Visualizing Data Page 1 of 40

Visualizing Data
Global Mapper allows for opening new windows or adding Map Views to view your data different ways, including in 3D, in Profile
view, and with different layers displaying in multiple 2D map views.

Additional tools for visualizing data include the image swipe tool and the generating Graphs and Charts.

The Map Layout tools allow you to create a Map Layout for printing or sharing. You can also add Map Elements like a scale bar and
legend to the main application window.

For more information on changing the display of individual data layers, see the Overlay Control Center.

Adding Multiple Map Views

Overview Map

Image Swipe Tool

Creating a Map Layout

Grid

Distance Scale

Elevation Legend

Map Legend

North Arrow

Display Options

Dynamic Hill Shading

Window Docking

Animate Layers

Multiple 2D Map Views

The Add/Remove Map Views... command is found under the View menu, or on the Global Mapper Viewer toolbar.

This tool enables creating multiple 2D planar views of the workspace data. The map view manager maintains multiple 2D views of
the data. The views may contain different layers, and may be zoomed and panned independently, or linked in location and scale
using the 2D Map View Manager settings.

For information about docking the 3D viewer, path profile or attribute editor, see Window Docking

Related Topics

Once Add 2D Map Views... is selected, the Map View Manager dialog will open.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 2 of 40

Under the Main Map Window section, the current Map Views are listed.

Press the Add Map View button to add additional an addition map view. The new map view will appear floating, but
can be docked with existing windows. For more information see Window Docking

2D Map views can show different layers than the Primary Map View. They may also have the Map Layout layers
(legend, scale bar, etc.) turned off independently. Highlight a view in the Main Map Window list and press the Select
Layers... button to control the layers that display for that view.

Optionally set the views to have linked zoom and/ or center points using the check boxes.

Primary Map View

Select Layers to Display in each View
Map View Manager Options

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 3 of 40

Add Map View

Link the Scale (Zoom) of All 2D Map Views
Link the Center Points of All 2D Map Views
Save/Restore Multi-View Layout to/from Workspace Files
Additional Options

Overview Map
The Overview Map shows the full bounds of the loaded data, similar to a reference map inset in a cartographic map. This can be
used both for reference and navigation of the data. The Overview map will show the extent of the 2D map view, i.e. the view
boundary, as a rectangle (one for each 2D view if there are multiple map views enabled.) The default style for the view boundaries
are red outlines.

The Overview Map may be displayed or hidden using the View > Overview Map menu item or the Overview Map
toolbar button on the File toolbar. It can also be enable from the Configuration Display Options.

The Overview Map is a separate window that can float or be docked.

To change the zoom or extent of the 2D map view, left-click or left-click and drag in the Overview Map. Clicking will move the 2D
extent to center on the clicked location. Clicking and dragging on the overview map will change the 2D map view zoom level and
extent to match the dragged rectangle. The dragged rectangle will adjust slightly to preserve the aspect ratio of the 2D map view.

Right-click on the overview map to go to the Configuration options that customize the behavior of the Overview Map.

The Overview Map has the following controls:

Left-click centers the active view at the coordinate under the mouse pointer.
Left button click-and-drag draws a zoom rectangle, which will be applied to the
active 2D map.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 4 of 40

Right-click brings up
context menu with the
following option:
Overview Map
Options...

Related Topics

Image Swipe
Tool
The Image Swipe command selects the
image swipe tool. This tool allows the
easy viewing of overlapping layers in
an interactive manner by allowing you
to select a raster/ image layer to swipe
away by holding down the left mouse
button and dragging in some direction.
Once the Image Swipe Tool is activated
a 'Select Layer to Swipe' dialog will
populate (below).

Select the raster/ image layer to swipe away. To swipe, just hold down the left mouse button and drag in the desired swipe direction.
When you release the mouse the swipe is reset and the entire image is displayed again. Once active, you can change the selected
swipe layer by right-clicking and choosing the option to 'Select Swipe Layer' from the menu.

To preserve a pulled back view of the layer, right-click on the map and enable the option Keep Swipe After Releasing Mouse.
When this mode is enable, each left-click will begin a new image swipe, and each time the left mouse key is released, the swipe will
be preserved at the point where the mouse was released.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 5 of 40

Map Layout Editor

The Map Layout Editor

Select the Map Layout Editor... menu item from the Tools menu, or press the Map Layout toolbar button to display the New
Layout Options dialog (below). Once the layout options are set, the Map Layout window may be floating or docked. For more
information see Window Docking.

General steps for creating a Map Layout:

1. Load your data into the workspace, analyzing, labeling, and creating any features or symbols you would like
present as part of the map data.

2. Define the extent and size of your map by setting up the paper size, data bounds, and/or scale in the Map
Layout Editor Options dialog. You can modify this later by editing the Map View Element

3. In the Map Layout Preview add the desired Map Layout Elements (scale bar, elevation legend, title, etc.)
Once added, Map Layout Elements may be edited by selecting with the mouse and right-clicking, or by using
the Map Layout Element Control Center. Map Elements are not limited to cartographic elements. For
example, any charts, graphs, 3D views that you have saved as an image may be added as an Image
Element. Elements can also be grouped.

4. Add new pages for additional maps, or create a Map Book that auto generates pages using the current layout
or a template.

5. Print or publish your map. Once the Map Layout is arranged to your satisfaction, the Map Layout Editor
may be printed to a connected printer or exported to Geospatial PDF. Printing options available will depend
on the printer driver(s) available on your machine. It may be possible to make further adjustments to color and
DPI settings, and you will want to verify that any page size selected in the Map Layout Definitions is also
supported by your printer driver and hardware. For printing a larger poster on a series of smaller sheets to be
stitched together, use the export to PDF as Mosaic.

Define the Extent

Prior to setting up the cartographic features, or Map Layout Elements , the Map Layout must first be defined in the options dialog at
the top of this page. Map Layout definitions include; Paper Size, Bounds, and Scale and are used to both set up the print size of your
map, and the spatial extent of the workspace it will include. Please see Defining a Map Layout for more information on setting up the

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 6 of 40

definitions used for creating a Map Layout or a Map Layout Template. Use the Go to Configuration Display Options to edit the layout
setting for the workspace.

The Select Layers... option provides the ability to specify which layers will be included on each page in the Map Layout Editor. The
user can select specific layers, or specify that all workspace layers be included:

l When the All workspace layers check box is selected the page will include all the layers currently in the workspace, and
layers that get added later will automatically be included.

l If a group of individual layers is selected, then new layers added to the workspace will not automatically be included.

l In either case, layers will be removed from the layout page when they are closed/removed from the workspace.

Map Layout Preview

Once you have setup the Map Layout Options, click 'OK' to open the Map Layout Editor (below). This is where Map Layout
Elements such as the scale bar, elevation legend, margins, map legend and north arrow are added to the Map Layout. Click on the
Map Layout Editor window below for more information on the Map Layout Editor.

In the upper left corner of the Map Layout Editor window are both menu and toolbar options for use in editing and adding elements to
the Map Layout, in addition to loading or saving a new or existing Map Layout or Map Layout Template. Click on the image above
to go to a description of the Map Layout Menu or Toolbar option.

