Draped Orthophoto on Terrain (GeoTIFF)
What you need (required files)
To drape an orthophoto on terrain, you need 2 GeoTIFF files:
1) Orthophoto image (GeoTIFF)
This is your visual layer, for example created from:
Drone scan
Satellite imagery
Aerial photogrammetry export
Supported format:
Orthophoto.tiforOrthophoto.tiff
2) Terrain model (GeoTIFF)
This is the elevation surface used to drape the orthophoto correctly.
Supported terrain models:
DSM.tif / DSM.tiff(Digital Surface Model)DTM.tif / DTM.tiff(Digital Terrain Model)
Example filename:
Terrain_projectX_DSM.tif
Important naming requirements
Terrain model must include “DSM” in the name
The terrain model file name must include DSM.
Correct examples:
Terrain_projectX_DSM.tifMySite_DSM.tif
Incorrect examples:
Terrain_projectX.tifTerrain_projectX_DTM.tif(DTM is allowed as a model type, but the file naming must include DSM)
Folder structure and zipping
Before uploading, make sure that:
All required files are placed in the same folder
The folder is zipped into a single
.zipfile
Example folder content (minimum):
Orthophoto.tifTerrain_projectX_DSM.tif
If your export includes a .TFW file
In most cases, a correctly created GeoTIFF includes all spatial information inside the .tif file.
However, sometimes an extra file is created automatically:
Orthophoto.tfwTerrain_projectX_DSM.tfw
If a .TFW file exists, include it
If you have both .tif and .tfw, include both in the same folder before zipping.
Why this matters:
The .TFW file contains additional spatial referencing (georeferencing) information.
Example final folder content:
Orthophoto.tifOrthophoto.tfwTerrain_projectX_DSM.tifTerrain_projectX_DSM.tfw
Creating the orthophoto from drone scanning (example workflow)
Drone scanning outputs can be processed in software such as:
Pix4D (example)
Any photogrammetry tool of your choice
See the image below and the video explanation of the proposed settings.
Summary checklist
Before uploading, confirm:
You have 2 GeoTIFF files: orthophoto + terrain model
Terrain model filename includes “DSM”
All files are in one folder
Folder is zipped
.TFWfiles are included if generated