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Part 14 - Export the Teacup to VS3D.
A powerful tool in VS3D/VScad3 is the ability to take a 3D CAD model and project it into a surface relief. From the main VScad3 "File" menu, select "Export to VS3D...". If VS3D is already running, a dialog will appear over the VS3D window. Leave all the "Import CAD Relief" dialog settings in their default state and click on "Ok". If VS3D was not already running, then the "Import Cad Relief" dialog will not appear (but click on "Demo" if the Licensing dialog appears). Once VS3D is started, it will display a relief surface of the teacup. How is this done ? In VScad3, each pixel in the view window corresponds with a grid point in the VS3D sculpture grid. At each pixel, essentially, the distance from the screen to the entity (or background) is calculated. These distance values are used to calculate the corresponding relief or "depth surface". In addition to the ability to export such data to VS3D, you can also use the main VScad3 "File / Export -> Depth Surface..." menu to save a relief surface to a ".vs3" file that is suitable for loading into VS3D. (If you are running VS3D/VScad3 in unlicensed DEMO mode, then all file output is disabled). The final surface relief heights in VS3D depend upon the VScad3 setting for the Workspace Region - specifically, the Z range.
From the main VScad3 File menu, select "Quit". From the main VS3D File menu, select "Cad Geometry Builder -> Export to...". VScad3 is started with the teacup relief loaded as a rectangle surface entity. Set the main VScad3 mode to "View" and set the view mode to Rotate. Click and drag the left mouse button on the view to rotate it. Note that the teacup is now in relief above a background plane. On faster computers with a suitable graphics accelerator card, the view rotations are fast (dynamically updated). On some slower systems, the rotations may take longer. VScad3 is based upon OpenGL, so any graphics card compatible with OpenGL will help VScad3. From the main VScad3 File menu, select "Quit".
Part 15 - Use a VS3D Relief Surface in VScad3.
In the main VS3D File menu, select "Load Relief...". The file selection dialog will appear. Navigate to the VS3D installation folder and go to the "work\files" folder. There your will find a file called "world.vs3". If VS3D is installed in the recommended default location, then the full path to this file will be "C:\DES_COM\VS3D20\work\files\world.vs3". In the file selection dialog, click on this file and then click on "Open" (or just double-click on the file). This file contains world elevation data with Z heights scaled into the range of about 19.5 and 20.5 . In this data, sea level corresponds to a Z height of 20. Switch the main mode to "Display". Click on the "Show Rulers" button. Note that the data scale for X ranges from -180 to 180 (degrees longitude), and the data scale for Y ranges from -90 to 90 (degrees latitude). Switch the main mode to "Region". Set the region definition mode to "Contour". Click on the "Geometry..." button. Enter a contour level of 20 and then click on "Ok". A region is created that encloses all the Earth's land masses.
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