Tutorial Introduction Page 1 of 62

Tutorial Introduction
Welcome to the Surfer tutorial. This tutorial is designed to introduce you to some of Surfer's features. We cannot
cover all aspects of the program in a tutorial, so this tutorial teaches the basics of Surfer. After you have completed
the tutorial, you will have the skills needed to begin creating your own grids and maps.

If you find you still have questions after you have completed the tutorial, you should consider reviewing the
material in the quick start guide and accessing the rest of Surfer's extensive online help. The Golden Software
website contains a knowledge base of questions and answers, an interactive forum, and training videos. Usually, the
answers to your questions are found in one of these locations. However, if you find you still have questions, do not
hesitate to contact Golden Software’s technical support team. We are happy to answer your questions before they
become problems.

Tutorial Overview
The following is an overview of lessons included in the tutorial.

Starting Surfer shows you how to begin a new Surfer session and open a new plot window.

Lesson 1 - Viewing and Creating Data shows you how to import a data file and how to create a new data file.

Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File shows you how to create a grid file, the basis for most map types in Surfer.

Lesson 3 - Creating a Contour Map shows you how to create a contour map and change the contour map properties.

Lesson 4 - Modifying an Axis shows you how to modify axis properties.

Lesson 5 - Posting Data Points and Working with Map Layers shows you how to add a post map layer to display
data points on the contour map. Both maps will share the same axes, limits, and scaling.

Lesson 6 - Creating a Profile shows you how to draw a profile line on the map and automatically create a cross
section from it.

Lesson 7 - Saving a Map shows you how to save your map and all the information it contains to a Surfer .SRF file.

Lesson 8 - Creating a 3D Surface Map shows you how to create a 3D surface map and change the surface map
properties.

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Lesson 9 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titles shows you how to add transparency, color scales, and
map titles to your maps.

Lesson 10 - Creating Maps from Different Coordinate Systems shows you how to create a map with multiple map
layers and change the coordinate system for the entire map.

Advanced (optional) Lessons

Optional Advanced Tutorial Lessons are available to demonstrate additional features of Surfer.

A Note about the Documentation

Various font styles are used throughout the Surfer quick start guide and online help. Bold text indicates menu
commands, dialog names, tab names, and page names. Italic text indicates items within a dialog or the manager
such as section names, options, and field names. For example, the Save As dialog contains a Save as type list. Bold
and italic text may occasionally be used for emphasis.

Also, menu commands appear as File | Open. This means, "click on the File menu at the top of the plot window,
then click on Open within the File menu list." The first word is always the menu name, followed by the commands
within the menu list.

Sample File Location

The sample files used in the tutorial lessons are located in the Surfer SAMPLES folder. The SAMPLES folder is
located by default at C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13\Samples. Note, if you are running the 32-bit
version of Surfer on a 64-bit version of Windows, the SAMPLES folder is located at C:\Program Files (x86)
\Golden Software\Surfer 13\Samples, by default.

Topic Links
Click the Next and Back links at the bottom of each tutorial to browse through the tutorial lessons. The lessons
should be completed in order, however, they do not need to be completed at one time. The advanced lessons are
optional.

Using the Tutorial with the Demo Version

If you are using the demo version of Surfer, you will not be able to complete some of the tutorial steps that require
saving or exporting. The demo version is a fully functional read-only version of the program. When this is a factor it
is noted in the text and you are directed to proceed to the next step that can be accomplished with the demo.

Next to Starting Surfer

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See Also

Using Surfer

Surfer Flow Chart

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Starting Surfer
To begin a Surfer session:

1. Navigate to the installation folder, C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13 by default.

2. Double-click on the Surfer.EXE application file.

3. The Welcome dialog appears. Click New Plot to open a new blank plot window.

4. A new empty plot window opens in Surfer. This is the work area where you can produce grid files, maps,
and modify grids.

If this is the first time that you have opened Surfer, you are prompted for your serial number. Your serial number is
located on the CD cover or in the email received with the download directions. You may also access your serial
number at any time by clicking Help | About Surfer in the Surfer window.

If you have already been working with Surfer, open a new plot window before starting the tutorial. To open a new
plot window, click the File | New | Plot command.

Back to Tutorial Introduction

Next to Lesson 1 - Viewing and Creating Data

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Lesson 1 - Viewing and Creating Data

An XYZ data file is a file containing at least three columns of data values. The first two columns are the X and Y
coordinates for the data points. The third column is the Z value assigned to the XY point. Although it is not
required, entering the X coordinate in column A, the Y coordinate in column B, and the Z value in column C is a
good idea. Surfer looks for these coordinates in these columns by default. You can customize the default columns
for XYZ data with the Data | Assign XYZ Columns worksheet command. Surfer requires the use of decimal degree
Latitude (Y) and Longitude (X) values when using Latitude and Longitude values.

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A simple XYZ data file. Notice that the X, Y, and Z data are
placed in column A, B, and C, respectively.

Lesson 1 Contents

Opening an Existing Data File

Adding New Data

Creating a New Data File

Saving the Data File

Back to Starting Surfer

Next to Opening an Existing Data File

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Opening an Existing Data File - Tutorial

To look at an example of an XYZ data file, you can open TutorWS.dat in a worksheet window:

1. Click the File | Open command, click the button, or press CTRL+O on the keyboard to open the Open
dialog.

2. If you are not in the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program
Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13\Samples. In the list of files, click TutorWS.dat.

3. Click Open to display the file in the worksheet window.

Notice that the X coordinate (Easting) is in column A, the Y coordinate (Northing) is in column B, and the Z value
(Elevation) is in column C. Although it is not required, row 1 contains header text, which is helpful in identifying
the type of data in the column. When a header row exists, the information in the header row is used in the Property
Manager when selecting worksheet columns.

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When a data file is displayed, the name of the file is shown in

the title bar and in the worksheet tab. In this file, row 1 contains

descriptive information about each column of data.

Back to Viewing and Creating Data

Next to Adding New Data

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Adding New Data

To edit any value, click in the cell to select it. Type information and the existing value is overwritten. Data can be
transformed, sorted, or filtered in this window. New columns can be added. For instance, an ID column can be
added which labels each row with a unique identifier.

To do this:

1. Click in cell D1.

2. Type the text Name.

3. Click in cell D2.

4. Click the Data | Transform command.

5. In the Transform dialog, set the Transform with to Column variables (e.g., C = A + B).

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6. Set the Transform equation to D = “MW” + ITOA( ROW() - 1). This equation will use a prefix of “MW”
before a number. The number is the row number minus 1 for each row. The ITOA function converts the ROW
() -1 number to text.

7. Set the First row to 2.

8. Set the Last row to 48 (the last row in the worksheet).

9. Leave the Empty cells, Text cells, and Number cells set to the defaults.

10. Click OK and each row will have a unique identifier.

Set the options in the Transform dialog as above

to add a unique identifier to each row.

The worksheet should now have a unique identifier column:

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The new column contains a unique identifier for each row.

This can be used for labels later in the tutorial.

After making changes to the worksheet, save the file by clicking the File | Save command. Note that the data cannot
be saved in the demo version.

Back to Opening an Existing Data File

Next to Creating a New Data File

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Creating a New Data File - Tutorial

The Surfer worksheet can also be used to create a new data file. To open a worksheet window and begin entering
data:

1. Click the File | New | Worksheet command, click the button, or press CTRL+W on the keyboard. A new
empty worksheet window is displayed.

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Data are entered into the active cell of the worksheet.

Click on the text "A1" or "Active Cell" for the definition of
the active cell, active cell location, and the active cell edit box.

2. Data is entered into the active cell. The active cell is selected by clicking on the cell or by using the arrow keys
to move between cells. The active cell is indicated by a heavy border and the contents of the active cell are
displayed in the active cell edit box. The active cell location box shows the location of the active cell in the
worksheet. Letters are the column labels and numbers are the row labels.

3. When a cell is active, enter a value or text, and the information is displayed in both the active cell and the active
cell edit box.

4. The BACKSPACE and DELETE keys can be used to edit data as you type.

5. To preserve the typed data in the active cell, move to a new cell. Move to a new cell by clicking a new cell with
the pointer, pressing one of the arrow keys, or pressing ENTER. Press the ESC key to cancel without entering
the data.

Back to Adding New Data

Next to Saving the Data File

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Saving the Data File - Tutorial

When you have completed entering all of the data, the file can be saved. Note that this option is not available in the
demo version.

1. Click the File | Save command, click the button, or press CTRL+S on the keyboard. The Save As dialog is
displayed if you have not previously saved the data file.

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2. In the Save as type list, choose the DAT Data (*.dat) option.

3. Type the name of the file into the File name box.

4. Click the Save button and the Data Export Options dialog opens.

5. Accept the defaults in the Data Export Options dialog by clicking OK.

The file is saved in the Data .DAT format with the file name you specified. The name of the data file appears at the
top of the worksheet window and on the worksheet tab.

Back to Creating a New Data File

Next to Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File

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Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File

Grid files are required to produce a grid-based map. Grid-based maps include contour maps, image maps, shaded
relief maps, 1-grid vector maps, 2-grid vector maps, viewshed layers, watershed maps, 3D wireframes, and 3D
surfaces.

How are grid files produced?

