Contour Map Tools
The Contour Map tool creates a topographic map that portrays differences in terrain elevation by connecting points of equal elevation with contour lines or by coloring terrain according to varying altitudes. You can choose between the following:
§ Global Contour Map - Apply contour colors to the entire terrain and 3DMLwith dynamically placed contour lines that provide coarse contours when zoomed out and detailed contours when zoomed in. Elevation labels appear only on the terrain and not on the 3DML.
§ Custom Contour Map - An advanced map in which parameters such as coverage area (specified rectangular area or entire terrain), contour palette, and contour line interval can be customized, and a contour map object is added to the Project Tree. Contour colors and lines are only applied to the terrain, and not to 3DML layers.
Global Contour Map
To toggle on/off view of a global contour map:
§ On the Analysis tab, in the Terrain Analysis group, click Contour Map. A contour map overlays the entire 3D Window, but no contour map object is created in the Project Tree.
Note: If you want to create a contour map object for the entire terrain that will be listed in the Project Tree, create a custom contour map (See Custom Contour Map) and set the Coverage Area property in the property sheet to Entire Terrain.
Custom Contour Map
To create a custom contour map:
1. On the Analysis tab, in the Terrain Analysis group, click the arrow next to Contour Map, point to Custom Contour Map Object, and then click one of the following options to indicate differences in terrain elevation:
§ Contour Colors - Apply different colors from a contour palette to each elevation level.
§ Contour Lines - Connect points of equal elevation with contour lines.
§ Contour Colors and Lines - Display both contour lines and contour colors.
The Contour Map property sheet is displayed.
2. If you want to apply contour colors/lines only to terrain whose altitude is within a specific range, do the following:
a. In the Min/Max section, in the Use Min/Max field, select Yes.
b. Enter the Minimum (altitude) value and Maximum (altitude) value.
c. Select the color you want to apply to all terrain with altitude values outside of the set range.
3. In the Appearance section, in the Contour Palette field, select a contour palette from the dropdown list.
4. In the Appearance section, in the Contour Lines Color field, click Edit and select a contour line color.
5. In the Appearance section, in the Coverage Area field, select the coverage of the contour map:
§ Rectangle - A designated rectangular area.
§ Entire Terrain - The entire terrain.
6. If you set the Coverage Area field to Entire Terrain, skip to step 7.
7. If you set the Coverage Area field to Rectangle, place the cursor in the 3D Window, and click to add the first corner. Then click a second time to add the opposite corner and complete the rectangle.
8. Continue to edit the contour map’s parameters, or close the property sheet to finish the operation. See “Contour Map Property Sheet Parameters” in this chapter for information.
9. If you want to display a map legend that indicates which color represents each elevation value, right-click the contour map, and select Show Legend from the shortcut menu.
Note: After the contour map object has been created and set to display the contour lines, automatic tool tips are added to the contour lines. When the cursor is placed, in the 3D Window, above a contour line, a tool tip appears displaying the height value of the specific line. In addition, the tooltip entered in the Contour Map property sheet, is displayed when the cursor is placed over areas of colorized terrain.
Contour Map Property Sheet Parameters
|
Object Parameter |
Activity |
|
Min/Max |
|
|
Use Min/Max |
Select Yes to only display contour colors and lines for areas of the terrain whose altitude value is between the Minimum Value and Maximum Value entered below. Select No to display contour colors and lines for all altitude values as set in the contour palette. |
|
Minimum Value |
This field is only enabled when “Use Min/Max” is set to Yes. Type the minimum altitude value for which contour colors and lines should be displayed. |
|
Maximum Value |
This field is only enabled when “Use Min/Max” is set to Yes. Type the maximum altitude value for which contour colors and lines should be displayed. |
|
Color Outside of Range |
This field is only enabled when “Use Min/Max” is set to Yes. Select how you want to color all the terrain whose altitude is not within the Min/Max range: § Transparent - No color. § Red/Blue - All water is colored in blue and the rest in red. |
|
Appearance |
|
|
Name |
Type the description or name of the contour map. This text appears in the Project Tree as the name of the object. |
|
Activation Action |
Select the action to perform when selecting the object from the Project Tree. |
|
Line Opacity |
Enter the opacity for the contour and outline lines. The opacity is defined as a percentage, where 100% is opaque and 0% is transparent. |
|
Display Style |
Sets the style to display the contour map: § Select Contour lines to display contour lines at set elevation values. § Select Contour colors to represent varying altitudes in different colors according to the selected color scheme. § Select Contour Lines and contour colors to display both contour lines and contour colors. |
|
Coverage Area |
Determines the coverage of the contour map. Select Rectangle to apply to a rectangular area, or Entire Terrain to apply to the entire terrain. |
|
Contour Palette |
Sets the palette style of the contour map. Select one of the available palettes. This field is enabled only when “Display Style” is set to “Contour Colors”. |
