RockWorks | Utilities | EarthApps | Lines | Lines | 2D/3D (Advanced)
This program:
- Reads a listing of data from the Datasheet Editor: Names and XY endpoint pairs (X1Y1, X2Y2)
- Creates a KML output file with line segments drawn between these endpoints using fixed or variable colors and thicknesses, along the ground, relative to the ground, or at a fixed elevation.
- Creates a KMZ (zip) output file, containing the KML file.
- Loads the KMZ file in Google Earth.
See also: Google Earth Line Maps - 2D Simple, Google Earth Line Maps- 3D
Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary
Menu Options
- Input Columns: The prompts along the left side of the window tell RockWorks which columns in the input datasheet contain what data.
Click on am existing name to select a different name from the drop-down list. See a sample data layout below.
- Name: Select the column that contains the text to label the lines in the Google Earth side panel.
- X1: Column that contains the X coordinates for the starting point for the lines.
These can be Eastings in meters or feet, decimal longitudes, etc. See Defining your Datasheet Coordinates for more information.
- Y1: Column that contains the Y coordinates for the starting point for the lines.
- X2: Column that contains the X coordinates for the line endpoints.
- Y1: Column that contains the Y coordinates for the line endpoints.
- Line Color:
- Fixed: All lines will be plotted in the same color.
- Color: Defines the color for the lines. The current color is displayed to the right. To change the color, click on the color sample and choose a new color from the drop-down list.
- Variable (Defined by Column): The lines can have different colors, based on color declarations listed in the datasheet.
- Color Column: Defines which column in the datasheet contains the colors.
Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
- Line Thickness:
- Fixed: All lines will be plotted with the same thickness.
- Thickness (pixels): Defines the thickness for all of the lines. Click on the displayed value to type in a preferred thickness. (A setting of "1" creates thin lines, "3" thick lines.)
- Variable (Defined by Column): The lines can have different thicknesses, based on values listed in the datasheet.
- Thickness Column: Defines which column in the datasheet contains the thickness values.
Click on the current name displayed to the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
- Opacity: Click on the number to the right to choose how opaque the lines (and extruded panels, below) will be.
- Altitude: These settings determine the vertical placement of the lines.
- Clamped to Ground: Choose this for the line segments to lie along the ground topography. Note that long segments will be subdivided automatically to hug the ground.
- User-Specified
- Elevations
- Fixed: Choose this if all line endpoints are to be plotted at the same elevation.
- Fixed Elevation (Meters): Click on the numeric value to the right to type in the desired elevation, in meters.
- Variable (Defined by Column): Choose this option if the elevations are listed in a column in the datasheet.
- Z1 Column: Defines the column containing the elevations for the line starting points.
Click on the current name ot the right, to choose a different column name from the drop-down list.
- Z2 Column: Defines the column containing the elevations for the line endpoints.
Click on the current name to change the column name.
- Elevation Mode:
- Relative to Ground: Choose this if the fixed or variable elevations (above) represent distances above the ground. Note that this offset is assigned to the line endpoints, so that short lines will mirror the topography but long lines will not.
- Absolute: Choose this if the fixed or variable elevations (above) represent absolute elevations, regardless of the elevation of the ground surface at that location.
- Extrude: Check this option if you've selected above-ground display of the lines (Relative or Absolute, above) and want to display the lines as extruded panels coming up from ground level. See not-extruded to the left, below, and extruded to the right.
Step-by-Step Summary
- Access the Utilities program tab.
- Create a new datasheet and enter or import your location coordinates and other information into the datasheet.
Or, open one of the sample files and replace that data with your own. (In this example, the sample file = "RockWorks17 Data\EarthApps Samples\Lines_Advanced_01.rwDat")
Longitude and latitude coordinates must be in decimal format. If you're using another coordinate system, be sure you've specified the Units and the Projection Settings as appropriate.
- Select the RockWorks | Utilities | EarthApps | Lines | Lines | 2D/3D (Advanced) menu option.
- Enter the menu options as described above.
! Tip: If you're working with one of the sample .rwDat files, you can load its specific menu settings by (1) clicking on the Menu button at the top of the window, (2) clicking Load from RCL, and (3) browsing for the .rcl file with the same name as the .rwDat file you're working with.
- Click the Process button to continue.
The program will create a KML file with line segments between the coordinate pairs, in the color, thickness, and elevation mode you specified. It will create a KMZ (zip) file containing the KML file. The Google Earth KML and KMZ file names will be assigned automatically.
- If RockWorks displays the KMZ name in a popup window for your reference, you can confirm:
- Automatically load file into Google Earth: Be sure this is checked if you want to display the output at this time.
- Show this message every time a KMZ File is Created: If checked, this window will be displayed each time a Google Earth output is created. Uncheck this if you prefer not to see this window in the future.
(Both of these settings are also available via the Preferences menu.)
- Click OK to continue or Cancel to cancel the operation.
The resulting map will be displayed in Google Earth, if requested.
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