3D Objects

You can do any of the following:

Loading a 3D Model

The 3D model feature allows you to place a pre-prepared 3D object at any point in the 3D terrain. These models can be created using external design tools. Models can be loaded in any of the following formats:

§ COLLADA (DAE), e.g., DAE models created in PhotoMesh or Sketchup

§ OBJ – Wavefront simple data-format for storing 3D model surface geometry, color and texture information.

§ Direct X (X) and its compressed version (XPC)

§ 3DS – 3D studio format for exchanging 3D data models

§ OpenFlight (FLT) – Multigen format for exchanging 3D data models and its compressed version (FPC)

§ XPL and XPL2, which provide better performance for the Direct X model (A set of XPL files is created from a single X file where each file contains data for one Level of Detail (LOD) only)

§ GLB – Binary file format representation of 3D mesh models saved in the GL Transmission Format (glTF).

All model formats support BMP, JPG, DDS, and PNG texture formats. FLT also supports Silicon Graphics popular texture formats (RGB, RGBA, INT, INTA, BW).

All loaded models can be optimized by conversion to XPL2, either by using the Convert Models to XPL tool or automatically during the publishing process.

Note: Model files are automatically converted to XPL2 during the loading process if the option is selected in Project Settings. See “General” in the “Setting the Project” chapter.

When a model file is converted to XPL, a set of XPL files is created from a single X file where each file contains data for one Level of Detail (LOD) only. TerraExplorer displays the best LOD file based on the viewer position in relation to the object. When downloaded from a web server, each file is also downloaded independently. This results in an improvement in overall model display performance as well as download rate.

Note: Generating Level of Detail is recommended for projects that have dense model layers, with non-optimized models (e.g., KML with DAE models). Although objects may take slightly longer to load the first time, memory usage will be optimized.

Note: XPL files were created by earlier versions of TerraExplorer Pro. Newer versions create only XPL2 files.

Note: The following limitations apply when loading 3DS files:

· When 3DS animation files are loaded, only the first frame is read.

· The alpha must be in the diffuse map and not in the mask map.

Note: The following limitations apply when loading OpenFlight (FLT) files:

· Only the best LOD is used.

· Animation is not supported.

· External referencing is not supported (One FLT file cannot link to another one).

Loading a New 3D Model

To load a new 3D model:

1. On the Objects tab, in the 3D Objects group, click 3D Model. The Browse for 3D Model dialog box is displayed.

2. Browse to the required file to load, and click Open. The 3D model is displayed in the 3D Window and the Static 3D Model Property sheet is displayed.

3. If you want to add the 3D model based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window, on the top bar of the label’s property sheet, click Set Position Based on Mouse . See “Moving an Object Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing in the 3D Window” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

4. If you want to add the 3D model based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window and snap it to another object, on the top bar of the 3D model’s property sheet, click Snap Based on Snapping Options . See “Moving an Object Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing in the 3D Window” and "Setting Snapping Options" in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

5. If you want to add the 3D model in the XY plane, on the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click XY Plane . See “Moving an Object in the XY Plane”

6. With the cursor in the 3D Window, click the mouse to define the position of the 3D model’s pivot point on the terrain.

Note: The pivot point of a 3D model is set at the 0, 0, 0 point in the object’s coordinate system. It is recommended to create the object with the pivot point located at the center of the bottom surface of the object. To change an object’s pivot point, you should edit it with the original tool from which it was built.

7. You can adjust the model’s position and size in the 3D Window or from the model’s property sheet. See “Editing Objects in the 3D Window” in the “Working with Objects” chapter.

8. Using the property sheet, set the parameters of the 3D object. See “3D Model Property Sheet Parameters” in this chapter for information.

