Open Older RockPlot3D Files

RockPlot3D | File | Open

The RockPlot3D program can be used to open an existing 3-dimensional RockWorks scene, such as a 3D fence diagram or block model, that has been saved as a RockWorks ".Rw3D" file. (See Opening RockPlot3D Images.)

If you have graphics created from earlier versions of RockWorks ("R3DXML" created by RockWorks14 - RockWorks15, "XML" created by RockWorks2006, and "R3D" files created by RockWorks2002 - RockWorks2004), you can open these as well.

If there is no RockPlot3D window yet displayed on the screen, you will need to create a new RockPlot3D window first.
Select the File | Open menu option, or click the File button and choose Open.
In the displayed dialog box, select the older file type using the drop-down list in the lower-right corner.
Browse for the file you wish to open, accessing other drives or directories as necessary.
When you have selected the file, click the Open button.
RockPlot will now prompt you to re-save the file in the current project folder, using the newer Rw3D format. Type in a name for the new file and click the Save button.
If this 3D scene contains any linked solid models (.MOD files), you're not quite done. You'll be presented with another conversion window where you can assign coordinate information to the model, and resave it to the current project folder using the new .RwMod format. (More info)
Once the 3D scene is displayed in RockPlot3D, you can proceed to adjust the view (exaggeration, rotation, etc.), manipulate the display, append another Rw3D file, print the view, etc. See Manipulating RockPlot3D Images for more information.

Problems loading? Note the following:

RockPlot3D stores the current 3D view in an "Rw3D" file. Some of the information in the view is recorded in the XML file itself; this includes all of the reference and data item names, whether the items are set to "on" or "off", their current attributes, elevation and fence grid models (.RwGrd files), and much more.

What is not stored in the Rw3D file, however, is the contents of any RockWorks-created solid models or bitmap images that may be displayed in the 3D view. In other words, a large solid model file (.RwMod file) containing contaminant data is not stored in the XML file. Instead, the file names are stored in the Rw3D file, and then RockPlot3D loads the data itself from the linked file(s).

The names of files linked to the current view are displayed in the "Linked File List" pane of the RockPlot3D window. RockPlot3D assumes that all files referenced in the Rw3D are stored in the same folder as the Rw3D file.

So, what this means is that if the Rw3D file and any linked solid model, bitmap, or other files get separated, you may see the following message when RockPlot3D tries to open that Rw3D file, or append that Rw3D file to another file:

Filename has been moved. Do you want to browse for this file?

Click Yes if you want to locate the missing file(s), and use standard Windows procedures to change folders and/or drives as necessary.
Click No if you prefer not to locate the missing file(s), and the view will be loaded without those data elements.

Back to Managing RockPlot3D Files

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