam-c1g]

Hey Jhon, how did you copy the renamed color layer?

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

hold the CTRL key and then drag the layer. Sorry, in the video i said the shift key, but it's the CTRL key.

[@gistutorial593]

any time you make a video , we learn new. thta's the best .

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@TOTONOC3]

Espectacular

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks!

[@pedrochavarria9151]

Gracias maestro Nelson, siempre disfruto sus vídeos, saludos

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Gracias por sus amables palabras, estoy encantado de ayudar!

[@cadencechen1962]

Amazing! That's all I want to say

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

well thank you!

[@AbhijayaDhakal]

You are a genius, John. I can't even follow your video even though I always slow down the video speed.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Oh shoot, I’m sorry!

[@AbhijayaDhakal]

I do when I slow down the video. I learn so much more. Chicanery was new to me. I love them! Your map videos are my screen two!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

@@AbhijayaDhakal thanks Abhijaya!

[@cshug18]

Love it. Can’t wait to try it out.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@ceciliapalacio3642]

you are a genius John!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

not really but i sure appreciate your kind words!

[@Ahmedali_-qd9eg]

Woww, amazing work!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks!

[@QuincysEntertainment]

Absolutely phenomenal!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@rolandpomana6192]

This is amazing!!!!

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks Roland!

[@Geotechdev]

Amazing

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks!

[@SoItGoes1985]

GIS was so dull till you came around, John. The channel is like Lexapro for the lowly Analyst. Make it look good and they'll let you keep getting that money check.

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

ha, thanks! googling lexapro now...

[@acennoid]

This is awesome

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks Ace!

[@jimmythehand4248]

Very cool

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

Thanks Jimmy!

[@mlsauron]

Beautiful

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thank you!

[@fatima.alfurjani]

Beautiful

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks!

[@rajneeshjaswal8688]

Love from 🇮🇳🇮🇳

[@JohnNelsonMaps]

thanks! what's ININ?

[@rajneeshjaswal8688]

@@JohnNelsonMaps you can't see the flag? it's the flag of india 🇮🇳