3d-import

Example of a 3D Model Object

3D Model Property Sheet Parameters

Object Parameter	Activity
Appearance
Name	Type the description or name of the 3D model. This text appears in the Project Tree as the name of the object.
Activation Action	Select the action to perform when selecting the 3D model from the Project Tree.
Shadow	When set to Yes, a shadow is cast on the 3D model. The sun is positioned according to the time, date and time zone you set using the Date and Time controls. The shadow dynamically updates when the system date and time is changed.
Model
File Name	Type or browse a path to an .x, .xpc, .flt, .fpc, .3ds or .dae file to load as the 3D model.
Model Type	Select Animation to play the object animation or Still to stop object animation at the first frame. This option is enabled only for Direct X animation models that comply with the DirectX specification.
Animation Speed Rate	Selects the animation speed rate.
Position
Altitude Method	Sets the altitude method to be used by the 3D model: § Select Relative to Terrain to place the 3D model’s pivot point at a specified altitude above the ground. § Select Absolute to place the 3D model’s pivot point at a specified altitude above the terrain database vertical datum base ellipsoid.
Altitude	Enter the altitude, as defined in Altitude Method, for the 3D model’s pivot point. If the model has a Z value, this value is added to each Z-coordinate.
X	Enter the X-coordinate for the 3D model’s pivot point.
Y	Enter the Y-coordinate for the 3D model’s pivot point.
MGRS	The coordinates of the 3D model’s pivot point in Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) coordinates. This field is only available if Show MGRS Coordinates was selected in the Options dialog box. See “View” in the “Using TerraExplorer Options” chapter for more information.
Yaw	Determines the direction angle of the 3D model along the vertical axis relative to north.
Pitch	Determines the tilt angle of the 3D model along its lateral axis relative to the horizon.
Roll	Determines the roll angle of the 3D model along its longitudinal (front-to-back) axis.
Geometry
Maintain Aspect Ratio	Maintain the model’s proportional relationship between the width, length, and height. If Yes is selected, when the scale factor in one of the axis is modified, the scale factor in the other two axes is automatically adjusted to maintain the original width:length:height ratio. If No is selected, the scale factor in each axis can be modified independently of the other axis scale factors.
Scale X	Determines the length on the X axis of the 3D model. The actual X value of the model in the 3D World is the x value of the model in its internal coordinate system times the Scale X value. (i.e., if the model has an X value of 5 units and the Scale X is set to 10 meters per pixel, the X value of the object in the 3D World is 50 meters.)
Scale Y	Determines the length on the Y axis of the 3D model. The actual Y value of the model in the 3D World is the Y value of the model in its internal coordinate system times the Scale Y value. (i.e., if the model has a Y value of 10 units and the Scale Y is set to 10 meters per pixel, the Y value of the object in the 3D World is 100 meters.)
Scale Z	Determines the height (Z value) of the 3D model. The actual height of the model in the 3D World is the height of the model in its internal coordinate system times the Scale Z value. (i.e., if the model has a height of 5 units and the Scale Z is set to 10 meters per pixel, the height of the object in the 3D World is 50 meters.)
Best LOD Size	Enter the minimum size of the object, in pixels, at which the object is displayed in the best level of detail. When zooming out from the best LOD size the object is displayed using data retrieved from a lower Level of Detail file. For more information, see “Loading a New 3D Model” in this chapter. This size can be set automatically by clicking the Capture button in the Set Best LOD field.
Set Best LOD	Clicking the Capture button sets the current object size as the size where the best level of detail is used. When the object is zoomed out from the best-fit size, it is displayed using data retrieved from a lower Level of Detail file.
Timespan
Start Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the model should first become visible.
End Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the model should stop being visible.
Visibility
Default Viewing Distance	Determines the viewing distance of the camera from the 3D model. This distance is used as a stop mark for any “Fly-to” or “View Object” operation. It is also used when selecting to edit the object from the Project Tree. When this value is set to the default of -1, TerraExplorer calculates and sets the ideal viewing distance for the 3D model based on its size.
Max. Visibility Distance	Sets the maximal distance from the camera above which the model disappears.
Min. Visibility Distance	Sets the minimal distance from the camera below which the model disappears.
General
Show in Viewer	Determines if the 3D model appears in the 3D Window when the file is viewed with the TerraExplorer Basic Viewer.
Message	The message associated with the object. The number displayed is the number of the message. To create a new message, or update an existing message, open the Create Message dialog box by clicking in this field and selecting Edit. See “Using the Create Message Dialog Box” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.
Tooltip	Type a tooltip text to appear when the mouse cursor is placed over the 3D model in the 3D Window.
Ground Object	Determines if the object is calculated as part of the terrain’s elevation.

Creating a New Building

The Building feature allows you to add 3D models to the project by manually defining the geometry of the building rooftop and stretching it above the basic terrain, or by loading the rooftop geometry from external feature layers.

You can define the shape of the roof as a flat surface, or as an angular surface. After defining the building geometry, you can assign fill color and texture from external files or apply texture from the terrain to the roof and side walls.

