Fly through South America in a 3D animation

Alexander von Humboldt was a Prussian geographer and naturalist made internationally famous because of his perilous journeys through South America. From 1799 to 1804, Humboldt traversed the continent's jungles and mountains by foot, canoe, and horseback. His discoveries and contributions to modern science are significant and established foundations for the field of biogeography. In this tutorial, you'll create a 3D animation of his 6,000-mile journey through six countries and export the video in a format for uploading to an online video platform so you can share it with a wider audience.

This tutorial was last tested on January 5, 2024, using ArcGIS Pro 3.2. If you're using a different version of ArcGIS Pro, you may encounter different functionality and results.

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Requirements

• ArcGIS Pro (see options for software access)

Fly through South America in a 3D animation

Explore and configure a global scene

The animation you will create will emphasize two parts of Humboldt's journey: his discovery of the Casiquiare Canal in Venezuela, which connects the Orinoco and Negro Rivers; and his exploration of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador. You'll view and create bookmarks for each of these locations to later use them as focal points in your animation. A bookmark is a navigation shortcut to a map or scene location.

First, you'll explore and configure a 3D global scene. The scene will serve as the backdrop for the animation.

1. Download and open the Humboldt Animation ArcGIS Pro project.

   The project opens and displays a global scene.

   

2. If prompted, sign in using your licensed ArcGIS account.

   Note:

   If you don't have access to ArcGIS Pro or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access.

3. Explore the scene by clicking and holding the left mouse button, which allows you to drag and pan the map. Holding the right mouse button allows you to zoom in and out. Holding the wheel button allows you to tilt or rotate around the point you clicked. You can also navigate using the B, C, and V keys instead of the mouse buttons.

   By default, the scene uses the Topographic basemap, which was designed as a reference map. For this project, you want to show a more realistic depiction of the locations Humboldt traveled, so you'll use the Imagery basemap.

4. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Layer group, click the Basemap button and choose Imagery.

   

   The scene's basemap changes, showing the world with satellite imagery.

   

   While the Imagery basemap made the scene look more realistic, it still appears somewhat bright and artificial, lacking atmospheric effects to give it a more natural appearance. You'll turn on atmospheric effects to give the scene a more realistic appearance.

5. In the Contents pane, double-click Scene.

   

   The Map Properties window appears. This window allows you to change many settings for your scene.

6. In the Map Properties window, click the Illumination tab. Under Atmospheric lighting, check Show atmospheric effects.

   

7. Click OK.

   

   The scene changes to more muted tones, caused by the atmospheric effects.

Now that you've given your scene a more realistic appearance, you'll begin to explore and add points along Humboldt's journey.

Explore the project contents

Your animation will fly through Humboldt's journey in 1800 up the Orinoco River in the northern part of South America to the Casiquiare Canal in Venezuela.

Note:

To learn more about this historic journey and its significance, read Humboldt and Latin America (1799-1804).

1. On the Map tab, in the Inquiry group, click Locate.

   

   The Locate pane appears. This pane allows you to search for a specific location and navigate to it.

   Tip:

   You can move any pane in the ArcGIS Pro interface by clicking and dragging the top of the pane. To dock the pane in a new place, drag it onto a docking target.

2. In the Locate pane, click the search bar and type Orinoco River and press Enter. In the list of search results, choose Orinoco River.

   

   The map zooms to the Orinoco River in Venezuela.

   

   Note:

   Imagery is regularly updated, so the example image may not exactly match what you see on your screen.

   The Orinoco River, or Rio Orinoco in Spanish, is one of the longest rivers in South America and flows westward through Venezuela toward the Caribbean Sea. This river and its tributaries form one of South America's largest river systems.

   Humboldt explored a large portion of this river looking for the Casiquiare Canal. The Casiquiare Canal is famous for being the largest natural connection between two river systems: the Rio Orinoco to the north and the Rio Negro (Black River) to the south. Natural connections between two watersheds are very rare, and until Humboldt confirmed the existence of the canal in 1800, its existence had only been rumored.

