Compass Cave Survey Software Logo - Bats, Compass and Night Sky
Custom Search
 
 Sponsored Links

 

COMPASS For Windows
Compass Tour
Other New Features
Cartography Tools
Live 3D Cave Images
On-line Help (New)
Written Description
Revision History: 99-21
Testimonial Letters
Contact Author
Getting COMPASS
Getting Compass
Compass On A CD.
Download/Install Issues
Installation Instructions
Antivirus Issues
Authenticating Files
False Positives
Registration Information
Credit Card Reg.
Reg. Info/Forms
Printable Reg. Form
3rd Party Reg. Form
Auxiliary Tools/Information
Cave Data
3D Glasses
ESRI/ArcView Tools
Tutorials - (New)
Inkscape Tips and Tricks
Radio Locations
Magnetic Anomalies
Installing Under Win8
Compass on A Mac
Google Earth Overlay
Declination/Convergence
Cartography Tools
Sketch Editor.
SVG Export
Inkscape SVG Maps
Illustrator SVG Maps
SVG Round Tripping
Adopting SVG Maps
Complex Plot Tutorials
Trouble Shoot CaveX
Exporting HPGL
Canvas Digital Map 
ArcView/ESRI
Italian Tutorial
Using the Compass CD
DEM Tutorial
Links
Cave Related Links
User's Pages
User's Group
User Questions
Documents/White Papers
Compass File Formats
ArcView/ESRI
Finding Blunders
Finding Loops
Loop Closure
Least Squares Papers
Least Squares Issues
Passage Modeling
Survey Blunders
J. Halleck- On Loops
History/Philosophy
SEF File Format (1992)
About The Author
COMPASS For DOS
DOS Compass Demos
DOS Compass Features
Magazine Review
MISC.
Other Products

 

Compass Cartography Tools

The Compass Cartography Tools are a new set of tools that helps you create presentation quality digital survey map from Compass files. The tool kit consists of the three basic tools. To download these tools, go to the Compass Download Page.
 
1. Sketch Map Editor. The Sketch Map Editor helps you to take the sketch maps you generate in the cave and use them as the basis for your finished maps. The Editor allows you to take a scanned bitmap image and edit it to remove flaws, align it to north, scale it to a standard scale, and trim the image to size. It also allows you to merge multiple images into single image, using transparency to precisely align the passages. Finally, it allows you to warp or "morph" the image so station positions in the sketch map precisely match the positions in the cave data.
Once a combined image has been created in the Editor, the image can be loaded into a drawing program for tracing. Having a precisely aligned, single image makes producing a map much quicker and easier because you don't have to load and align individual images. Also, since the image has been warped to match the survey shots, you don't have to constantly shift the image as you are tracing.

To guide you through the process of using the Sketch Map Editor, I have created a detailed tutorial that will walk you through the process:

Click here to view the Sketch Map Editor Tutorial.

 

2. SVG Exporter. SVG is a widely used file format for drawing programs. Because it is so widely used, it is an ideal format for exporting cave data. For example, programs like Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw will read and write these file. Even more important there are Freeware programs like Inkscape that can read and write SVG files.
The SVG Exporter allows you to export cave survey data as SVG files. The SVG files contain a complete cave map on multiple "layers" that include stations, shots, passages, LRUD marks, a grid, a north arrow, a scale bar, a frame, and a colored background. The exported map also contains empty layers into which you can place your hand-drawn passage walls, floor details, a legend, notes, etc. This allows you to use the SVG map as the starting point for a high quality, finished digital map.

  

For a complete tutorial on using the SVG Exporter click here.
 
3. Converting And Adopting. The SVG Converter has special tools that allow you to use maps that were generated with different drawing programs. For example, Inkscape has different layering system than Adobe Illustrator so Illustrator layers do not show up in Inkscape.

In addition, programs like the Compass SVG Exporter and Walls, require certain layers to be in place before they can be merged, morphed, or round tripped. The SVG Exporter can add these layers to any SVG file, whether it was originally generated by cave survey program or not. As a result, the SVG Exporter can "adopt" an existing cave map even if it wasn't originally generated by Compass (or Walls.) Once the map has been "adopted," it can be treated just like a map that was generated by Compass or Walls. In other words, It can be merged, morphed or round tripped.

Click here for a detailed explanation of the Converting and Adopting Process.

4. Using Inkscape. One of the big advantages of SVG is the fact that there are several Freeware drawing programs that support it. One of the best is Inkscape, a drawing program that is very similar to Adobe Illustrator.  Since Illustrator can costs hundreds of dollars, Inkscape is a perfect alternative for cavers on a budget.

Because Inkscape is free and works well for cave mapping, I have developed the Exporter to be compatible with Inkscape. (It will also work fine with other programs such as Illustrator.)

Because all sophisticated drawing programs require a lot work to learn, I have designed a detail tutorial on making cave maps using Compass and Inkscape. Here is a link to the Compass Inkscape Tutorial.

5. Working With Illustrator. The exported SVG files from Compass will work with Adobe Illustrator, but Illustrator has some anomalies that you need to be aware of. Click here for tips and techniques for working with Illustrator.

6. Compatibility Issues. Even though Inkscape and Illustrator are both vector drawing programs that work with SVG, their approaches are very different and they don't always follow the rules of SVG. For this reason, you often run into compatibility issues. Click here for the details of compatibility problems and how to solve them.
 

7. Merge/Morph Tool (Round-tripping). The final tool solves one of the biggest problems for cave cartographers: updating an existing map as the data changes. For example, if you survey a new passage, the new data will need to be added to the existing map. If the passage is extensive, you may have to reduce the scale, use bigger paper or even rotate the cave so everything fits on a piece of paper.
In addition to adding new data, you may correct errors in the data or improve the loop closure. When this happens, all the shots in the cave may move. This may change the angle that shots come together and passage intersect. When this happens all the carefully drawn wall details will need to be moved, stretched, compressed or warped to match the new shot position.

Normally these kinds of changes would require lots of painful and tedious hand adjusting. If the changes are extensive enough, it may even require starting a new map from scratch.

The image to the right shows a section of the cave map before a 30-degree correction is made at Station B7.

The Merge/Morph tool allows any SVG-based map to be adjusted even after passage lines have been drawn, floor detail placed and the map has been finished. It allows you to move, rotate and scale all the hand-drawn elements of a finished cave map, so the map can be completely re-configured without losing any of the hand-work in the map. The tool will also smoothly warp (morph) the passage walls, floor details and other hand-drawn elements so they track changes in the shot positions. For example, if the angle at a passage junction becomes tighter, the passage walls will be compressed to fit and still maintain the same relative distances from the shot lines.

This image show how the passage and details are warped to accommodate a 30 degree change at B7. You will notice how the passage walls and details are stretched right at the corner and the rest of the passage is only moved and rotated, with no warping.
Click here for a complete tutorial on using the SVG Exporter's Merge/Morph Tools
 
 Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
 Sponsored Links
 Sponsored Links

<< Home

Custom Search