From Vector to 3D: A Guide to Efficient Data Conversion with GISBox

Vector data in GIS is a spatial data model based on a coordinate system. It accurately represents the location, shape, and boundaries of geographic entities through discrete geometric objects—points, lines, and polygons. Its core feature is continuous coordinate space modeling, independent of pixel grids, thus achieving high-precision, infinitely scalable, and distortion-free spatial representation.

GISBox supports importing and editing vector data in its scene editor. Examples include PostGIS databases, SHP, GEOJSON, DWG, and DXF. It also supports downloading vector data from maps or directly inserting empty vectors for drawing in 2D. This article will guide you through inserting empty vectors into a scene and drawing vector data.

1. First, click the “Add” button in Scene Editor to create a new scene.
   

2. After the scene is successfully created, select “Insert Empty Vector” in the Tab bar at the top of the interface. A “Feature Layer” will then be added to the scene on the left.
   

1. We open the “Columns” to view and operate, allowing us to intuitively experience scene changes. If we need to mark the vector positions of buildings, we can click on “face” or “multiface.” I recommend clicking “multiface” because selecting consecutive faces will place all faces together.

1. After editing, you can see the vector positions of the selected buildings. Clicking the “Generate Building” function in the upper left corner will instantly convert the selected vectors into a building model, which is clearly visible in the 3D view. It also supports changing the style of the generated building.
   

2. After completion, the building model can be published as a 3DTiles. For detailed steps, please refer to the previous article on one-click building generation and publishing as a service using SHP.
   

In summary, GISBox provides convenient empty vector insertion and drawing functions, allowing for the conversion from 2D vectors to 3D building models in just a few simple steps. It also supports model style switching and 3DTiles publishing, providing an efficient solution for geographic data visualization and application.