To change which layers are displayed on a page, right click on the page in the Page List on the left side of Map Layout Editor window
and choose Select Layers...

If one page is selected, layers from that page will be used to initialize the check box state on the layer selection dialog.

If multiple pages are selected, layer selection dialog will be in its default state, with all layers selected.

The selected layers will be assigned to all of the selected pages.

Map Layout Editor Toolbar

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 7 of 40

Create New Layout

This will bring up the Map Layout Options, to set up a new layout. The new Map
Layout completely replaces the current one, so any elements
defined so far will be lost and it will be necessary to specify a new page size, bounds,
etc.

Open a Saved Template - Use a previously defined template on the current map,
Template Definitions (Paper Size, Bounds, and Scale) will be inherited.

Save the current Layout as a Template - If you are setting up a new layout, or
have loaded an existing template to modify, use this option to save the new Map
Layout as a template.

Create a MapBook from the Current Layout - Create multiple pages based on a
template and a tile scheme of data.

Create Feature MapBook - Create multiple pages based on a template and

centering on selected vector features.

Add a New Element - Adds a new Map Layout Element to the Map Layout
Preview. Map Layout Elements include:
Elevation Legend Element...Insert a new Elevation Legend element into the
Map Layout.
Image Element...Insert a new image element into the Map Layout (JPG, GIF,
PNG, TIF, EMF).
Map Legend Element...Insert a new Map Legend element into the Map
Layout.
North Arrow Element...Insert a new North Arrow element into the Map
Layout.
Scale Bar Element... Insert a new Scale Bar element into the layout.
Text Element... Insert a new Text element into the layout.
Group Elements... Create a new Group element that incorporates the
currently selected elements.
Ungroup Selected Elements... Removes selected elements from the group.
Ungroup Contained Elements... Removes the group associated with the
selected elements.

Delete Selected Elements - Delete the selected element(s) from the layout.

Edit Selected Element - Edit the properties associated with the selected map
element.

Show Map Element Control Center - Displays the Map Element Control Center.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 8 of 40

Undo - Undo the last change to the map layout.

Redo - The Redo function reverses the most recent Undo operation.

Zoom In - This will Zoom in one level per click, increasing the visible detail of
features on the map layout, decreasing the spatial extent.

Zoom Out - This will zoom out one level per click, decreasing the visible detail of
features on the map layout and increasing the spatial extent.

Pan (Grab and Drag) - Changes the center point of the image without changing
the magnification, depress the left mouse button, drag the view to the desired location,
then release the left mouse button to redraw the view at the new location. This tool is
also available through the keyboard shortcut of holding down the mouse wheel.

Full View - Zoom to the full page extent of the layout.

Show or Hide the Ruler Bars - Will either display or hide the ruler bars on the
top and left sides of the Map Layout Preview, the rulers show the size of the page on
the printed map. The ruler displays the size of the page, and added elements on the
final printed map.

View/Change the current page size - This can be used to change the Bounds
of a Map Layout after Map Layout Elements have been added. Dynamic elements will
update in response to changes in the page size
There are also map layout and element editing and creation tools available in the Map Layout Menu Options.

Selecting and positioning Map Layout Elements

If the margin is currently selected, then the current selection of the margin must be cleared prior to selecting a Map Layout Element
for resizing or repositioning. This may be achieved by hitting the ESC button, or by left-clicking outside of the margin boundaries. To
manually change the position of an element, select the element with your mouse and drag to move it - or use one of the right-click
options to align elements with margins or other elements.

The size of an element may also be changed using your mouse, to lock the aspect ration of an element, use one of the corner nodes.
To increase the size of a selected element in one direction only, use a node on the side. Holding the SHIFT button down while
dragging the side or corner of an element will also disable the aspect ration lock.

Creating a Map Template

A best practice for consistent map styling is to create a set of map templates with predefined layouts. Map Templates can also be
used in the creation of a multi-page Map Book.

There are a number of built in Map Templates available as a starting point for creating a new map layout, including portrait and
landscape oriented options with set legends, titles, and other map elements.

Integrate text macros with a Map Template to create variable text. Custom macros can also be defined

Keyboard Shortcuts:
Esc Key - Deselect the selected element
Delete Key - Delete the selected element
Home Key - Show the full page on screen
Mouse Wheel - Pan around the page

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 9 of 40

Arrow Keys - Make a fine adjustment to the position of selected map layout element
(s). The element will be moved a small distance in the direction of the key that is
pressed (up, down, left or right).
Ctrl + C - Copy the selected element
Ctrl + V - Paste the selected element
Ctrl + Z - Undo
Ctrl + A - Redo
The Map Layout Template allows you to save and reuse specific settings for the cartographic elements used to define a Map Layout,
such as; neat lines, legend, scales, non-map graphics, and text overlays. With a Map Layout template, these elements, and their
associated style(s) are preserved and can be used with alternate map data and workspaces. When loading a Map Template, you will
be prompted to select the Scale or Bounds of the Map Layout.

Map Layout Definition

Prior to setting up a Map Layout Preview, you will first need to setup the Map Layout definitions; Paper Size, Bounds, and Scale.

Paper Size (or dimension) - Select a paper size from the drop down menu, and either a Portrait or Landscape Orientation.

Choose the Custom... option to specify a custom paper size. When selecting the Custom... entry the Custom Paper Size dialog will
be displayed. Type in the width and height in inches or centimeters for the custom paper size. When clicking OK, the "Custom..."
entry in the list will be replaced by one saying, "Custom (width x height)", similar to the other paper size entries. Once a custom size
has been chosen, it can be modified by clicking the "Set Up Custom Paper..." button. The same Custom Paper Size dialog will be
displayed.

Bounds (or geographic extent) - Use this option to set the boundary of the loaded data to be used in creating the map layout. By
default the Bounds definition will be 'All Loaded Data'. Click the 'Select...' button in the Bounds section to manually define the Map
Layout bounds in the Select Bounds dialog (below). Use coordinate inputs to restrict the view to specified geographical bounds, or
select an area feature with the Digitizer tool use the selected area feature to set bounds.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 10 of 40

For more information on the bounds settings, see Export Bounds

Scale - Select this option to choose from a drop-down list of commonly used scales (1:24,000, 1:50,000, etc.) or type a custom scale
into the field right of '1:'. To define the Map Center of the chosen scale, click the Select... button. The Select Map Center Point dialog
will be displayed; click mouse to select the center point.

Once defined, the Map Layout Paper Size definition will be saved to any workspace files created from the workspace, or these
definitions can be exported as part of a Map Layout Template from the Map Layout Editor. While there are three definitions in total
(Paper Size, Bounds, and Scale), only two of the three Map Layout Definitions will require user input. The third definition will be
derived from the input of the other two. Upon loading a template you will be asked to specify either the Bounds or Scale for the new
Map Layout, the paper size and saved elements will import along with the template.