3. In the Contents pane, expand and turn on the Humboldt_River_Journey layer.

   

   This layer contains the Rio Orinoco, Casiquiare Canal, and the Rio Negro.

   The project also contains several bookmarks along Humboldt's journey. You will familiarize yourself with the key points in the journey.

4. On the ribbon, on the Map tab, in the Navigate group, click Bookmarks, and click Rio Orinoco Start.

   

   The scene zooms to the mouth of the Orinoco River.

   

5. Use what you have learned to navigate to the Rio Orinoco to Casiquiare Canal bookmark.

   The map zooms to the point where the Orinoco River meets the Casiquiare Canal.

   

6. Navigate to the Casiquiare to Negro bookmark.

   The scene zooms to the point where the Casiquiare Canal meets the Negro River.

   

   Now that you have explored the key points in Humboldt's river journey, you will create a bookmark for Mount Chimborazo.

Create a bookmark

Two years after Humboldt completed his journey through the major rivers in northern South America, in 1802, he would climb Mount Chimborazo, which at the time was considered the highest mountain in the world.

You will include this portion of his journey in your animation. First, you will create bookmarks for Mount Chimborazo in your scene.

1. Use the Locate pane and navigate the scene to Mount Chimborazo.

   Tip:

   On the Map tab, in the Inquiry group, click Locate. In the Locate pane, search Mount Chimborazo and press Enter.

   The scene zooms to the location of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador. You'll create a bookmark of this view to provide an overview of the mountain's location.

   

2. On the Map tab, in the Navigate group, click Bookmarks and choose New Bookmark.

   

3. In the Create Bookmark window, for the Name, type Mount Chimborazo Overview and click OK.

   Next, you'll create another bookmark with a closer, zoomed in view of the mountain in 3D.

4. Zoom and tilt the scene to better view Mount Chimborazo.

   

5. Create a bookmark named Mount Chimborazo.

   You now have two bookmarks for Mount Chimborazo, which you will use for configuring the animation.

6. Close the Locate pane.
7. On the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save to save the project.

   

Create map notes

To make your locations stand out more and label them so your audience knows what they are, you'll add map notes. Map notes are symbols you can create to quickly add features to your map. The project includes a map notes layer and labels for the key points where the rivers connect.

1. In the Contents pane, turn on the River_MapNotes layer.

   

2. Navigate to the Rio Orinoco to Casiquiare Canal bookmark.

   

   The label will make the animation more engaging so viewers can follow what part of Humboldt's journey they are viewing. Next, you will create a Map Notes layer and label for Mount Chimborazo.

3. Navigate to the Mount Chimborazo bookmark.
4. On the ribbon, click the Insert tab. In the Layer Templates group click Point Map Notes.

   

   A new Point Notes layer is added to the Contents pane under the 3D Layers group. Nothing is added to the map because the Point Notes layer currently has no features. Next, you'll create a feature.

5. On the ribbon, click the Edit tab. In the Features group, click Create.

   

   The Create Features pane appears.

6. In the Create Features pane, under Point Notes, click Point Notes.

   

   When you click Point Notes, it expands to show additional options. The default option is to create point features, which is what you want.

   In the scene, the pointer changes. If you click the map, you'll create a point feature at the location you clicked.

7. In the scene, click the top of Mount Chimborazo to add a point.

   Tip:

   If necessary, adjust the scene by holding the C key to pan and the V key to tilt.

   

   Tip:

   To adjust or redo the point placement, you can click undo, or press Ctrl+Z, or delete the point by selecting it and on the Edit tab, in the Features group, click the Delete button.

8. Click the Edit tab. In the Manage Edits group, click Save.

   

9. In the Save Edits window, click Yes.
10. Close the Create Features pane.

    The point note for Mount Chimborazo is saved. Next, you'll add a label for the point you just created.

Edit labels

To add a label to a Point Note layer, you will edit the attribute table for the feature layer. The default label style is not very legible against the Imagery basemap, so you'll also change the label text style and placement settings.