|
Fill Opacity
|
Enter the opacity for the contour map. The opacity is defined as a percentage, where 100% is opaque and 0% is transparent. This field is enabled only when “Display Style” is set to “Contour Colors”. |
|
Contour Lines Color |
Select the color for the contour lines. Click the Edit button to open the Color dialog, or type the color code in hexadecimal BBGGRR format (B = Blue channel 00-ff, G = Green channel 00-ff, R = Red channel 00-ff). This option is enabled only when “Display Style” is set to “Contour Lines”. |
|
Contour Lines Interval |
Determines the elevation spacing between the contour lines. The base for the contour lines is at zero elevation above the terrain database vertical datum base ellipsoid. |
|
Timespan |
|
|
Start Time |
Click Edit and select the date and time when the contour map should first become visible. |
|
End Time |
Click Edit and select the date and time when the contour map should stop being visible. |
|
Position |
|
|
X |
Enter the X-coordinate for the rectangle’s pivot point. The pivot is located at the center of the rectangle. Change this value to move the entire polyline. This field is enabled only when “Coverage Area” is set to “Rectangle”. |
|
Y |
Enter the Y-coordinate for the rectangle’s pivot point. The pivot is located at the center of the rectangle. Change this value to move the entire polyline. This field is enabled only when “Coverage Area” is set to “Rectangle”. |
|
MGRS |
The coordinates of the rectangle’s pivot point converted to Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) coordinates. This field is only available if Show MGRS Coordinates was selected in the Options dialog. See “View” in the “Using TerraExplorer Options” chapter for more information. |
|
Yaw |
Determines the direction angle of the contour map rectangle, along the vertical axis relative to north. Change this value to rotate the entire rectangle by a specified angle. This option is enabled only when “Coverage Area” is set to “Rectangle”. |
|
Geometry |
|
|
Length |
Determines the length of the rectangle. This option is enabled only when “Coverage Area” is set to “Rectangle”. |
|
Width |
Determines the width of the rectangle. This option is enabled only when “Coverage Area” is set to “Rectangle”. |
|
Visibility |
|
|
Default Viewing Distance |
Determines the viewing distance of the camera from the contour map. This distance is used as a stop mark for any “Fly-to” or “View Object” operation. It is also used when selecting to edit the object from the Project Tree. When this value is set to the default of -1, TerraExplorer calculates and sets the ideal viewing distance for the contour map based on its size. |
|
Max. Visibility Distance |
Sets the distance from the camera at which the contour map disappears. |
|
Min. Visibility Distance |
Sets the minimal distance from the camera below which the contour map disappears. |
|
General |
|
|
Show In Viewer |
Determines if the contour map appears in the Project Tree when the file is viewed with the TerraExplorer Basic Viewer. |
|
Message |
The message associated with the object. The number displayed is the number of the message. To create a new message, or update an existing message, open the Create Message dialog by clicking in this field and selecting Edit. See “Using the Create Message Dialog” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information. |
|
Tooltip |
Type a tool tip text to appear when the mouse cursor is placed over the contour map in the 3D Window. An automatic tool tip displaying the contour line height is created for the contour lines. |
|
Order |
Set the Draw Order of the contour map. Objects with higher Order values are drawn on top of objects with lower values. |
Creating and Modifying Contour Palettes
To create or modify a contour palette:
1. On the Analysis tab, in the Terrain Analysis group, click the arrow next to Contour Map, and then click Contour Palettes. The Elevation Color Editor dialog opens.
TerraExplorer - Elevation Color Editor
2. Do one of the following:
§ If you want to create a new contour palette, type the name of the new palette and click Add.
§ If you want to modify an existing contour palette, select the required palette.
3. If you want to add a new control handle, in the color gradient/contour box, click the location of the required new handle.
4. If you want to delete a control handle, select it and click 
.
5. Navigate the color gradient/contour box using the five navigation buttons:
|
Button |
Description |
|
Up arrow with limit |
Jumps to the top control handle. |
|
Up arrow without limit |
Jumps to the next control handle. |
|
Left arrow |
Jumps to the currently selected control handle. |
|
Down arrow without limit |
Jumps down to the next control handle. |
|
Down arrow with limit |
Jumps to the bottom control handle. |
6. Select the required control handle. Then click the color palette and select the required color for the section.
7. If you want to clear the color gradient contour box, click Clear All.
8. If you want to restart editing from the original scheme after changes have been made, click Reload. The original scheme is loaded on the color gradient/contour box.
9. Click OK to update all the schemes updated in the current session Elevation Color Editor.
Deleting a Contour Palette
To delete an existing palette:
1. On the Analysis tab, in the Terrain Analysis group, click the arrow next to Contour Map, and then click Contour Palettes. The Elevation Color Editor dialog opens.
2. Select the required contour palette, and then click Delete. A warning message appears asking you to verify the Delete command.
3. Click Yes to verify or No to cancel.