NASA SHARES 3D DATA OF LUNAR SURFACE

Well, if you’re a fan of the scifi genre, then Avatar’s ultrarealistic scenario was breathtaking to say the least. Now, gamers and movies goers can expect a similar detailed 3D map of the moon thanks to NASA, reports TechCrunch.

According to the report, NASA has released a new set of data for creators that includes not just imagery but also depth data. It would become quite easy to build an incredibly detailed 3D map of the moon.

The CGI Moon Kit comes from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where science visualization expert Ernie Wright found that data he had assembled for other purposes was proving popular with 3D artists.

The data, which comes from two instruments on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, is free to download and all the assets are available.

While the camera on board the LRO has captured pretty much the entire visible area of the moon, what’s unique is that the tools also includes data from the LRO’s laser altimeter.

The device sends a pulsed laser towards the surface and tracks both how long it takes to come back and how strong it is.

“That data is assembled into what’s called a displacement map, sort of like a topographic map where instead of the height actually changing, the color does. There are a couple varieties of this map, but the basic use case is the same: You overlay the displacement map on the photographic map, then wrap it all around a sphere — and you’ve got a virtual topographic globe,” the report said.