Creating a 2D Shape

To create a 2D shape:

1. On the Objects tab, in the 2D Objects group, click 2D Shape, and then click the required shape. The shape’s property sheet opens.

2. Set the parameters of the 2D shape. See “2D Shape Property Sheet Parameters” in this chapter for information.

3. If you want to position the 2D shape based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window, on the top bar of the label’s property sheet, click Set Position Based on Mouse . See “Moving an Object Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing in the 3D Window” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

4. If you want to position the 2D shape based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window and snap it to another object, on the top bar of the 2D shape’s property sheet, click Snap Based on Snapping Options . See “Moving an Object Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing in the 3D Window” and "Setting Snapping Options" in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

5. If you want to position the 2D shape in the XY plane, on the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click XY Plane . See “Moving an Object in the XY Plane” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

6. If you want to position the 2D shape in the Z plane, on the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Z Plane . See “Moving an Object in the Z Plane” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

7. Place the shape’s points in the 3D Window:

§ Rectangle - Click to add the first corner, and then click a second time to add the opposite corner and complete the rectangle.

§ Regular Polygon -

i. Click to define the center (pivot point) of the regular polygon.

ii. Drag the mouse to set its radius.

iii. Click a second time to set the regular polygon.

§ Circle -

i. Click to define the center of the circle.

ii. Drag the mouse to set the radius of the circle.

iii. Click again to set the radius and complete the circle.

§ Ellipse

i. Click to define the center of the ellipse.

ii. Drag the mouse in the X direction to define the first radius. Drag the mouse in the Y direction to define the second radius.

iii. Click again to complete the ellipse.

§ Arc

i. Click to define the center of the ellipse from which the arc is formed.

ii. Drag the mouse in the X direction to define the first radius. Drag the mouse in the Y direction to define the second radius.

iii. Click again to complete the arc.

§ 2D Arrow

i. Click to define the pivot point of the 2D arrow.

ii. Drag the mouse to set its size and direction.

iii. Click a second time to set the 2D arrow.

8. Edit the shape’s parameters in the open property sheet or in the 3D Window. See “Editing Objects in the 3D Window” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for information. Close the property sheet to finish the operation.