For example, you may select a Paper Size and Orientation, and then set the geographic extent or 'Bounds' for the Map you would like
to print or publish. The scale of the map will then be derived from the Paper Size and the Bounds entries. Similarly, you may set the
Paper Size and Scale - and the Bounds will be derived from these two values. If the page characteristics are modified prior to the
addition of such map elements as a North Arrow or neat lines, the placement of the map elements will be altered as well.

Once the map layout has been defined, you can make changes to the scale, bounds and location of the Map View Element by editing
the map view element.

Map Layout Editor Menu Options

Many of the below menu options are also available by right-clicking on the layout or on a selected element.

File Menu

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 11 of 40

Edit Menu
Insert Menu
Format Menu
Pages Menu

Map Layout Elements

In Global Mapper's Map Layout Editor, a Map Layout Element is a common cartographic object (legend, scale bar, title, etc) that will
be a component of the final, printed map. Map Layout Elements can be either dynamic or static. A dynamic layout gets updated in
response to changes in the map data. For example, a change to the bounds of the map data would correspondingly change the scale
bar Map Layout Element. A static layout element is fixed and does not get updated with changes to the map data. For example, a text
element would remain the same if the bounds of the map data were changed.

Map View Element

Map Legend Element

Text Macros

Editing Properties
Both dynamic and static Map Layout Elements have properties that may be specified upon element setup, or edited by using the
Edit Element option on a selected element, right-clicking on a selected element or clicking on the Properties... button on the Map
Element Control center:

Transparency - The Transparency of elements may be adjusted on the General tab of the dialogs for either inserting or editing
an element.

Draw order - The draw order is used to determine the order in which elements appear (draw) in the map layout.

Position - This is the position of the element within the layout, it can be defined for an element by adjusting the absolute X,
Y placement in the Properties dialog for the selected element, or by a choosing the option to align the element relevant to margins
or another selected element.

Size - The size of the element within the layout space - defined in inches. If a border has been added to the element, the size
could be increased. Check the option Preserve Aspect Ratio to maintain the height and width proportions. If this option is checked
and the height or width is adjusted, the other value will update accordingly.

Frame - A border and fill for a Map Layout Element can be added or edited on the General tab of the dialog for editing an
element. To change the border or fill style go to Style... The Select Area Style dialog will be displayed. To set the background
color, choose the 'Solid Fill' fill pattern and use the Color... button to pick the color. To set a border style, use the controls in the
Border Style section.

Element Specific Properties - These are defined when a given element is inserted into the Map Layout Editor, and are unique to
each respective element type.

Map Element Control Center

Access the Map Element Control Center from the Map Layout Editor toolbar button .

Element properties may also be edited in the Map Element Control Center (below) by selecting the element then clicking on the
Properties... button.

These editable Properties... are the same input properties used to originally define the selected element in the Map Element Control
Center offers a centralized location, making it easier to select individual elements in busy Map Layouts, and to easily review which
elements are grouped.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 12 of 40

Editing options available in the Map Element Control Center are also available on the Map Layout Editor Toolbar or in the Map Layout
Menu Options. Depending on the element type, the Properties for the element will show in an edit dialog. Selected elements can also
be hidden or deleted in the Map Element Control Center using the Hide or Delete buttons.

The blue arrows on the right of the Map Element Control Center will move select layers to the top/bottom of the Draw Order. Those
elements on the bottom, appear on the 'top' draw layer.

Map Elements can also be grouped, or aligned to another element or to the Map Layout's margin. Both Dynamic and Static Map
Layout Elements can be added from the main menu or toolbar. Elements may be added using the Insert > Element commands found
on the Map Layout toolbar or in the file menu. Both the setup and edit dialogs for all elements contain options for setting up or
adjusting frames, background color, and transparency and element transparency.

Grouped Elements / Element Blocks

Elements can be grouped together will create an element clock and retain the relative position to each other and to
share alignment. To create an element block, select multiple elements on the map layout using the CTRL key, then
right-click anywhere on the page and select Insert > Group Selected Elements. Remove elements from a group by
selecting one or more currently grouped elements, right-clicking anywhere on the map to select Insert > Ungroup
Selected Elements.

When grouping elements to create an element block a background and border frame can be added and displayed
for the element block.

Created element blocks can be saved for use in other page layouts. To save an element block to a Map Element file
(.gm_mapElement), select the element block and use the Save Element Block option from the Map Layout Editor
File Menu or right-click in the layout and select File > Save Element Block.

A saved element block can be loaded with the File > Load Element Block menu option. Element blocks will load at
the top of the layout page and once loaded they can be moved and edited.

To edit the properties or positioning of selected elements, right-click on the selected element to access the Edit Element menu which
will contain the following options, regardless of element type:

l Insert
l Edit
l Align to Margin
l Align with Element
l Properties
Dynamic Layout Elements
North Arrow
North arrows indicate the orientation of the map, changes to the rotation of the map will be reflected in the orientation of the North
arrow.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 13 of 40

Legend
A legend will explain the meaning of the colors and symbols used to in the workspace to represent features on the map. When
information changes in the primary workspace that impacts the legend (ie: change style for Feature Type) or elevation legend (ie:
change in shader used) element(s), the (elevation) legend will update.

Scale Bar
Scale bars provide a visual measurement for features and distances on the map using a line divided into parts and labeled with
the ground length. This element is dynamic, if the bounds of the map are changed, the scale bar adjusts and remains correct.

Text Macros
See Text Elements for this option. Text Macros are dynamically generated text content. These can be combined with static text in a
text element.

Static Layout Elements

Text Elements
Add text boxes to the Map Layout, including things like titles and metadata. Type the desired text, then use the Justification and
Select Font... options to style the text.

Text elements can be made dynamic by using Macros.

Text Macros

Image Elements
Adds images to the Map Layout. these may be added using the Insert > Image Element command.

Margins
Defines the border of your map, and the space that will fall outside the map. May be clicked and dragged to edit.

Map View Element

The map view element is the object that contains the map data. This has a defined extent of data that the map is displaying. It can
also have a Grid Frame, and additional page properties.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 14 of 40

Map View Element

The Map View Element is the object that contains the loaded spatial data. The parameters for this are first set when creating a New
Map Layout. Right Click on the Map View Element to Align to Margin or Align with Element. The Map View Element can not be
deleted, or copied and pasted.

To edit the Map View properties right click on the Map View Element and go to Properties... or click the Properties... button in
the Map Element Control Center.

The Element Properties window will allow you to change data displayed in the Map View Element, add a Grid, control the background,
frame and transparency, and set the position and size of the Map View Element on the page.

Map View
Change the Bounds or Scale initially set in the New Map Layout definition. The map center can be chosen using the Select... button
or type in coordinates using the display coordinate system (Global Projection).

Layers
This tab contains option to include all layers from workspace, or select specific layers from list.

Grid Frame

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 15 of 40

Create a Grid on the map layout in either Latitude/ Longitude or the current display projection.

Grid Types

No Grid - No marks get drawn on the map frame. When this is chosen, all of the other data entry fields on the
property page will be disabled.

