How To Calculate Vertical Exaggeration

Welcome to our vertical exaggeration calculator! Let's assume y'all would similar to create a raised-relief map or a three-dimensional drawing/animation. If and then, it'southward essential to consider the vertical exaggeration, as ignoring it may atomic number 82 to your work beingness unreadable to some viewers. Don't worry, though - this article will explicate precisely how the vertical exaggeration formula works and, most importantly, what are its practical uses.

In the terminate, yous will as well learn the meaning of other terms, such every bit the vertical scale and horizontal scale, and how they connect with the equation mentioned earlier.

What is a vertical exaggeration?

Vertical exaggeration is a scale used primarily in the field of geography simply too in engineering. Information technology emphasizes sure terrain features or objects by making them larger, ergo increasing their overall visibility. It all sounds overly complicated, so let's bring some visualizations to make things more than straightforward.

Computer-rendered aerial view of Mount Baker

The paradigm above shows a estimator-rendered aerial view of Mount Baker, an agile stratovolcano in Washington, U.S.A. While you probably wouldn't exist able to tell, it has been vertically exaggerated, meaning in the real earth, it would appear much flatter.

So, to summarize, vertical exaggeration allows us to increase the readability of raised-relief (iii-dimensional) maps and technical drawings by modifying the summit of certain areas or objects.

What is the vertical exaggeration formula?

The vertical exaggeration formula is non that complicated:

VE = VS / HS

Where:

VE - Vertical exaggeration, given equally a number, e.g. 5× or 20×;
VS - Vertical scale, given as a fraction, e.k. ane : 200 (same as i / 200); and
HS - Horizontal scale, same as above.

As yous see, to calculate the vertical exaggeration used in a map, we start need to know its vertical and horizontal scale. The scale is a fundamental property of every geographical map and can usually be constitute in the map legend:

In this case, the legend is positioned just a bit above the bottom right corner:

Most maps nowadays tend to use a linear scale, also known as bar or graphic scale. Assuming the altitude measured by a ruler from "0" to "250 KM" is 1 centimeter, the representational scale of the map is ane : 25M (centimeters).

Nosotros highly recommend our calibration calculator, which you lot tin use to chop-chop calculate either the horizontal scale or the vertical scale, both of which you lot tin then use in the vertical exaggeration formula. Alternatively, you lot can too click on the advanced mode button.

How to calculate vertical exaggeration?

The easiest way to calculate vertical exaggeration is by using our gratis calculator on this page! You only demand to supply ii of the elements from the formula presented above.

For case, bold you want to get the vertical exaggeration of a 3D map with a vertical scale of ane : 200 and a horizontal calibration of i : 4000:

Here is how you should interpret the effect:

A value higher than ane× indicates vertical exaggeration, e.1000., 10× means that vertical measurements are ten times greater than horizontal measurements;
A value equal to 1× implies no vertical exaggeration; and
A value lower than 1× means horizontal exaggeration, the opposite of vertical exaggeration.

As you lot can see, you don't need to be an expert to understand the concept of vertical exaggeration, how to calculate it, and where y'all can employ information technology. We hope that you found this calculator helpful!