CHAPTER 10

File Import and Export

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Surpac Vision will allow you to import several different types of files, and have them converted to Surpac string, and DTM files. This
includes DXF format file, and GIF image files.

Exercise 1 – Importing a GIF image

This section will cover using a Gif image in conjunction with a DTM file. This will allow you to lay an image, such as a photograph over the
top of a DTM file, such as with an aerial photo over a current survey of a mine, or topography.

What you will learn

In this exercise you will cover the following topics:

o Viewing a GIF image

o Draping a GIF image over a DTM

 Viewing a GIF image

A GIF image is a graphical format used to store images. It is widely used throughout the computing industry, especially on the internet. Most
images that you see while traversing the web, will be in GIF format.
1. Select File > Images > View a GIF image
 image1.gif

You will be presented with a form asking you enter the name of the image you wish to view.

image2.gif

2. Enter the PIT1.GIF file, and then click on the Apply button.
 image3.gif

You should have an image of a large open pit mine displayed on the screen.

To view the file you can use your left mouse button to pan across the image.

This image will be used in a later exercise to drape it over a DTM file.

3. Close the image by pressing the ESC key on your keyboard.

 
1. Tiling a DTM file with a GIF image
One of the image draping options is to use the tile effect. This will allow you to use a small GIF image, and have it repeated over the top of
your DTM file. Using this effect you can emulate a rock effect across your mine.
1. Recall the file QUARRY3.DTM into graphics.

image4.gif

2. Click on the Render button on the toolbar .

image5.gif
 image6.gif

To be able to drape a GIF image across a Surpac file, you must use a DTM.

3. Select File > Images > Drape a GIF image over a DTM
 image7.gif

You will be instructed to select a triangle of interest. You can click on any part of the DTM that is currently on the screen.

4. Click anywhere on the DTM.

image8.gif

A form will be display asking you to define the image to be used and the method that you want to use to drape the image across the
DTM.

In this example you will only make 2 changes.

 image9.gif

5. Enter the name of the image file to use as CONCRETE1.GIF

6. Enter the Image draping method as tiling.

For this exercise that is all that is required. Surpac will now drape the small concrete image across the DTM file.
image10.gif
The image should now be a grey colour, but if you window in closely to the DTM, you should see that the image has a texture to it.
This method is a simple way to give your files a realistic look and feel.
Note – Once you close the file in graphics, you must do the image draping again.
1. Registering a GIF image across a DTM

The image tiling method is very easy, but can not be used to accurately place an image onto a DTM. An example of this is if you had an aerial
photo of a mine, and you wished to place it into the correct position on your DTM file, the tiling method will not help with this.
If you wanted to do this, you must create registration points. This is effectively where you give a point on the image a coordinate that matches
to you DTM file. This can be done simple by clicking with your mouse or by manually entering the point coordinates.
1. Click on the Reset Graphics icon to close any file that you have open.
2. Recall the file PIT1.DTM into graphics.

image11.gif

3. Click on the Render button on the toolbar .

image5.gif

4. Select File > Images > Drape a GIF image over a DTM
5. Click anywhere on the DTM.
 This time you will create a registration file, and the registration points that you create will be saved to this file. This means that once
you have draped the image across the DTM once, you can quickly repeat the exercise without having to create the registration points,
as they are stored in the registration file.

image12.gif

6. Enter a name for the registration file.

The name you use can be anything you wish.

7. Select the image to be draped over the DTM, in this example PIT1.GIF.
8. Select the draping option to be register with new points.
9. Choose to define the registration points by graphics.
10. Once you have filled out these fields, click on the Apply button to continue.

The screen in graphics will now be split into 2 parts, with the DTM on the left of the screen, or in viewport 1, and the GIF image on
the right of the screen, or in viewport 2.

The message that you are presented with asks you to digitise registration point 1 on the GIF image. In doing this you will want to
match points in a similar position on the GIF image to points that are in the DTM.

You must define at least 4 registration points. But once you have created 4 registration points, you can continue to create more if you
wish. In this exercise you will create 4 registration points, starting on the GIF image.

11. Click on the GIF image in the top left hand corner as shown in the following image.

image13.gif

Now you must click on the corresponding point on the DTM.

12. Click on the DTM in the top left hand corner as shown in the following image.
 image16.gif

You must now repeat the steps 11 and 12, three more times.