Latitude/Longitude Grid - tick marks are drawn where meridians and parallels meet the map frame, a.k.a., Graticule.
Labels for the tick marks will be drawn using the current Configuration setting for Position Display Format.

Current Projection Grid - tick marks are drawn using ground units in the current projection.

Spacing

Automatic spacing determines the grid spacing based on the bounds being used to draw the map.

Custom spacing uses the spacing value that the user enters in the associated edit field. For a Latitude/Longitude
grid, the value is in decimal degrees, and for a Current Projection grid, the value is in the ground units of the current
projection.

Latitude/ Longitude Label Options

Number of Decimal Digits
This specifies the maximum number of decimal digits in the grid label. When Remove Trailing Zeros is not checked, exactly this
number of decimal digits will be in the label.

Remove Trailing Zeros

When checked, this removes unnecessary zeros from the end of the grid labels.

Format and Style

Choose the color for the map frame and tick marks using the Select... button next to Tick Mark Color.

Choose the orientation for tick mark labels from among the following options:

All Horizontal - all labels are horizontal.

All Vertical - all labels are vertical.

Parallel to Frame - labels on the top and bottom are horizontal, and labels on the side of the frame are vertical.

Perpendicular to Frame: labels on the top and bottom are vertical, and labels on the side are horizontal.

Choose whether or not to have the unit abbreviation appended to the tick label using the check box. This only applies to the Current
Projection grid.

Choose the Font for the Grid labels by clicking the Label Font... button.

The Align Labels with tick marks setting aligns the labels with the tick marks as follows:

Top: above the tick mark

Bottom: below the tick mark
Left Side: to the left of the tick mark
Right Side: to the right of the tick mark

Map Legend Element

The Map Legend element in the Map Layout editor contains a legend of vector features and / or palette colors. This legend can be
freely moved around the layout and resized.

To add a legend to a map layout, select Map Legend Element... from the Insert menu.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 16 of 40

Type
No Map Legend
No legend will be displayed on the main map window.

Display Legend Based on Loaded Vector Types

A legend will be displayed for vector features on the map.

Display Legend Based on Color Palette

A legend will be displayed for palette colors for loaded raster files with palettes.

Display Legend Based on Vector Types and Palette

A legend will be displayed including both vector features and raster palette colors.

Content Options
Number of Columns in Legend
By default the legend will display vertically, with one value per row. Specify additional columns to divide the legend horizontally.

Vector Data

Label Vector Types By

When styling is controlled by Feature Types, specify the attribute value used to label the legend. If the layer is styled based on
Attribute/ Name Values this will be overridden by the list of values. For more information see Vector Data Layer Options.

Organize entries by layer and layer group

When this option is selected, the legend entries associated with vector data will be split into groups by layer group (if there are any)
and by layer description.

When Sorting Labels, Treat Digits as Numeric Values

Select this option to use a natural sort order for labels, rather than an strictly alphabetical sort. This will keep numeric values in order
of quantity.

Example

Filter Types...
Specify which feature types to include in the vector legend.

Filter Layers...
Select which layers to include in the map legend.

Palette
Palette Setup...
Specify which palette colors to use in the palette legend, and setup the palette. For more information on palette setup options see the
Layer Options Palette tab.

Header and Footer

Header
Give the legend a title or header label.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 17 of 40

Footer
Add footer text to bottom of the legend.

Font...

Use the font dialog to specify the desired font. A preview will display in the Sample area of the dialog.

Font
Select the font to use for the text. The list will populate with available system fonts. See also Labels Configuration for default font
face and character set.

Effects
Specify text effects, including a halo around the text, a specific font color, or strikeout and underline effects.

Script
Specify the script to use for the text. The available options are dependent on the selected font.

Related Topics

Text Macros
Text macros can be inserted along with other static text. For example, assuming the scale is set to 100000, the text: "Map Scale:
1:%SCALE%" will become "Map Scale: 1:100000" on the page layout.

Use the Select Macros button to insert variable text. The Macros will appear in text editing window inside '%'s indicating it is a
variable. Variable text that can be inserted includes:

l Projection
¡ Name

¡ Datum Name

¡ Horizontal Unit

¡ Long Description

¡ Short Description

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 18 of 40

l Date and Time

¡ Date in Format MM/DD/YYYY

¡ Date in Format DD/MM/YYYY

¡ Time in 12- hour format HH:MM an/pm

¡ Time in 24-hour format HH:MM

l Map Scale

l Layout Page Number/ Tile Name

l Map Title - This is auto-generated in MapBook creation.

Macro Editor
Manage custom macros using the macro editor. Custom macros can contain company information, copyright, and other text such as
parts of a Title Block or metadata that might be recurring values. Integrated custom macros with a Map Layout Template, to create
consistent text elements such as title blocks and metadata. Customs macros can be stored specific to the workspace, or set as
accessible for any map created on the computer. Custom macros that are not workspace specific are stored in a custom_macros.txt
file in the User Data folder.

This is available in File menu under Preferences... in the Map Layout Editor. It can also be accessed directly from a Text Element by
pressing the Edit Macros... button.

Add Macro -Click this button to add a new macro to the list. The Add Macro dialog will be displayed to collect the information that
defines the macro.

Name - The variable name of the macro that will be displayed in the text element in %%. It can not be blank, can not

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 19 of 40

contain spaces, and must be unique.

Value- This is the string that will replace the macro in the text element. It can not be blank. If the "In Workspace" box
is checked, then this value will be stored in the workspace.

Default Value - This is the value that will replace the macro in the text element if the macro is not stored in the
workspace. This is the value that will be stored in custom_macros.txt.

Description - This is the text that will identify the macro in the macro selection list. This list is on the properties
window for a text element so the user can easily add a macro to the element.

In Workspace- This check box indicates whether or not the Value of the macro will be stored in the workspace.

To edit a macro, click on a field in the table view so it is highlighted. Click again to edit the value.

Delete Macro- Delete the selected macro(s). This button will be disabled unless a macro is selected in the grid.

When the OK button is clicked, the custom_macros.txt file will be updated.

Creating a MapBook
A MapBook is a multiple page layout based on a template or the current map layout. This tool creates multiple pages with matching
layouts, but with different data displayed within the Map View Element on each page. This is ideal for generating Atlas type products,
or creating other series of maps that have a consistent design.

In the Map Layout Editor, go to the File Menu to create a MapBook.

Steps for creating a MapBook:

1. Load data representing the full extent of the area you would like to generate
maps for.
2. Create a Map Layout. Include any Map Elements that will be the same on
every page of the MapBook. For text elements, use macros to define text
that is variable by page.
3. Create a MapBook from the Map Layout Editor file menu. Choose the layout
to use as the template, and what elements to duplicate on every page. The
Tiling tab defines how the map data is divided into different pages. The
Export Bounds define the extent of the data to be covered by the pages of
the MapBook.
4. Once the MapBook has been created, you can interact with each page
individually to make any modifications. You can also go back to the main
application and load additional data that will be displayed in the Map View
Elements.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 20 of 40

General MapBook Options

Page Template - The MapBook page layouts can be generated using the existing visible Map Layout, or by loading a saved
template.