To create a new building:

1. On the Objects tab, in the 3D Objects group, click Building.

2. With the cursor in the 3D Window, click the mouse to add the first point of the roof.

3. Click again to add additional points of the roof’s polygon until you have marked the entire shape. You must place at least three points to define the roof.

Note: When creating a building, the lines of the roof polygon should not overlap each other. This may result in an irregular object.

Note: It is recommended to keep the number of roof points to the minimum required to define the shape. Adding unnecessary points may adversely affect performance.

4. Right-click to finish the roof polygon.

5. If there is a horizontal offset between the roof and the building base in the aerial/satellite imagery, use the mouse pointer to drag the base polygon (in green) to its place on the imagery and left click to finish the operation.

6. If there is no horizontal offset between the roof and the building base in the aerial/satellite imagery right-click again to finish the operation.

7. Enter the roof height of the building under Geometry in the Building property sheet.

8. Continue to edit the building’s parameters and shape, or close the property sheet to finish the operation.

3d-building

Example of a Building Object

Defining Roof and Wall Fill Types

For each of a building’s sidewalls and its roof, you can assign a fill that is a single color, a texture from a file, or a texture from the terrain pattern. A different fill type can be assigned to each face of the building.

To change a building’s fill type:

1. In the Texture section of the property sheet, in the Selected Face field, select the required surface.

2. In the Face Fill Type field, select the required fill type.

Note: You can select the Terrain Texture option for sidewalls only if the building has an offset between the roof and the base frames.

3. For each surface for which you select Terrain Texture as the fill type, assign the Face Terrain Texture parameter. If a wall has an exposed texture on the satellite/aerial imagery, you should use its own texture. If the wall’s texture in not available, you can assign the texture from one of the other exposed walls.

Note: It is recommended not to break an exposed wall into sub-walls. This allows you to use the entire wall texture for non-exposed walls.

4. For each surface for which you select Single Color as the fill type, select a Face Color.

5. For each surface for which you select Image File Texture as the fill type, browse to the required Face Texture File.

Modifying the Building Geometry and Position

After creating the building’s initial geometry, you can still modify it by selecting one of the top bar tools and editing the building shape in the 3D Window.

Mode

Description

2D View mode

While editing the building’s base, roof and angular roof geometry, the building is displayed in 2D View mode.

In this mode, you can view and edit the buildings outlines and nodes.

3D Window mode

This option displays the building as a complete 3D model.

Use this option to edit the height of the building and view the result of your 2D editing.

Graphical user interface, application, table, Excel Description automatically generated

Building Properties Window Top Bar

Icon	Function	Activity
	Edit roof/base position	Select this option to move the building’s roof, base or the entire shape. § Click and drag the green polygon to move the base frame. § Click and drag the red polygon to move the roof frame. § Click and drag the yellow line to move the entire building.
	Edit roof/base nodes	Select this option to move, add or delete nodes on the base or roof frames. § Click and drag a node on the green polyline to move a node on the base frame. § Click and drag a node on the red polyline to move a node on the roof frame. § Click and drag the yellow lines to move the base and roof nodes simultaneously. § Select a segment between two nodes on the base or on the roof to add an additional corner to the building. § Right-click on a base or roof node and select the Delete Node option to delete the corner of the building.
	Edit angular roof	Select this option to modify the angular roof geometry. This feature is enabled when the “Angular Roof” option is selected.
	3D Window mode	Select this option to view the building model in its final view. To move the building select “Move in the XY plane” mode and drag the building to a new position. You can also change the building height by selecting “Move in the Z axis” mode, clicking in the 3D Window and dragging the pointer up and down.
	Move in the XY plane	All movements are limited to the X and Y plane.
	Move in the Z axis	All movements are limited to the Z-axis. This option is only available when working in a 3D Window mode.

building-Frames

Building Geometry and Position

Creating Angular Roof

To create an angular roof:

1. After creating the building geometry in the Appearance section of the property sheet, in the Rooftop Style field, select Angular Roof.

2. On the top bar of the property sheet, click Edit Angular Roof .

3. In the 3D Window, select the angular roof points and drag them to the top-most position of the roof. The angular roof points are located between the connecting lines (cyan) and the rooftop frame (purple). The points of the angular roof shape should not overlap each other.

Note: For adding additional angular roof points, you must switch to Edit Nodes mode, add additional roof point in the desired location and switch back to Edit Angular Roof mode.

