domlysz/blendergis

BlenderGIS is an add-on for Blender, the free 3D modeling and animation software, that connects it to geographic data sources. It allows you to bring real-world map data, terrain elevation, satellite imagery, and city geometry directly into a Blender scene, so you can create accurate 3D representations of real places. The add-on supports importing several common geographic data formats, including Shapefile vector files, raster images, GeoTIFF digital elevation models, and OpenStreetMap XML exports. You can also pull data directly from the internet while working inside Blender, including web map tiles displayed in the 3D viewport, OpenStreetMap building and road geometry, and elevation data sourced from NASA satellite measurements. The OpenTopography service, which provides elevation data, now requires a free API key obtained by registering on their website. Once geographic data is loaded, the add-on provides tools to work with it in 3D. You can generate a terrain mesh from elevation data using a triangulation method that builds a surface from contour lines or point data. Other features include dropping objects onto a terrain surface so they sit correctly, analyzing terrain using Blender's shader system to visualize slopes or other properties, and setting up cameras aligned to real-world coordinates from geotagged photographs. The README is brief and points to a separate wiki for installation instructions, a quick-start guide, and a flowchart showing the different ways terrain can be built from geographic data. The add-on requires Blender version 2.83 or later.