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Adventures with Hillshading in
FME

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FME
User
Conference
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Jan Rykr
GIS Analyst
Environmental Data Management and Analysis
Jacobs Engineering Group
San Diego, CA

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• Global Solutions Provider
• Our Accelerators: Climate Response, Data Solutions, Consulting and Advisory
• Our markets: Advanced Manufacturing, Cities & Places, National Security, Infrastructure,
Health & Life Sciences, Space, Energy & Environment
• 20 Certified FME Professionals
• 3 FME Servers
• FME for: CAD to GIS, Field to Office, Compliance, Reporting

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FME and
Cartography?

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“FME can be used for creating
professional cartographic
products, while overpowering
standard desktop GIS and graphic
design applications.”
Absolutely!

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Agenda
● Cartography in FME
● Hillshade types and theory
● Application in FME
● Samples

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Cartography in FME
● Using minimalist approach:
○ Remove all unnecessary content and focus on single
element
■ Simple Geometric shapes,
■ Simple colors, Limited color palettes,
■ Bold typography
○ In cartography:
■ Remove “noise” and let users focus only on the main
message of a map
■ Reduced marginalia and background content
“Minimal Cartography in FME” FME World Tour 2020

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Conference Cartography in FME: Samples

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Hillshade
● Also known as Shaded relief
● Cartographic method for terrain representation.
● Provides a perception of terrain and depth.
● A Derivative from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
modeling light distribution over terrain.

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Standard Hillshade
● Usually calculates with the light
source (Sun) positioned at 315
degrees and 45 degrees altitude
+ fast to generate
- lacks clarity in flat parts and in NW
faces
- distorts colors when overlaid
Data source: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP);

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Multidirectional Hillshade
MultidirectionalHillshader | FME Hub (safe.com)
● Calculates hillshade from multiple
light sources directions:
360, 315, 270, 225, (180, 45) + Slope
to highlight steep parts in all
directions
+ adds clarity to all faces
+ easy to blend with other layers
Data source: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP);

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Ambient Hillshade
● Takes into account light distribution
over surrounding terrain.
● Opposed to the standard hillshading
method, it projects shadows that are
cast by surrounding terrain shapes.
● Unavailable in Standard GIS tools
● Created by 3D modelling software
(Blender) - time consuming
manipulation, non-georeferenced
output
Data source: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP);

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Rayshader
• R plugin that generates beautiful 2D and 3D terrain renders based on
values in a numeric matrix.
• Fortunately, FME has an integrated transformer RCaller and even
better, there already is a custom transformer RayshaderCaller on FME
Hub.
• Adjust colors and shadow length in R code
Ambient Hillshade Generator | FME Hub (safe.com)

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Application: Imagery Overlay

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Imagery Overlay
• Use to emphasize terrain in a
locality
• Sandwich method for composing
maps in GIS
• Use blending methods in Mapnik
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS The National Map: Orthoimagery;
Alder Lake, WA

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Raystown Lake, PA
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS The National Map: Orthoimagery;

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Mt Saint Helens, WA
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS The National Map: Orthoimagery;

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Mono Lake, CA:
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS The National Map: Orthoimagery;

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Austin, TX
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS The National Map: Orthoimagery;

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Application: 3D Art From a Vintage Map

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Source
● Find a georeferenced map with some relief
● Register coordinates of map frame extent
Vintage Map to 3D Art | FME Hub (safe.com)
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS TopoView: USGS Guadalupe Peak, TX (1933)

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DEM
● Download DEM within map frame
● Generate constant raster with a value of the
lowest point in DEM
● Merge both using RasterMosiacker
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS TopoView: USGS Guadalupe Peak, TX (1933)

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Ambient Hillshade
● Generate ambient hillshade in
Rayshader and georeference the
output to match the map extent
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS TopoView: USGS Guadalupe Peak, TX (1933)

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Blend Hillshade layer and the Map
● Blend using blending methods in
MapnikRasterizer
Data: USGS National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP); USGS TopoView: USGS Guadalupe Peak, TX (1933)

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Data: USGS National
Map 3D Elevation
Program (3DEP);
USGS TopoView

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Application in Automation: Minimal Atlas of the USA

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Create a minimal relief map for every
state:
● Read shapefile with state boundaries
● Read DEM within a state bounding box
and clip DEM to state border.
● Extract lowest point within a state and
create a constant raster around the
state boundary (75% buffer)
● Merge rasters in RasterMosaicker.
● Calculate Ambient hillshade in
Rayshader and cast shadows outside
the state boundary.
● Offset a point from bounding box (66%)
and create a map title from state name
attribute.
● Merge layers in MapnikRasterizer.
● Run using WorkspaceRunner

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Use FME for cartographic
and artistic work!

31.
Thank You!
jan.rykr@jacobs.com

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