4. In the Geometry section of the property sheet, set the rooftop delta height.

building-angularRoof

Angular Roof Geometry Setting

Working with the Building Lean Ratio Parameters

In many cases, the aerial imagery in large parts of a city has the same pitch angle. This means that all the buildings in this area have the same leaning ration on the imagery. After manually setting one building, you can select all the buildings in this area and set the Building Lean X Ratio and Building Lean Y Ratio parameters according to the values of the building you have set manually.

TerraExplorer automatically calculates the roof and base locations according to the buildings height and the leaning ratio you have set. The calculation is valid only when the rooftop frames are located in the correct geographic location and not according to the distorted imagery.

Note: This feature is mostly relevant when loading the rooftop geometry from an external feature layer.

Building Property Sheet Parameters

Object Parameter	Activity
Appearance
Name	Type the description or name of the building. This text appears in the Project Tree as the name of the object.
Activation Action	Select the action to perform when selecting the building from the Project Tree.
Rooftop Style	Determines whether the roof is flat or angular
Position
Altitude Method	Sets the altitude method to be used by the building: § Select Relative to Terrain to set the building’s altitude values at a specified altitude above the ground. § Select Absolute to set the building’s altitude values at a specified altitude above the terrain database vertical datum base ellipsoid.
Base Altitude	Enter the altitude, as defined in Altitude Method, for the base of the building.
Roof Altitude	Enter the altitude, as defined in Altitude Method, for the roof of the building.
X	Enter the X coordinate for the building’s pivot point, the center of its base.
Y	Enter the Y coordinate for the building’s pivot point, the center of its base.
Geometry
Building Height	Determines the height of the building above its base. This is identical to the difference between the Roof Altitude and Base Altitude.
Rooftop Delta Height	Determines the height of the top of the angular roof above the building. This field is available only when Rooftop Style is set to Angular roof.
Texture Note: These fields are unavailable if you have selected the Stretch Terrain style.
Selected Face	Select the face to modify. § Roof: Select this option to change the roof color or texture. § All Walls: Select this option to change the color or texture for all walls in the building. § Wall #: Select a single wall to edit. Note: The walls are numbered according to the creation order. You can view the numbering labels above the center of the roof segment for each wall.
Face Fill Type	Select the fill type of the selected face. § Single Color: The face gets a single color filling according to the Face Color field. § Image File Texture: The face gets the texture from an external texture file according to the Face Texture File field. Note: Building texture files can be loaded from the Buildings-Textures folder located under the TE application files ((.\Program Files\Skyline\TerraExplorer Pro\Tools\Data-Library\Buildings-Textures) and old projects using these textures will be supported. § Terrain Texture: The face gets the texture from the terrain imagery according to the Face Terrain Texture field.
Face Color	Select the color of the selected face. Click the Edit button to open the Color dialog box, or type the color code in hexadecimal BBGGRR format (B = Blue channel 00-ff, G = Green channel 00-ff, R = Red channel 00-ff).
Face Texture File	Type the full path of the file, or use the Edit button, for a BMP, GIF or JPEG texture file to provide the texture for the selected face. Note: The faces texture dimensions must be a power of 2 (i.e., 32 pixels by 64 pixels). Note: You can set a transparent color for GIF and BMP files. Pixels with this color appear as holes in the building. With GIF files, you can assign any color as the transparent color by using the GIF transparent color feature. With BMP files, the total-black color (RGB = 0, 0, 0) is used as the transparent color.
Face Terrain Texture	Assign a terrain texture to the selected face. The Face Terrain Texture drop-down list displays all the walls of the building with exposed texture. By default, every exposed wall gets its own texture and all other walls get the biggest exposed texture. You can override this setting by assigning any exposed texture to any wall of the building. Note: This field is available only if Terrain Texture option is selected.
Face Tiling Method	Determines the type of scaling for the texture. Note: The Face Tiling Method, Face Scale X, Face Scale Y and Face Rotation parameters are available only for faces with “Image File Texture” fill type.
Face Scale X	Determines the scaling for the texture according to the setting for Tiling Method: § If the Tiling Method is Tiles per face: It determines the number of repeats, for the selected face, of the texture in the X-axis. § If the Tiling Method is Meters per Tile: It determines the size of each texture tile in meters in the X-axis. If the texture is smaller than the face, it repeated until it fills the face.
Face Scale Y	Determines the scaling for the texture according to the setting for Tiling Method: § If the Tiling Method is Tiles per face: It determines the number of repeats, for the selected face, of the texture in the Y-axis. § If the Tiling Method is Meters per Tile: It determines the size of each texture tile in meters in the Y-axis. If the texture is smaller than the face, it repeated until it fills the face.
Face Rotation	Determines the angular rotation of the texture used for the selected face.
Building Lean X Ratio	The offset in the X-axis between the roof position, in the image, and the actual building position, divided by the building height.
Building Lean Y Ratio	The offset in the Y-axis between the roof position, in the image, and the actual building position, divided by the building height.
Timespan
Start Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the building should first become visible.
End Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the building should stop being visible.
Visibility
Default Viewing Distance	Determines the viewing distance of the building from the polyline. This distance is used as a stop mark for any “Fly-to” or “View Object” operation. It is also used when selecting to edit the object from the Project Tree. When this value is set to the default of -1, TerraExplorer calculates and sets the ideal viewing distance for the building based on its size.
Max. Visibility Distance	Sets the maximal distance from the camera above which the building disappears.
Min. Visibility Distance	Sets the minimal distance from the camera below which the building disappears.
General
Show in Viewer	Determines if the building appears in the Project Tree when the file is viewed with the TerraExplorer Basic Viewer.
Message	The message associated with the object. The number displayed is the number of the message. To create a new message, or update an existing message, open the Create Message dialog box by clicking in this field and selecting Edit. See “Using the Create Message Dialog Box” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.
Tooltip	Type a tooltip text to appear when the mouse cursor is placed over the building in the 3D Window.
Ground Object	Determines if the object is calculated as part of the terrain’s elevation.