Legend Options

Use the Same Map Legend on All Pages - Check this legend options to show the legend for the full vector data set on each page

Include Tile Bounds Index on first page - This option creates an index page at the beginning of the MapBook that shows the full
extent with footprints of each MapBook page.

Tiling
Tiling is used to define the breakup of the MapBook Export Bounds. All of the tiling options divide the data extent while preserving the
aspect ratio of the Map View element in the Page Template. Choose to define tiling based on the bounds (height or width) or specify
a map scale to use in each tile. The MapBook will calculate the necessary number of pages and the bounds displayed on each page
using the Tile Definition settings. There are also options for overlapping the data in each tile, and naming the resulting pages.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 21 of 40

Tile Definition
Rows or Columns: Specify the number of tiles horizontally OR vertically. The other dimension will be calculated based on the aspect
ratio of the Map View element in the template.

Tile width or height: Specify the width or height in the current projection units for the map view on each page. The other dimension
will be calculated based on the aspect ratio of the Map View element in the template.

Define tiles using scale and page size: This setting calculated and adjusts the number of tiles to fit the export area at the defined
scale. Choose to either Use scale from template or specify an explicit Scale value.

Tile Overlap
Specify an amount of overlap between the map on each page. This can be defined as a Percent of Cell Size.

Tile Naming
Naming of tiles. All options from a normal export dialog for tiling apply to this dialog. See more information here.

Layers
This tab contains option to include all layers from workspace, or select specific layers from list. If the option to include all layers is
selected the layer list and associated buttons will be disabled

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 22 of 40

Export Bounds
The export bounds setting determines the overall extent of the data that will be tiled. Because of the dimensions of the Map View
Element (aspect ratio), the extent of the resulting pages will vary slightly with this to maintain the same Map View Element size on
each page.

These options are common to other export dialogs. See more information here.

Creating a Feature MapBook

A Feature MapBook is a multiple page map layout where the location and extent of the pages is derived from selected vector features
of interest. This function will create a series of map pages based on a template, one for each feature that is currently selected on the
main map view. This tool will be disabled if no feature is currently selected with the digitizer tool.

The Create MapBook Options dialog will be displayed with two tabs:

l General
l Feature Options

Steps for creating a Feature MapBook:

1. Load data representing the full extent of the area you would like to generate
maps for.
2. Create a Map Layout. Include any Map Elements that will be the same on
every page of the MapBook. For text elements, use macros to define text
that is variable by page. To include the vector feature label, use the Map
Title macro. This value will not appear in the text element at first, but can be
auto-populated from the vector feature name. Optionally create a second
map layout of an alternate page orientation (portrait versus landscape) if
there features that would fit better in an alternate page orientation. For more
information see Handling Features with Opposite Orientation.

3. Using the digitizer tool or the attribute editor select the vector features
to generate page extents from. Use the CTRL key modifier to select multiple
features of interest.

4. Create a Feature MapBook from the Map Layout Editor toolbar or file
menu. Choose the layout to use as the (main) template, and what elements
to duplicate on every page.
5. On the Feature Options tab, specify how to determine the bounds of each
page that focuses on a selected feature. The choices here provide options to
derive the bounds from the feature extent, or to use a consistent map scale
while centering on each feature.
6. Once the MapBook has been created, interact with each page individually to
make any modifications. You can also go back to the main application and
load additional data that will be displayed in the Map View Elements.

Feature Options

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 23 of 40

The Feature Options tab contains options related to how the selected features will be used to determine the map bounds and
orientation for each page. Each page of the MapBook can have bounds auto-generated based on the extent of the selected features.
Alternately, each page can centered on the feature of interest while maintaining the same map scale across each page of the
MapBook.

To Determine Map Bounds

Select from the following choices to determine the map bounds for each selected feature:

l Use options by feature type — specifying the bounds of the page based on the
feature geometry type.
Areas and Lines

Specify options for determining the bounds for area and line features. If no areas or lines are selected, this section will be
disabled.

¡ Use feature bounds uses the bounding rectangle of the selected area or line feature as the map bounds.

Optionally, add a buffer as a percentage of the width and height of the bounds. The entry field for the percentage will
be enabled when the Add buffer box is checked. The value must be between 0 and 100.

¡ Use centroid and scale indicates to use the center of the feature bounds and the specified map scale to determine
the page bounds. The entry field for the scale will be enabled when the Use centroid and scale radio button is
selected. The scale value must be greater than zero.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 24 of 40

Points

This section determines the bounds for point features. If no points are selected, this section will be disabled.

¡ Use rectangle allows the user to specify a rectangle around the position of the point feature. The user must enter the
length and width, and choose the unit from the list. All of the entry fields will be enabled when the "Use rectangle" radio
button is selected. The length and width values must be positive numbers.

¡ Use position and scale tells GM to use the position of the point and a scale value to compute the map page bounds.
The entry field for the scale will be enabled when the "Use position and scale" radio button is selected. The scale value
must be greater than zero.

l Use centroid (or position) and scale for all features — the center of the bounding
rectangle and a scale value will be used to determine the map bounds. The Map Scale
entry field will be enabled when this radio button is selected. The scale value must be
greater than zero.
Handling Features with Opposite Orientation
Choose the initial template layout on the General tab. That layout will have an orientation of Portrait or Landscape. This section
describes how to handle computed feature bounds that have the opposite orientation with respect to the initial template.

l Always use orientation in primary template— use the initial template, regardless of
the orientation of the feature bounds.
l Use alternate page layout— use a second layout from an existing page, for features
with the opposite orientation. This layout must have already been defined before
starting the MapBook creation process. The list will be enabled when this radio button
is chosen, and the user must select a layout from the list.
l Use alternate template file — use a saved layout template for features with the
opposite orientation. This template must have already been defined before starting the
MapBook creation process. The Select button will be enabled when this radio button is
chosen, browse the file system to pick a template file.
Other Options
Create map title from feature label — use the feature label to create a map title. This title will be used in the list of map pages, and
can be used in a text element by way of the Map Title macro (%TITLE%).

Put grouped area features on one page— indicates that, if an area feature is part of a group, all of the features in that group will be
shown on one map page.

Mosaic a Map Layout

A mosaic divides a map layout up into multiple pages in a PDF. It is designed for printing large layouts on a smaller sheet size and
combing back together. This tool is similar to poster printing utilities available in other applications.

The Export to PDF as Mosaic... option is available in the Map Layout Editor File Menu. The tool will export a map layout formatted
for a large paper size as a series of tiles using a smaller paper size in the PDF file. The resulting PDF file will contain one page for
each tile. Once exported, print the PDF and cut and paste the pieces together to create a large map.

The names from the Map Pages pane will be included at the bottom of their respective pages in the exported PDF file, along with the
row and column of the mosaic tile page. The file will also include bookmarks for each layout page and mosaic tile.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 25 of 40

Resolution
This combo box allows setting resolution that will be used to generate the exported PDF file.

Page Range
This section indicates the pages to be processed into the mosaic PDF.

