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Viz World User Guide

Version 17.0 | Published January 24, 2018 ©

3D Region

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The plugin can be found in the folder: Viz Artist 3: Built Ins -> Geom Plugins -> Maps.

The 3DRegion plugin is used for applying a graphic design to the selected regions in the map. The designs are defined in the scene and linked in the CWMClient plugin, to create the regions received from the maps server.

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The plugin has the following four editor views:

  • General : Quality and performance parameters.

  • Region : The object’s graphic properties.

  • Sub Regions : The object’s sub regions graphic properties. This tab is enabled when the Sub Regions parameter, under the Advanced tab’s Data settings, is enabled (On).

  • Advanced : Defines plugin behavior in special operation scenarios.

General

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  • LOD mode: Sets the level of details (LOD). When set to auto, the plugin will manage the level of details according to the camera distance from the region object. When set to manual, the level of details will not change when the camera moves, and will remain fixed. When set to Manual, the Polygon Quality parameter will be enabled.

  • Polygon Quality: Sets the quality of the generated region object. The Highest setting will use more polygons to build the region object but will have an effect on performance when many regions are selected. The Lowest setting will enable better performance when adding a lot of regions, but will look poor when moving the camera closer to the region objects.

  • Geo Reference: When enabled (On), references the region object to the map above 3DRegion container. If disabled (Off), the longitude and latitude numbers will be transferred to the Viz Artist position X, Y values. The object can still be geo referenced using for example the Locator Control or World Position plugins.

  • Auto Rescale: Can be used when the region is not geographically referenced (on screen normal) and you want all regions to be the same size (e.g. Israel uses the same screen real estate as a map of America) in Viz units.

  • Copy Map to Region: Will copy overlay the map texture on top of the region geometry

  • Center X Y: Defines where the axis of the region object will be placed: if Region is selected then the axis center will be the middle of the region object. If Map is selected the axis will be placed in the middle of the reference map.

  • Sensible Culling: Defines whether to cut off areas that belong to the selected region but are geographically remote. If set to Off, all marked regions will be built. Use this feature to improve performance (usually set to On).

  • Culling Threshold: Defines the level of details displayed in the regions. The higher the threshold value, the less details will be drawn (that is small islands, small regions, and so on).

  • Use Cache: When enabled (On), saves the objects to a cache folder. When using cache, the generated objects and parameters are saved in a cache folder and when switching between parameters the regions are not rebuilt, but taken from the cache (if they exist). If no (Off) cache is used, every change in the plugin interface will trigger a rebuild of the region objects.

Region

Fill

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  • Fill: Fill enables the user to add a region object to the map, and if fill is applied, how regions are built on the map (either flat on the map (no width) or extruded).

    • None: No region object will be added to the map.

    • Extrude: Regions will be added and extruded over the map. When extrude is used, additional parameters will be enabled.

    • Flat: Adds a flat object (Extrude=0).

  • Include Bottom: builds the bottom of the region when extruded.

  • Center Z: Sets the Z axis location of the region object, with relation to the map: bottom, center or top.

  • Type: Defines how the Height parameter will be calculated.

    • Absolute Height: Defines the regions extrusion height value as Viz units.

    • Relative Height: Defines the regions extrusion height value as a percentage of the regions size.

  • Show Terrain: Enables 3DRegion to take into account any terrain data for a selected region. Adjust the Terrain Height Scale parameter (see next). For this to work you need to enable the Fetch Terrain Data option in the CWMClient.

    • Terrain Height Scale: Adjusts the terrain height.

Border

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The border parameters define whether a border will be drawn around the region objects, border color, width and the alpha. If the 3D Region object is in Controlled Mode (On) the border properties parameters will be disabled.

  • Borders: Defines whether the object will be drawn with a border. When enabled (On), the border will be drawn and the border properties parameters will be enabled.

  • Line Width: Sets the number of GL lines for the border width.