Grid files are created using the Grid | Data command. The Grid | Data command requires data in three columns:
one column containing X data, one column containing Y data, and one column containing Z data. We have included
a sample XYZ data file (TutorWS.dat) with Surfer for you to see how to produce a grid file. After completing the
tutorial, if you need to produce an XYZ data file of your data for your work, see Lesson 1 - Creating an XYZ Data
File.

Creating a Grid File

1. If you have the worksheet window open, click on the Window menu and choose Plot1, or click on the Plot1 tab.
Alternatively, you can create a new plot window with the File | New | Plot command.

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Click on the Plot1 tab to return to the plot window.

2. In the plot window, click the Grid | Data command, or click the button in the grid toolbar. The Open Data
dialog is displayed.

3. In the Open Data dialog, click the file TutorWS.dat file located in the Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples. You can select the file in the file list section or in the Open worksheets section of
the dialog by clicking once on the file name. The name appears in the File name box below the list of data files.

4. Click Open. Alternatively, double-click on the data file name.

5. The Grid Data dialog is displayed. The Grid Data dialog allows you to control the gridding parameters. Take a
moment to look over the various options in the dialog. Do not make changes at this time, as the default
parameters create an acceptable grid file.

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Use the Grid Data dialog to set gridding preferences and create a grid file.

z The Data Columns section is used to specify the columns containing the X and Y coordinates, and the Z
values in the data file.

z The Filter Data button is used to filter your data set.

z The View Data button is used to see a worksheet preview of your data.

z The Statistics button is used to open a statistics report for your data.

z The Grid Report option is used to specify whether to create a statistical report for the data.

z The Gridding Method option is used to specify the interpolation gridding method.

z The Advanced Options button is used to specify advanced settings for the selected Gridding Method.

z The Cross Validate button is used to assess the quality of the gridding method.

z The Grid Line Geometry section is used to specify the XY grid limits, grid spacing, and number of grid nodes
(also referred to as rows and columns) in the grid file.

z The Grid Z Limits section is used to clamp the grid output to minimum and/or maximum values.

z The Z Transform controls whether the actual Z value or the log (base 10) of the Z value is gridded and how
the Z value is stored in the grid file.

z The Blank grid outside convex hull of data automatically blanks any locations that are outside the data area.
When checked, the Inflate convex hull by option is available. This allows the area to be gridded to be
expanded or contracted beyond the data locations by the value specified.

z The Output Grid File displays the path and file name for the grid file.

6. Click OK. In the status bar at the bottom of the window, a display indicates the progress of the gridding
procedure. By accepting the defaults, the grid file uses the same path and file name as the data file, but the grid
file has a .GRD extension.

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7. By default, a Surfer dialog appears after gridding the data with the full path and file name of the grid file that
was created. Click OK in the Surfer dialog.

8. If Grid Report was checked in the Grid Data dialog, a report is displayed. You can minimize or close this
report. This report contains detailed information about the gridding process.

Back to Saving the Data File

Next to Lesson 3 - Creating a Contour Map

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Lesson 3 - Creating a Contour Map

A contour map is a plot of three values. The first two dimensions are the X, Y coordinates, and the third (Z) is
represented by lines of equal value (the contour lines on the map) across the map extents. The shape of the surface
is shown by the contour lines.

What are contour maps used for?

Contour maps are used for a variety of applications. You can contour any Z value of data. If you have multiple Z
values for your X, Y values, you could create multiple contour maps. For example, you could create a contour map
for X, Y, Z (elevation) to show the topography of your study area. You could then create a contour map for X, Y, Z
(concentration) to show the concentration values across your study area. The Z value could be temperature,
concentration, frequency, or any other numeric column of data.

The Map | New | Contour Map command creates a contour map based on a grid file. This lesson will create a
contour map from the .GRD file created in Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File.

Creating a Contour Map

1. Click the Map | New | Contour Map command, or click the button in the map toolbar.

2. The Open Grid dialog is displayed. Select the TutorWS.grd file created in Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File by
clicking once on its name. The file name is entered in the File name box.

3. Click Open and the map is created using the default contour map properties.

4. If you want the contour map to fill the window, click the View | Fit to Window command, click the button,
or press CTRL+D on the keyboard. Alternatively, if you have a wheel mouse, roll the wheel forward to zoom in
on the contour map. The zoom is changed so that the cursor location remains on the screen. Click and hold the
wheel button straight down while you move the mouse to pan around the screen.

Lesson 3 Contents

Changing Contour Levels

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Changing Contour Line Properties

Changing Contour Fill Properties

Setting Advanced Contour Level Properties

Adding, Deleting, and Moving Contour Labels

Exporting 3D Contours

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Next to Changing Contour Levels

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Changing Contour Levels - Tutorial

After you create a contour map, you can easily modify any of the map features. For example, you might want to
change the contour levels displayed on the map.

To change the contour levels:

1. Place the cursor inside the limits of the contour map and click once. Or, click on the Contours-TutorWS.grd
object in the Object Manager. When the contour layer is selected, the contour properties are displayed in the
Property Manager.

2. In the Property Manager, click the Levels tab to display the contour levels and contour line properties for the
map. In this example, the contour levels begin at Z = 20. This is displayed next to Minimum contour. The
Maximum contour level is Z = 105.

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Go to the Levels page to display the contour level properties.

3. To change the contour range, click in the box next to Minimum contour or Maximum contour. Highlight the
existing value and type a new value. The Data range of the grid file is displayed at the top of the Levels page,
making selecting an appropriate range easier. For best results, select values for Minimum contour and Maximum
contour that are in or near this Data range.

4. The Contour interval, or the frequency of contour lines, is five. This means that a contour line will be displayed
every five Z units. We should see contour lines at 20, 25, 30, 35, etc. up to 105. Click in the Contour interval
box, highlight the value 5, and type the value 10.

5. Press ENTER on the keyboard. The map automatically updates to show contour lines every 10 Z units. The
minimum contour level is Z = 20, and the largest contour level is Z = 105.

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The contour map is redrawn using new contour levels

based on 10-foot contour intervals.

Back to Creating a Contour Map

Next to Changing Contour Line Properties

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Changing Contour Line Properties - Tutorial

You can set any of the options in the list on the Levels page to customize the contour map. The Major contour
every value allows the setting of two different line styles, the major and minor contour lines, for the contour map.
By default, the major contour lines are black and labeled and the minor contour lines are gray and unlabeled. The
number of minor contour lines and the line properties for both the major and minor contours can be changed.

Setting the Major Contour Value

1. Highlight the number in the box next to Major contour every and type in a new value of 3.

2. Press ENTER on the keyboard and every third line is a major contour line.

Changing the Major Contour Line Properties

1. Click the next to Major Contours, if it is not already open.

2. Click the next to Line Properties in the Major Contours section. The major line properties appear.

3. Click the Black color box next to Color. Select another color, such as Red, from the list. The map
automatically updates.

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4. Click the next to Width and change the value to 0.03 inches. Thick red lines now appear at the major
contours.

Changing the Minor Contour Line Properties

1. Click the next to Minor Contours, if it is not already open.

2. Click the next to Line Properties in the Minor Contours section. The minor line properties appear.

3. Click the 30% Black color box next to Color. Select another color, such as 80% Black, from the list.

4. Click in the box next to Style and select a dashed line from the list. Dashed gray lines now appear at the
minor contours.

The contour map should look similar to this example after

changing the major and minor line properties.

Back to Changing Contour Levels

Next to Changing Contour Fill Properties

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Changing Contour Fill Properties - Tutorial

Color fill can be assigned to fill between contour lines.

Displaying Contour Fill

To display contour fill:

1. Click once on the contour map to select it. The contour map properties are shown in the Property Manager.

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2. Click on the Levels tab.

3. Click the next to Filled Contours, if it is not already open.

4. Check the box next to Fill contours. The contour map automatically updates to display the default grayscale
color fill between contours.

Changing Fill Color

The color fill can be changed to assign a gradational color spectrum between two colors, or by selecting one of the
preset color spectrums. To change the colors:

1. Click the color bar next to Fill colors. A list of colormaps appear. Click one of the preset colormaps, such as
Rainbow, and the map automatically updates to display the new colors.

2. If only a minimum and maximum color are desired, click the button next to the colormap beside Fill colors.
The Colormap dialog appears.

3. The Colormap dialog allows you to select colors to assign to specific Z values. Click the colormap next to
Presets. Select Grayscale from the list.

4. Click on the left node below the color spectrum. This selects the minimum color node. Click on the color
button next to Color and select the color Blue in the color palette. The color scale now ranges from Blue to
White. Alternatively, you could select an existing color spectrum from the Presets list, or a custom colormap by
clicking the Load button.

Change the color spectrum properties in the Colormap dialog.

5. If you would like the color fill to be transparent, change the Opacity value by clicking and dragging the slider
next to Opacity.

6. Click OK and the contour map is redrawn with the blue to white fill.

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The contour map is filled with a blue to white colormap

after adjustments are made in the Colormap dialog.

Back to Changing Contour Line Properties

Next to Setting Advanced Contour Level Properties

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Setting Advanced Contour Level Properties - Tutorial

Contour map level properties can be set in the Simple manner, like was shown previously. Or, you can change more
advanced items, such as displaying contours on a logarithmic scale using the Logarithmic method or each contour
line individually controlled by using the Advanced method.