1. In the Contents pane, under 3D Layers, right-click the Point Notes layer and choose Attribute Table.

   

   The attribute table opens. The point feature you created is listed in the table.

2. In the first row, double-click the Name column to edit it. Type Mount Chimborazo and press Enter.

   

3. On the Edit tab, in the Manage Edits group, click Save. In the Save Edits window, click Yes.
4. Close the table.

   On the map, your point feature is now labeled.

   

   Next, you will edit the label style so that it is more visible.

5. In the Contents pane, right-click Point Notes and choose Labeling Properties.

   The Label Class pane appears.

6. In the Label Class pane, click the Position tab. Expand Placement and choose Top of point.

   

   The label now appears above the point in the scene. Next, you'll adjust the label's appearance so the letters stand out against the imagery basemap.

7. In the Label Class pane, click the Symbol tab and expand Appearance. For Font style, choose Bold. For Color, choose a white color.

   

8. Expand the Halo section. For Halo symbol, choose Black fill.

   

9. Click Apply.

   

   The label style is complete. Next, you will style the symbol for the Point Notes layer.

   Note:

   You can enable auto apply so any changes you make are automatically applied to the map.

10. In the Contents pane, expand the Point Notes layer. Click the symbol for Point Notes.

    

    The Symbology pane appears.

11. In the Symbology pane, if necessary, click the Gallery tab and choose Centered Diamond.
12. Click the Properties tab. For Size, type 20.

    

13. Click Apply.
14. On the ribbon, on the Edit tab, in the Selection group, click Clear.
15. Save the project.

    You have created and styled a symbol and label for Mount Chimborazo.

    

16. Navigate to the Globe bookmark.

    Your label for Mount Chimborazo is visible. You do not need the label to be visible until you are much closer to the mountain. You will adjust the visibility range settings.

17. In the Contents pane, ensure the Point Notes layer is selected. On the ribbon, click the Feature Layer tab.
18. On the Feature Layer tab, in the Visibility Range group, for Out Beyond, type 2000000 ft and press Enter.

    

    Now the visibility is set so that the label layer is not visible beyond the map extent of 2,000,000 feet. Next, you'll switch to the Explore tool to prevent any erroneous editing.

19. On the ribbon, click the Map tab. In the Navigate group, click Explore.

    

You have created a bookmark and label using a map notes layer for Mount Chimborazo to complement the bookmarks and labels for the river segment of Humboldt's journey. Next, you'll create an animation of the entire route.

Create a 3D animation

When creating an animation, imagine the scene is what you see through a camera lens. You animate the camera by creating keyframes, or fixed points the camera will zoom to. Based on the keyframes you create, the camera will fly through the scene during the complete animation. You'll start with a view of the whole earth, zoom in to South America, and create a series of keyframes to fly over the rivers that Humboldt traveled along. You'll end the animation with Mount Chimborazo.

1. If necessary, open the Humboldt Animation project in ArcGIS Pro and navigate to the Globe bookmark.

   

2. On the ribbon, click the View tab. In the Animation group, click Add.

   

   The Animation tab opens on the ribbon and the Animation Timeline pane appears below the scene viewer. The pane currently contains only a button named Create first keyframe.

   Note:

   If you can't see or accidentally close the Animation Timeline pane, you can open it with the Animation tab by clicking the Timeline button in the Playback group.

3. In the Animation Timeline pane, click Create first keyframe.

   

   A thumbnail of your map is added to the Keyframe Gallery in the Animation Timeline pane.

   

   The thumbnail represents your first keyframe, which will be the first location shown in your animation. Other options and tools related to your animation are added to the pane.

4. Navigate to the Rio Orinoco Start bookmark.
5. In the Animation Timeline pane, click the Append next keyframe button.

   

   A new keyframe is added to the Animation Timeline pane.

   New frames are automatically placed at the end of the timeline. Starting the animation of the river with an overview perspective will help orient viewers to what the animation is showing.

