RockWorks | Utilities | EarthApps | Lines | Tubes | Advanced
This program:
- Reads a listing of data from the Datasheet Editor: XYZ endpoint pairs (X1Y1Z1, X2Y2Z2), colors and radii.
- Creates a KML output file with 3D tube segments drawn between these endpoints using the listed colors and radii, clamped to the ground, at elevations relative to the ground, or using absolute elevations.
- Creates a KMZ (zip) output file, containing the KML file.
- Loads the KMZ file in Google Earth.
See also: Google Earth Tube Maps - Simple for more fewer plotting options, or Google Earth Pipeline Maps for multi-segmented 3D tubes.
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 an 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.
- Color: Column that contains the colors for the tube segments.
- X1: Column that contains the X coordinates for the starting point for the tubes.
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 tubes.
- Z1: Column that contains the Z or elevation coordinates for the starting point for the tubes.
These can be defined in meters or feet. Be sure you've defined the units in the column heading.
- Radius-1: Column that contains the radius, in feet or meters, for the start of the tube. As above, be sure you've defined the units in the column heading.
- X2: Column that contains the X coordinates for the tube endpoints.
- Y1: Column that contains the Y coordinates for the tube endpoints.
- Z2: Column that contains the Z coordinates for the tube endpoints.
- Radius-2: Column that contains the radius, in feet or meters, for the end of the tube.
- Altitude Mode: These settings determine the vertical placement of the tubes.
- Clamp to Ground: Choose this for the tube segments to lie along the ground topography (ignoring the Z column data above). Note that long segments will be subdivided automatically to hug the ground.
- Relative to Ground: Choose this for the tube segments to plot a specified distance above ground, based on the values in the Z column defined above. Note that this offset is assigned to the line endpoints, so that short tibes will mirror the topography but long tubes will not.
- Absolute: Choose this to float the lines at a specific elevation, listed in the Z columns above.
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\Tubes_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 | Tubes | 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 tube segments between the coordinate pairs, in the color, radius, 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.
Back to Line Maps Summary
"Google" is a trademark of Google Inc.
RockWare home page