All Export all pages in the current map.

Current Page Export the currently displayed page to the PDF file.

Selected Page(s) Export the pages that are currently selected in the Tile Name pane.

Pages Export the pages as indicated in the associated edit box. The user can specify one or more page numbers or page
ranges (separated by a dash), separated by commas. For example, “1, 3, 5-9, 12” would export page 1, page 3, pages 5
through 9, and page 12.

Paper Size
This section is used to specify the paper size to be used for each tile in the mosaic. The user can choose one of the standard paper
sizes, or create a custom paper size, and indicate whether to use Portrait or Landscape orientation.

Options
Selecting the Use JPEG Compression to Produce Smaller PDF Files option will compress the output images to reduce the size of the
output PDF file.

Grid Display Configuration

These options control how grid lines are displayed. If grid lines are displayed, the grid lines can also be exported to any of the
supported vector export formats.

The color and style of the grid lines can be modified on the Line Styles section by modifying the styles for the "Grid Line", "Grid Line -
Minor", and "Grid Line - Major" line types. You can also selectively turn off the display of any or all of the grid line types using the
Filter options described above.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 26 of 40

Access the Grid Display Configuration by selecting the Configuration button from the File Toolbar or Tools menu, and
navigating to the Grid section in the Display Options folder.

The grid display can also be toggled on and off with the Shift + G keyboard shortcut.

Grid Display (Shift+G)

No Grid
This option is the default and causes no grid lines to be displayed or exported.

Lat/ Lon Grid

A grid will be displayed along even latitude and longitude lines.

Current Projection Grid

A grid will be displayed in the currently selected global (i.e. display) projection, which can be modified in the
Projection section.

Grid Spacing
This section allows the user to specify whether to allow Global Mapper to automatically determine a good grid spacing to use or to
specify a custom grid spacing.

Latitude/ Longitude Label Options

Number of Decimal Digits
This specifies the maximum number of decimal digits in the grid label. When Remove Trailing Zeros is not checked, exactly this
number of decimal digits will be in the label.

Remove Trailing Zeros

When checked, this removes unnecessary zeros from the end of the grid labels.

Other Options
Show All Grid Lines Regardless of Zoom Scale
If this option is checked, all grid lines will always be shown rather than the default behavior of only major grid lines being displayed
when zoomed way out and the more minor grid lines only showing up as you zoom in.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 27 of 40

Extend Grid Lines Beyond Loaded Data Bounds

If the option is checked, the generated grid lines will extend a little bit beyond the bounds of the loaded data. Otherwise, the grid lines
will stop at the edge of the smallest bounding box encompassing all loaded data files.

Append Unit Labels to Projected Grid Lines

If checked, labels for projected grid lines will also contain units.

To change the color or width of grid lines, modify the Grid Line, Grid Line - Major and Grid Line - Minor styles in the Line
Styles.

Distance Scale Display Configuration

This Distance Scale section of the Display Configuration allows for the control of a distance scale displayed on the main map when
data is loaded.

Access the Distance Scale Display Configuration by selecting the Configuration button from the File Toolbar or Tools
menu, and navigating to the Distance Scale section in the Display Options folder. This panel is also accessible from the View
menu > Workspace Layout Options> Distance Scale... These can be access directly by right-clicking on the distance scale
element on the map display.

The units used in the distance scale are controlled by the Distance Measure Units in Measure/ Units section of Configuration.

To add a distance scale or distance representative fraction to maps for print or PDF, see the Map Layout Editor.

To control the distance scale display with multiple 2D map views, see the Map View Manager.

Show Distance Scale on Map

When checked, the distance scale will be displayed in the main map window.

Font...
Background Color...
Customize the background color of the element.

Position...
Transparency
Use the slider to control the opacity of the element.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 28 of 40

Elevation Legend Configuration

The Elevation Legend section of the Configuration Display Options dialog controls the display of an elevation legend with loaded
elevation data. This legend is applicable to any gridded data that has been loaded as terrain data, such as elevation data, density
maps, etc. The elevation legend is also applicable to Lidar and other 3D point cloud data when set to render by elevation.

Access the Elevation Legend Configuration by selecting the Configuration button from the File Toolbar or Tools menu,
and navigating to the Distance Scale section in the Display Options folder. This panel is also accessible from the View menu >
Workspace Layout Options> Distance Scale... These can be access directly by right-clicking on the distance scale element on the
map display.

These settings are also accessible by right clicking on a Elevation Legend element.

To specify the interpretation of units for terrain data, see the Elevation Units Interpretation in Layer Options.

Elevation Legend
No Legend
No elevation legend will be displayed.

Metric (meters)
The elevation legend will be labeled in metric units.

Statute (feet)
The elevation legend will be labeled in statute units.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 29 of 40

Font...
Background Color...
Customize the background color of the element.

Position...
Transparency
Use the slider to control the opacity of the element.

Units
Display Units in Legend
Check this option to label the elevation legend with units.

Custom Unit Text

Customize the unit label applied to elevation values in the legend.

Title
Specify a title for the top of the legend. This is particularly useful when the data represents values other than elevation.

Legend Range
Data Extents
The elevation legend minimum and maximum will be calculated from the displayed data extents. The default legend
range is calculated as two standard deviations from the mean. By default shaders to not map the colors linearly.

Custom
Use this settings to customize the minimum and maximum values on the elevation legend. The units are controlled
above.

Slope Shader
Show Slope as Percent Grade Instead of in Degrees
Check this option to label the Slope Shader in percent grade rather than degrees.

Map Legend Configuration

The Map Legend section of the Display Options Configuration controls the display of a legend for vector data and / or raster data
with palette colors. This control is for an onscreen legend visible when interacting with the map. See also Map Legend Element

Access the Map Legend options by selecting the Configuration button from the File Toolbar or Tools menu, and navigating
to the Display Options section. This tool can also be accessed from the View Menu > Workspace Layout Options > Map Legend...
When a legend is displayed on the map, quickly access Map Legend Options... from the right-click context menu.

Type
No Map Legend

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 30 of 40

No legend will be displayed on the main map window.

Display Legend Based on Loaded Vector Types

A legend will be displayed for vector features on the map.

Display Legend Based on Color Palette

A legend will be displayed for palette colors for loaded raster files with palettes.

Display Legend Based on Vector Types and Palette

A legend will be displayed including both vector features and raster palette colors.

Content Options
Number of Columns in Legend
By default the legend will display vertically, with one value per row. Specify additional columns to divide the legend horizontally.

Vector Data

Label Vector Types By

When styling is controlled by Feature Types, specify the attribute value used to label the legend. If the layer is styled based on
Attribute/ Name Values this will be overridden by the list of values. For more information see Vector Data Layer Options.

Organize entries by layer and layer group

When this option is selected, the legend entries associated with vector data will be split into groups by layer group (if there are any)
and by layer description.

When Sorting Labels, Treat Digits as Numeric Values

Select this option to use a natural sort order for labels, rather than an strictly alphabetical sort. This will keep numeric values in order
of quantity.