To set advanced contour level properties for all levels:

1. Click once on the contour map to select it.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the Levels tab.

3. Change the Level method by clicking on the word Simple next to Level method and selecting Advanced
from the list.

4. Click the Edit Levels button next to Contour levels to open the advanced Levels for Map dialog.

5. Click on the column header buttons to make bulk changes at regular intervals. This provides a way to
emphasize contours.

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Click on one of the column header buttons to make bulk changes.

6. Click on the Label button. The Labels dialog opens.

7. Change the First value to 2, the Set value to 1, and the Skip value to 2.

{ The First value tells Surfer which contour line to first change. This says to set the label format for the
second contour line (Z=30).

{ The Set value tells Surfer how many lines to set with this style. This says to set only one line with the
label format.

{ The Skip value tells Surfer how many lines to skip before setting the next contour line. This says to
skip two contour lines. So, the Z=40 and Z=50 contours are not set.

{ The next contour line Z=60 uses the label format. Z=70 and Z=80 are skipped. Z=90 is set. Z=100 is
skipped.

8. Click the Font button. The Font Properties dialog opens.

9. Set the Size (points) to 12.

10. Set the Foreground color and opacity color to White.

11. Click OK.

12. Click OK in the Labels dialog. Notice how the label status is changed in the Levels for Map dialog.

13. Click on the Hach button. The Hachures dialog opens.

14. Set the First to 1, the Set to 1, and the Skip to 0.

{ The First value tells Surfer to set the hachure setting for the first contour line, Z=20.

{ The Set value tells Surfer to set only one contour line to the hachure style.

{ The Skip value tells Surfer how many contours to skip. In this case, no contours are skipped. This
means that all of the contours will have the hachure style.

15. Check the Hachure Closed Contours Only box, if it is not already checked.

16. Change the Direction to Uphill.

17. Click OK. This changes all of the items under Hach to Yes. All closed contours will have hachure marks.

18. Click OK in the Levels for Map dialog and the bulk changes are made to the contour map.

Bulk changes that can be made include:

z setting the minimum, maximum, and contour interval by clicking the Level button,

z setting the line properties for all lines to a uniform or gradational color and style by clicking the Line button,

z setting the Colormap for the foreground and background color and the fill pattern between all contour lines by
clicking the Fill button,

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z setting the label properties for all contour labels or contour labels on a frequency basis by clicking the Label
button,

z or setting the hachure properties for all contours or on a frequency basis by clicking the Hach button.

To set advanced contour level properties for individual levels:

1. Click once on the contour map to select it.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the Levels tab.

3. Make sure that the Level method is set to Advanced.

4. Click the Edit Levels button next to Contour levels to open the advanced Levels for Map dialog.

5. In the Levels for Map dialog, you can double-click an individual Z value in the list underneath the Level
button to change the Z value for that particular contour level. Let's double-click on the number 60.

6. In the Z Level dialog, highlight the value 60 and type in 65.

7. Click OK and the contour line changes to 65.

Double-click on the 60 to change the Z value for this contour line.

8. You can also double-click the line style for an individual level to modify the line properties for the selected
level. This provides a way to emphasize individual contour levels on the map. Double-click on the line style
next to the 70.

9. In the Line Properties dialog, change the Style to a solid line by clicking on the existing dashed line and
selecting the Solid line from the list.

10. Click OK.

11. Let's add a single contour line halfway between two existing values. Click on the number 65 under the Level
column.

12. Click the Add button. The value 57.5 is added between the 50 and the 65.

13. Click OK and the individual settings are made to the contour map.

Individual level changes that can be made include:

z setting an individual level value by double-click on the level value to enter a new Z value,

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z setting the individual line properties for a single level by double-clicking the line style for that level,

z setting the fill color or pattern for a single level by double-clicking on the fill pattern for that level,

z setting the label properties for a single contour label by double-clicking on the Yes or No under the Label
column for that level,

z or setting the hachure properties for a single contour level by double-clicking on the Yes or No under the
Hach column for that level.

Double-click on an individual elements in the Levels dialog

to set specific parameters for the selected level. This

example shows the line for the Z = 70 after it is changed to a solid line.

Back to Changing Contour Fill Properties

Next to Adding, Deleting, and Moving Contour Labels

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Adding, Deleting, and Moving Contour Labels -

Tutorial
Contour label locations can be changed on an individual basis. Labels can be added, deleted, or moved.

To add, delete, and move contour labels:

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1. Click the Map | Edit Contour Labels command or right-click on the contour map and select Edit Contour
Labels. The cursor changes to to indicate that you are in edit mode. Contour labels have rectangular boxes
around them in edit mode.

2. To delete a label, click on the label and press the DELETE key on the keyboard. For example, left-click on one
of the center 65 labels and press the DELETE key on your keyboard.

3. To add a label, press and hold the CTRL key on the keyboard and left-click the location on the contour line
where you want the new label to be located. The cursor changes to a black arrowhead with a plus sign to
indicate you are able to add a new label. Add several contour labels to the solid and dashed red lines.

4. To move a contour label, left-click on the label, hold down the left mouse button, and drag the label. Release the
left mouse button to complete the label movement.

5. To duplicate a label, hold the CTRL key on the keyboard while holding the left mouse button on an existing
label. Drag the label to a new location along the line.

6. To exit the Edit Contour Labels mode, press the ESC key.

Contour labels can be moved, added, or deleted

with the Map | Edit Contour Labels command.

Back to Setting Advanced Contour Level Properties

Next to Exporting 3D Contours

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Exporting 3D Contours - Tutorial

When you have completed a contour map in the plot window, you can export the contour lines with associated Z
values to an AutoCAD DXF file, 2D SHP, 3D SHP, or to a Text Format TXT file.

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To export contour lines to 3D DXF, 2D SHP, 3D SHP, or TXT File:

1. Select the contour map layer by clicking on the map layer in the plot window or by clicking on the word
Contours-TutorWS.grd in the Object Manager.

Select the contour map by

clicking on the Contours-TutorWS.grd

object in the Object Manager or by

clicking on the map in the plot window.

2. Click the Map | Export Contours command.

3. In the Save As dialog , type TutorWS in the File name box.

4. Specify AutoCAD DXF File (*.dxf), 2D Esri Shapefile (*.shp), 3D Esri Shapefile (*.shp), or Text format (*.txt)
in the Save as type box.

5. Click Save and the file is exported to the current directory. This creates a file titled TutorWS.dxf, TutorWS.shp, or
TutorWS.txt depending on what file type you selected. Additional files may also be created that accompany the
DXF, SHP, or TXT file.

Back to Adding, Deleting, and Moving Contour Labels

Next to Lesson 4 - Modifying an Axis

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Lesson 4 - Modifying an Axis - Tutorial

Every contour map is created with four map axes: the bottom, right, top, and left axes. You can control the display
of each axis independently of the other axes on the map. In this example, we will change the axis label spacing and
add an axis title. 3D maps have an additional Z axis. Additional left, right, top, bottom, or Z axes can be added to a
map with the Map | Add command. You can control the display of each axis independently of the other axes on the
map. In this example, we will change the axis label spacing and add an axis title.

Adding an Axis Title

1. Move the cursor over one of the axis tick labels on the bottom X axis and left-click the mouse. In the status bar at
the bottom of the plot window, the words "Map: Bottom Axis" are displayed. The Bottom Axis object is selected
in the Object Manager. This indicates that you have selected the bottom axis of the contour map. Additionally,
blue circle handles appear at each end of the axis, and green square handles appear surrounding the entire map.

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This indicates that the axis is a "sub-object" of the entire map.

2. The bottom axis properties are displayed in the Property Manager. Click on the General tab.

3. Click the next to Title to open the Title section if it is not already open.

4. Click in the box next to Title text. Type Bottom Axis and press the ENTER key on the keyboard. This places a
title on the selected axis. Alternatively, click the button. Type the text in the Text Editor and click OK.

5. If you cannot see the axis title, click the View | Zoom | Selected command. The map automatically increases its
size to fill the plot window.

Back to Exporting 3D Contours

Next to Changing the Tick Label Properties

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Changing the Tick Label Properties - Tutorial

All properties of the axis are editable, including the tick label format and frequency. To change the axis tick labels:

1. In the Property Manager, click on the Scaling tab to display the axis scaling options.

2. In the Major Interval box, highlight the value 1 and type the value 1.5.

3. Press ENTER on the keyboard to place 1.5 X map units between tick marks. This spacing automatically updates
on the map axis.

4. Click on the General tab in the Property Manager.

5. Click the next to Labels, if it is not already open.

6. Click the next to Label Format to open the Label Format section.

7. In the Label Format section, select Fixed for the Type.

8. Click in the box next to Decimal digits. Highlight the existing value and type the value 1.

9. Press ENTER on the keyboard. This indicates that only one digit follows the decimal point for the axis tick
labels.

0. The map is updated immediately after every change, showing the axis tick spacing, labels, and the axis title.

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You can use the axis properties to change the tick mark and axis title properties.

