Pitney Bowes MapInfo Vertical Mapper - Manual (Page 143)

Chapter 8: Using the Grid Tools
User Guide
141
The Grid list enables you to select the appropriate open grid file to process if it is not chosen in the
Grid Manager.
The top portion of the dialog box contains a list displaying the current meta data for the grid. The text
colour, either black or red, indicates whether entries are editable (black) or not editable (red). You
cannot edit entries containing Vertical Mapper or MapInfo Professional keys. The blank entry at the
top of the list must be highlighted when you add new information. All new entries will appear in
alphabetical order in the list.
The Key box enables you to identify any new information that is added to the meta data. The default
Key is “User”; however, this can be replaced by any text string.
The Value box enables you to enter new information. The text string can be a maximum of 239
characters.
The Modify/Add button enables you to add the current information or update the selected
information.
The Data Description box enables you to enter a new grid description up to 31 characters. This
description will appear in the z-units tab of the Grid Manager.
The Unit Type list enables you to specify the unit of the values contained in the grid.
If you choose the User Defined option, you must type a value in the Custom Type Entry box. The
User Defined data type is always used for grids with z-values measured in units other than distance
units. This feature does not perform any mathematical calculation on the grid when you change the
unit type. As a result, only the information contained inside the grid file is changed.
Exporting Grids
The Export Grid tool is designed to support the transfer of numeric and classified grid data created in
Vertical Mapper to external applications. In most cases, the grid node x- and y- location coordinates
and the z-value attribute attached to each node are extracted from the grid file and written to the new
format. Currently, Vertical Mapper supports ten export file types.
• ASCII Point Export (.txt)—x, y, z space delimited text file*
• 3D DXF Point File—x, y, z AutoCAD points file*
• 3D DXF Mesh—AutoCAD mesh file*
• 3D DXF Mesh (Microstation)—Microstation-compliant DXF mesh format*
• VRML (.wrl)—a simple Virtual Reality Markup Language “world” of the grid file*
• MapInfo Point Table (.tab)—point table with z-value attribute column
• Windows Bitmap (.bmp & .tab)—image built according to the display settings of the grid. The
file name is appended with “_bmp”.
• ASCII Grid Export (.txt)—text file
• TIFF (.tif)—Tagged Image File Format image
• USGS DEM**
*supports only numeric grid export
**USGS DEM format specifications require Grid Z-Units to be in Meters or Feet