Thread: Australian Relief Map

That's a fantastic idea, and very well executed Andrew! It does show just how flat we are as a continent, and why in contrast Tasmania is spectacularly beautiful .

Lance

yep, I can understand why you think that it was worth showing off - it is an awesome thing !

Dam! I had the same idea, except I'm still saving up for a CNC.

I love it! The smokey glass background is a special touch.

Please tell me all about how you generated the topography and turned that into a model.
What bit did you use for the final pass?

Do you think x30 for the height was best or would evenmore have been better visually for this?

So many questions....

Anyway its great!

Brilliant!! I love it. So well done and excellent choice of woods for the states. IWCS has just completed its selections of trees and woods that symbolising States and Territories, and the nominations are similar to those you have used so well. Love the use of CNC to show the higher ground and Great dividing Range. I have seen the same done with the US states, but not including the relief for ranges.

PS: Edit- we IWCS chose Ghost Gum for NT - its wood is a pale-mid brown similar to blackbutt but not readily available. You did well with your choice.

Originally Posted by DaveVman

Please tell me all about how you generated the topography and turned that into a model.
What bit did you use for the final pass?

Do you think x30 for the height was best or would even more have been better visually for this?
So many questions....

The amount of thought I have put into this surprised even myself.
The project was inspired from this post

https://makezine.com/projects/conver...g-and-milling/

After reading about how it was done I thought I could replicate it with my shiny new CNC router but if you follow the link there is a lot you need to learn, 3d modelling included. Many programs referred to no longer work as advertised and data sources have changed.

Topography and Modelling and Software
Programs I used were mostly open source or have hobby licences and include Qgis, Fusion 360, Camotics, UGS, Inkscape. I tried Linux but ended up reverting to a Windows 10 OS because its what I am familiar with.
Just getting the CNC to run on open source is an exercise in itself, then to actually not break the machine when using it is a whole other experience.

I can't explain how to get from source data to a created model in a post as this is the part that took me about 6 months to learn. However, once you get started I can say you need to learn about map projections, distortion and how to eliminate them. (My earlier attempts taught me the value in that as I spent at least 3 weeks trying to work out why NSW was about 12% bigger than Victoria, even though I used the same map source data to make the models. Much foam was harmed in this process.

Then comes the modelling side to make sure the base minimum thickness is identical across all maps, height elevations are identical and thinking about what looks good. Many tests cutting with foam led me to my final selection for size and heights. I did try an extremely high test but it looked too pointy and unrealistic. Much like the Makezine post. I also took to heart the difficulty in obtaining thicker wood and then (because I am learning) I had to see what I could actually get commercially and easily.

In the end I found wood at three commercial suppliers in Adelaide, all of whom were very helpful.

Wood Selection
The above led me to limit the maximum height of the entire model to 22mm. This allowed me to buy skip dressed wood from the local suppliers and had a larger range of species to play with.
Then I took my carefully selected lengths to a friendly local joinery who used their buzzer to surface the edges and one side leaving me the maximum thickness to play with.
The QLD red cedar and Huon pine pieces are the exception here. I had to use reclaimed wood for QLD and Huon is a pain to get outside Tasmania so I found a teensy little block that suited my needs.

For the remaining states the skip dressed pieces meant there was enough thickness left to cut out all the models at 30x elevation and foam modelling suggested this would look ok. Thicker wood would significantly increase the cost for little aesthetic benefit (my opinion, yours may differ).

Model Finishing
Regards to finishing I am using a 3mm ball end bit, multiple final passes to address fuzzing issues.
The little bit I used has done a sterling job and is still extremely sharp even after completing this project. Boundary cuts are another consideration, careful inspection will show Wilson's Promontory is a little odd as is Port Phillip Bay (looks like a lake). But I left it as the alternative was hand cutting. This didn't match my ultimate aim which was no hand modifications to the model. ( I almost achieved this by the way)

Then all the little details like having the wood warp after cutting, how to glue wood to glass (and make it flat) and aluminium to glass, Should I use glass? What sort of glue? These things take weeks to think about, test and resolve.

I am planning to do a more detailed write up on the whole process eventually, but I only finished it last Friday and need a bit of a mental break from it.

I have photos of most of the cutting and assembly process, couple of videos, 3d meshes and a whole host of other little things I can add but I must get back to work.

Couple of foam cutout pictures done during development.

I think these are done at 1:2,000,000. Victoria chosen as it is both hilly and flat.
Used the 25mm knauf board from Bunnings as its about $15 for a sheet.

IMG_0955.JPGIMG_0956.JPG

Lessons Learnt.
Make the clearance cut extend past the boundary of the model so the smaller bit doesn't press against excessive material.
Hills were too small for size of map.
It didn't fit against NSW, being about 16% different in size. This it turns out is the difference in the average length of a degree between the two states. Reprojecting in a different system fixed this.

Foam is messy and a pain to clean up, it also sticks to everything due to static electricity effects.

Very nice.
Recently in Annapolis, USA, I saw bathymetric maps of popular sailing harbours done this way, and made into either trays or wall mounts. Very effective and seemingly popular with the nautical types (but then, Annapolis is home to the US Naval Academy). Might be something for you to think about. The hydrographic charts are readily available.

Originally Posted by AlexS

Very nice.
Recently in Annapolis, USA, I saw bathymetric maps of popular sailing harbours done this way, and made into either trays or wall mounts. Very effective and seemingly popular with the nautical types (but then, Annapolis is home to the US Naval Academy). Might be something for you to think about. The hydrographic charts are readily available.

I've considered this very thing. Unfortuantely I've been unable to find decent bathymetry data that shows the country to any real degree of accuracy and most of the data I did find suggested a very flat area.

Might take a second look and change up my original ideas.

In Port Lincoln Consantia furniture had a hand made relief map of Aus and the surrounding continental xhelf made for the Lucan tuna family. It is approx 2m*1.2 m stunning work and the factory is well worth a woodies visit . NO CNC not sure wether Constantia still exists but the father made the Hansard table in the new House of Reps in Canberra cheers
John