SMS:Digitize

When digitizing in the map module, elevations are assigned as with other digitization in SMS. That means that when creating a node, point, or vertex, it is assigned the default elevation value for digitization. The default elevation is initialized to 0.0. The default changes any time the user specifies a Z-value. Therefore, if creating a map point or node, and specifying an elevation for that selected point, the value the user specifies is now the default value for newly digitized points, nodes and vertices. (Note: when creating mesh nodes, there is an option to ask for an elevation each time the user creates a node, but this option is not available for scatter vertices or map module objects.)

If the user would like to digitize aspects of an image (*.tif, *.jpg, ...), simply load the image file into SMS and select the desired tool from the Map module tools (Create Feature Arc, Create Feature Point, etc.) and click over the part of the image that the user would like to digitize.

Tips for Digitizing

• Use the Create Feature Arc tool to make arcs. Click once to start an arc. Single click along the arc to create vertices. Double-click to end an arc.
• Nodes indicate the start and end of each arc. Vertices are points where the arc changes direction.
• Clicking on an existing node with the Create Feature Arc tool will start the new arc on the existing node. Nodes can belong to multiple arcs.
• Use the Select Feature Node or Select Feature Vertex to move points on an arc that may need adjustment after creating an arc.
• For long arcs, they can be created in using multiple arcs then merging the arcs by deleting the shared nodes where the arcs meet or converting the shared nodes into vertices using the Convert to Vertex command.
• Multiple arcs, nodes, or vertices can be selected holding down the SHIFT key while selecting.
• Polygons are not created automatically. The Feature Objects | Build Polygons command must be used to create polygons.
• Currently, SMS does not have an undo feature. If a mistake is made when creating a feature object, the object will need to be either edited using the selection tools or the object will need to be deleted then recreated.

Related Topic

• Map Module Tools