GMS:Display Menu

The Display menu is one of the standard menus and is available in all of the modules. The commands in the Display menu are as follows:

• Display Options

Brings up the Display Options dialog.

• Contour Options

Opens the Contour Options dialog.

• Refresh Display

When editing the image in the Graphics Window it occasionally becomes necessary to update the display or refresh the screen by redrawing the image. Whenever possible, GMS automatically updates the display. However, in some cases small parts may be obscured by editing procedures. If so, the display can be refreshed by selecting the Refresh Display command from the Display menu. After selecting the Refresh Display command, the display process can be aborted by pressing the ESC key.

• Redraw Display

When zooming in and out in the Graphics Window some items such as arrows change size for increased drawing speed. This command refreshes the display and redraws these items at the size specified in the Display Options.

• Frame Image

After altering the image display using the Zoom or Pan tools, the image can be centered by selecting the Frame Image command in the View menu. This command adjusts the window boundaries so that all currently visible objects just fit in the Graphics Window.

• Map Locator

The Map Locator tool allows you to navigate to any place on Earth. The Graphics Window is positioned to the location shown in the Map Locator and the display projection is set to a real world projection if not already in one.

• Display Projection...

The projection currently used for the display can be specified via this command.

• Visibility

• File:Hide.PNG Hide – A set of selected objects can be hidden by selecting the Hide command in the Display menu. Hidden objects cannot be selected. The Frame Image command only frames the image based on the visible objects.
• File:Show.PNG Show – Hidden objects can be made visible by selecting the objects and choosing the Show command in the Display menu. This method applies to objects such as solids, TINs, and mesh layers which can be selected with an icon. Other items such as cells and elements cannot be selected when hidden but can be made visible by selecting the Show command with nothing selected. In this case, all hidden objects are made visible.
• File:Isolate.PNG Isolate – In many cases it is useful to hide all of the current objects but one. One way to do this is to select all of the objects to hide (without selecting the desired object) and then select the Hide command. A quicker way to achieve the same result on one or more objects is to use the Isolate command in the Display menu. The Isolate command makes the selected items visible and automatically makes all other items of the same type invisible.

• View Angle

• The objects in the Graphics Window can be rotated and viewed in three dimensions. Two angles, bearing and dip, are used to rotate the view. The bearing and dip values correspond to a rotation about the z and x axes. The bearing affects the horizontal angle (rotating the object in the xy plane), and the dip changes the vertical angle (shifting the viewing angle on the object to a higher or lower perspective). The object cannot be tilted sideways. Using only two viewing angles rather than three limits the viewing angles, but it is simpler and more intuitive. The bearing and dip angles can be explicitly defined in the View Angle dialog accessed by selecting the View Angle command from the View menu. The viewing angles can be manipulated interactively with the Rotate tool.

• Window Bounds

• The region of the real world coordinate system that is mapped to the Graphics Window can be altered using the Pan and Zoom tools. It is also possible to precisely control the visible region by selecting the Set Window Bounds command from the View menu. This command brings up the Set Window Boundaries dialog. If the X range to be specified (preserves aspect ratio) option is selected, the x coordinate at the left and right and the y coordinate at the bottom of the Graphics Window are specified. The y coordinate at the top of the Graphics Window is not specified in order to maintain the aspect ratio. If the Y range to be specified (preserves aspect ratio) option is selected, the y coordinate at the top and bottom and the x coordinate at the left of the Graphics Window are specified. The x coordinate at the right of the Graphics Window is not specified in order to maintain the aspect ratio. If the X and Y range to be specified (alters aspect ratio) option is selected, the x coordinate at the right and left and y coordinate at the top and bottom of the Graphics Window are specified. Since all four coordinates are specified, the aspect ratio of the scene may be altered.

• Views

• File:PlanView.PNG Plan View – Changes the viewing angle so that the user is looking down the z-axis with the x-axis horizontal and the y-axis vertical.
• File:FrontView.PNG Front View – Changes the viewing angle so that the user is looking down the y-axis with the x-axis horizontal and the z-axis vertical.
• File:SideView.PNG Side View – Changes the viewing angle so that the user is looking down the x-axis with the y-axis horizontal and the z-axis vertical.
• File:OrthoView.PNG Oblique View – Changes the viewing angle so that the user is looking at the model at an angle of 45^o to each axis.
• Previous – Restores the Graphics Window viewing parameters as they were before the last viewing command was issued (rotate, zoom, pan, etc.). Views are automatically saved in a list so continued use of this command will continue to restore previous views.

• General/Ortho Mode

A command is provided in the Display menu for switching between the orthogonal and general viewing modes. The orthogonal mode is only available with 3D grids.

• Convert To Cad

Converts any visible geometric data into CAD format internally within GMS. This CAD data will be saved with the project as a DWG file, or can be exported as a separate DWG or DXF file. This command is found either in the the Display menu or by right-clicking in the empty space in the Project Explorer.

• Toolbars

The Toolbars menu allows the user to hide and show the listed toolbars.

• Plot Wizard

Brings up the Plot Wizard dialog.

• Animate

The Animate command launches the Animation Wizard.

• Play Animation

The Play Animation command launches an *.avi player that allows the user to browse for an *.avi file and play the animation.