3D City Data

or

Making Numerical Information Become

Visually Interesting with 3D Printing

Transforming a 2D graph into a 3D model with parameters based on arbitrary formal resolutions linked to precise data about two cities: Curitiba (Brazil) and the Hague (Netherlands).

On 3D City Data, I converted six characteristics of each city into displayable 3D models: area of the city, population density, bike paths per area, average lowest temperature, average highest temperature and the geographical coordinates.

Each section of this polygon would contain one information (apart from the coordinates).

In order to produce a visually appealing final result, each information was linked to a parameter as to alter, in a specific way, the original object.

Different shapes and forms were tested.

The area was determined by the proportionally equivalent area of the base.

The population density, by the number of transversal “holes” (boole object intersecting across the object).

The proportional number of kilometres of bike paths by area was determined by the number of shallow intrusions along the third part of the object’s body.

The average lowest temperature was linked to the number of tetrahedron subtracted from the fourth section of the object.

The average highest temperature was directly related to the number of tetrahedrons added to the top of the object.

The RGB colour values that compose the gradient (applied as cubic texture) are according to the geographical coordinates of the city. This was actually curious because the two cities ended up with similar colours. Roughly speaking, the coordinates of Curitiba – 25° 25’South and 49° 16’ West – are approximately equivalent to the coordinates of the Hague – 52° 05’ North and 4° 19’ East. However, one city is located on the north hemisphere and to the East while the other situates on the south hemisphere and to the West.