Where possible try and spread your selection points out as much as possible.

13. Once you have created 4 registration points, press the ESC key on the keyboard.

Once you hit the ESC key a form will be displayed showing you the coordinates of the registration points for the GIF image, and also
for the DTM file.

If require the coordinates can be altered before progressing to the next stage.
 image17.gif

14. Click on the Apply button for the registration coordinates form.

Surpac will now drape the image across the DTM file, based on the registration points that you created. In general the more registration points
you use the better the fit for the draping.

image18.gif
The image can now be rotated as with a DTM file, and you can use the normal viewing functions such as window in and window out.
It is also possible to digitise directly onto the DTM using the GIF image as a base of information.
 
 Digitising onto a DTM
Using the previous image draping exercise, you will digitise several points onto the DTM surface, using the GIF image as a base of
information.
1. Window in on the right hand side of the DTM file, where the image shows some blast holes that have been drilled.
 image19.gif

2. Window in as close as possible to display the top section of the drilled area.

Depending on how careful you were with your registration points will depend on how well the holes in the GIF image will fit to the
DTM. If you need to, repeat the image draping exercise to give a better fit.

3. Create a new layer to digitise your data into by clicking on the arrow next to the layer name and selecting < new layer>
 image20.gif

4. Enter a new layer name of blast holes, and the click on the Apply button.

Now you will set your digitising string number.

5. Click on the set string number button on the toolbar .

image21.gif

image22.gif

6. Set the string number to string 100 and then click on the Apply button.

Now you will make it so that each time you digitise a point, it will snap onto the DTM surface.

7. Select the snap options, and change the snap to triangle.

 image23.gif

image24.gif

Now you will begin your digitising. In this exercise you will digitise a point for each of the blast holes on the image. This is a simple
method that can be used to get information into a digital format.

8. Select the point digitise function from the toolbar .

image25.gif

You will be prompted to digitise a point. Start clicking on each of the blast holes one at a time, and you should see that the string is
created as you go.
 image26.gif

Once you have digitised the hole information, you can save the string file.

9. Select File > Save > String / DTM file from the menu, and enter a name for the digitised string.
image27.gif
This can be applied to many situations to allow you to create string information from a digital photo.
 
 Importing a DXF file
Surpac will allow you import DXF files into Surpac from various other packages, such as AutoCAD.
This exercise will take you through importing a DXF files into Surpac.
1. Select File > Import > DXF file to a string DTM file
image28.gif
 image29.gif

2. Enter the name of the DXF file to be converted into a string file. In this example you will use the file SURFACE_SURVEY1.DXF.

Note – The DXF file must have a location name, and an ID number, just as a Surpac string file does. This may mean you have to
rename your DXF file before you can import it into Surpac.

3. Select whether to import data from the entities, blocks or both from the DXF file.
4. Enter the Arc segment length, and the minimum circle radius.

The arc segment length is used to convert circles into small segments in a string file. The value is a percentage of the circles radius, i.e.
10% of the radius. The smaller the percentage, the more segments, and thus more points will be used to represent a curve or circle in
Surpac.

A circle in the DXF file will be created as a closed segment in Surpac so long as the DXF radius is larger than defined on this form.
By default Surpac will use a circle radius of 0.5.

5. Click on the Apply button.

Surpac will create the string file, giving it the same name and ID number as the DXF file.

Surpac will also generate a log file that will inform you of the importing that Surpac has completed.
image30.gif

The report tells you the string number that each layer in the DXF file has been converted to. In this example, in the DXF file, layer 3 is
a 3Dpolyline. This has been converted to string number 3, which has 419 segments, and 4295 points in total.
 This report can be very useful in removing strings or segments that are not required.

6. Close the log file.

7. Recall the file SURFACE_SURVEY1.STR into graphics.

image31.gif
image32.gif
 
When importing DXF files into Surpac a very important thing to note, is that if you wish to then create a DTM of the data, you will probably
need to do a lot of editing before this will be possible. Most CAD packages will not force you into having lines that do not cross, which is
what is required when you create a DTM.
If your DXF file is destined to become a DTM within Surpac, a bit of care taken in your CAD package will save you a lot of editing in
Surpac.
Also, when using AutoCAD, from experience, it is best if you save your DXF file as R12.