Swiss Style Color Shading Relief

Swiss-Style Color Relief Shading adds the use of natural color palettes to other relief shading techniques such as contour lines and standard gray relief shading in order to produce more vibrant and intuitive visualizations of topography. Contributors to the development of this method include Franz von Hauslaub, Karl Peucker, Fredolin Becker, and in particular, Eduard Imhof. Colors within the terrain model are modulated according both to elevation and aspect in relation to the source of illumination. Becker suggested the following rules be used :

•	A map’s highest elevations portray the brightest lights and the darkest shadows.

•	The strength of the shading diminishes towards the valleys.

•	Instead of white, a medium tone depicts valley bottoms. Other relief elements must not be distorted by this tone.

•	The depiction of every topographic feature must appear natural for a specified viewing distance. With increased distance colours become more neutral.

•	No cast shadows.