   Tip:

   If you aren't satisfied with the way a keyframe looks, click its thumbnail in the Keyframe Gallery to select it. Adjust the scene and click Update. If you want to delete the keyframe entirely, click Delete.

   This angle is not very dynamic and doesn't show much of the landscape around the river. Tilting the scene to show more of the river and the surrounding area would probably create a more exciting view. Your next frame will angle the scene so the viewer is parallel with the Earth's surface along the Orinoco River.

6. Zoom to the section of the river that begins after the river delta.

   

7. Pan, zoom, and tilt until you have a closer view of the river facing west, keeping the Rio Orinoco in the center of the scene.

   

8. In the Animation Timeline pane, click the Append next keyframe button.

   A third keyframe is added.

   Next, you will continue the animation to the point where the Rio Orinoco meets the Casiquiare Canal.

9. Navigate to the Rio Orinoco to Casiquiare bookmark.
10. Zoom, tilt, and pan so that the Orinoco River is vertical on the scene and the Casiquiare Canal is on the right.

    

11. In the Animation Timeline pane, click the Append next keyframe button.

    Your animation includes a view of the globe, the mouth of the Rio Orinoco, and the point where the Rio Orinoco and Casiquiare Canal meet. It is a total of four keyframes. You'll test the animation to ensure it plays smoothly.

12. In the Animation Timeline pane, click the Play button.

    

    When the animation plays, the transition between the start of Orinoco and the junction of Orinoco and Casiquiare is blurry and too fast because the camera pans over a large distance in a short time. Humboldt never traveled directly between the two locations, like the animation does, so the distance between the second and third keyframes is not important for your animation.

    To make the transition smoother, you'll add two more keyframes at the two points where the river bends, creating the illusion of traveling down the river. Bookmarks have already been created in the project for you to use. The Orinoco SW and Orinoco SE bookmarks are a view of the river at the two points the river bends.

    

13. Navigate to the Orinoco SW bookmark.
14. In the Animation Timeline pane, click Append next keyframe.

    You now have a keyframe that will turn the camera with the first bend of the Orinoco River, but the keyframe comes after the keyframe when the Orinoco meets the Casiquiare Canal. You will need to reorder the keyframe so it follows the correct sequence of the river.

15. Drag the fifth keyframe between the third and fourth keyframes.

    

    The keyframe for the first bend in the river is now in the correct order. Next, you will use what you have learned to add a keyframe for the second bend in the river.

16. Navigate to the Orinoco SE bookmark. In the Animation Timeline pane, click Append next keyframe, and drag the new keyframe between the fourth and fifth keyframes.

    You now have six keyframes where the camera zooms in to the start of Humboldt's journey through the Orinoco River to the Casiquiare Canal.

    

    Next, you will add a keyframe where the Casiquiare Canal meets the Rio Negro.

17. Use what you have learned to navigate to the Casiquiare to Negro bookmark and add a keyframe.

    You have completed animating Humboldt's route through the rivers using seven keyframes.

Animate the mountain journey

To complete your video, you will also animate Mount Chimborazo, which Humboldt climbed two years after mapping the Casiquiare Canal's connection to the Orinoco and Negro Rivers.

1. Navigate to the Mount Chimborazo Overview bookmark and add a keyframe.
2. Navigate to the Mount Chimborazo bookmark and add a keyframe.

   The current keyframe only shows one angle of the mountain. To emphasize Chimborazo's importance to Humboldt's expedition, you'll add more keyframes to cause the animation to circle the mountain.

3. Pan and tilt the scene to view the mountain from another angle, keeping the mountain in the center of the frame, and create a new keyframe to capture this new angle of the mountain.

   

4. In the Animation Timeline pane, click the Play button.

   When the animation plays, the transition between the Negro River and Mount Chimborazo is blurry and too fast because the camera pans over a large distance in a short time. Humboldt never traveled directly between the two locations, like the animation does, so the distance between these keyframes is not important for your animation. To make the transition smoother, you'll change the type of path your camera takes.

   In the Animation Timeline pane, the type of path to each keyframe is indicated in the transition circle between the keyframes in the Keyframe Gallery. The transition circle between the keyframes currently shows a curved line, indicating the Fixed path.

