TIN creator user interface

This section describes the different components of the TIN Creator interface. The figure below shows the TIN Creator Interface and highlights some of the key components. TIN creator interface can be open clicking the TIN button under the Map tools toolbar or through the export option in the Layers panel right-click menu.

Menu Bar

The Menu Bar contains the following controls:

• Project Menu:

  • Open Project - Allows you to open a .tcp project file.

  • Save Project - Allows you to save a .tcp project file.

  • Delete File Association - When TIN Creator is started it automatically registers the project file extension in a system shell. This enables a saved TIN Creator project to be opened in TIN Creator automatically rather than having to be selected using 'Open Project' after TIN Creator has started. If this menu option is selected then the association between project file and TIN Creator is removed.

  • Exit - Exits the TIN Creator

• File Menu:

  • Load File - Loads a Shapefile or TIN file into the project.

  • Unload Shapefile - Unloads the active shapefile.

  • Recent Files - Provides links to the most recently accessed files.

  • Save TIN - Saves the TIN generated to the currently specified filename (.htn).

  • Save TIN As - Saves the TIN generated to a new, user specified filename (.htn).

• Tools Menu:

  • Triangulate - Triangulates the loaded shapefile.

• Windows Menu: The TIN Creator canvas consists of two windows; one to show input data, i.e. shapefiles, and one to show output data, i.e. TIN files. The following controls are provided to control the canvas display:

  • Tile Horizontally - Splits the canvas horizontally.

  • Tile Vertically - Splits the canvas vertically.

  • Cascade - Cascades the canvases.

  • Minimise All - Minimises all the child form windows.

Toolbar

The TIN Creator toolbar is shown in the figure below. This section describes the functionality of the buttons within this toolbar:

The functions provided within the toolbar are defined as follows:

• Load File - Allows you to load TIN or shapefiles.

• Access to recent files - Gives quick access to recently accessed files.

• Save TIN - Saves the generated TIN.

• Unload selected file - Unloads the active file.

• Synchronised Views - This co-ordinates the two canvases so the images displayed on each canvas are equivalent views.

• Best fit - Zooms to fit all active layers within the active canvas view.

• TIN Undo - Undoes the last action carried out on the TIN canvas. This function only works on the TIN canvas, and you can undo unlimited actions carried out.

• TIN Redo - Allows you to Redo any actions that have been undone using the 'TIN undo' button. As above, this function only works on the TIN canvas.

• Mark all polygons as holes on loading - If this tool is activated then all polygons loaded into TIN Creator will automatically be marked as holes. These areas will therefore be left blank during the triangulation process. If the function is not enabled then only ESRI format holes will be loaded into TIN Creator as holes, i.e. polygons defined in an anti-clockwise direction.

• Put Hole on Canvas - Allows you to mark an area where triangulation will not be carried out.

• Remove all holes - Removes hole property from all polygons so all will be included in triangulation process.

• Draw Convex Hull - Creates a convex hull around objects when working with points, lines or multiple polygons.

• Triangulate - Triangulates the TIN.

TIN and Shapefile Canvas

The TIN Creator interface includes two viewing windows, or canvases; one to display loaded shapefiles (usually the right hand window) and one to display TIN files. Both canvases support transparency, with all objects loaded being transparent. This means that if you load multiple shapefiles that overlap in TIN Creator you will be able to see them all in the TIN Creator canvas. The order in which objects appear on the canvas is dependent upon the order they appear in the table of contents (TOC). To change the order of the objects on the canvas the order must be changed in the TOC by dragging the layers up or down the order.

When the mouse is moved over the TIN canvas, the status bar shows the real coordinates. If the mouse is moved over a point, the coordinates of that point are given on the status bar, along with details of the point, e.g. an 1D node name or whether the selected point is a pseudo node added in the TIN creation process.

Pseudo-points are added to the TIN canvas where the existing points are not sufficient to produce a triangulation.They are usually required when the source shapefiles contain intersecting features. These are shown as green on the TIN canvas, whilst points from the shapefile are shown in black.

To navigate the TIN canvas:

• Panning - To pan across the canvas press down on the right mouse button and move the mouse across the canvas.

• Zooming - To zoom in or out on the canvas press the middle mouse button and move the mouse. To zoom to a selected area of the canvas drag the left mouse button over the appropriate area. To fit all loaded objects into the screen click the Fit to full extent button on the toolbar.

• Synchronising Views - To synchronise the views of the TIN and shapefile canvas click the Synchronise Views button on the toolbar. Then as you zoom or pan in one the other will mirror the changes.

• Zoom to full extent – To undo any zooming and return to the full extent view click the Best Fit button on the toolbar.