Back to Lesson 4 - Modifying an Axis

Next to Lesson 5 - Posting Data Points and Working with Layers

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Lesson 5 - Posting Data Points and Working with Map

Layers - Tutorial
Post maps are created by placing symbols representing data points at the X, Y data point locations on a map.
Posting data points on a map can be useful in determining the distribution of data points, as well as placing data or
text information at specific points on the map. Data files contain the X, Y coordinates used to position the points on
the map. Data files can also contain the labels associated with each point.

Map layers allow you to add multiple maps to an existing map to create one map object displaying a variety of map
types. The map uses a single set of axes and the map layers are positioned according to the target coordinate system.
For example, if you have a contour map of weather data created, you can add a post map layer displaying the
location and station names of each data collection station.

How are map layers added to existing maps?

Map layers can be added to an existing map by selecting the map and using the Map | Add command, by dragging
an existing map layer from one map object to another, or by selecting all maps and using the Map | Overlay Maps
command.

Lesson 5 Contents

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Adding a Post Map Layer

Changing the Post Map Properties

Adding Labels to the Post Map

Moving Individual Post Map Labels

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Next to Adding a Post Map Layer

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Adding a Post Map Layer - Tutorial

When a new post map is created with Map | New | Post Map, it is independent of any other maps in the current plot
window. When the two maps are displayed, notice that two sets of axes are also displayed, one set for each map.
When you select a map and then use the Map | Add command, a new map layer, axis, or scale bar can be added to
the selected map.

If two maps already existed, a map layer can be dragged to a different map object in the Object Manager.
Alternatively, select both maps and click the Map | Overlay Maps command. All selected map layers are moved to
a single map object.

To delete a map layer, select the layer in the Object Manager and press the DELETE key. To remove a map layer
from a map object, right-click the layer and select Break Apart Map Layer.

If you have not already completed Lesson 1 - Viewing and Creating Data, do so now. This lesson adds a worksheet
column that is used for the post map labels.

To add a post map layer to the current tutorial map:

1. Click once on the Contours-TutorWS.grd layer in the Object Manager to select it.

2. Click the Map | Add | Post Layer command, or right-click on the contour map and select Add | Post Layer.

3. In the Open Data dialog, select TutorWS.dat in the Open worksheets section at the bottom of the dialog. If the
TutorWS.dat file is not already open, browse to the Samples directory and select it in the file list. By default, the
Samples folder is located in C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

4. Click Open.

The post map layer is added to the contour map. Notice in the Object Manager that the post map layer has been
added to the Map. The two map layers now share the same set of axes. Changes made to the map properties will
affect both the contour map layer and the post map layer.

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Back to Lesson 5 - Posting Data Points and Working with Map Layers

Next to Changing the Post Map Properties

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Changing the Post Map Properties - Tutorial

Once you have created a post map layer, you can customize the post map properties. Symbols in a post map can all
be the same or can be selected with a worksheet column. Symbol sizes can all be the same or have proportional
sizes. Symbol colors can all be the same or have color based on a column.

To change the post map properties:

1. Click on the Post-TutorWS.dat layer in the Object Manager or on the post map layer in the plot window.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the Symbol tab.

3. Click the next to Symbol, if it is not already open.

4. Click the next to Symbol Properties to open the Symbol Properties section.

5. Next to the Symbol, click on the existing symbol. In the list, click on the filled diamond symbol (Symbol set:
GSI Default Symbols, Number: 6) from the symbol palette.

6. Next to Fill color, click on the existing color. In the color palette, select the Cyan color. The symbol is now cyan
on the inside and black on the outside.

7. Fill opacity and Line opacity can be adjusted to create semi-transparent symbols by dragging the next
to Fill opacity or Line opacity, if desired.

8. Click the next to Symbol Size.

9. Highlight the value next to the Symbol size option and type 0.09 in.

0. Press ENTER on the keyboard. The symbols update with the new symbol size.

1. Click the next to Symbol Color.

2. To change the symbol colors based on a worksheet value, click on the None next to the Color column option
and select Column C: Elevation.

3. Verify that the Color method is set to Numeric via colormap.

4. Click the colormap next to the Symbol colors and select the desired colormap, such as Terrain.

If the post map is not visible, ensure that the post layer is on top of the contour layer in the Object Manager. The
order the layers are listed in a map object is the order the map layers are drawn in the plot window. To move a map
layer, left-click and drag up or down in the map object. Alternatively, select the map layer and use the Arrange |
Order Objects command or right-click and select Order Objects.

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The updated post map is displayed overlaid on the contour map.

Back to Adding a Post Map Layer

Next to Adding Labels to the Post Map Layer

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Adding Labels to the Post Map Layer - Tutorial

You can add labels to the data points on post maps and classed post maps. Multiple labels can be added to display
all of the information desired in the map.

To add labels:

1. Click on the Post-TutorWS.dat layer in the Object Manager.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the Labels tab.

3. Click the next to Label Set 1, if the section is not already open.

4. Next to Worksheet column, click the word None. A list displaying all of the columns in TutorWS.dat are
displayed. Select Column C: Elevation from the list.

5. For the Position relative to symbol option, click on the existing option and select Below from the list.

6. Click the Add button next to the Add label set option to add a second label to the post map.

7. Next to Worksheet column, click the word None. A list displaying all of the columns in TutorWS.dat are
displayed. Select Column D: Name from the list.

8. For the Position relative to symbol option, click on the existing option and select Above from the list.

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9. Click the next to Font Properties to open the Font Properties section.

0. Change the Background opacity to 33%. This places a slightly white box around the names.

The post map layer is automatically redrawn with labels on each of the data points.

Add labels to post maps in the Property Manager on the Labels tab.

Back to Changing the Post Map Properties

Next to Moving Individual Post Map Labels

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Moving Individual Post Map Labels - Tutorial

You can move individual labels of post maps and classed post maps with the Map | Edit Post Labels command.
Alternatively, add labels, and then right-click the post map and select Edit Post Labels to enter edit mode. A
customizable line is automatically added from the data point label to the actual X, Y data point location.

To move individual labels:

1. Select the Post-TutorWS.dat layer in the Object Manager.

2. Click the Map | Edit Post Labels command or right-click on the selected map and select Edit Post Labels. The
cursor will change to to indicate you are now in post label editing mode.

3. Left-click on a label, hold the left mouse button down, and drag the label to a new location. With the left mouse
button held down, the arrow keyboard keys can be used to nudge the label location. Release the left mouse
button to place the label in the new location. A leader line will be added from the point location to the new label
location by default. The leader line visibility and line properties are controlled on the Labels page in the
Property Manager when the post map is selected.

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4. Press the ESC key to exit the post label editing mode.

Customize the post map labels with the Edit Post Labels command.

Back to Adding Labels to the Post Map

Next to Lesson 6 - Creating a Profile

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Lesson 6 - Creating a Profile - Tutorial

The ability to slice a grid file in Surfer to create a file of data points along a specified line of section is a very
powerful tool. The sliced data can be visually displayed as a profile in Surfer, or multiple profiles can be combined
to display a cross section. Sometimes, a simpler process is desired because the data is not the end result. If being
able to visually see the profile on the map and on a graph is the desire, the Map | Add | Profile command provides
an excellent quick method.

To start off, you must first have a grid file of your surface data. The profile line will be drawn directly on the map.

Creating the Profile

1. Click once on the contour map to select it.

2. Click the Map | Add | Profile command. The cursor changes to a to indicate that you are in the drawing
mode.

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3. Click inside the contour map near the (0,4) and (9,4) coordinate locations. The exact coordinates of the cursor
are displayed in the status bar for reference.

4. After the second point has been clicked, a line connects the points. Press ENTER on the keyboard to end
drawing mode.

5. Click the View | Fit to Window command to see the entire map and profile.

The base map layer is automatically added to the contour map and the profile graph is automatically created. The
properties can be edited by clicking on the Profile 1 object in the Object Manager.

The location of the profile is displayed on the contour map.

The actual profile is displayed in a graph below the contour map..

Back to Moving Individual Post Map Labels

Next to Lesson 7 - Saving a Map

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Lesson 7 - Saving a Map

When you have completed the map in the plot window, you can save the map to a Surfer .SRF file. Surfer .SRF
files contain all the information necessary to reproduce the project. When you save a map as a .SRF file, all the
scaling, formatting, and map properties are preserved in the file. An asterisk (*) next to the file name in the title bar

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and tab indicates the file has been modified and the modifications have not yet been saved.

If you are using the demo version of Surfer you will not be able to save or export the map. Please proceed to the
next lesson.

To save a map:

1. Click the File | Save command, or click the button. The Save As dialog is displayed because the map has not
been previously saved. Set the Save in directory to any directory on your computer.

2. In the File name box, type TutorWS.

3. Make sure that the Save as type is set to Surfer Document (*.srf).

4. Click Save and the file is saved to the current directory with a .SRF extension. The saved map remains open and
the title bar changes to reflect the name change. There is no longer an asterisk next to the file name.

If desired, the Save as type can be set to Surfer 11 Document (*.srf) or Surfer 12 Document (*.srf), if the file is to be
shared with users using Surfer 11 or Surfer 12. After selecting the format, click Yes in the dialog. Any Surfer 13
specific features are lost when saving to a previous Surfer version format.