5. In the Animation Timeline pane, click the transition circle between the seventh and eighth keyframes.

   

6. Point to Camera.

   

   There are several kinds of paths between keyframes: Fixed (the default path), Adjustable, Linear, Hop, Stepped, and Hold. So far, you've used the Fixed path, which moves the camera smoothly between frames. Linear finds straight-line paths between each point, hop creates an arced path, and stepped skips the transition altogether.

   Hop transitions are good for moving the camera quickly between two points. Because you aren't interested in the area between the Negro River and Mount Chimborazo, you'll use a Hop transition between the two keyframes.

7. Choose Hop.

   The transition between the two keyframes is now set to Hop.

8. Click Play to preview the animation.

   The transition between the river and the mountain scenes is better, but the amount of time on the final river keyframe still feels rushed. You will adjust the keyframe time length.

9. Click the seventh keyframe to select it.

   

10. In the Animation Timeline pane, click Hold.

    

    A two-second keyframe of the end of the seventh keyframe is added.

    

11. Replay the animation. Confirm that the river stays in the camera's view and that the transitions aren't too fast.

    Note:

    When you export the animation into a video file in the Export Movie pane, you will set the desired resolution, aspect ratio, and frame rate. When you preview your video, the scene may not completely render and appear blurry, but it will not effect the resolution and image quality you set in the Export Movie pane.

12. Save the project.

Export the animation

Now that you've created an animation showing some of Humboldt's most famous expeditions, you'll export it to share.

1. On the Animation tab, in the Export group, click Movie.

   

   The Export Movie pane appears. You have several preset video formats to which you can export, including YouTube and Vimeo. You'll export your animation in a format that is compatible for uploading to YouTube.

2. In the Export Movie pane, under Movie Export Presets, click the YouTube button (it may be selected by default).

   

3. Under File Name, click the folder button.

   The Animation File Location window appears. This window allows you to choose the location where you'll save your animation file.

4. Browse to a location where you want to save your animation. Name the file Humboldt Animation and click Save.
5. Expand File Export Settings. (You may need to scroll down to see this.)

   

   These options allow you to change the animation's file type and how many frames are played per second. For your purposes, the default options are fine. However, it's important to note the total number of frames in the animation. The total number of frames affects the time it takes to export the animation. For an animation with about 1,700 frames, the export may take approximately 45 minutes at default quality (the time can vary depending on your computer).

   Tip:

   ArcGIS Pro must remain open until the export finishes, although you can use your computer for other things during the export. Make sure you have enough time available for the entire export before you begin it.

6. Expand Advanced Movie Export Settings.

   

   These options allow you to change the resolution and quality of the exported animation. If you have a particular screen size on which you want to display the animation, you may want to change the resolution. However, you want your animation to be viewed by general audiences on a variety of screens, so the default resolution of 1280x720 is fine.

   You can also change the animation's quality. Reducing the quality will create an animation with a smaller file size and a shorter upload time, but the animation itself will contain less detail.

7. If necessary, drag the Quality slider to a position more suitable to you. Otherwise, leave it unchanged.
8. Click Export.

   The export progress appears at the bottom of the Export Movie pane. The export may take a long time, depending on the length of your animation and the settings you chose. Do not close ArcGIS Pro while the export is running.

   When the export finishes, the file is saved on your computer at the location you specified. You can then upload the file to YouTube or another video sharing service and share it.

9. Save the project.

In this tutorial, you explored a scene with bookmarks and labels, and created bookmarks and a map notes layer to identify points for your animation. You used bookmarks and labels to create a 3D animation that gives the illusion of flying through South America, journeying alongside Humboldt's expedition of discovery.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• Humboldt and Latin America (1799-1804), History of Science in Latin America and the Caribbean (HOSLAC). Accessed January 3, 2023.
• Humboldt_River_Journey layer was created from OpenStreetMap Waterways for South America, which is a live replica of the OpenStreetMap database.