Creating a 3D Shape

To create a new 3D shape:

1. On the Objects tab, in the 3D Objects group, click 3D Shape, and then click the required shape. The 3D shape’s property sheet opens.

2. In the shape’s property sheet, set the object’s parameters.

3. If you want to position the 3D shape based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window, on the top bar of the label’s property sheet, click Set Position Based on Mouse . See “Moving an Object Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing in the 3D Window” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

4. If you want to position the 3D shape based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window and snap it to another object, on the top bar of the 3D shape’s property sheet, click Snap Based on Snapping Options . See “Moving an Object Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing in the 3D Window” and "Setting Snapping Options" in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

5. If you want to position the 3D shape in the XY plane, on the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click XY Plane . See “Moving an Object in the XY Plane” in the “Working with Objects” chapter.

6. If you want to position the 3D shape in the Z plane, on the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Z Plane . See “Moving an Object in the Z Plane” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.

7. With the cursor in the 3D Window, draw the shape required as described in the sections below:

§ Box

§ Cylinder

§ Sphere

§ Cone

§ Pyramid

§ 3D Arrow

§ 3D Polygon

8. Edit the shape’s parameters in the 3D Window or using the property sheet. See “Editing Objects in the 3D Window” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for information. Close the property sheet to finish the operation.

Box

To draw a box:

1. Click the mouse to define the first corner of the box.

2. Drag the cursor to set the base of the box.

3. Once the base is set, click again to complete it.

4. Move the mouse up or down to define the height of the box.

5. Once the height is set, click again to complete the box.

Cylinder

To draw a cylinder:

1. Click the mouse to define the center point of the cylinder’s base.

2. Drag the cursor to set the base of the cylinder.

3. Once the base is set, click again to complete it.

4. Move the mouse up or down to define the height of the cylinder.

5. Once the height is set, click again to complete the cylinder.

Sphere

To draw a sphere:

Note: In the property sheet, you can choose to create a full sphere or just an upper or lower half of a sphere. When using half a sphere you can create it with or without a base.

1. Click the mouse to define the bottom center (pivot point) of the sphere.

2. Drag the cursor to define the radius of the sphere.

3. Once the radius is set, click again to complete the sphere.

Cone

To draw a cone:

1. Click the mouse to define the center point of the base circle.

2. Drag the cursor to define the radius of the base circle.

3. Once the base circle is set, click again to complete it.

4. Move the mouse up or down to define the height of the cone.

5. Once the height is set, click again to complete the cone.

Pyramid

To draw a pyramid:

1. Click the mouse to define the first base point.

2. Drag the cursor to set the base of the pyramid.

3. Once the base is set, click again to complete it.

4. Move the mouse up or down to define the height of the pyramid.

5. Once the height is set, click again to complete the pyramid.

3D Arrow

To draw a 3D arrow:

1. Click the mouse to define the pivot point of the 3D arrow.

2. Drag the cursor to set the length of the 3D arrow.

3. Once the base of the arrow is set, click again to complete it.

4. Move the mouse up or down to define the height of the arrow.

5. Once the height is set, click again to complete the 3D arrow.

3D Polygon

To draw a 3D polygon:

1. Click the mouse to define the first point of the 3D polygon.

2. Drag the cursor to the second point. Click again to set the second point.

3. Repeat the above step as many times as you like, until you have created your desired shape for the polygon. (The polygon still appears two-dimensional at this point.)