Example

Filter Types...
Specify which feature types to include in the vector legend.

Filter Layers...
Select which layers to include in the map legend.

Palette
Palette Setup...
Specify which palette colors to use in the palette legend, and setup the palette. For more information on palette setup options see the
Layer Options Palette tab.

Header and Footer

Header
Give the legend a title or header label.

Footer
Add footer text to bottom of the legend.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 31 of 40

Style and Position

Font...
Background Color...
Customize the background color of the element.

Position...
Transparency
Use the slider to control the opacity of the element.

Border Style...
Specify the border style for swatches in the legend.

Transparency
Move the slider to the left to make the map legend transparent.

North Arrow Configuration

The North Arrow Configuration section enables setting up a north arrow on the map display.

Access the North Arrow Configuration by selecting the Configuration button from the File Toolbar or Tools menu, and
navigating to the North Arrow section in the Display Options folder. This panel is also accessible from the View menu >
Workspace Layout Options> North Arrow... These can be access directly by right-clicking on the North Arrow element on the map
display.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 32 of 40

Display North Arrow on Map

Check this option to display a North arrow on the map, then use the drop-down list to choose the style. Create a custom north arrow
by adding a Custom Symbol.

Position...
Specify where in the map frame the element will be displayed.

Size on Map View - The element can be set as a percentage of the view width, or preserved at the original pixel size.

Horizontal Position - Position the element horizontally by specifying a distance away from the left or right edge, or from the center.

Vertical Position - Position the element vertically by specifying a distance away from the top, bottom, or center.

Scale Factor
Resize the north arrow symbol by specifying a scale factor.

Transparency
Adjust the slider to add opacity to the North Arrow symbol.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 33 of 40

Layer Options Dialogs

The Layer Options define the way that data is rendered on the map, including things like the symbols, coloring and transparency, as
well as projection and unit interpretation of the data and scale at which to display the data.

Highlight a layer in the Control Center and press the Layer Options button to access the available display options for the
selected layer(s). This is also available by double clicking a layer name or right clicking and choosing Options.... .

Options can be set on multiple raster, vector or elevation layers at the same time. Select a layer group and then choose options, or
highlight multiple layers in the Control Center using the SHIFT key to set the options for multiple layers at the same time. The
available display options tabs shown in the Layer Options dialog depends on the data type of the selected layers. The following
display options are available:

Vector Data Options

Feature Types Tab
Labels Tab
Elevations Tab (Vector Data)
Area, Line, and Point Styles Tabs
Lidar Display
Label Layer
Raster Options
Display Tab
Color/ Contrast Adjustment
Cropping Tab
Band Setup Tab
Palette Tab
Feathering Tab
Color Grade Tab
Elevation Data Options
Display Tab
Alter Elevation Values
Map Zoom
Layer Projection Tab

Topic Overview

Overlay Control Center

Scripting Reference

SET_LAYER_OPTIONS

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 34 of 40

Quiver Plot
A quiver plot is a special point style where the direction of the symbol and the size of the symbol are derived from attributes. This
styling is often used to show wind direction, currents, etc. The quiver plot can be derived from either direction and magnitude
attributes, or from U and V values. Quiver plots can be applied either at the layer level or on a set of selected points.

Use Quiver Plot

To apply a quiver plot to all the points in a layer, double click on the layer in the Control Center, or highlight the layer and press

the Options button. Choose the Point Styles tab and select the Quiver Plot option at the bottom.

Press the Options... button to access the options described below that control the styling and attribute basis for the quiver plot.

Create Quiver Plot (Direction Vectors) from selected

points...
Like other point styles, the quiver plot can be applied as a style to only a subset of selected points in a layer.

To access this option, select the points, then choose Create Quiver Plot (Direction Vectors) from selected points from the
Digitizer menu or context menu under Create Point/ Text Features or Attribute/ Style Functions.

Quiver Plot Options

The Quiver Plot (Direction Vector) Options dialog (below) allows the user to specify the arrow symbol and attributes to be used when
displaying point data as a quiver (arrow) plot. The arrow will point in the direction calculated from the attributes. The size of the arrow
will be scaled relative to the largest magnitude value. If no magnitude is specified, all of the arrows will be the same size.

Specify the symbol to use by choosing an arrow symbol from the Arrow Symbol list.

Use a UV Vector - When this option is chosen, the specified attributes must contain a UV vector. The U component is the vector
value in the X direction. The V component is the vector value in the Y direction. These values represent the orthogonal velocity
components which define the strength towards the North and towards the East. These two values will be used to compute the
orientation and size of the vector symbol.

Use Direction and Magnitude - When this option is chosen, the user must choose an attribute containing the direction (in degrees,
relative to 0 pointing at the top of the map, drawn clockwise), and another attribute containing the magnitude. The magnitude is
optional.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 35 of 40

Dynamic Hill Shading

The dynamic hill shading tool controls the 3D shading effect displayed on
terrain layers and other raster layers with texture map enabled. The Light
Direction control allows for dynamic manipulation of the sun angle and
height and the resulting shadowing and highlighting effects on the terrain
layer. Sun effects will also display on 3D vector features with extruded
sides.

This tool can be used for cartographic effect to show height texture, or it
can be used to simulate real world sun exposure.

The dynamic hill shading tool is located in the Viewer Toolbar.

Press the Dynamic Hill Shading button to display the Dynamic Hill
Shading dialog.

Drag the light source sun icon around the gimbal graph to dynamically update the highlight and shadowing effect from
the sun on the terrain.

Optionally adjust the settings on the right side to modify the Hill Shade display.

Light Direction
The gimbal graphs the direction and altitude of the sun in relation to the terrain. The four axes represent the cardinal directions
(North, East, South, West). The distance from the center represent the altitude of the sun.

Drag the light source symbol around the gimbal to dynamically update the Altitude and Azimuth values, and see the impact of the
light direction on the terrain surface.

Azimuth
The direction of the sun, measure in angular degrees from North. An azimuth of 0 means the sun is to the north, 90 azimuth means
the sun is to the east, etc.

Altitude
The angle of the sun above the horizon. An altitude of 90 means that the sun is directly overhead, while an altitude of 0 means the
sun is on the horizon.

Use Multiple Light Sources

Select this option to add multiple light sources to the terrain. Press the Define... button to setup the light sources using the following
settings:

Number of Sources: This is the number of light sources to use with the shader. When a number greater than one is specified,
additional light sources will be distributed evenly in a circle, starting from the Azimuth specified above.

For example, if the Azimuth is 45°, and the user specifies 4 light sources, the sources will be positioned at 45°, 135°, 225°, and 315°
degrees.

Blending Algorithm: The intensity values calculated for the multiple light sources can be handled in the following ways:

l Maximum - the maximum intensity for each pixel will be used.

l Minimum - the minimum calculated intensity will be used.
l Average - the intensity values from the light sources will be averaged.
l Weighted Average - the intensity values will be averaged, with extra weight given to
the value calculated at the specified Azimuth.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 36 of 40

Additional Settings

Shader Drop-down
The Shader selection box allows for the selection of the algorithm used to color and shade any loaded elevation data.