Back to Creating a Profile

Next to Lesson 8 - Creating a 3D Surface Map

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Lesson 8 - Creating a 3D Surface Map

Surfaces are three-dimensional shaded renderings of a grid file. Surfaces provide an impressive visual interpretation
of data. Surfaces can be layered with other surfaces, so that the surfaces will intersect with each other. Surfaces can
also have layers of other map types, excluding 3D wireframes. Surfaces allow you to generate an elevation model of
your area of interest and then add layers of data on the top of the surface. You can control the color, lighting,
overlay blending, and wire mesh grid of a 3D surface.

For example, if you have location (X, Y) and temperature (Z) data for a region and you have the same location (X,
Y) and corresponding elevation (Z) data for the area, you could create a grid file with the Z variable being elevation
and a grid file with the Z variable being temperature. You could create a 3D surface of the elevation grid to
represent topography, then add a contour map of the temperature variation. You could continue to add map layers,
such as a classed post map layer with the temperature collection stations that have different symbols depending on
the elevation.

Creating a 3D Surface Map

We are going to use the same grid file you used to create the tutorial contour map. The 3D surface map will provide
a new perspective to the contour map you have already created. Although we are going to create this map in a new
plot window, the surface map could easily be added to the existing plot window.

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1. Click the File | New | Plot command or click the button to open a plot document.

2. Click the Map | New | 3D Surface command or click the button.

3. In the Open dialog, select the grid file TutorWS.grd from the list of files. The TutorWS.grd, created in Lesson 2
- Creating a Grid File, is located in Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the Samples folder, browse to it.
By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

4. Click Open and the 3D surface is created using the default settings.

The 3D surface map shows the grid with a

3D aspect and color filled areas.

Lesson 8 Contents

Creating a Surface

Adding a Mesh

Changing the 3D Surface Layer Colors

Adding a Map Layer

Back to Lesson 7 - Saving a Map

Next to Adding a Mesh

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Adding a Mesh - Tutorial

Mesh lines can be applied to surfaces. 3D surface maps have more capability than 3D wireframe maps because

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surfaces can be combined with more map types and can change the map limits. Adding mesh lines to a 3D surface
map simulates a 3D wireframe map.

To add a surface mesh:

1. Click once on 3D Surface-TutorWS.grd in the Object Manager to select it. The 3D surface properties are
displayed in the Property Manager.

2. Click the Mesh tab.

3. Check the box next to the Draw lines option in both the Lines of Constant X and Lines of Constant Y
sections.

4. Change the Frequency in both the Lines of Constant X section and Lines of Constant Y section to five.

The mesh is automatically added to the selected 3D surface.

The mesh lines indicate lines of constant X and Y on the 3D surface.

Back to Lesson 8 - Creating a 3D Surface Map

Next to Changing Surface Map Layer Colors

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Changing the 3D Surface Layer Colors - Tutorial

Changing color schemes on 3D surfaces is similar to changing colors on other map types such as image maps or
contour maps. A Colormap is used to load previously defined color schemes, or to create your own color schemes.

To change the surface material color:

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1. Click on the 3D Surface-TutorWS.grd to select it.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the General tab.

3. Click the next to Material Color to open the section if it is not already open.

4. Click the color bar next to Upper. In the list, select one of the predefined colormaps, such as Rainbow.

5. If you wish to define your own colors, click the button to the right of the selected colormap. The Colormap
dialog opens.

6. In the Colormap dialog, select a predefined colormap from the Presets list. The Presets list contains a variety of
predefined color schemes. Alternatively, you can click the Load button and select a custom color spectrum .CLR
file. The ColorScales folder, located in the Surfer installation directory, contains many sample .CLR files.

7. The Rainbow preset has six nodes that range from purple to red. You can add, remove, apply opacity, customize
the nodes, or accept the default selections. To reverse the color order, click the Reverse button.

8. Click OK in the Colormap dialog to update the surface map properties with your color changes.

You can continue to experiment with the colors by selecting other color spectrums from the list next to Upper. Or,
click the button to the right of the colormap and make changes in the Colormap dialog. You can experiment
with selecting custom node locations and colors.

This is a 3D surface map with a mesh displayed at a frequency of

five. The 3D surface map is using the preset Rainbow color spectrum.

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Next to Adding a Map Layer

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Adding a Map Layer - Tutorial

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You can add additional map layers to the 3D surface with the Map | Add command. All map layers, except other
3D surfaces, are converted into a type of image known as a texture map. This texture map is then applied to the
surface by stretching it and shrinking it as necessary. When these maps are added to the surface map, you have a
choice on how to treat the texture map. You can use the colors from overlays only, from the surface only, or blend
colors from the overlays and surface. For example, you could create a color filled contour map, add the contour map
and surface, and then use the colors from the contour map only. A 3D wireframe layer cannot be added to a 3D
surface map.

When multiple 3D surfaces of differing elevations are added as layers to an existing surface map, the surfaces can
intersect and overlap each other. If a surface map is added to another surface map with the Map | Add | Surface
Layer command and the two maps are adjacent to each other in the X or Y direction, the surfaces are drawn side-
by-side. In this example, we will add a plane layer to the surface you just created.

To add a planar 3D surface map layer:

1. Click on the 3D Surface-TutorWS.grd layer in the Object Manager.

2. Click the Map | Add | 3D Surface Layer command, or right-click the surface map and select Add | 3D Surface
Layer.

3. In the Open Grid dialog, select the planar grid, TutorPl.grd from Surfer's Samples directory. If you are not in
the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

4. Click Open and the new surface map layer is added using the default settings.

5. Click on the 3D Surface-TutorPl.grd surface map layer in the Object Manager.

6. In the Property Manager, click on the General tab.

7. Click the next to Material Color to open the Material Color section.

8. Click on the color next to Upper. Select Rainbow in the list to match the 3D Surface-TutorWS.grd color fill.

You can overlay two or more 3D surfaces. Depending on each surface's XYZ ranges,

the surfaces may overlap or intersect each other. This example shows

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intersection of the TutorWS.grd and TutorPl.grd sample files.

Before moving on to the next lesson, be sure to save your progress with the File | Save command. Type a new File
name, such as TutorWS-Surface.SRF. Click Save and the new file will be saved to include all the steps from this
lesson.

Back to Changing Colors

Next to Lesson 9 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titles

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Lesson 9 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and

Titles
The opacity of a map, image, text, line, fill, symbol, or entire layer can be customized in Surfer. Opacity is the
amount that you can see through an object or that light can pass through an object. By default, objects are displayed
with 100% opacity, meaning no light can pass through the object. An object can be made semi-transparent by
adjusting the opacity value. An Opacity of 0% would be fully transparent, or fully invisible.

What is transparency used for?

Reducing the opacity of an object allows the ability to see through the object to other objects. This may be useful
when wanting to create a semi-transparent map or object. For example, you may want to display a semi-transparent
contour map over a base map of a satellite image. Being able to set the Opacity of entire layers is especially useful
when you have multiple layers with filled objects and you need to see all of the layers.

What are color scales?

Color scales are available for contour, 3D wireframe, 3D surface, image, and vector maps. Color scales are legends
that show the fill assigned to each contour level on a filled contour map, the colors assigned to levels in a 3D
wireframe, the colors used in an image map, or 3D surface, and the fill assigned to vector symbols.

How can these features improve the final map?

Having a completed map with multiple layers, color scale legends, and titles allow you to provide well organized
and easily understandable publication quality maps.

Creating a Filled Contour Map

To create a contour map:

1. Click the File | New | Plot command, or click the button. A new empty plot window is displayed.

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2. Click the Map | New | Contour Map command.

3. Select the grid file Golden.grd from the list of files in the Open Grid dialog. By default, the Samples folder is
located in C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

4. Click Open. The map is created using the default settings. Some settings are persistent while Surfer is open. If
you have completed Lesson 3 - Creating a Contour Map in the same session, the map created in this step will
have uphill hachures and white-text contour labels.

5. Click on the contour map layer to select it.

6. In the Property Manager, click on the Levels tab.

7. Set the Level method to Simple, if it is not already Simple.

8. Click the next to Filled Contours to open the Filled Contours section, if it is not already open.

9. Check the box next to Fill contours to fill the contours with the default color scale.

0. Click the next to Labels to open the Labels section, if it is not already open.

1. Click the next to Font properties to open the Font properties section.

2. If the Foreground color is not Black, click the current color and select Black from the color palette.

Lesson 9 Contents

Adding Transparency to Map Layers

Adding and Editing a Color Scale

Downloading an Online Base Map Layer

Adding a Map Title

Back to Lesson 8 - Adding a Map Layer

Next to Adding Transparency to Map Layers

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Adding Transparency to Map Layers - Tutorial

You can adjust the Opacity value of a map layer, or of individual contour fill, polygon fill, text, lines, or symbols
when the appropriate object is selected. The properties are displayed in the Property Manager.

Adjusting the Opacity may be useful when you have multiple map layers and need to make one or more layers
semi-transparent to best represent your data.

To add transparency to a contour map:

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1. Click on the contour map to select it.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the Levels page.

