Introduction
Geocap has a very customable interface. The user may even program a new interface and develop new functionality. The concept of commands and schemas are key elements of understanding and operating Geocap.
Exercises
Geocap project
Geocap is operated through projects. The project "holds" the data in a folder-like structure, similar to Windows "File Explorer". All datasets are "children" of either a folder or another dataset. Geocap offers different project templates, giving you a pre-defined folder structure that fits your workflow for a specific type of work.
Open the Course B1 project
- Click File > Open > Project and browse to the location of the Course B1 project.
- Select the Course B1.db file and click Open. A window similar to the one below will appear.
An open project
Tip
Next time you can open the project by using File > Recent Projects.
Pressing the small triangles (or '+' in older Windows versions) to the left of a folder will display the folder's contents. Datasets and folders are organized very similarly to a file tree structure. A folder can contain other folders, or datasets.
Note that there are two "modes" of the project view. Switch between these two by clicking on the tabs; List and Tree. List view sorts folder content into a separate window, while Tree view sorts everything into the tree itself..
Explore the project folder structure
Navigate through the folder structure taking notice of how folders and datasets are organized. Datasets and folders can be cut, copied, pasted, renamed and deleted. This is performed from the popup menu which appears when right-clicking a dataset.
- Expand the folders and observe the datasets and subfolders
- Look at the right-click menus.
On folders, the Multiple will allow multiple folders to be selected for cutting, copying or deleting. The right click popup menu also contains commands which may be executed on the datasets. Notice the different icons of the different datasets. They correspond to the schema of the data set. The name of the schema is written in the second column.
Display data
Each dataset has a set of commands that can be used to display the dataset. You will find these commands in the Toolbox or on the right-click menu of a dataset. By executing a display command, the box next to the dataset will be checked. The dataset will also get a corresponding display actor. If you execute several display commands on the same dataset it will get one actor for each command. To see a datasets actor click the triangle next to the dataset.
Display data
Display the various datasets in the project
- Locate the grid dataset (structured points or seabed) 01_Cultural/Etopo grids/ETOPO2
- Right click the dataset and select Zoom to Data. This will make the display window center the graphics window around the dataset.
- Right click the dataset again and try a display command e.g.
Display - Click
on the main toolbar - Right click the dataset again and try another display command e.g, Map Data or LOD Grid Display
- Display the coastline found under 01_Cultural/Coast/EtopoCoastline by right-clicking and selecting the command Display
- Check, and uncheck the checkboxes to the left of the displayed items and observe that this toggles displayed objects on/off. You can also check and uncheck the folders containing displayed items.
- Items can also be displayed double clicking on one of the commands in the Toolbox (Item, Schema and Shared commands)
Default command
The default command is the command that is executed when you tick the box next to a dataset in the project. By default a dataset will have one of the schema commands as a default command. This can however be changed.
Change the default display for seabed surfaces
The seabed surfaces has a default command "Map sea" or something similar.
- Click on the toolbar to clear your screen.
- Select a grid in your project. e.g.01_Cultural/Etopo grids/ETOPO2.
- In the Toolbox right-click another command (i.e LOD Grid Display) and select Set as default command
- Tick the checkbox next to the dataset in the project and notice that the new command is executed.
Navigating the display window
Note: Operating Geocap with a two-button mouse or using the Touch-pad is possible but not recommended. The recommendation is a three-button mouse with a wheel, see picture below.
You may use the computer mouse to move around in the display window. You do this by pressing one of the mouse buttons while the cursor is in the display window, and moving the mouse while keeping the button pressed.
- Rotate - Left mouse button
- Pan - Middle mouse button (or wheel) or Shift + left mouse button
- Zoom - Right mouse button
- Scale Z - Mouse wheel (scroll)
- Spin - Ctrl + left mouse button
Scrolling the mouse wheel is one way to scale depth values of the dataset. The z values can also be scaled by clicking the Actor Scale 
button in the toolbar and dragging the z slider.
Tip
Set the focal point by positioning the mouse cursor on a desired point in the display window and push the X key on the keyboard. This focal point will be the center of the display and the point of rotation.
Important Toolbar Buttons
See the full explanation of these buttons in the User Guide: Geocap Main > Interface > Main Toolbar
Basic Concepts in Geocap
The interface to specific features in Geocap are through the use of schemas on datasets and commands. The commands can be found in the Toolbox to the right in the Geocap interface or at the top of the menu which appear when you right click a dataset. Which commands are displayed in the right click menu depend on the schema of the dataset. A Seabed Surface will contain commands appropriate for the Seabed Surface schema, while a dataset with the schema Structure Points will contain different commands.
Schemas
Geocap uses schemas to classify a dataset. The Shelf Module i.e. contains several schemas. Some of the schemas used in the Shelf Module are coast line, base line, limit line, sediment thickness. You can define the schema of a dataset in the project by right-clicking it, and selecting Set Schema in the pop-up menu. The choice of a datasets schema controls which commands you see in the pop-up menu when you right-click the dataset. You may create your own schemas as well as edit existing schemas by selecting Schemas under Edit in the main menu. You can also edit the commands associated with the schemas.
