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SimuTerra TroubleshootingMake sure that you are using the latest version. Topics General Download Menus Import Export Layers DTM Views Miscellaneous
Where else can I look for assistance? * How-To's, which explain how to accomplish various tasks. * FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). * Movies. * Built-in help. * Help material on web site (same as built-in help). * Help tags (tool tips). * Status bar (in Windows version). (back to top) What version of SimuTerra does this document apply to, and when was it last modified? This document applies to SimuTerra version 1.0.3, which was released on March 7, 2005. This document was last modified on April 4, 2005. (back to top) DOWNLOAD I try to download the installer but end up with a page full of code. * Macintosh: Hold down the Command key when you click on the link. * Windows: Right click on the link. * Choose "Download linked file as..." (or something to that extent) from the menu which appears. * Choose a location where you would like the installer file to be downloaded to. (back to top) The name of the installer which I downloaded looks odd. If you downloaded the file onto a Macintosh running Mac OS 9, the name may be truncated and may have other characters added to it. It should still work fine. (back to top) MENUS A menu command is disabled when I think it should be enabled. Look in the built-in help (also available on our web site) for the MENUS section, where there is information on each menu. For some commands there has to be a DTM present. For some you have to have sufficient data selected. For many commands you select the data which you want to act upon, then you choose the menu command. (back to top) IMPORT I imported tabular data, but nothing appeared. You may not have selected the correct options as to which columns are present in the file which you are importing. You may want to check the file first in a word processor or spreadsheet program so as to determine that it contains what you expect. You should also ensure that you have indicated the correct delimiter: comma or Tab. (back to top) I want to import a DWG or a binary DXF file, but SimuTerra doesn't see it. SimuTerra doesn't read DWG or binary DXF. Any program which can export these formats can also probably export text (ASCII) DXF, which SimuTerra can read. If you can't export a text DXF file from your program, you could probably use some other program, such as SketchUp, to translate. (back to top) I imported a DXF file, but I don't see what I expected to see. Before you export from a CAD program, you should ungroup or explode any groupings of data; SimuTerra cannot read information which is within a group, block, etc. SimuTerra reads the following entities in a DXF file: POINT, POLYLINE, LWPOLYLINE, LINE, and 3DFACE. If there is other information in the DXF file, SimuTerra ignores it. (back to top) I imported a DXF file, but some of the data is way out of place. This bug was discovered in SimuTerra version 1.0.0, and was fixed for version 1.0.1; make sure you have the latest version. This problem only affected a specific type of data. The coordinates ended up very different than expected. (back to top) I imported a foam core model from SketchUp, but I don't see all of what I expect. If you use arcs in SketchUp, they don't get exported from SketchUp as entities which SimuTerra can read. You should be able to use lines and curves, even Bezier curves (using a Ruby script). (back to top) EXPORT SimuTerra-generated DXF is not to scale when imported into another program. This probably has to do with the units of measure in each of the programs. And this issue also depends on how you got the information into SimuTerra in the first place. SimuTerra defaults to using feet; other programs may default to other units, such as inches. Some DXF files use inches even though the people using the files know that the values really represent feet out in the real world. They were using inches because AutoCAD, from what we hear, doesn't show decimal feet. So the users have to scale up or down by a factor of 12. If you are exporting a model from another program to a DXF file, take note of the units which are being used in the other program. In SimuTerra, before you import a DXF file and you want the units in SimuTerra to match those of your source, then you should choose Doc > Units... and set the units to what makes sense. If the file you are importing has inches, then set the units in SimuTerra to inches. One common exception is that if the file you are importing has inches, but the numbers really represent feet in the real world, then you may want to leave SimuTerra's units set to feet. When you export from SimuTerra to a DXF file, the units used will be the ones currently set for the document. You can easily change the units by choosing Doc > Units... and setting them to your desired units before exporting the DXF file. For instance, if you were working in feet in SimuTerra, but want the DXF file to contain values in inches, choose inches in the Units dialog. When you import a DXF file into SketchUp, you can indicate in the Import dialog (you may