3. Click the button next to Fill colors. The Colormap dialog opens.

4. Click the current selection in the Presets list and select Terrain.

5. Verify the Apply opacity to ALL nodes check box is checked. If it is not checked, click the check box.

6. Highlight the existing 100% value next to the Opacity option and type 30.

7. Click OK in the Colormap dialog. The Terrain colormap and 30% opacity setting is applied to the contour
layer's Fill colors. Notice Custom is displayed in the Fill colors field.

The contour map is displayed with a partially transparent fill color.

Back to Lesson 9 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titles

Next to Adding and Editing a Color Scale Bar

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Adding and Editing a Color Scale - Tutorial

Color scales are legends that show the fill colors. Color scales are available for contour, 3D wireframe, 3D surface,
image, and vector maps. The color scale displays the colors assigned to levels in a filled contour map or 3D
wireframe, the colors used in an image map or 3D surface, and the fill assigned to vector symbols.

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To add and edit a color scale to the contour map:

1. Click on the contour map layer to select it. The properties are displayed in the Property Manager.

2. Click on the Level tab. Be sure the Fill contours options is checked.

3. Click the next to Filled Contours to open the Filled Contours section, if it is not already open.

4. Check the box next to Color scale. A default color scale is created. A new Color Scale object is added to the
Object Manager.

5. Make adjustments to the label or line properties. The color scale bar is automatically updated with the changed
properties.

To add a title to the color scale bar:

1. Click on the color scale bar in the Object Manager to select it.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the General tab to edit the color scale properties.

3. Click the next to Title to open the Title section, if it is not already open.

4. Click in the empty box next to Title text

5. In the Title text field, type the text: Elevation (Feet)

6. Press ENTER. The title is added with the default settings.

7. Change the title position by clicking the current selection next to Position. Select Top from the Position list.

8. Notice the color scale title moves to the top of the color scale, and the text orientation automatically changes to
horizontal.

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The map and color scale object are shown in this image. The color scale has the same opacity

as the contour map when the transparency is applied to the contour layer Fill colors colormap.

Back to Adding Transparency to Map Layers

Next to Downloading an Online Base Map Layer

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Downloading an Online Base Map Layer - Tutorial

Adding a shaded relief map layer to the existing semi-transparent map will help display the elevation behind the
contour fill.

To add a base map layer from an online server:

1. Click anywhere on the map to select it.

2. Click the Map | Add | Base Layer from Server command or click the button to download an image base
map from a web mapping server.

3. In the Download Online Maps dialog, click the next to Imagery.

4. Click the next to the NAIP Color Imagery for US server name.

5. Click on the USGS_EROS_Ortho_NAIP layer.

6. Notice the Specify Latitude/Longitude Extents is selected with the boundaries of the selected Map.

The Specify Latitude/Longitude extents is automatically

filled with the extents of the existing map.

7. In the Select Image Resolution to Download section, drag the slider to the right to increase the image
resolution. The farther to the right the slider is located, the better the resolution and the larger the image.
Clicking on one of the lines in the middle toward the left side of the slider downloads a map of sufficient
quality that is smaller in size.

8. Click OK and the base layer downloads. The base layer is automatically placed behind the contour and layer.

9. If a Surfer dialog appears prompting you to adjust the map limits, click No.

10. Click on the Base-USGS_EROS_Ortho_NAIP layer in the Object Manager to select the new base layer.

In the Object Manager, you may want to click the check mark next to the Contours-TutorWS.grd or Base-
USGS_EROS_Ortho_NAIP layers to toggle the visibility of the maps on and off.

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The base map is visible behind the partially transparent contour map.

Back to Adding and Editing a Color Scale

Next to Adding a Map Title

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Adding a Map Title - Tutorial

Adding a title to a map is a great way to stay organized and create publication quality maps.

To add a title to the tutorial map:

1. Click once on the Top Axis in the Object Manager to select it.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the General tab.

3. Click the next to Title, if the section is not already open.

4. In the box next to Title text, click the button to open the Text Editor. This dialog allows multiple lines of text
to be created or individual characters to have a different appearance.

5. Type Tutorial Map and press the ENTER key on the keyboard.

6. On the second line, we will use a dynamic predefined math text instruction to insert the current date. Click the
button.

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7. In the Date/Time Format Builder dialog, select the desired date/time format in the Predefined date/time
formats list. For instance, select MM/dd/yy.

8. Click Insert next to the selected date/time format in the Predefined date/time formats list. Notice the format in
the Date/Time format field updates to the selected format.

9. Click OK in the Date/Time Format Builder dialog. Today's date is added to the Text Editor.

0. Highlight the date in the Text Editor.

1. Click the button to make the highlighted text bold.

2. Change the Size (points) to 14. The size is located immediately to the right of the font name.

3. Click OK to close the Text Editor.

The map is automatically updated with the new map title.

This map contains a semi-transparent contour layer on top of a base layer.

A color scale and title were added to the map.

Back to Downloading an Online Base Map Layer

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Next to Lesson 10 - Creating Maps from Different Coordinate Systems

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Lesson 10 - Creating Maps from Different Coordinate

Systems
Map layers from different coordinate systems can be created in the same map object. Surfer converts the source
coordinate system for each map layer to the target coordinate system for the entire map. The axes display the target
coordinate system.

What is a Map Coordinate System?

A coordinate system is method of defining how a file's point locations display on a map. Different types of
coordinate systems exist that control how the coordinates are shown on the map. In Surfer, a map can be
unreferenced in local coordinates, referenced to a geographic lat/long coordinate system, or referenced to a known
projection and datum.

What is a Coordinate System Used For?

If your data, grids, and base maps are in different coordinate systems, you will want to set the coordinate system for
each map layer and the entire map. If you want to change the projection of your data, grid, or base map, you will
want to set the coordinate system.

Lesson 10 Contents

Creating the First Map Layer

Adding a Post Map Layer

Setting the Target Coordinate System for the Map

Adding Text to the Base Map Layer

Back to Lesson 9 - Adding a Map Title

Next to Creating the First Map Layer

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Creating the First Map Layer - Tutorial

To create a map layer with a defined coordinate system in Surfer:

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1. Click the File | New | Plot command or click the button to open a new plot window.

2. Click Map | New | Contour Map to create the first map layer, a new contour map.

3. In the Open Grid dialog, click on the Diablo.grd file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in C:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

4. Click Open. The contour map is created.

5. Click on Contours-Diablo.grd in the Object Manager to select the contour layer.

6. In the Property Manager, click on the Coordinate System tab. Note that the contour map layer was
imported with a coordinate system already specified. This map layer is in State Plane 1927 - California III
(Meters), as shown in the Name field.

The first map layer is created with a predefined

coordinate system.

Back to Lesson 10 - Creating Maps from Different Coordinate Systems

Next to Adding a Post Map Layer

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Adding a Post Map Layer - Tutorial

Maps can be created without predefined coordinate systems and assigned the correct coordinate system in the map
properties. To add a new map with a post map layer:

1. Create a new post map with the Map | New | Post Map command.

2. In the Open Data dialog, select the Diablo Example.dat file in the Surfer Samples directory. If you are not in
the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

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3. Click Open.

4. Click on the Map that contains the post map and drag it in the plot window so that the two maps are side by
side. Note that the axes on the two maps have very different coordinates.

5. Click on Post-Diablo Example.dat in the Object Manager to select the post layer.

6. In the Property Manager, click on the Coordinate System tab. Note that the post map does not have a
predefined coordinate system.

7. Click the Set button to define the coordinate system for the post map. Since we know this coordinate system,
we can set it.

8. We can use the search bar to reduce the number of projections listed in the Assign Coordinate System dialog,
since we know the map coordinate system. In the Search for text or EPSG code box, type UTM Zone 10N.

9. Press ENTER or click the button.

10. In the Assign Coordinate System dialog, click the next to Predefined to open the Predefined section.

11. Click the next to Projected Systems to open the Projected Systems section.

12. Click the next to UTM to open the UTM section.

13. Click the next to North America to open the North America section.

14. Click on the North America NAD27 UTM Zone 10N to select it.

15. Click OK. On the Coordinate System tab, the post layer shows a defined coordinate system next to Name.

The two maps are displayed side by side with very different coordinates displayed on the axes.

14. In the Object Manager, click and drag the Post-Diablo Example.dat map layer into the Map object that
contains the Contours-Diablo.grd map layer. The two map layers are now overlaid. You can see the posted symbols are
located on the contour lines, despite the different coordinate systems.

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The two maps are overlaid. Notice that the axes

use only one of the map layer's limits.

When searching in the Assign Coordinate System dialog, the search string must exactly match a portion of the
desired coordinate system name or EPSG code. However, the search string does not need to be the complete name
or EPSG code. For example, searching for System 1984 will return the World Geodetic System 1984 coordinate
system, but searching for World 1984 returns no results.

Back to Creating the First Map Layer

Next to Setting the Target Coordinate System for the Map

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Setting the Target Coordinate System for the Map -

Tutorial
The target coordinate system is the system displayed on the map axes. Once the map layer is defined, the target
coordinate system can be changed to any desired coordinate system. To change the target coordinate system:

1. Click on the Map object in the Object Manager.

2. In the Property Manager, click on the Coordinate System tab.

3. Click the Change button.

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4. In the Assign Coordinate System dialog, click the next to Predefined to open the Predefined section.

