Importing Terrain and Imagery
into STK
CONTENTS
OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................................... 2 IMPORTING TERRAIN DATA TO A SCENARIO .................................................................... 3 USING THE IMAGERY AND TERRAIN CONVERTER .......................................................... 3 Creating a 3D Image Inlay ......................................................................................................... 3 Displaying Your Image Inlay in 2D ........................................................................................... 5 CREATING COLOR ELEVATION IMAGERY ......................................................................... 6 Adding To the 2D Graphics Window......................................................................................... 7 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 8 APPENDIX A – WORKFLOW FOR STK IMAGERY AND TERRAIN CONVERTER ........ 9 APPENDIX B – WORKFLOW FOR STK CREATE COLOR ELEVATION IMAGERY TOOL
10 Importing Terrain and Imagery into STK
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Overview
This tutorial will familiarize you with importing terrain and imagery for visualization in STK. In
this tutorial, you will use STK image and terrain converters to generate STK visualization files
and display them in both 2D and 3D Graphics windows.
NOTE:
This tutorial requires the STK Pro license.
You will learn:

The STK terrain and imagery data formats

How to introduce terrain or elevation data to the STK Scenario

How to use the Imagery and Terrain Converter

How to use the Color Elevation Imagery tool

How to load image inlays to both 2D and 3D Graphics windows
To accommodate 3D rendering performance in a dynamic window, STK requires data formats
that are optimized for speed and streaming. STK utilizes proprietary formats and an open format
(JPEG 2000) to accomplish this, and offers a conversion tool to allow a wider range of geospatial
data to import into STK.
STK imagery visualization formats
.PDTTX
AGI proprietary format for 3D and 2D windows
.JP2 (JPEG 2000)
Non-proprietary format for 3D and 2D windows
STK terrain visualization format
.PDTT
AGI proprietary format for 3D windows
Importing Terrain Data to a Scenario
In this exercise, you will attach terrain data to your scenario, which will be utilized in several
of the exercises in this tutorial.
1. Create a scenario and name it Mountain.
2. Close the Insert STK Objects window.
3. Open the scenario Properties Browser and select Basic – Terrain.
4. Click Add and in the Open dialog that opens, in the file type field, select USGS DEM
(DEM).
5. Browse to the file hoquiam-e.dem in <STK Install Dir>\Help\STK\samples and click
Open.
6. In the scenario Properties Browser, click OK.
7. Save your scenario.
NOTE:
STK will create a separate folder named after your scenario. This will
ensure you do not accidentally overwrite your previous work.
Your terrain data is now in your scenario and can be used for analysis. However, you
would like to visually see it with draped imagery. Let’s see how that can be done.
Using the Imagery and Terrain Converter
The Imagery and Terrain Converter can be used to convert terrain and imagery content for 2D
and 3D visualization. If your imagery is already in a native format, such as JPEG 2000,
conversion is not necessary. (See Appendix A.) An image of St. Helens is used to drape over
the terrain (image is courtesy of Space Imaging, Inc.).
Creating a 3D Image Inlay
In this exercise, you will utilize the Imagery and Terrain Converter to create two inlays for
the 3D Graphics window that will display a photographic image of St. Helens.
1. Select Mountain in the Object Browser.
2. In the menu bar, select Utilities – Imagery and Terrain Converter….
3. Click the ellipsis button next to the Image Filename field.
4. Browse to the file SpaceImaging St Helens.sid in <STK Install Dir>\ Help\STK\samples
and click Open.
Notice that in the Extent area, the Image extent fields are automatically completed once you
open the SpaceImaging St Helens.sid image file. This is because the file contains
Importing Terrain and Imagery into STK
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georeferencing data that STK can read. For some types of image files—those that do not
contain georeferencing data—you will have to enter the image extents manually.
5. Select Use in the Terrain section. Select the hoquiam-e.dem terrain data—which will be
displayed with its path name—from the drop-down menu.
