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Plot Sections and Views An overview of how sections and views are managed. |
Views and Sections
The Plots window uses the concept of Sections and Views to control the display and analysis of plot data.
This topic contains the following sections:
Plot Sections Overview
A plot can contain as many views of sections through data as you need. A section is, simply put, a 'slice' of active data, and can be positioned through the body of a loaded object in any direction. A section does not have to be viewed orthogonally as it can be viewed from any direction.
However, it is important to remember that each section is capable of displaying a view from a single direction only. There can be only one section definition for each section. This may sound contradictory, but the situation should be made clearer if you think of a section as a 'flat' representation of a slice through a data object, and each section has its own definition. Although you can position the section however you like, if you change the definition, all data within the associated section will be updated.
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You can extend this functionality with the use of a section master; with a section master, the section definition in one view can be used to control the display of data in any other sections or 3D views. Changing the section definition – width, dip and/or azimuth – in any of the views using the section master will automatically update all other views using the same section master. Changing the section position in any one of these views is applied to all views. |
You will probably find it necessary to produce multiple section views
of your plot in order to present your data most effectively. Several
default section alignments are available, and you can also create
your own custom sections.
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A complete family of sections is defined by a single section definition. For example; if the drilling data extends between northings 1000N and 2000N, by defining a single East-West section at 1000N (or 2000N or 1356N, for example) and a section width of 100 meters, the program will auto-range the extents of the data and create a total of 11 East-West sections, with each one 100 meters apart. The entire family of sections is contained in a single section view, and any changes to the section definition will update the representation of all the other 'slices'. |
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Horizontal (benched), inclined and vertical sections can be quickly
defined using the Section Wizard by selecting
the section type, section azimuth, section width and the center point
coordinate of any one of the sections. The creation of plan and 3D
views is a simple one step process. For more information on creating
and editing sections, see Creating and
Defining Sections. Having created the default section, plan or
3D view, the section definition, page size and view settings can then
be modified as required. Changes made to the section definition can
be displayed dynamically to give the user immediate feedback on the
effect of changing one or more settings.
The section may also be redefined or repositioned interactively by picking the center point or end points of a new section in an existing view, or snapping to a particular hole collar or sample.
Views and Sections
The concept of view and section is important, particularly with regards to 3D sections.
3D data is viewed from potentially any angle and is simply the angle at which the data is displayed to you, the viewer. A viewpoint is a purely aesthetic setting that will allow you to best display your data for whichever task you are undertaking.
In the image below, a wireframe orebody is viewed in the direction indicated by the red arrow:
Once this view definition is set, this results in an image similar to the following:
However, this example is potentially misleading, so it is important to reiterate that the viewpoint is simply the view displayed. In contrast, a section is a slice through the data, and this slice does not have to be the same as the viewpoint, in fact, in many cases, you may wish to view a section from a non-orthogonal angle.
The orientation of a section of data determines how a particular body of data is ‘cut’ for the purpose of extracting data at a particular plane within it. So, in the following image, a section is represented by a transparent disc, which intersects the body of data at the position of the red boundary line:
The viewpoint and section are, at this stage, not aligned. This could be, for example, because the data is being viewed from an angle that suits the presentation of the 3D data, but for useful 2D plot data to be drawn, a section needs to be applied through the area shown.
It is possible to align a view with a section by selecting the Plot Viewribbon (Plotswindow active) and selectingView | Align (more information on this function and toolbar follows, and your online Help also contains tutorials and supplementary information on how to create and align sections effectively.
If you are viewing a 3D section, by default, you will see the viewpoint of the current object, along with all the data that is currently set to be displayed. This data will either be the full object, or a section of the object. This section is displayed in alignment with the current section definition. In other words, your ‘slice’ of data can be controlled independently of the viewpoint. You can also specify how much data, either side of the section plane, is visible, by setting the width of the section.
Section Widths
a section is, in effect, a ‘snapshot’ of the loaded data set at a particular angle and position, you can opt to include as much or as little as the data within your section as you require to demonstrate your results effectively. You can, for example, elect to have a section that only shows data that intersects with the exact position of a 2-dimensional plane. In this situation, a cross-section will be shown without any neighboring data. However, by setting the thickness of a section (otherwise known as ‘Setting Clipping Limits’), you can include more or less data before and after the section. You could, for example, show all data that lies 50 meters either side of the section plane in the current Plot view.
In the images below, the pictures show a section through a wireframe orebody (the same as shown in the images in the previous section), however, the section width has been reduced to 10 meters. In contrast, the image on the right shows the same view, with the section width set to be 150 meters:
10 meter section width
150 meter section width
The above example images also show another previously mentioned feature of sections and view – they do not have to be aligned. In both images (although more clearly seen in the right image) the section definition is set so that the section of data is shown at a non-orthogonal angle.
For more information, see Clipping Data and Section Width Dialog.
Aligning Section and View
It is possible to align the current view with the current section using the Align to Section command.
To align the view direction with the section definition :
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Activate theViewribbon (Plotswindow active) and selectView | Align or select [Yes] from the
Using Plot Templates
Much of the work involved in laying out a presentation sheet can be eliminated using plot templates.
Plot templates are an invaluable method of re-using either plot or log sheets, or specific aspects of them, in subsequent projects.
A Sheet Template is a file (.dmtpl) which stores information about the layout and data used by a single sheet. It remembers the layout and formatting of all your plot items, and also remembers which data and legends were used by those plot items.
Once you have created a Sheet Template, you can use it to create a sheet in any project as many times as you wish, thus avoiding re-creating new sheets from scratch.
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Sheet Templates are compatible with all Datamine Studio products, plus Present and Downhole Explorer applications. |
Find out more about Plot Templates...
 | Related Topics |
| Creating
and Defining Sections Section Definition Command Section Manager Dialog Section View Data Area Properties Section Width Dialog Plot Templates |
