RockWorks/2002 Revision History

2002/Q3

(07/01/02-09/30/02)

- Uploaded 09/27/02 -

Improvement (09/27/02/JPR):  The RockPlot/3D program is now capable of reading files names with Chinese characters.

Bug Fix (09/27/02/MIW): The DXF import routine within RockPlot/3D now works correctly.  It was broken during the 9/10/02 XML modification.

New Feature (09/26/02/JPR): A new program called "Digitize From Bitmap" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Util/Images menu.  This program is used to import a bitmap (JPEG or BMP), calibrate it to global coordinates, and digitize points, lines, polylines, and polygons.  As the items are selected, the global coordinates are stored within and editable data window along the right side of the screen.  This data may then be copied into other applications.

Possible applications Include;

New Feature (09/26/02/JPR): A new program titled "Rotate Bitmap" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Util/Images menu.  This program is used to rotate a bitmap (JPEG or BMP).

New Feature (09/20/02/JPR):  A new program called "3D Diagram" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Survey/Bearing/Distance submenu. 

This program is used to plot a three-dimensional survey diagram;

In addition to the normal data columns that are used by the 2-dimensional surveying program, the user my specify 3 or 4 additional columns that contain the vertex numbers for three-dimensional panels.  These panels may be used to display cave and mine configurations;

The new "Cave Survey.atd" file within the Samples/Utilities folder provides an example of how panels are used.

Cosmetic (09/20/02/JPR): The Geological-Utilities/Survey/Bearing/Distance program has been split into two programs; one for creating an XYZ file, the other for creating a 2D survey map.  The previous version created both files at one time.  This change was made in anticipation to the new item described above.

Bug Fix (09/20/02/JPR): The Geological-Utilities/Survey/Bearing/Distance program now correctly saves the symbol and color when creating an XYZ table.

Bug Fix (09/20/02/JPR): The Geological-Utilities/Survey/Bearing/Distance program now correctly plots the user-specified symbol and color for survey points.  The previous version would always plot a black octagon.

New Feature (09/11/02/JPR): A new program titled "3D Flow Diagram" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Grid/Directional-Maps sub-menu.  This program is designed to create three-dimensional simulated drainage networks based on a user-defined grid model.

The menu options include the following options;

- Uploaded 09/10/02 -

New Feature (09/09/02/JPR): A new program titled "Grids->Stratigraphic Fence" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Grid sub-menu.  This program is used to create a stratigraphic fence diagram based on a list of superface (top of unit) and subface (base of unit) grid models.  This program is designed for two types of applications; (1) Users who have created their grid models within other applications (e.g. ModFlow, Surfer) and wish to use RockWorks to create stratigraphic (or hydrostratigraphic) fence diagrams. (2) Users who have created their grid models within the Borehole Manager portion of RockWorks - but need more flexibility in dealing with stratigraphic relationships (e.g. special manipulations with the grids).

This input data includes the following columns;

The output is depicted by the following diagram;

New Feature (09/10/02/JPR): A new program called "Perimeter" has been added to Geological-Utilities/OpenGL menu.  This program is used to plot fence-like perimeter edges for subsequent inclusion within other three-dimensional diagrams.

The input data consists of two columns; x and y.  Note: Perimeters are now automatically "closed".  The last point in the input list must be the same as the first point.  The allows for other applications in which it may not be desirable to close the  perimeter.

The menu options allow the user to specify the elevation at the top and base of the perimeter as well as the color;

The output is depicted within the following diagram;

Bug Fix (09/09/02/JPR): The slight discontinuities that sporadically occur at the intersections of complex stratigraphic fence panels have been eliminated.

New Feature (09/09/02/JPR): A new program titled "Grids->Stratigraphic Fence" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Grid sub-menu.  This program is used to create a stratigraphic fence diagram based on a list of superface (top of unit) and subface (base of unit) grid models.

New Feature (09/09/02/JPR): A new program titled "Grids->Stratigraphic Model" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Grid sub-menu.  This program is used to create a stratigraphic block diagram based on a list of superface (top of unit) and subface (base of unit) grid models.  This program is designed for two types of applications; (1) Users who have created their grid models within other applications (e.g. ModFlow, Surfer) and wish to use RockWorks to create stratigraphic (or hydrostratigraphic) block models. (2) Users who have created their grid models within the Borehole Manager portion of RockWorks - but need more flexibility in dealing with stratigraphic relationships.

This input data includes the following columns;

The output is depicted by the following diagram;

Caveat:  When creating the list of units, be sure to list them in reverse order (from stratigraphic lowest to highest).  This convention is based on a restriction within the OpenGL environment.

