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Grids and 3D terrain

How grids display as their own 3D terrain, and the tools for seeing and profiling them.

When you visualize a grid in AO, it becomes its own 3D terrain, shown with AO's global base terrain underneath. This article explains how grids display and the tools for seeing and profiling them.

How grids display

  • To make a grid, choose Grid as the Visualization Type when you visualize a single-band GeoTIFF or a BAG file. See File Visualization Table.
  • Each grid is a separate terrain. Overlapping grids keep their own heights rather than overwriting each other, and you turn each one on or off in the Layers window.
  • AO's global base terrain stays underneath your grids. Point clouds and images display the same way, as their own layers.
  • Grids visualized before December 2025 used an older method that merged each grid into the base terrain. They are listed as Legacy Grid in the Layers window.
  • Grids line up with the base terrain only if their vertical datum is right. See Vertical and Horizontal Datum.

Seeing a grid clearly

These hotkeys help when a grid is hidden by, or hard to compare with, the base terrain:

  • 1 hides data that is below the base terrain. Press again to show it.
  • 2 makes the base terrain see-through, in steps down to fully transparent.
  • V exaggerates heights, so small changes in depth are easier to see.

Profiles

The Profile tool draws a line for each grid it crosses, so overlapping grids are profiled separately, and it profiles point clouds too. At the bottom of the profile:

  • Base Terrain shows or hides AO's base terrain in the profile.
  • Key shows or hides the key that names each line.
  • GridLines shows or hides the chart's grid lines.

Related: File Visualization Table · Map tools · Vertical and Horizontal Datum