How to enable MKMapView 3D view?

Question

I have an MKMapView in a window, and pitchEnabled is true (and I've confirmed this in the debugger). The "3D" thingy in the middle of the compass is grayed out, and clicking or dragging it does nothing. Option-dragging the map (like I do in Maps.app) doesn't do anything, either.

From my interpretation of the docs, setting pitchEnabled should let me use the 3D view, like Maps.app does. Am I mistaken? Is there something else I need to do to allow my users to get a 3D map view?

Answer 1

You can get close to the experience of 3D mode by adjusting the camera angle from which you view the map and making buildings visible. The example below allows you view the Eiffel Tower in 3D:

viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()

    mapView.mapType = MKMapType.Standard
    mapView.showsBuildings = true // displays buildings

    let eiffelTowerCoordinates = CLLocationCoordinate2DMake(48.85815, 2.29452)
    mapView.region = MKCoordinateRegionMakeWithDistance(eiffelTowerCoordinates, 1000, 100) // sets the visible region of the map

    // create a 3D Camera
    let mapCamera = MKMapCamera()
    mapCamera.centerCoordinate = eiffelTowerCoordinates
    mapCamera.pitch = 45
    mapCamera.altitude = 500 // example altitude
    mapCamera.heading = 45

    // set the camera property
    mapView.camera = mapCamera
}

example from: this question