6. Ensure JPEG 2000 (jp2) is selected from the drop-down menu in the Format field.
7. Set the Compression Ratio to 10.
8. Set the Image File Directory to your scenario folder. For the rest of this tutorial, this folder
will be referenced as the Output Folder.
9. Click Convert.
You may have to scroll down in the Imagery and Terrain Converter in order to see the Convert
button. The conversion for the terrain and imagery will now happen. Please wait until the
conversion is done.
10. Click OK.
11. Select the 3D Graphics window and Open the Globe Manager
.
NOTE: If you do not see the Globe Manager icon, you need to add the Globe Manager
toolbar from the View – >Toolbars menu. If you do not have a 3D Graphics window
already, go to the View menu command and select New 3D Graphics Window.
Importing Terrain and Imagery into STK
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12. Click Add Terrain/Imagery
your scenario folder.
and browse to the location of your .jp2 and .pdtt files in
13. Select SpaceImaging St Helens.jp2 and SpaceImaging St Helens.pdtt.
14. Click Open and your .jp2 and .pdtt will be available in your Globe Manager. If the “Use
Terrain for Analysis” dialog box appears, click No.
15. Select SpaceImaging St Helens.jp2 in the Globe Manager. Click on the Zoom To
button in the Globe Manager toolbar. This will take you directly to the image on the 3D
Graphics window.
Displaying Your Image Inlay in 2D
1. Open the 2D Graphics window properties browser, and click on Imagery.
NOTE: If you do not have a 2D Graphics window already, go to the View menu and select
New 2D Graphics Window.
2. Click Add… and verify that the file type is set to All Supported Types.
3. Browse to the SpaceImaging St Helens.jp2 in your scenario folder and click Open.
4. Verify that Show is selected, and then click OK.
5. Zoom in around the State of Washington in the 2D Graphics window using the magnifying
glass
.
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Creating Color Elevation Imagery
You can use the Create Color Elevation Imagery tool to generate images with topographically
derived colors (See Appendix B):
1. Select Mountain in the Object Browser.
2. Select the Utilities menu – Create Color Elevation Imagery….
3. Select the Select on 2D Map option.
4. Open the 2D Graphics window and zoom in on St. Helens.
5. Using the cursor, draw out a rectangle around St. Helens. You will notice that the terrain
region coordinates will update.
6. Return to the Create Color Elevation Imagery window, and in the Output File area, select
JPEG 2000 Image (.jp2) as the Format.
7. Do not select Create a pdtt file for the selected region. You already made one in the
previous exercise.
8. Set Directory to your scenario folder.
9. Enter St Helens Topo in the Filename field.
10. Click Convert.
11. Close the Create Color Elevation Imagery window.
12. Open your 3D Graphics window, select the Globe Manager, and click the Add
button.
Terrain/Imagery
13. Browse to the location of your file and select St Helens Topo.jp2.
14. Click Open.
15. You will see your topographical inlay.
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Adding To the 2D Graphics Window
1. Open the Properties Browser for the 2D Graphics window and select the Imagery page.
2. Click Add…, and verify that the file type is set to All Supported Types.
3. Browse to the location of your St Helens Topo.jp2.
4. Click Open.
5. Click OK to dismiss the 2D Graphics Properties. Your topographical inlay will now be
visible in the 2D Graphics window.
6. Save your scenario if you want to keep changes.
Importing Terrain and Imagery into STK
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Conclusion
This tutorial provided a basic overview of the Imagery and Terrain Converter and the Create
Color Elevation Imagery tool. The example input imagery provided could also be used
directly with JPEG 2000. STK also offers command line versions that are license-free (the
exception is generating JPEG 2000 files for images over 500 MB large) for batch
conversions.
Lastly, if you want to store your globe or share your globe with another user, you can export
a globe file (.GLB). Previously a globe file was an essential part of a scenario, in STK 9 and
higher, the globe file is only necessary for importing and exporting globes.
Importing Terrain and Imagery into STK
Appendix A – Workflow for STK Imagery
and Terrain Converter
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Importing Terrain and Imagery into STK
Appendix B – Workflow for STK Create
Color Elevation Imagery Tool
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