August 2, 2016
Applied Imagery has released Quick Terrain Modeler v8.0.6. We have added many things our users have been asking for – subfolders in the layer tree, marker icons, KMZ imagery support, etc. – but, by far, the biggest thing we changed was “under the hood”. We completely revamped the way Quick Terrain Modeler handles point clouds (LAS/LAZ/BPF files), enabling users to load much larger point clouds. Strangely, we (almost) hope users never notice this at all. Everything will look and feel the same, all of the analytical tools will work the same, but you might just notice that you are loading way more data than you did before.
Read on for more details, download the “What’s New for v8.0.6” PDF, and watch the “What’s New in v8.0.6” video. As always, we thank you for using QT Modeler and for providing your extremely valuable feedback and suggestions.
Sincerely,
The Applied Imagery Team
What’s New for Quick Terrain Modeler Version 8.0.6:
Bigger Point Clouds! Quick Terrain Modeler v8.0.6 dramatically reduces the memory footprint of point clouds, also known as LAS, LAZ, and BPF files. Depending on the point cloud data and what attributes are included (e.g., intensity, RGB color values, etc.), the memory footprint for point clouds will be between 30% and 50% of what it used to be, enabling the loading of point clouds two to three times the size (measured in number of points) in the same amount of memory. All of this should be invisible to you. All the visualization and analytical tools work the same, QT Modeler still loads and renders every single point, and you will still get the effortless interaction and navigation you have come to expect from us.
Smart Textures – No Need to “Stack Rank” Your 2D Images! In QT Modeler terminology, “textures” are 2D imagery files that you overlay on your 3D data (or just load by themselves). In v8.0.6, Quick terrain Modeler will assess areas where multiple textures overlap, and automatically display the “best” texture (i.e., the one with the highest resolution). There is no longer a need to manually organize the texture list in the layer tree to display the best texture (unless you want to).
KMZ Image Support QT Modeler now supports the overlay of a wide variety of KMZ imagery, even KMZ images that consist of many small “chips” or “tiles” – like imagery from MOBAC or applications that export to GPS devices. If possible, QT Modeler will merge the small tiles together into a single texture in the layer tree. In addition, QT Modeler will find KMZ imagery during searches.
Layer Tree – Get Organized! You asked, we listened. The layer tree now supports subfolders and drag & drop of items. It will be easy to organize your markers, vectors, models, and routes into subfolders, then turn them on/off as a group. Right click on a folder (e.g., the “Markers” folder in the layer tree) to create a subfolder. Drag and drop items into and out of folders as needed.
Markers: Tired of every marker just looking like a push pin? V8.0.6 offers unlimited possibilities for marker display. We have 3 basic “Styles” now: Pushpin (the way it has always been), Text Tag, and Icon, which opens up a world of annotation possibilities. In Icon style, you can choose any image to be the marker icon. We have included many useful icons, but you will be able to use any image as an icon by dropping it into the QT Modeler “icon” folder.
More good stuff for markers:
- Double right click on any marker to open the Edit Marker window.
- Rename/resequence entire marker subfolders (quickly resequence route check points).
- Set marker coordinate display precision to any number of decimal points (File Menu > Options/Settings > Set Display Units).
- Marker Manager can now highlight only the markers visible in the current scene/view.
Google Earth Sync – Easier & Syncs More Stuff!: Google Earth continuous synchronization has been enhanced dramatically:
- Now you can just click the Google Earth button to synchronize Google Earth. We have a new button icon: No need to go to the Control Menu > Control mode. One-time Google Earth synchronization still works by typing “G” on the keyboard.
- Range Rings, flight surfaces, bounding boxes, and routes now automatically sync to Google Earth. e., as you add these items into QT Modeler, they immediately appear in the Google Earth window. Any edits to names, folder structure, colors, or positions of these items will immediately be reflected in Google Earth
- Note: Any other vector types will need to be manually exported by right clicking and exporting to KML.
Route Planning Enhancements: A couple new enhancements for planning routes:
- When placing a route and there is a need to go “off the screen”, QT Modeler’s movement mode will pan the scene when the mouse cursor hits the edge. No need to hold down ALT and move the model.
- When automatically placing checkpoint markers, the checkpoints can be created in their own folder in the layer tree, making it easier toad check points in the middle of a route, reset the order in the layer tree, and rename/renumber them sequentially.
Resize Legend – Make Presentations Easier to Understand! You can now resize the legend by clicking on the legend icon in the Layer Tree > Special Overlays folder. Slide the slider to resize the legend. This will make QTM briefings and exported PowerPoint slides easier for your audience to understand.
Volume Calculations – Better for Point Clouds: Volume calculations have been completely revamped to allow choices in how point cloud volumes are calculated (surface model methods are unchanged). You can now select Min/Mean/Max Z to create the temporary surface from which QTM calculates volumes. Point cloud volume calculations should be much more accurate and flexible.
Setting Display Precision: QT Modeler v8.0.6 allows users to set the precision (i.e., number of decimal places) of various display readouts. Found in File Menu > Options/Settings > Set Display Units.
LAS File Enhancements – Editing Synthetic and Withheld Points: QT Modeler v8.0.6 adds the ability to set/edit Withheld, Synthetic and Keypoints from three places: The Point Query Tool (SHIFT + Click on a Point), from the Point Select Menu (CTRL + SHIFT multiple points, then CTRL + Right Click), and from the Profile Tool (in Edit Mode in the Profile window).