  • Line Color: Uses the color pallet to set the border color.

  • Alpha: Sets the alpha value for the border. This value is controlled by the number to the right of the Line Color selection.

    Note: The color palette is visible in all 3D Region editors but it will only affect the border color.

Sub Regions

The Sub Regions tab has the same fields as the Region tab, except that Sub Regions does not have the Show Terrain and Terrain Height Scale fields. It also has the following field:

  • Sub Regions: Defines whether the object will use the sub regions data in the drawn object. When enabled (On), the sub regions data will be reflected in the geometry and the Sub Regions tab will display the sub regions parameters.

Advanced

Common parameters

  • Freeze: This parameter enables the designer to freeze the region object to Viz data folders (the region is saved as an image containing the region’s information).

  • Wireframe: Draws a wireframe of the object.

Data

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The Data tab defines how data will be processed.

  • Controlled Mode: Defines whether the 3D Region object will be controlled by a 3D Region Control plugin in the hierarchy or not.

  • Render Mode: Defines whether the 3D Region object will be rendered by Viz or directly in OpenGL.

Election

All options work together with the 3D Region Control plugin.

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  • Command: Contains the text with region information used for elections.

  • Selection Data: Since the region data can be shared between scenes, setting the Selection Data to Local means you only influence the local scene whereas with Global you influence all scenes.

  • If Sub Regions is enabled (On), additional parameters will be enabled.

    • Print SubRegion Data: Prints the data in the Viz console.

    • Save Sub Regions Strings: Saves back the sub regions data to the file.

    • Save Sub Region: Saves the current specific sub region information back to the file.

    • Convert Names: Option to convert the names in the plugin to a different set of names.

    • Rebuild: Rebuilds the region objects from the file.

Alpha

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The Alpha tab is an advanced tab used mainly for elections. Alpha tab parameters will be enabled when the Sub Regions parameter is enabled (On). The parameters will affect the object only when an Alpha plugin is added to the object and the 3D Region plugin is in Controlled Mode. These parameters define what part of the region data will be affected by the alpha plugin.

  • Draw: Defines what part of the object will be affected by the alpha settings.

    • All: Both region and sub regions will be drawn in the object.

    • Region: Draws only the region.

    • Sub Region: Draws only the sub regions.

    • None: Sets region and sub regions to be transparent.

  • Region Alpha Mode: Defines what part of the data will be affected by the alpha plugin.

    • Region: Affects only the region areas.

    • Sub Regions: Affects only sub region areas.

    • None: No data will be affected by the alpha plugin.

  • Border Alpha Mode: Defines what part of the border data will be affected by the alpha plugin.

    • Region: Affects only the region borders.

    • Sub Regions: Affects only sub region borders.

    • None: No data will be affected by the alpha plugin.

  • Create Alpha Channel: Automatically create an alpha channel animation

    • Length: Length of alpha channel animation

  • Extrude Length (F): Option to animate sub regions height (extrude). This parameter sets the time for the animation.

Draw

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The Draw tab defines advanced parameters for drawing the region objects.

  • International Date Line: Relates to countries that reside on the 180 and -180 longitude line when using flat maps.

    • None: Draws the regions on both sides of the map.

    • United: Draws the regions together.

  • Border Data: Defines the source data of the borders.

    • Polygon: Draws borders using polygon data.

    • Border: Draws borders using border data (higher memory consumption).

  • Border Quality: Sets the required border quality.

  • Morphing: (Off, Start, End, Start & End)

    • Start: Multiple start shapes can be used to create multiple region morphing shapes. You must also design a separate region using End in order to define how the shape should end.

    • Start & End: Will allow setting two shapes (start and end), and the region will morph between the two shapes.

  • Morphing Samples: Number of data samples between the start and end animation.

  • Morphing Value (%): Used to animate between the first and last frame of the shape.

    Note: The color palette is visible in all 3D Region editors but it will only affect the border color.