VTBuilder

• a tool for viewing and processing many kinds of geospatial data
• Elevation Data
  • merges and resamples multiple elevation files
  • import elevation grids from DEM, SDTS DEM, MicroDEM, GTOPO30, SRTM, DTED, CDF/netCDF, PNG, TIF, GeoTIFF, PGM, Surfer GRD, TerraGen, raw data, ArcInfo ASCII/Binary, SRTM HGT, and many other formats
  • export elevation grids to ArcInfo ASCII Grid, GeoTIFF, TerraGen, BMP, STM, MSI Planet, VRML ElevationGrid, RAW/INF for MSFS, ChunkLOD (.chu), PNG 16-bit, 3TX.
  • reads and writes Binary Terrain (BT)
  • import TIN data from DXF
  • lets you view and define an area for merging and resampling BT format, which can be used by the VTP Terrain Library and Enviro runtime
  • supports undersea data, and conversion of data between coordinate systems, such as merging of DEM files across a UTM boundary
• Road Data
  • reads road centerline vectors from USGS DLG, ESRI SHP, NTF and other GIS formats
  • does cleanup processing on the road network topology
  • allows the user to define intersection behavior and road attributes including number of lanes and direction of traffic flow
  • writes to RMF which can be used by the vtlib Library and Enviro runtime
• Building Data
  • reads and writes VTST files
  • select, move and delete buildings
  • edit building attributes (shape, number of stories, color, etc.)
• Vegetation Data
  • imports land-use and vegetation-coverage data from USGS LULC and ESRI SHP files
  • imports species lists and vegetation zones (biotypes) from text/XML files
  • exploits all of the above to do automated placement of vegetation and export to VF files
• Multi-layer Formats
  • imports multiple layer types from compound file formats - TIGER (roads, hydrography) and NTF (roads, built structures)
• Image Data
  • you can import several image formats for viewing in conjunction with other layers

Runs on all platforms supported by the VTP (Windows, Linux, MacOSX, etc.)

Program and source code are part of the full VTP distribution, freely available on request.  If you are only interested in using VTBuilder by itself (and not the 3D visualization of the full VTP software) you can download a Windows installer for the standalone app: VTBuilder_090826.exe (4.2 MB)

Documentation is online, as well as a simple tutorial of using VTBuilder and Enviro together.
Also, Documentation in Italian.

The BT file format is documented online.

People using the "INM" software may find VTBuilder useful for obtaining .3tx files from almost any elevation source.  In fact, VTBuilder is used by a large number of users for non-visualization purposes, such as importing terrain into games such as Shrapnel's ATF.

Development Notes