This is the first of an advanced tutorial DVD series for 3D Nature's new Visual Nature Studio 2. Produced by VNS consultant and instructor Scott Cherba, this video will take you deep into the VNS world of shapefile import, Search Queries, and Thematic Maps using real-world data. You'll learn how to use VNS' advanced GIS tools to create lakes, streams, roads, and Ecosystems with shapefile vectors and attributes. The hybrid DVD includes NTSC DVD-Video tutorials for TV viewing, high-quality QuickTime movie tutorials for computer viewing, data for import, Components, projects, and HTML versions of the tutorials compatible with the VNS Tutorial Interface.

Part 1. Lakes Interpreting metadata, planning shapefile import, shapefile attributes, shapefile import, sorting hydrographic features in the database, organizing vectors in views, filling Lakes with a multi-filter Search Query, filtering out bad data, seasonal and permanent lakes, Thematic Maps for Lake elevation, Effects memory management, Search Queries for lakebed Area Terraffectors, limitations of shapefile vector data, improving vector resolution.

Part 2. Streams Understanding metadata, Strahler stream order, importing shapefile streams, organizing streams in views, recognizing problems in hydrographic data, creating a Strahler stream order Terraffector, digging streambeds with a multi-filter Search Query, recognizing and filtering out bad data, intermittent and perennial streams, running streams with Search Queries.

Part 3. Roads Importing shapefile highways, identifying problems with shapefile vectors, improving shapefile vector render quality, using Search Queries to place Terraffectors according to road class, controlling Vertical Displacement with a texture, identifying sources of Effects memory errors and failure, what to do when the memory well runs dry, working with Terraffector Priority, recognizing limitations of highway shapefile vectors, keeping warm with Terraffector Freeze.

Part 4. Ecosystems Using metadata to plan Ecosystems, importing land cover shapefiles, designing complex Ecosystems controlled by Search Queries and Thematic Maps within Ecotypes, organizing Ecosystems with Search Queries, confirming Ecosystem Search Queries in views, identifying Effects Resolution problems, building an Ecosystem with one primary and several secondary land covers, why you shouldn't directly control Ecotype density with land cover percent attributes, using Thematic Maps within Foliage Groups to turn land cover percent attributes into Ecotype density, using Thematic Maps to control secondary land cover placement and density, building an Ecosystem with multiple primary and secondary land covers, matching an exposed rock Overstory to the Ground Effect.

Part 5. Marshes When marshes are lakes, but can't be Lakes; making marshes Ecosystems, overlapping vector areas and Ecosystems, giving marshes Priority.