RockWorks | Utilities | Grid | Morph
This program is used to generate a series of contour-map images given two "end-member" grids or a list of grids. The program will store raster images of the maps and then load them into the RockWorks Picshow program or export them to a movie. The slide show script will be saved as a Utilities datasheet (.RwDat file).
Example applications include: Groundwater contamination, glacial melting (or growing), subsidence, swelling (e.g. volcanoes / pre-earthquake bulging), in-situ leach monitoring.
Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary
Menu Options
- Input: Use these settings to define whether the morph is based on two grid models or on multiple models.
- Two Specified Grids: Click this radio button if the morph sequence is to be based on two existing grid models.
- Starting Grid: Click on this item to browse for the name of the existing grid model (.RwGrd file) that is to represent the start of the morph.
- Date: Use this box to define the date represented by the starting grid.
- Ending Grid: Click here to browse for the name of the existing grid file to be the end of the morph sequence.
! This grid must have the same dimensions and number of nodes as the starting grid.
- Date: Choose the date represented by the ending grid.
- List of Grids: Click in this button if the morph sequence is to be based on more than two existing grid models. This requires that you have the grid model names (.RwGrd files) listed in a column in the current datasheet, along with their sampling dates.
- Grid Name Column: Select the name of the column in your datasheet which lists the names of the grid models to be morphed.
- Date Column: Select the name of the column in your datasheet which lists the date represented by the grid model.
- Map Options: Click on this tab to set up the 2D map layers (bitmap, symbols, labels, line contours, color-filled contours, labeled cells, map border, etc.). Each source and morph grid model will be mapped using these settings.
- Image Format: Use these options to define the format of the output images to be displayed in the slideshow.
- Export Format: Use these settings to define the raster format of the output images.
- BMP: Click in this radio button for the maps to be saved in a Bitmap (.BMP) format. Click on this tab to select the color options from the drop-down list.
- JPEG: Click in this radio button to save the images in a JPG format. Click on this tab to select the output quality (1 for low, 100 for high).
- PNG: Click in this radio button for the images to be stored as PNG files. Click on this tab to select the compression (the higher the compression, the lower the quality) and color information.
- TIF: Click in this radio button to save the images in a TIFF format. Click on this tab to select the compression technique and pixel format.
- Dimensions Defined By... These settings will define the resolution or size of the output images.
- Image Size: Click here to enter the number of pixels for the width of the output raster images.
- Image Width (Pixels): The default setting is 1200 pixels - increase this for higher resolution images.
- Scale Factor: Choose this option to size the images based on map scaling.
- Scale (Units/Inch): Enter here the number of map units per inch to be represented in the output raster image. This, plus the resolution, will determine the actual size of the output images.
- Resolution (Pixels/Inch): Enter here the number of pixels to be represented per inch in the output raster image.
- Example: Let's say your grid models extend 1000 feet along the X and Y axes. If you set the Resolution to 96 dpi (screen resolution) and the Scale to 100 ft/in, then the output images will be displayed on the screen at a size of 10 x 10 inches. If you find that size is too big, then you could change the scale to 200 ft/in for 5 x 5 inch output.
- Vertical Exaggeration: Use this to define the vertical exaggeration of the output image. For maps, this should be left at 1. If you are morphing vertical grids (e.g. extracted from solid models), you can adjust this value to apply vertical stretch. If you enter "2", then the vertical axis of the image will be plotted at half the units per inch than the horizontal.
- Pattern Scaling:
- Automatic: This option, which is default, will scale any diagram patterns (such as those in cross-sections) automatically, to match the pattern density that you see on the screen.
- Manual: This option can be used to increase or decrease the density of the patterns, particularly if you are exporting at a large vertical exaggeration. The greater the number you enter, the less dense the pattern will appear in the output. If you are compensating for a large vertical exaggeration in a cross section diagram, for example, you may want to make the vertical scalar a smaller value than the horizontal scalar.
- Output Options:
- Transitional Frames: Here you define the number of intermediate grid models to morph between the beginning and ending grids (if you are morphing only two) or between each of the listed grid models (if you are morphing from a list) for generating the map images. If you choose "10" for example, there will be 10 intermediary maps created between each input grid. Note that RockWorks does not store the intermediate grid models, just the map/image representations of the grids.
- Root Name: Type in the name for the output images, which will be followed by a number sequence. For example, a Root Name of "Morph" will generate the following PNG output files:
Morph_0001.png
Morph_0002.png
Morph_0003.png
(etc.)
- Picshow: Click in this radio button to output the morph images to the RockWorks PicShow program.
- Save Image List as (PicShow Input File): Click here to type in the name to assign to the RwDat file which will contain the list of output image names. This list will be loaded automatically once the morphed sequence has been created.
- Video: Click in this radio button to output the morph images to an AVI or GIF animation. (Note that you can export to a video from PicShow as well.)
- AVI:
- AVI Output File Name: Click to the right to type in the name to assign to the AVI file to be created.
- FPS (frames per second): Type here how many images are to be displayed per second in the output file. For example, if you enter "3", then there will be 3 images displayed each second in the morph animation.
- GIF:
- GIF Output File Name: Click to the right to type in the name to assign to the animated GIF file to be created.
- Include Dates: Check this box to include date notations in the output images. The dates for intermediate images will be inferred from the defined dates for the input grid models and the number of transitional frames generated.
- Font Size: Type in the size of the date labels as a percent of the map width.
- Font Color: Click in the color box to choose the color for the date labels.
- Fill Background: Check this box if the date labels are to be displayed against a solid-color background. Click on the color box to select the background color.
- Title Position: Choose from the drop-down list where the date labels are to be plotted.
- Date format: Type in the format for the dates using a yyyy-dd-mm or yyyy-mm-dd or dd-mm-yyyy or similar notation format (see the instruction pane for more examples and full details).
Step-by-Step Summary
- Access the RockWorks Utilities program tab.
- If you will be morphing two RockWorks grid models, be sure these .RwGrd files already exist in the project folder.
If you will be morphing 3+ grid models, open or create a datasheet that lists the names of the RockWorks grid models (.RwGrd files) to be morphed and the dates associated with these files. These files must reside in the current project folder. The grid files should be listed with the first model in the sequence listed first and the last model listed last.
- ! The grid models to be morphed must have the same dimensions and node densities. If you are unsure, use the Grid | Statistics | Report tool to view a summary of any grid file.
- Select the Grid | Morph menu option.
- Enter the requested menu settings, described above.
- Click the OK button to continue.
The program will get busy:
- It will load the first and second grid models, and generate the selected number of intermediate grid models using an averaging method ((Grid A + Grid C)/2 = Grid B). It will repeat for all of the remaining grids.
- The program will then generate a map representation of each grid model using the requested mapping options.
- It will export each map to the selected raster image format using the requested resolution, color, and other settings.
- If you have selected Video output, it will generate the requested movie format containing the output images.
- If you have selected the PicShow output, it will save the output image names in the indicated RwDat file, launch the PicShow program, and load the RwDat file into the pane along the left. There, you can play the PicShow, advance/backtrack to previous images, and export to a video.
See also: PicShow for more information
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