2d-circle

Examples of 2D Shapes

2D Shape Property Sheet Parameters

Object Parameter	Activity
Appearance
Name	Type the description or name of the shape. This text appears in the Project Tree as the name of the object.
Activation Action	Select the action to perform when selecting the shape from the Project Tree.
Line Color	Select the outline color for the shape. 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).
Line Opacity	Enter the opacity for the shape’s lines. The opacity is defined as a percentage, where 100% is opaque and 0% is transparent.
Fill Opacity	Enter the opacity for the shape’s fill. The opacity is defined as a percentage, where 100% is opaque and 0% is transparent.
Fill Color	Select the fill color for the object. 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).
Style	This property appears in the property sheet only for the arrow 2D Shape. Select the style of the 2D arrow that you want to use:
Line Style
Line Width	Enter the shape’s line width. The width is measured in meters.
Line Back Color	Sets the shape’s line-back color. The line back color is visible when the Line Pattern property field is set to non-solid pattern values, or when the Line Width property field is set to a value that is larger than 1. The Line Back Color field parameter is only enabled when the Altitude Method property in the Position group (See Position Group below) is set to On Terrain value. 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).
Line Back Opacity	The Line Back Opacity parameter is only enabled when the Altitude Method property in the Position group (See Position Group below) is set to On Terrain value. Enter the shape’s line back opacity. The opacity is defined as a percentage, where 100% is opaque and 0% is transparent.
Line Pattern	Select the shape’s line pattern, e.g., solid, dashed, dotted or a combination thereof.
Timespan
Start Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the shape should first become visible.
End Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the shape should stop being visible.
Position
Altitude Method	Select the drawing style of the shape: § Relative to Terrain - Places each point of the shape at a specified altitude above the ground. § Absolute - Places each point of the shape in the altitude above the terrain database vertical datum base ellipsoid. You can use this feature to create shapes of known absolute altitude values that are not dependent on the terrain elevation values. § Relative to Pivot - Places each point of the shape at a specified altitude above the pivot point. The pivot is located at the center of the shape. You can use this feature to create horizontal shapes in mountainous terrain. § On Terrain- Draws the shape on the terrain itself. This selection also changes the drawing method of the shape. Instead of straight lines between the shape’s points, it paints the terrain in the selected color. It is recommended to use this feature to improve performance.
Altitude	Enter the altitude, as defined in Altitude Method, for the shape’s pivot point.
X	Enter the X-coordinate for the shape’s pivot point. This property is not displayed for the arrow 2D shape. The pivot is located at the center of the shape. Change this value to move the entire shape.
Y	Enter the Y-coordinate for the shape’s pivot point. Change this value to move the entire shape. This property is not displayed for the arrow 2D shape.
MGRS	The coordinates of the shape’s pivot point in 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 angle of rotation of the shape, about its pivot point. Change this value to rotate the entire shape by a specified angle. Note: The object’s direction is initially set as the direction of the camera view, when the first point of the object is set in the 3D Window. To change the direction of the object after the object is created, you can adjust the Yaw parameter.
Geometry
Length	This property appears in the property sheet only for the rectangle and arrow 2D shapes. Determines the length of the shape.
Width	This property appears in the property sheet only for the rectangle shape. Determines the width of the shape.
Radius	This property appears in the property sheet only for the regular polygon, arc, ellipse, and circle 2D shapes. For circle and regular polygon: § Radius X - Determines the radius of the shape. This property defines the shape’s size. For arc and ellipse: § Radius X- Determines the radius of the arc in the X-axis. This axis is vertical with respect to the object’s yaw direction. § Radius Y- Determines the radius of the arc in the Y-axis. This axis is parallel with respect to the object’s yaw direction. These two radius measurements define the size of the arc.
Number of Sides	This property appears in the property sheet only for the circle, regular polygon, arc, and ellipse 2D shapes. For circles, arcs, and ellipses - the greater the number of sides; the smoother the shape.
Start Angle	This property appears in the property sheet only for the arc 2D shape. Determines the angle at which the arc begins (default is 0). By changing the start and end angles, you can change the shape of the arc.
End Angle	This property appears in the property sheet only for the arc 2D shape. Determines the angle at which the arc ends (default is 180).
Texture
Texture File	Type the full path of the file, or use the Edit button, for a BMP, GIF or JPEG texture file to provide the texture for the shape. Note: You can set a transparent color for GIF and BMP files. Pixels with this color appear as holes in the texture. With GIF files, you can assign any color as the transparent color by using the GIF transparent color feature. With BMP files, the total-black color (RGB = 0, 0, 0) is used as the transparent color. Note: You can load textures from the Data Library(.\Program Files\Skyline\TerraExplorer Pro\Tools\Data-Library).
Tiling Method	Determines how the texture image file is applied to the shape. The options are: § Tiles per axis – Designate a set number of tiles (repeats of the texture file) for the x and y axes of the shape. The image file will be sized to enable the set number of tiles per axis. § Meters per tile – Designate a size in meters for each tile.
Scale X	Determines the scaling for the texture according to the setting for Tiling Method: § If Tiling Method is Tiles per axis: Determines the number of repeats of the image file in the X-axis. § If Tiling Method is Meters per Tile: Determines the size, in meters, of each tile in the X-axis.
Scale Y	Determines the scaling for the texture according to the setting for Tiling Method: § If Tiling Method is Tiles per axis: Determines the number of repeats of the image file in the Y-axis. § If Tiling Method is Meters per Tile: Determines the size, in meters, of each tile in the Y-axis.
Rotate	Determines the angular rotation of the image used for the texture.
Texture X Scroll Rate	Number of times per second, texture scrolls completely on its x axis. If a negative value is entered, the texture scrolls in the reverse direction. This property is enabled only when Terrain Method is set to Relative to Terrain, Absolute, or Relative to Pivot.
Texture Y Scroll Rate	Number of times per second, texture scrolls completely on its y axis. If a negative value is entered, the texture scrolls in the reverse direction. This property is enabled only when Terrain Method is set to Relative to Terrain, Absolute, or Relative to Pivot.
Visibility
Default Viewing Distance	Determines the viewing distance of the camera from the shape. 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 shape based on its size.
Min. Visibility Distance	Sets the minimal distance from the camera below which the shape disappears.
Max. Visibility Distance	Sets the maximal distance from the camera above which the shape disappears.
Max. Show-Through Dist.	Sets the maximum distance of object's pivot from camera, in meters, beyond which it will not show through terrain, mesh layer, or objects that are hiding it. Set to -1 to enable show-through at any distance when editing the object. The object's outline and fill will both show through. When an object is showing through terrain, mesh or objects, it can be selected, edited, and snapped to other objects.
Visibility	This property is only displayed for point features in a feature layer. Sets the visibility of features based on their attribute values. Type a search expression comprised of one or more conditions, or click the Field by Attribute button to create the search expression using the Attribute Table. See “Searching and Performing Operations by Attribute (Attribute Table Tool)” in the “Feature Layers” chapter for more information.
General
Show in Viewer	Determines if the shape appears in the 3D Window 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 clicking the Edit button. See “Using the Create Message Dialog” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.
Tooltip	Type a tooltip text to display when the mouse cursor is placed over the shape in the 3D Window.
Ground Object	Determines if the object is calculated as part of the terrain’s elevation.
Order	Determines the order of objects with On Terrain altitude method, from back to front. Objects with higher values are displayed on top of objects with lower values.