New Feature (09/08/02/JPR): A new program titled "Flowlines" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Hydro submenu.  This program is used to plot ModPath-style particle paths as three-dimensional tubes.

The input data includes the following columns; Path#, X, Y, Z, and Color.  The output is depicted by the following diagram;

New Feature (09/08/02/JPR): A new program titled "ModPath (Particle Flowpaths)" has been added to the File/Import/Geological-Utilities submenu.  This program is used to import the data from an ModPath ASCII "Pathline File" into the RockWorks Geological Utilities datasheet.

The ModPath menu options (depicted within the following diagram) are described as follows;

The datasheet that is produced by the ModPath import program is depicted within the following diagram;

New Features (09/06/02/JPR): The following enhancements have been added to the RCL (RockWorks Command Language).  For more information, please refer to; http://www.rockware.com/catalog/pages/rockworks2002/RCL/index.htm

Added PLOT_TUBES, PLOT_POLYLINES, and POLYLINE_THICKNESSES parameters to MODPATH_TO_TUBES command.  The new PLOT_POLYLINES provides a means for streamlining very large datasets (versus TUBES, which are much slower - but prettier when viewed closely).


 

Added GRIDS_TO_ESRI_FENCE program.  This converts a list of grids and fence-panel coordinates to ESRI shape files for subsequent import into ArcView.  Sample ArcView screen;

- Uploaded 9/4/02 -

New Feature (09/04/02/JPR): Whenever the RockPlot3D program is used by RockWorks, a separate copy of the XML file called "RP3D_Backup.txt" is created within the project folder.  This file contains a copy of the XML data that is sent to RockPlot3D thereby providing an "audit trail" if something goes wrong.

Bug Fix (09/04/02/JPR): The grid-based and solid-based directional weighting algorithms no longer bomb if the weighting direction is not a whole number value.

New Feature (09/04/02/JPR): RockWorks can now process a limited number of script commands within an ASCII command file.  The format for this command syntax is based on the XML (eXtensible Markup Language) standard.  We refer to this implementation as RCL (RockWare Command Language).  Our intention is to add new commands based on specific needs rather than to try and automate all of the RockWorks subroutines.  The following web site describes the syntax;

http://www.rockware.com/catalog/pages/rockworks2002/RCL/index.htm

There are three methods for processing an RCL file;

  1. Select the new "Compile RCL File" menu option within the Geological-Utilities/Util menu.  This is the best method for testing an RCL file.

  2. Create a Windows shortcut to the RockWorks program and add a command line parameter.  Please note that the command line parameter should be enclosed by quotation marks.  Otherwise, Windows will assume that a space within the parameter is the termination of that parameter.  For example, when selecting the application, you would enter the following; "c:\program files\rockware\rw2002.exe" "c:\project 27\rcl.txt"

  3. Execute RockWorks from within another program.  This is the primary intention of the RCL.  Specifically, we have designed it so that other programmers may use portions of RockWorks as subroutines without forcing their end-users to learn all of the nuances of RockWorks.

New Feature (09/04/02/JPR): A new menu item titled "RockWare Command Language (RCL) Documentation" has been added to the Help/Online-Information menu.  This option will load a web page that describes the new "scripting" language that may be used to bypass RockWorks menus (see above)..

New Feature (09/04/02/JPR): A new menu item titled "Compile RCL File" has been added to the Geological-Utilities/Util menu.  This program will process the commands within a RockWare Command Language (RCL) file.  For more information, see the item above.

Improvement (09/02/02/JPR): The Help/Online-Information/Download-Latest-Version-of-RockWorks command now bypasses the several intermediate menus and places the user one click away from the appropriate download page within the RockWare web site.

Bug Fix (09/02/02/JPR): The Borehole-Manager/Stratigraphy/Stratigraphic-Thicknesses/2-Dimensional program will now work correctly regardsless of the "Save Grid" setting.  The previous version would only create a diagram if the Save Grid setting was enabled.

Bug Fix (09/02/02/JPR): The Borehole-Manager/Stratigraphy/Stratigraphic-Thicknesses/3-Dimensional program no longer bases the grid dimensions upon whatever was dimensions were last used/computed by the Statigraphy/Model program.

Bug Fix (09/02/02/JPR): The aquifer labels within 3D boreholes may now be disabled.  The previous version would always label the aquifers regardless of the menu setting.

Bug Fix (09/02/02/JPR): The Borehole-Manager/Striplogs/Vertical/Single  and Borehole-Manager/Striplogs/3D-View/Single programs no longer have a propensity to plot the incorrect log if the file names are very similar (e.g. DH-01 vs. DH-01-i).  This bug was based on the methods that Windows uses to sort and store the data directory contents versus the method that RockWorks uses to sort the borehole list.