Note: When creating a 3D Polygon, the lines of the base polygon should not overlap each other. This may result in an irregular object.

4. Once the shape is established, click the right mouse button to complete it.

5. Move the mouse up or down to define the height of the 3D polygon.

6. Once the height is set, click again to complete the 3D polygon.

3d-box 3d-cylinder 3d-sphere 3d-cone 3d-pyramid 3d-arrow

Examples of 3D Shape Objects

3D Shape Property Sheet Parameters

Object Parameter	Activity
Appearance
Name	Type the description or name of the shape. This text appears in the Project Tree as the name of the object.
Activation Action	Select the action to perform when selecting the shape from the Project Tree.
Line Color	Select the outline color for the shape. Click the Edit button to open the Color dialog box, or type the color code in hexadecimal BBGGRR format (B = Blue channel 00-ff, G = Green channel 00-ff, R = Red channel 00-ff).
Line Opacity	Enter the opacity for the shape’s lines. The opacity is defined as a percentage, where 100% is opaque and 0% is transparent.
Fill Color	Select the fill color for the shape. Click the Edit button to open the Color dialog box, or type the color code in hexadecimal BBGGRR format (B = Blue channel 00-ff, G = Green channel 00-ff, R = Red channel 00-ff). This option is enabled only when the Fill Opacity value is greater than zero.
Fill Opacity	Enter the opacity for the shape’s fill. The opacity is defined as a percentage, where 100% is opaque and 0% is transparent.
Style	This property appears only for the 3D arrow shape. The style of the 3-dimensional arrow. Can be one of the following when looking at the arrow from a top-view:
Sphere Style	This property appears in the property sheet only for the sphere 3D shape. Determines the style of the sphere. Select Normal, or select Half up, or Half down with or without base.
Segment Density	This property appears in the property sheet only for the sphere 3D shape. Determines a factor used to calculate the number of sides of the sphere. The higher the value of the segment density, the smoother the sphere.
Line Style
Line Pattern	Select the line pattern for the shape. You can choose between different line patterns, e.g., solid, dashed, and dotted or a combination thereof.
Timespan
Start Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the shape should first become visible.
End Time	Click Edit and select the date and time when the shape should stop being visible.
Position
Altitude Method	Sets the altitude method to be used by the shape: § Select Relative to Terrain to place the shape’s pivot point at a specified altitude above the ground. § Select Absolute to place the shape’s pivot point at a specified altitude above the terrain database vertical datum base ellipsoid.
Altitude	Enter the altitude, as defined in Altitude Method, for the shape’s pivot point, the center of its base.
X	This property does not appear in the property sheet for the arrow 3D shape. Enter the X-coordinate for the shape’s pivot point, the center of its base.
Y	This property does not appear in the property sheet for the arrow 3D shape. Enter the Y-coordinate for the shape’s pivot point, the center of its base.
MGRS	The coordinates of the shape’s pivot point in Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) coordinates. This field is only available if Show MGRS Coordinates was selected in the Options dialog box. See “View” in the “Using TerraExplorer Options” chapter for more information.
Yaw	Determines the direction angle of the shape along the vertical axis relative to north.
Pitch	Determines the tilt angle of the shape along its lateral axis relative to the horizon.
Roll	Determines the roll angle of the shape along its longitudinal (front-to-back) axis.
Points Position
The parameters in this group appear in the property sheet only for 3D polygons. They are enabled only when Edit Nodes is selected on the property sheet top bar.
Selected Point	Select the point to edit. The selected point is highlighted on the 3D Window. When you edit this point, the corresponding point on the base or the top of the polygon changes accordingly.
Point X	Enter the X-coordinate for the selected point.
Point Y	Enter the Y-coordinate for the selected point.
Point MGRS	The coordinates of the selected point in Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) coordinates. This field is only available if Show MGRS Coordinates was selected in the Options dialog box. See “View” in the “Using TerraExplorer Options” chapter for more information.
Geometry
Radius X	This property appears in the property sheet only for the sphere, cone, and cylinder 3D shapes. Determines the length of the radius.
Number of sides	This property appears in the property sheet only for the cone and cylinder 3D shapes. Determines the number of sides. The greater the number of sides; the smoother the shape.