Commands
Commands are operations which can be performed on a dataset. Commands can for example be used to display a dataset in the display window, or to generate new datasets. You can even create your own scripted commands to cater to your specific needs. You execute a command by right-clicking the dataset or folder you want to run it on, and then selecting the relevant command in the pop-up menu. You can give different parameters to a command in the command editor. These parameters are stored with the command and used during execution.
Commands can be stored in three categories:
- Item commands
- Schema commands
- Shared commands.
You will find the commands sorted into the different categories in the Toolbox (see illustration below) or on the right-click menu of a dataset or a folder. Commands are also put together in sequence in Workflows to perform visualizations or data operations, see chapter R.
All commands have a front end panel, and most of them have settings that may be customized. You can open the front end panel by right-clicking the command and select Edit
Item Commands
A command can be stored at the level of a dataset or a folder. This is called an item command. This command is unique to this dataset or folder, it "belongs" to that dataset. You can see these commands on the top of the Toolbox or in a sub menu when you right-click a dataset and select Item commands. Most items in the project do not contain any item commands by default.
Schema Commands
A command stored at a schema level is called a schema command. All datasets or folders using the same schema share these commands, which also means that editing these commands will affect all the datasets using this schema. The schema commands of a dataset are listed on the top of the right-click menu.
Get familiar with schema commands
- Right click the different datasets in the project, and see how the right click menu changes from schema to schema.
Shared Commands
Shared Commands are commands which are shared with all datasets and folders. The shared commands are listed in the Toolbox under Shared commands. If you cannot see the Toolbox, it can be opened from View on the main menu.
All commands have a command editor where you may change the properties, thus affecting the way it is executed.
Create a new command for custom display of limit lines.
- Click on one of the datasets in the EtopoCoastline in the 01_Cultural/Coast folder
- In the Toolbox right-click the Display command under Schema commands and select Copy
- Right-click Schema commands in the Toolbox, select Paste and observe that a copy of the selected command called Display-1 will appear in the schema command list.
- Right-click the new command in the command list, and select Rename
- Name the command Display Thick Yellow
- Right-click the command and select Edit. The settings dialog for the selected command will appear
- Set Line width to 6
- Check the User defined color box and click the Palette button.
- Select a yellow color and click OK
- Click OK to close the Display Thick Yellow settings dialog.
- Right-click the same data set, and observe that our new command is present in the right-click menu. This is because the Pin checkbox next to the Display Thick Yellow command in the Toolbox is checked.
- Un-check the Pin checkbox next to the Display Thick Yellow command in the Toolbox.
- Right-click the same dataset again, and observe that our new command is not present in the right-click menu.
- Execute the command by double clicking Display Thick Yellow in the Toolbox. Observe that the line is displayed in yellow.
- Check the Pin check box next to the Display Thick Yellow command in the Toolbox again. Now right click a different dataset with the same schema (Poly Data) and observe that the new command can be executed on this right-click menu as well.
Tip
The Pin check box lets you decide which commands should be available in the right click menu, so it is easy to keep organized. Try to experiment with this option to manipulate the right click menu.
The Sticky Surface
Geocap has a concept where any surface can be set to be sticky. When a surface is sticky, datasets like points, lines or images may be displayed onto that surface. This is mainly done by re-sampling lines and displaying them a little bit above the sticky surface.
When a surface is activated (or set) as a sticky surface, it is copied to workspace (visualized in the toolbox) under the name sticky_surface. If this dataset is removed from workspace, there is no sticky surface anymore.
Display onto the Sticky Surface
- Display the ETOPO2 grid under 01_Cultural\Etopo grids
- Right-click on ETOPO2 and select
Set as sticky surface - Select the folder 07_Navigation/Survey3 in your project.
- In the Toolbox under Schema Commands right-click and select Edit on the Display command.
- Check the Glue to Sticky Surface and press Execute to display the line on the surface.
- Uncheck the Glue to Sticky Surface and press Execute again and observe the difference.
Warning
Note that points and lines displayed onto a sticky surface are displayed without their original z-values, and this may not be what you intend to do when displaying i.e. a bathymetric line. Keep that in mind.
Commands: In panel Help 
- In the Toolbox right-click the command "Display Points" and select Edit
- Click the icon to open the in-panel help.
- Read the information that pops up.
Keyboard shortcuts
Geocap has several keyboard shortcuts or hotkeys. Go Help > Keyboard shortcuts to bring up a list.
A selection of the most important keyboard shortcuts:
| Key | Explanation | Key | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| o | Toggle color code for last used map command on/off. | + | Zoom in. |
| s | Turn graphics into surface mode. | - | Zoom out. |
| v | Value of height/depth (z coordinate) from graphics. | 2 | Toggle graphics to 2d mode. |
| w | Turn graphics into wire mode. | 3 | Toggle graphics to 3d mode. |
| x | Setting the focal point. The graphics will rotate around this point. | 3 | Toggle stereo view on/off when stereo is activated. |
| y | Cursor point is set at the surface of the graphical element. | z | Zoom by drawing a rubber band with left button on the mouse. |
| j | Snap to any point on a displayed line. |
When using j or y to snap to lines or surfaces, Geocap will report what you have snapped to in the lower left corner.
Test keyboard shortcuts
- Visualize a seabed surface and test the above mentioned keyboard shortcuts.