Cosmetic (09/02/02/JPR): The Borehole-Manager/Striplogs/Vertical/Single  and Borehole-Manager/Striplogs/3D-View/Single menus now show the currently selected striplog file name within the menu title banner.

Removal (09/02/02/JPR): The Borehole-Manager/Striplog menus no longer include options for geochemical and geophysical sampling methods.

Bug Fix (09/02/02/JPR): The Borehole-Manager/Stratigraphy/Profile and Fence programs no longer base the grid dimensions upon whatever was dimensions were last used/computed by the Statigraphy/Model program.  Instead, they independently compute the dimensions based upon the distribution of the boreholes or whatever is manually specified.

Bug Fix (09/01/02/JPR): The File/Transfer/Borehole-File->Geological-Utilities(Stratigraphy) program now stores the base of the last formation within the stratigraphy table.

Improvement (09/01/02/JPR): The Geological-Utilities/OpenGL/Panels/Horizontal menu now includes an option for setting up a reference "cage" around the perimeter of the diagram.

Improvement (09/01/02/JPR): The reference cage that is plotted around solid models within RockPlot3D is now slightly larger.  The previous version would base the extents upon the voxel nodes, resulting in reference cages that appeared be inside the low-resolution solids rather than the other way around.

Bug Fix (09/01/02/JPR): Stratigraphic fence diagrams no longer bomb if the last unit within the stratigraphy table has no data associated with it.

Bug Fix (09/01/02/JPR): The font selection menu that is associated with 3D diagrams now works correctly; The font name, size, and color, are now used correctly when creating a 3D diagram.

Miscellaneous (08/30/02/JPR): The following changes have been made to the RockPlot/3D program;

Bug Fix (08/20/02/JPR): The geophysical fence diagrams and block models now display the proper legend title.  The previous version would display the geochemistry diagram titles.

Improvement (08/19/02/JPR): The color-filled polygons within stratigraphic fence diagrams are now continuously shaded.  This means that the individual layers have a more appealing visual aesthetic (more "3D looking") as shown by the following diagram;

The same improvement also applies to;

    - The side panels within the stratigraphic models.

    - The side panels within the "reference cage".

Improvement (08/12/02/JPR):  The File/New-Log subroutine now checks to make sure that the specified new file name is "legal".  This means that characters such as backslashes, asterixes, etc. are replaced with underscore characters.  In the event that an error is encountered, the user is presented with the following error message;

If the Ok option is selected, the file name within the preceding example (Log27:A/B\C*D?E"F<G>H|I) will be converted to Log27_A_B_C_D_E_F_G_H_I

Improvement (08/11/02/JPR):  The File/Import/Into-Borehole-Manager/ASCII program now checks to make sure that the file names that are referenced within the ASCII file are "legal".  This means that characters such as backslashes, asterixes, etc. are replaced with underscore characters.  In the event that an error is encountered, the user is presented with the following error dialog;

- Uploaded 8/08/02 -

Improvement (08/08/02/JPR):  The last processing step within the horizontal lithoblending algorithm now runs much faster (i.e. minutes instead of hours).

New Feature (08/06/02/JPR): The program status messages that are stored within the RW_LOG.TXT file now show the time (in milliseconds) that has elapsed between the messages.  This provides us with a means for identifying bottlenecks for users who are wondering why a specific operation is taking so much time.

New Feature (08/05/02/JPR): A new suite of sub-options titled "Endpoint Selection" has been added to the menus that are listed within the following table.  The new "Manual" option allows the user to manually specify profile and fence diagram endpoints (as opposed to clicking on the on-screen map).  The new "List" option allows the user to sp;ecify profile and fence diagram endpoints via a list of coordinates within an ASCII file.

The new Endpoint Selection sub-menu (shown within the following screen-shot) provides some new ways to specify the endpoints that are used when creating profiles and fence diagrams.

Interactive: A basemap will be displayed at which time the user may interactively add and subtract endpoints.  This is the default method that was used by previous versions of the program.  Note: The "Show Map" option at the base of the sub-menu will be ignored if the Interactive style has been selected.  Instead, the basemap will always be displayed if the Interactive option has been selected.

Manual:  The program will use the x1,y1,x2,y2 endpoints to define the endpoints.  If this menu is being used in conjunction with a profile, these coordinates specify the endpoints of the profile.  If this menu is being used in conjunction with a fence diagram, the diagram will only have one panel as defined by the x1,y1,x2,y2 endpoint coordinates.  This option has been added for users who wish to plot a section between precise, manually-defined, endpoints.