have to click Options...) which units should be used when importing from a "unitless" DXF file. SimuTerra creates such documents. (back to top) I imported a SimuTerra-generated DXF file into SketchUp, but the contents ended up at a different location than expected. SketchUp may shift the contents to be near the origin (0, 0) if the SketchUp document was empty at the time that you imported. You may be able to avoid this problem by placing some data into the SketchUp document before you import the DXF file. (back to top) LAYERS I click in a row in the Layers window in the Windows version, and the list scrolls to the top. This bug was discovered in SimuTerra version 1.0.0, and was fixed for version 1.0.1; make sure you have the latest version. This problem occurred only when the list was long enough to require scrolling in order to see all the layers. (back to top) DTM I get an error when I try to create a DTM. You must first select data, then choose an appropriate command from the DTM menu. Make sure that you haven't selected data which is unrelated, such as building footprints, boundary lines, walls, and road edges. You can use the Layers window (choose Window > Layers) to make unrelated layers uneditable so that their contents won't be selected. If you attempted to create a DTM, or you changed some data or deleted a DTM, and an error message was displayed indicating that there was a DTM calculation error, then you should probably choose Doc > Clear Undo and Deleted before you try again to create a DTM. As mentioned in the beginning of the Release Notes (and in the built-in help system), there is a menu item Doc > Clear Undo and Deleted. If you select a bunch of points, create a DTM, delete the DTM, and then want to use the same points to make another DTM, you will need to choose this menu item. That is because, even though you deleted the original DTM, its data still "remembers" that DTM in case you wanted to Undo and thereby resurrect the DTM. By choosing the menu item, you clear the Undo stack, which also frees up that data to create another DTM. (back to top) I get extra triangles/contours outside of my data. SimuTerra only does convex at this point; it creates a convex hull from the data. That means that the imaginary bounding polygon has no external angles which are smaller than 180 degrees. That's similar to placing a nail through every point and every poly vertex, then stretching a rubber band and placing it around all the nails. Some nails along the eastern edge, for instance, are just inside the rubber band, so you get many very slender triangles along the hull, and contour lines passing through those triangles. At some point SimuTerra should also do concave, meaning that it will "suck in" the rubber band. You can probably delete these unwanted triangles and contours in another program. You can also add a point outside of such an area, add the point to the DTM, and manipulate it so that the undesired triangles and contours look more reasonable. (back to top) Everything looks flat, and has an elevation of 0.0. You may have imported data from a 2D CADD program. Or you may have scanned data but did not yet assign elevations. You can assign elevations inside of SimuTerra, or in various other programs. (back to top) VIEWS I don't see my data in a 2D view. Choose View > Fit to Window in order to bring everything into view. You can then use Zoom commands and various tools to change the view. (back to top) I don't see my data in a 3D view, or I want to see the big picture. Choose View > Fit to Window in order to bring everything into view. You can then use Zoom commands and various tools to change the view. (back to top) Zooming doesn't work well in 3D. Zooming in a 3D window changes the view angle. You would typically prefer the results of using other view-related tools, especially the Walk Tool. (back to top) MISCELLANEOUS I chose Edit > Select All, but not everything was selected. One or more of your layers might be set to uneditable, or even invisible. Choose Window > Layers so as to open the Layers window, and use the checkboxes or the buttons at the bottom to change the layers. (back to top) Some of the objects aren't visible, even though I'm looking at the right place. One or more of your layers might be set to invisible. Choose Window > Layers so as to open the Layers window, and use the checkboxes or the buttons at the bottom to change the layers. (back to top) When I open a SimuTerra file, the contour interval is different than what I saved. This is a known issue. You have to open the Info Panel for the DTM and set the contour interval to the desired value. (back to top) When I open a SimuTerra file, the choice of what is displayed in the view is different than what I saved. This is a known issue. You will have to choose View > Show in View... again in order to hide certain items again. (back to top) I chose Object > Move to Layer... and clicked OK, but the layer didn't change. This bug was discovered in SimuTerra version 1.0.0 (Windows only), and was fixed for version 1.0.1; make sure you have the latest version. (back to top) END OF TROUBLESHOOTING |
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