Height	This property is displayed for all the 3D shapes except for sphere. Determines the height.
Length	This property appears in the property sheet only for the box, pyramid, and 3D arrow 3D shapes. Determines the length. For 3D arrow, the length also affects the width.
Width	This property appears in the property sheet only for the box and pyramid 3D shapes. Determines the width.
Texture
Texture File	Type the full path of the file, or use the Edit button, for a BMP, GIF or JPEG texture file to provide the texture for the object. If the polygon was extended to the ground, the texture will be applied to all sides of the 3D polygon created. Note: You can set a transparent color for GIF and BMP files. Pixels with this color appear as holes in the texture. With GIF files, you can assign any color as the transparent color by using the GIF transparent color feature. With BMP files, the total-black color (RGB = 0, 0, 0) is used as the transparent color. Note: You can load textures from the Data Library(.\Program Files\Skyline\TerraExplorer Pro\Tools\Data-Library).
Tiling Method	Determines how the texture image file is applied to the shape. The options are: § Tiles per axis – Designate a set number of tiles (repeats of the texture file) for the x and y axes of the shape. The image file will be sized to enable the set number of tiles per axis. § Meters per tile – Designate a size in meters for each tile.
Scale X	Determines the scaling for the texture according to the setting for Tiling Method: § If Tiling Method is Tiles per axis: Determines the number of repeats of the image file in the X-axis. § If Tiling Method is Meters per Tile: Determines the size, in meters, of each tile in the X-axis.
Scale Y	Determines the scaling for the texture according to the setting for Tiling Method: § If Tiling Method is Tiles per axis: Determines the number of repeats of the image file in the Y-axis. § If Tiling Method is Meters per Tile: Determines the size, in meters, of each tile in the Y-axis.
Rotate	Determines the angular rotation of the image used for the texture.
Texture X Scroll Rate	Number of times per second, texture scrolls completely on its x axis. If a negative value is entered, the texture scrolls in the reverse direction. This property is enabled only when Terrain Method is set to Relative to Terrain, Absolute, or Relative to Pivot.
Texture Y Scroll Rate	Number of times per second, texture scrolls completely on its y axis. If a negative value is entered, the texture scrolls in the reverse direction. This property is enabled only when Terrain Method is set to Relative to Terrain, Absolute, or Relative to Pivot.
Visibility
Default Viewing Distance	Determines the viewing distance of the camera from the shape. This distance is used as a stop mark for any “Fly-to” or “View Object” operation. It is also used when selecting to edit the object from the Project Tree. When this value is set to the default of -1, TerraExplorer calculates and sets the ideal viewing distance for the object based on its size.
Max. Visibility Distance	Sets the distance from the camera above which the shape disappears.
Min. Visibility Distance	Sets the minimal distance from the camera below which the shape disappears.
Max. Show-Through Dist.	Sets the maximum distance of object's pivot from camera, in meters, beyond which it will not show through terrain, mesh layer, or objects that are hiding it. Set to -1 to enable show-through at any distance when editing the object. When an object is showing through terrain, mesh or objects, it can be selected, edited, and snapped to other objects.
Visibility	This property is only displayed for point features in a feature layer. Sets the visibility of features based on their attribute values. Type a search expression comprised of one or more conditions, or click the Field by Attribute button to base visibility on attribute values using the Attribute Table. See “Searching and Performing Operations by Attribute (Attribute Table Tool)” in the “Feature Layers” chapter for more information.
General
Show in Viewer	Determines if the shape appears in the Project Tree when the file is viewed with the TerraExplorer Basic viewer.
Message	The message associated with the shape. The number displayed is the number of the message. To create a new message, or update an existing message, open the Create Message dialog box by clicking in this field and selecting Edit. See “Using the Create Message Dialog Box” in the “Working with Objects” chapter for more information.
Tooltip	Type a tooltip text to appear when the mouse cursor is placed over the shape in the 3D Window.
Ground Object	Determines if the shape is calculated as part of the terrain’s elevation.