The shader drop-down is found on the Viewer Toolbar. It can also be accessed from the Configuration Vertical Options section, or
the Dynamic Hill Shading tool.

The following default shaders are available:

l The Atlas Shader is the default shader. It generally provides good results for any
loaded elevation data. Like most of the options below the color ramp will scale to the
data range.
l The Color Ramp Shader displays ramps color from blue for low elevations to red for
the highest elevations by default.
l The Daylight Shader colors all elevations the same and is only useful when hill
shading is turned on.
l The Global Shader is designed for shading elevation data sets covering large areas of
the earth such as Terrain Base and GTOPO30. The results are quite stunning for data
sets such as these. This shader uses fixed elevation values, so elevations values will
be colored the same from workspace to workspace.
l The Gradient Shader moderates the color with elevation between the low elevation
and the high elevation. The actual colors ramped between can be selected on the
Shader Option panel.
l The HSV Shader maps the elevations onto the HSV (hue saturation value) color
space. The mapping can be configured on the Shader Options panel.
l The NDVI Shader (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) is used for multi-band
imagery that has had the NDVI Calculation applied to it.
l The NDWI Shader (Normalized Difference Water Index) is used for multi-band
imagery that has had the NDWI Calculation applied to it.
l The Slope Shader colors loaded terrain data by the slope of the terrain rather than the
absolute elevation. This shader allows you to identify the portions of the terrain that are
relatively flat vs those that are relatively steep. The definitions of "flat" and "steep" are
user configurable on the Shader Options panel.
l The Slope Direction Shader colors loaded terrain data by direction in which the
terrain faces rather than the absolute elevation. This shader allows you to easily
identify things like the portions of the terrain that face south, or any other direction. The
colors to use for each direction are user configurable on the Shader Options panel.
l The Curvature Shader colors the grid values on a white to black gradient over values
around zero with positive values being white and negative values being black. This
shader will be automatically applied to generated curvature grid layers.
l If any custom shaders have been created, they will be available as well.
Custom Shaders
Ambient Lighting
Use the Ambient Lighting to brighten up dark looking data sets or dim bright looking data sets.

Vertical Exaggeration (for hill shading)

The Vertical Exaggeration setting is used to control the exaggeration of relief features for hill shading in terrain datasets and other

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 37 of 40

texture mapped images. Increasing the terrain vertical exaggeration increases the effect of shadowing and highlighting from the light
source. This setting is independent of the 3D vertical exaggeration and path profile settings.

Hill Shading Shadow Darkness

The Hill Shading Shadow Darkness setting is used to control how dark the darkest shadows are in hill shading. By default, the
value of 0 allows shaded areas to go all the way to black. By moving this slider to the right shadowing will be capped in high relief
areas, thus allowing the use of other controls to better bring out detail in low-relief areas.

Hill Shading Highlight from Direct Light

The Hill Shading Highlight from Direct Light setting is used to display a whitened highlight area in terrain areas that are getting
direct sunlight based on the lighting angle selected. The slider controls the amount of whitening highlight applied to those direct
sunlight areas.

Elevation Display/ Export Units

This option allows you to modify the units that elevations will be displayed in on the status bar as you move the cursor over loaded
elevation data.

Native Overlay Units

The status bar display and exports will use the vertical units the layer has assigned in the Elevation Units
Interpretation.

Metric
The status bar and export will use metric units.

Statute (ft)
The status bar and export will us statute units.

Color Elevation Values Based on Visible Elevation Values

Check this option to color elevation values based on the min and max in the display extent, rather than the min and max of all loaded
data. This option only modifies shaders that use the option to Scale Shader to Loaded Elevation Values.

Restore Defaults
Select this option to restore the settings to the default hillshade settings. The default is an altitude and azimuth at 45°, for visualization
purposes to show a 3-dimensional relief effect. This will also reset the various slider bars for lighting and vertical exaggeration.

Related Topics

Window Docking
Starting in Global Mapper v19.0 many of the common floating windows may be docked into separate panes within the main
application window. Docking may also include tabbed panes.

To dock a window click and hold and drag it over the application window until arrows appear. Release the mouse over
any of the arrows or the center tab control to dock the window in that section.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 38 of 40

To un-dock the window drag the top bar of the window out of the frame, or press the close button (X) on the top right
corner of the pane.

Alternately, use the maximize / Full Screen button to un-dock the window and make it full-screen.

The minimize button will also appear on dockable windows, and can be used to minimize the window to a small
bar at the bottom left.

The restore button will display the window at its most recent docked or floating position.

To tab windows, drop the window in the center square. This will create a tab at the edge of the frame, that can be
switched between different displays.

With the Application Look set to Flat Gray, no arrows for docking will appear. The docking drop-zone will be indicated with
a gray outline when the floating window is dragged to an edge. The Flat Gray Application Look also has a context menu

Types of Dockable Windows

l Overlay Control Center
l Overview Map
l 3D View
l Multiple 2D Map Views
l Path Profile(s)
l Attribute Editor (s)
l Graph and Chart Manager
l Coordinate Convertor
l Map Layout Editor
l GPS Information
Bring Floating Panes on Screen
In some instances when windows are created or un-docked they may attempt to draw off-screen. This happens most often with
display changes, such as when an external monitor is disconnected, a laptop is undocked, or a projector is plugged into the machine.

The Bring Floating Panes on screen option is available from the top level View Menu.

This tool will gather all floating windows onto the screen.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 39 of 40

Related TopicsClose All Non-Primary Views

This menu option will close all docked and floating pane windows leaving only the main view open.

Animate Layers
The Animate tools perform a layer animation on a set of added layers. The layers are progressively shown when the animation is
played. This allows for time based modeling as well as basic flip-book type animation or stop motion animation.

1. Select layers that you would like to include in the Overlay Control Center.
Use the SHIFT or CTRL keys to multi-select layers.

2. Press the Add button to add them to an animation group. The layers
will turn blue in the Overlay Control Center list.

3. Press the Play button to start the animation. Each layer will play
through. A message dialog in the upper left corner will indicate the current
layer name.

4. Use the Faster or Slower button to speed up or slow down the time
each layer persists and the overall length of the animation.

5. Use the Stop button to stop the animation.

Play
Play through all layers added to an animation group (highlighted in Blue in the Overlay Control Center) and marked as visible in the
Overlay Control Center. Hidden layers unchecked in the Control Center will be skipped.

Stop
Stop the animation from playing.

Slower
Slow down the rate of the animation. This button is enabled when the animation is playing.

Faster
Speed up the rate of animation. This button is enabled when the animation is playing.

Add
Add the layers currently highlighted layer(s) in the Control Center to the animation. This will turn them Blue in the Control Center.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16
Visualizing Data Page 40 of 40

Remove
Remove the currently highlighted layer(s) in the Control Center from the animation.

Specify the default animation running time in seconds in the Configuration > General > Advanced.

file:///C:/Users/shuai.guo/AppData/Local/Temp/~hhD9C5.htm 2022/7/16