Merge pull request #43 from 3DStreet/intersection-blog-post

intersection blog post

Author: kfarr

blog/2024-07-17-new-intersections.md

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+---
+title: 3DStreet Intersections Early Access
+description: Sam shares his involvement with 3DStreet, the new features of the Intersection component, and what's coming next! 
+authors: [srothstein]
+tags: [product update, intersection, street, geometry, user-funded features]
+image: ./images/2024-07-17/default-intersection.jpeg
+---
+
+My name is Sam Rothstein and I’m happy to share my work on a new street intersection component for 3DStreet. This is a first version of a highly requested feature and I'm looking forward to seeing what the 3DStreet community can create. 
+
+In this post I'll share how I got involved in 3DStreet, the features of the Intersection component, and what's coming next! 
+
+![](./images/2024-07-17/default-intersection.jpeg)
+
+<!-- truncate -->
+
+I started my career working for [Cesium on CesiumJS](https://cesium.com/platform/cesiumjs/), helping hundreds of developers build bespoke applications around global-scale geospatial data. It was through this open-source 3D work that I met Kieran from 3DStreet and shared his vision of a world where everyone was empowered to reimagine their neighborhood. 
+
+I was inspired to help contribute as an open-source developer and use my background in web-based 3D rendering and full stack engineering to bring the project forward.
+
+Many 3DStreet users have been asking for support for visualizing intersections in their neighborhoods. It turns out, [intersections are hard](https://a-b-street.github.io/docs/tech/map/geometry/index.html )! So we decided to start with something simple: the goal for this initial component was to create a simple yet versatile interface for connecting multiple streets. The component includes options for adding curbs, sidewalks, crosswalks, stop signs, and traffic signals. We made this available in the 3DStreet API for other developers in June 2022, but it wasn’t until now – 2 years later – that the user interface and editor capabilities of 3DStreet have finally caught up to make this available for people to use without writing code.
+
+Here’s a quick overview of the capabilities:
+
+## Create 4-way 90º intersections with custom sizing for each direction
+![](./images/2024-07-17/lopsided-intersection.jpg)
+<b><i>A custom intersection example with painted crosswalks along two sides of the long crossing distance, such as a mid-block crosswalk across an arterial where it meets an alleyway.</i></b>
+
+## Customization Features
+* Supports optional dead-ends and t-intersections
+* Supports optional traffic control devices: traffic signals, stop signs, or none
+* Supports optional pedestrian features: crosswalks, sidewalks (for t/dead-end), or none
+
+![](./images/2024-07-17/custom-intersection.jpeg)
+<b><i>An intersection example using nearly every feature.</i></b>
+
+## Getting Started
+![](/img/docs/alpha/add-edit-intersections.jpg)
+
+We have added step-by-step instructions on how to [add and edit an intersection in our documentation](/docs/development/alpha-labs#adding-and-editing-an-intersection).
+
+## What's next for 3DStreet Intersections?
+We call this release Early Access for a reason -- 3DStreet Intersections need more work and we need your help to prioritize what needs improvement. Do we need better geometry? Curb ramps? Better interface to edit the intersection? We'd appreciate ideas and suggestions on how to help you visualize your perfect intersections.
+
+## What’s next for Sam?
+I’m honored to be a contributor to the first iteration of a critical component of 3DStreet. Since my 3DStreet contribution, my career has propelled me to new roles including autonomous vehicle data visualization and a new announcement coming soon -- [follow me on LinkedIn for the latest!](https://www.linkedin.com/in/srothst1/) I’m excited to see how people use this component to change the world!
+
+<i>Editors note: Intersections are now available with the 3DStreet Geospatial Pro Plan. Your support will help us continue to improve this component.</i>

blog/authors.yml

@@ -26,4 +26,10 @@ lwalker:
   name: Luke Walker
   title: AR Designer & Researcher
   url: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-walker-439b78119/
-  image_url: ./images/authors/lwalker.jpeg
+  image_url: ./images/authors/lwalker.jpeg
+
+srothstein:
+  name: Sam Rothstein
+  title: 3DStreet Contributor
+  url: https://www.linkedin.com/in/srothst1/
+  image_url: ./images/authors/srothstein.jpeg

blog/images/2024-07-17/custom-intersection.jpeg

@@ -14,9 +14,32 @@ Save a backup of your scene before trying these "Alpha Labs" experiments. 3DStre
 
 ## Resizing a street
 
-1) Add a new street from Streetmix using the Pro layer menu
+1) Add a new street from Streetmix using the Pro add entity panel
 2) Select the parent layer of that new street
 3) In the right-hand properties panel, scroll down to find the `Length` property. Change the value to your new street length (in meters) 
 4) Click "synchronize" to see your settings change. (If synchronize is already true set to on, turn if off and on again) 
 
-![Screenshot of editor changing street length.](/img/docs/alpha/edit-street-length.jpg)
+![Screenshot of editor changing street length.](/img/docs/alpha/edit-street-length.jpg)
+
+
+## Adding and editing an intersection
+
+1) Add a new Intersection using the Pro add entity bottom panel. The Intersection will instantiate with default settings
+2) In the Layers left panel select the new "Intersection 90º" layer you created
+3) Open the right-hand panel and scroll down to "Intersection" and click the down arrow
+
+![Screenshot of editor adding, selecting and editing intersection.](/img/docs/alpha/add-edit-intersections.jpg)
+
+4) Modify these following properties to adjust the intersection to match your scene conditions.
+
+| Property | Description | Default Value |
+| --------- | --------- | --------- |
+| dimensions | Specifies the width and depth of the intersection. First value represents width, second value represents depth. | '20 20' |
+| sidewalk | Sets the width of the sidewalk at each side of the intersection. Values are set in the order of west, east, north, south. |  '0 0 0 0' |
+| northeastcurb | Sets the curb dimensions for the north east curb. Values are updated as width, then depth. | '4 4' |
+| southwestcurb | Sets the curb dimensions for the south west curb. Values are updated as width, then depth.  | '4 4' |
+| southeastcurb | Sets the curb dimensions for the south east curb. Values are updated as width, then depth. | '4 4' |
+| northwestcurb | Sets the curb dimensions for the north west curb. Values are updated as width, then depth. | '4 4' |
+| stopsign | Sets if each side of the intersection has a stop sign. Values are set in the order of east, west, north, south. 0 is false, 1 is true. | '0 0 0 0' |
+| trafficsignal | Sets if each side of the intersection has a traffic signal. Values are set in the order of east, west, north, south. 0 is false, 1 is true. | '1 1 1 1' |
+| crosswalk | ​​Sets if each side of the intersection has a crosswalk. Values are set in the order of east, west, north, south. 0 is false, 1 is true. | '1 1 1 1' |