5. Click the next to Geographic (lat/lon) to open the Geographic (lat/lon) section.

6. Click on World Geodetic System 1984 to select it.

7. Click OK.

On the Coordinate System tab, the map now has a different coordinate system than either the contour or post map
layers. Notice that the axes are now showing latitude and longitude values, as well.

The map axes now display latitude and longitude coordinates.

Back to Adding a Post Map Layer

Next to Changing the Axis Label Format

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Changing the Axis Label Format - Tutorial

The axis labels can be displayed in a variety of number formats. Since the map coordinate system is World Geodetic
System 1984, we will change the axis labels to Degrees, Minutes, Seconds format. To change the label format:

1. Click on the Left Axis object in the Object Manager.

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2. In the Property Manager, click on the General tab to view the General page.

3. Click the next to Labels if the Labels section is not already open.

4. Click the next to Label Format to view the Label Format properties.

5. Click the current selection next to Type and select DMS (Lat/long) from the list.

6. Click on the Bottom Axis object in the Object Manager.

7. Repeat steps 2 through 4, if necessary.

8. Click the current selection next to Type and select DMS (Lat/long) from the list.

9. Click on the Scaling tab to view the Scaling page in the Property Manager.

10. Highlight the value next to Major interval and type 0.03.

11. The axis labels are now in Degrees, Minutes, Seconds format.

Many additional edits can be made to the map. You can continue to experiment with the various coordinate systems
or editing any portion of the map layers.

The final map contains two overlaid layers, each with different source coordinate systems. The axis

labels are in Degrees, Minutes, Seconds format.

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Tutorial Complete
Congratulations! You have completed the Surfer tutorial lessons one through ten.

The remaining tutorial lessons are optional advanced lessons. It is recommended that you complete the optional
lessons, because these lessons provide additional information about how Surfer works.

If you have questions, try looking for answers in the online help, quick start guide, online knowledge base, and
interactive forum. If you find you still have questions, do not hesitate to contact Golden Software’s technical
support team.

Back to Setting the Target Coordinate System for the Map

Next to Optional Advanced Lessons

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Optional Advanced Tutorial Lessons

By completing Lesson 1 through 10 of the tutorial, you now have a basic understanding of Surfer and how to create
and customize basic maps.

The remaining tutorial lessons are optional advanced lessons.

Lesson 11 - Custom Toolbars and Keyboard Commands shows you how to create custom toolbars and keyboard
shortcuts to improve your efficiency in Surfer.

Lesson 12 - Overlaying Map Layers shows you the three methods to overlay map layers.

Lesson 13 - Blank a Grid File shows you how to create a blanking file and use the Grid | Blank command to create
a grid file with an irregular boundary.

Lesson 14 - Changing the Projection in the Worksheet shows you how to change the projection of a data set in the
Surfer worksheet.

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See Also

Using the Online Tutorial

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Lesson 11 - Custom Toolbars and Keyboard

Commands

Creating Custom Toolbars

If you use a command frequently, you may want to add the command button to an existing toolbar or create a new
custom toolbar. This can easily be accomplished in Surfer.

To create a custom toolbar:

1. Select the Tools | Customize command to open the Customize dialog.

2. Click on the Toolbars tab. Click the New button. The Toolbar Name dialog opens.

3. Type a name for the new toolbar, such as My Custom Commands. Click OK. An empty condensed floating
toolbar will appear.

4. Drag the new toolbar to the top of the Surfer screen to dock it next to the other toolbars.

The floating condensed

toolbar appears first.

Dock the custom toolbar near existing

toolbars. In this example, the empty custom

toolbar is docked to the right of the map toolbar.

To add a button or command to a toolbar or menu:

1. If the Customize dialog is not still open, open it by clicking the Tools | Customize command.

2. Click on the Commands tab. The Commands page displays all of the Surfer menus in the Categories list.

3. Select a category from the Categories list.

4. Select a menu command from the Commands list.

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5. Drag the command to a toolbar. Continue adding commands as needed.

6. When you are done creating your custom toolbar, click Close in the Customize dialog.

7. The custom toolbar can be toggled on or off with the View | Toolbars command.

This custom toolbar has many

common Help menu commands.

Creating Keyboard Shortcuts

There are often times where you may use a command often enough to merit creating a custom keyboard shortcut.
This can easily be accomplished in Surfer.

The Help | Keyboard Map command displays a list of the current keyboard commands. The Category list contains
the menu commands for the selected accelerator. The Show Accelerator for list allows you to view the keyboard
commands for the Plot Document, Grid Document, or Worksheet.

In this example, we will create a custom keyboard shortcut for the commonly used Grid | Data command.

To create a custom keyboard command:

1. Let's verify that the Grid | Data command does not have a keyboard shortcut assigned to it. Click Help |
Keyboard Map.

2. In the Help Keyboard dialog, change the Category to Grid.

3. Visually scroll down the list of Grid menu commands. Notice that there is no Keys assigned to GridData. Close
the dialog by clicking the X in the upper right corner of the dialog.

4. Click the Tools | Customize command to open the Customize dialog.

5. Click on the Keyboard tab to open the Keyboard page.

6. Select Plot Document from the Set Accelerator for list.

7. Select Grid from the Category list.

8. Select Data from the Commands list.

9. Click in the box next below Press New Shortcut Key.

0. Press the CTRL + SHIFT + D keys on the keyboard. The shortcut will appear automatically in the Press New
Shortcut Key box.

a. If no other command has this keyboard shortcut, [Unassigned] will be displayed below Assigned to. If the
shortcut is not assigned to another command, click the Assign button. The shortcut is added to the Current
Keys list.

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b. If another command has the keyboard shortcut, the command is listed below Assigned to. If this is the case,
the Assign button is grayed out. Select a different shortcut key for the command. Each shortcut key can be
assigned to only one command.

8. Once you have assigned CTRL + SHIFT + D to the Plot Document, Grid | Data command, click the Close
button.

9. In the plot window, press the CTRL + SHIFT + D command on the keyboard. The Grid | Data command is
executed, and the Open Data dialog opens.

Back to Optional Advanced Tutorial Lessons

Next to Lesson 12 - Overlaying Map Layers

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Lesson 12 - Overlaying Map Layers

Surfer 13 has three methods of overlaying map layers onto a single map object. You can drag a map layer from one
map object to another map object in the Object Manager, you can select a map and click the Map | Add command
to add a map layer, or you can select multiple map objects and use the Map | Overlay Maps command.

This tutorial will cover all three methods that are available to overlay map layers in Surfer. This tutorial will also
cover combining maps from different Surfer .SRF files.

Before we start, it is important to understand the difference between a map object and a map layer. The Object
Manager is the easiest place to see the difference between a map object and a map layer.

z A map object is listed in the Object Manager as Map. A map object consists of axes and an optional map
layer or map layers. Click on the Map object to open the map properties in the Property Manager, where the
View, Scale, Limits, Frame, Coordinate System, and Info are controlled.

Click the Map object to display properties

for the entire map in the Property Manager.

z A map layer is listed in the Object Manager as the map type name (i.e. Contours). A single map layer or
multiple map layers can be part of a map object. Click on the map layer (i.e. Contours) to open the properties
for the selected map type (i.e. contour map properties) in the Property Manager. The specific properties
related to the map type are controlled separately from the entire map properties.

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Click Contours to open the properties for

the contour map in the Property Manager.

Method 1: Overlaying Two Existing Maps by Dragging in the Object

Manager
We will start by creating two separate map objects. In this method, we will create a post map and a contour map.
Note that each map has an independent set of axes before they are overlaid. After the maps are overlaid, they share a
set of axes.

1. Click the File | New | Plot command to open a blank plot window.

2. Click the Map | New | Contour Map command.

3. In the Open Grid dialog, select the Demogrid.grd file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

4. Click Open.

5. Leave Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK. The contour
map is displayed in the plot window and the Object Manager.

6. Click the Map | New | Post Map command to create a second map.

7. In the Open Data dialog, select the sample file Demogrid.dat from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

8. Click Open.

9. Leave Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK. The post map
is displayed in the plot window and the Object Manager.

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The contour map layer and the post map layer are displayed in separate map
objects in the Object Manager and the plot window.

8. Click on the Post map layer in the Object Manager. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the Post map
layer to the map that contains the Contours map layer. When the cursor changes to a horizontal arrow, release the
left mouse button, and the map layer is added to the new map frame. The post map will now be overlaid on the
contour map with a single Map object.

Click on the post map layer (left). Drag the post map layer to the
other map object. When the cursor is a horizontal arrow (middle), release the
mouse button to drop the map layer in the new location (right).

The post map layer was dragged to overlay on top of the contour map layer.
The Map object now has two map layers (Post, Contours).

9. Additional map layers from other map objects can be overlaid on this map object using any of the three methods.

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Method 2: Overlaying Two Existing Maps by using the Map | Add

Command
This method eliminates the requirement to make two maps before overlaying. Start with one map object with any
number of map layers. Click the Map | Add command to immediately add a new map layer to an existing map
object.

1. Select the map created in Method 1.

2. Click the Map | Add | Base Layer command. Alternatively, right-click once on the map or one of the map
layers and click Add | Base Layer.

3. In the Import dialog, select the Demorect.bln file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the Samples
folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13
\Samples.

4. Click Open.

5. Leave Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK. A base map
of a rectangle is displayed in the plot window and the Object Manager as a new map layer to the existing Map
object.

Method 3: Overlaying Maps with the Map | Overlay Maps Command

This method works well when you have multiple maps and map layers to overlay and the maps already exist.

1. Click the Map | New | Base Map command.

2. In the Import dialog, select the Demoslice.bln file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.
3. Click Open.
4. Leave Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK. The new
base map is displayed in the plot window and the Object Manager in a separate map object.
5. Click the Map | New | Base Map command.
6. In the Import dialog, select the DemoText.mif file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.
7. Click Open.
8. Leave Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK. The new
base map is displayed in the plot window and the Object Manager in a separate map object.
9. Click the Edit | Select All command to select all three map objects.
10. Click the Map | Overlay Maps command. The three separate map objects are combined into a single map
object with 5 map layers.

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All maps are displayed as separate

layers in the same Map object.

Method 4: Combing Maps from Different Surfer Files

This method works well when you have multiple maps in different plot windows.

1. Click the File | New | Plot command.

2. Click the Map | New | Base Map command.
3. In the Import dialog, select the Demoslice.bln file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.
4. Click Open.
5. Leave Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK. The new
base map is displayed in the plot window and the Object Manager in a separate map object.
6. Click the File | New | Plot command.
7. Click the Map | New | Base Map command.
8. In the Import dialog, select the DemoText.mif file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples.
9. Click Open.
10. Leave Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK. The new
base map is displayed in the plot window.
11. Click the Edit | Select All command to select the entire map object.
12. Click the plot tab for the first plot window or click the Window | Plot name.
13. Click the Edit | Paste command.
14. Click the Edit | Select All command to select both map objects.
15. Click the Map | Overlay Maps command. The separate maps are combined into a single map object with 2
map layers.

Back to Lesson 11 - Custom Toolbars and Keyboard Commands

Next to Lesson 13 - Blank a Grid File

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Lesson 13 - Blank A Grid File

Surfer creates grid files that are always rectangular or square. When you need to have a grid file where the contour

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lines are not rectangular or square, the grid will need to be blanked. The Grid | Blank command combines an
irregularly shaped blanking .BLN file with a rectangular grid file. The result is a new grid file where the contours
stop at the boundary of the blanking file.

To display a base map of a blanking file on a contour map:

In the previous lesson (Overlaying Map Layers) in method 1-3, you created a map with a contour map layer, a post
map layer, and a three base map layers. The first base map displays the rectangular area of interest, while the
contour map displays a larger area than we need to display. Using the blanking command, we will create a new grid
file that has everything outside the base map rectangle blanked.

Click on the plot window that contains the overlaid map layers from the previous lesson. Click on the next to the
upper two base maps. This will turn the display of these base maps off.

Uncheck the upper two base maps

so only the contour, post, and original

base map are displayed.

To blank the grid file:

1. Before blanking, click the File | Open command.

2. Select the Demorect.bln file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the Samples folder, browse to it. By
default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13\Samples.

3. Click Open. The .BLN file opens in the worksheet.

4. The first row displays the blanking header information. Cell A1 displays the total number of vertices (in this
example, 5). Cell B1 displays the blanking flag. The blanking flag can be either a "0" to indicate "blank outside"
or a "1" to indicate "blank inside". We want to blank outside the rectangle, so ensure the blanking flag is set
properly. A blanking flag of zero is shown in cell B1, so the file can be closed without any changes. Click File |
Close.

5. In the plot window, click the Grid | Blank command.

6. In the Open Grid dialog, select the Demogrid.grd file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the
Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples. Click Open. This is the grid file used to create the original contour map.

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7. In the Open dialog, select the DemoRect.bln file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are not in the Samples
folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 13
\Samples. Click Open. This is the boundary file displayed on the map.

8. In the Save Grid As dialog, type a File name, such as Demogrid_Blanked.grd. Change the Save as type to the
desired grid file format. Select GRD Surfer 7 Binary Grid (*.grd) to save a Surfer grid file. Click Save.

9. A Surfer dialog confirms the location and name of the blanked grid file created. Click OK.

0. Click once on the existing contour map layer to select it.

1. In the Property Manager, click on the General tab. Next to Grid file, click the button. The Open Grid dialog
appears. Select the new Demogrid_Blanked.grd file and click Open.

2. Leave the Unreferenced local system selected in the Assign Coordinate System dialog and click OK.

3. The contour map is updated with the blanked grid file.

Before Blanking: After Blanking:

The blanking file is displayed as a

This is a contour map created
base map layer on the contour
from the blanked grid file.
map.

Back to Lesson 12 - Overlaying Map Layers

Next to Lesson 14 - Changing the Projection in the Worksheet

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Lesson 14 - Changing the Projection in the Worksheet

The New Projected Coordinates command in the worksheet allows you to specify a new projection and datum for
your data. A coordinate conversion adjusts the values of the existing coordinate system and maps them to new
values.

A common example of when you would use the New Projected Coordinates command would be if your base map
is in latitude/longitude but your data file is in UTM. You can use this command to convert the data file from UTM
to latitude/longitude so that you can overlay it with your base map.

In this example, we will convert a grid file to a data file. Once we have a data file, we will import the data file into

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the Surfer worksheet and change the UTM coordinates to latitude/longitude.

To convert a grid file to a data file:

1. Use the File | New | Plot command to open a new blank plot window.

2. In the plot window, click the Grid | Convert command.

3. In the Open Grid dialog, select the sample file TutorialTerraServ.GRD from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are
not in the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in c:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 13\Samples. Click Open.

4. In the Save Grid As dialog, change the Save as type to DAT XYZ (*.dat).

5. Enter the File name Tutorial14.dat, and click Save. The data file is saved.

To change the projection in the worksheet:

1. Use the File | Open command. In the Open dialog, select the Tutorial14.dat file and click Open. The data file
opens in the worksheet.

2. Use the Data | New Projected Coordinates command to open the New Projected Coordinates dialog.

3. In the New Projected Coordinates dialog, change the Source Columns (the columns containing the data you
want to reproject) to X: Column A, Y: Column B.

4. Click the button to set the Source Coordinate System (the current projection of the source data). The Assign
Coordinate System dialog opens.

5. In the Assign Coordinate System dialog, click the button to the left of Predefined.

6. Click the next to Projected Systems.

7. Click the next to UTM.

8. Scroll down and click the button to the left of North America.

9. Scroll down and select North America NAD83 UTM zone 13N. If you will use this projection often, click the
Add to Favorites button to save this projection to your Favorites list to help easily locate North America NAD83
UTM zone 13N in the future.

0. Once the projection is selected, click the OK button. The Source Coordinate System is updated with the selected
projection in the New Projected Coordinates dialog.

1. Specify the Target Columns (the columns you want the reprojected data to go into) to X: Column D, Y: Column
E.

2. Click the button to set the Target Coordinate System (the projection you want the data to be projected to).
The Assign Coordinate System dialog opens.

3. In the Assign Coordinate System dialog, click the button to the left of Predefined.

4. Click the button next to Geographic (lat/lon).

5. Scroll down and select World Geodetic System 1984. If you will use this projection often, click the Add to
Favorites button to save this projection to your favorites list to help easily locate World Geodetic System 1984 in
the future.

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6. Once the projection is selected, click OK. The Target Coordinate System is updated with the selected projection
in the New Projected Coordinates dialog.

.
Specify the Source and Target columns and coordinate
systems in the New Projected Coordinates dialog.

6. Click the OK button in the New Projected Coordinates dialog. The new longitude and latitude data are
displayed in the target columns specified (column D and E).

7. Use the File | Save command to save the updated data file.

8. In the Data Export Options dialog, set the Delimiter to Comma and the Text Qualifier to None. Click OK. The
updated file is saved.

9. Click the File | Close command to close the worksheet window. Alternatively, click on the Plot1 tab to switch
back to the plot window.

0. In the plot window, click the Grid | Data command to create a grid file from the new data file.

1. In the Open Grid dialog, select the data file and click the Open button to open the Grid Data dialog.

2. In the Grid Data dialog, change the Data Columns to X: Column D, Y: Column E, and Z: Column C. Select
Kriging for the Gridding Method. Leave the Output Grid File, and Grid Line Geometry groups set to the
defaults. Uncheck the Grid Report option.

3. Click the OK button to create the grid file. A Surfer dialog appears with the full location and name of the
created grid file.

4. Use the Map | New | Contour Map command to open the Open Grid dialog.

5. Select the grid file and click the Open button to create a contour map from the new grid file.

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In this example, the coordinate data was used to create a grid file.
The grid file was used to create two contour maps. The map on the left was
created from the original coordinates (NAD83 UTM zone 13N). The map on the
right was created from the new projected coordinates (Latitude/Longitude WGS 1984).

Tutorial Complete
Congratulations! You have completed the advanced Surfer tutorial lessons.

If you have questions, try looking for answers in the online help, quick start guide, online knowledge base, and
interactive forum. If you find you still have questions, do not hesitate to contact Golden Software’s technical
support team.

Back to Lesson 13 - Blank a Grid File

Back to Optional Advanced Tutorial Lessons

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