List:  The program will read the endpoint coordinates from the designated space-delimited ASCII file.  Each line contains the x1,y1,x2,y2 coordinates for an infinite number of panels.  If this menu is being used in conjunction with a profile, only the first line of the ASCII file will be processed.  If this menu is being used in conjunction with a fence diagram, all lines within the ASCII file will be processed.  This option has been added for users who wish to plot sections between a list of complex endpoints (e.g. a flowpath track).

Show Map:  If activated, a base map will be displayed and the single line (Manual style) or the lines within the ASCII file (List style) will be plotted on this map.  At this point, the user can edit the line(s) position.  Note: This setting has no effect if the "Interactive" style has been selected - in which case, the basemap will always be displayed.

- Uploaded 8/05/02 -

New Feature (08/05/02/JPR): The Geochemistry/Export/ASCII menu now includes an option titled "View In Editor" which allows the user to view the output file within a text editor.

Bug Fix (08/05/02/JPR): The Geophysics/Export/ASCII program will now load the data into a text editor if the "View in Editor" option has been enabled.

Bug Fix (08/05/02/JPR): If a borehole is disabled, and that borehole does not contain any coordinate data (or screwy coordinate data), the program will no longer produce strange results.  The previous version would include the coordinate data for disabled logs when computing the range of the coordinates.

Bug Fix (08/05/02/JPR): The volumetrics for lithology models that are displayed within RockPlot/3D no longer show the results for the previous model - if the project folder has been changed during the current "session".

- Uploaded 7/25/02 -

Bug Fix (07/25/02/MIW): The Grid/Import/ESRI program no longer offsets the nodes incorrectly.  The previous version would offset them by one-half of a node spacing towards the Southwest.

Bug Fix (07/25/02/MIW):  The RockPlot/3D program now properly exports complete AVI files for scenes that were slow to render.

Bug Fix (07/25/02/MIW):  The DirStat/Rotate program now works correctly.

- Uploaded 7/17/02 -

Bug Fix (07/17/02/JPR): The RockPlot/2D DXF export program now properly converts the border annotation along the left side of the diagram.  The previous version would omit western-most annotation.

Bug Fix (07/17/02/JPR): The stratigraphy picker no longer issues an invalid error message stating that the source file cannot be located when the data is being saved.

Bug Fix (07/16/02/JPR): The proper striplog is now plotted, when plotting single striplogs, regardless of whether or not a preceding log in the log list has been disabled.

- Uploaded 07/11/02 -

Bug Fix (07/11/02/MIW): The automatic control point labeling offset no longer hangs up the program.

Bug Fix (07/11/02/MIW): RockPlot/3D files that are copied to other machines no longer produce an error when looking for the DTD file.

Bug Fix (07/11/02/JPR): The automatic Kriging no longer rejects selected data sets.

- Uploaded 07/09/02 -

New Feature (7/3/02/JPR): A new set of menu options titled "Baseplate" has been added to the Stratigraphy/Profile, Stratigraphy/Fence, and Stratigraphy/Model menus. 

This new capability is designed for the following applications;  Let's say that you have a series of boreholes that have all bottomed-out within a granite batholith.  Being a good geologist, you leave the "Depth To Base" cell blank for the granite because the boreholes never actually encountered the base of the granite.  Unfortunately, the stratigraphic block model will not include the granite because there aren't enough points to generate the basal surface.  But ... you still want to show the granite, as bounded by a horizontal plane at some arbitrary elevation.  The new "Baseplate" option allows you to specify an elevation that will be used for the base of the selected unit (in the following example, that's the "Bedrock" unit).

 

New Feature (7/2/02/JPR): If the depth to the top of the first stratigraphic unit within a borehole is undefined, the program will set it's depth to zero. Note: This only applies to the strip logs. It does not apply to the surface modeling.

New Feature (7/2/02/JPR): If the base of the last stratigraphic unit within a borehole is undefined, the program will set's it's depth to the TD setting. Note: This only applies to the strip logs. It does not apply to the surface modeling.

New Feature (7/2/02/JPR): A new menu option titled "Fill Data Gaps" has been added to the Striplogs/Hole-To-Hole-Section menu.

This utility will do the following; If the top of a stratigraphic unit is undefined, and the base of the overlying unit is defined, the program will set the missing top depth to the basal depth of the overlying unit. If the base of a stratigraphic units is undefined, and the top of the underlying unit is defined, the program will set the missing basal depth to the superface depth of the underlying unit. You might want to read the previous two sentences very slowly.

 

New Feature (7/2/02/JPR): A new menu option titled "Allow Pinch-Outs" has been added to the Striplogs/Hole-To-Hole-Section program menu.

This option can be used to disable the triangular fill that occurs when the program is attempting to correlate a
unit that does not occur within an adjacent hole. The logic of these correlations is summarized within the following diagram according to the following nomenclature;

a = Base of unit within left log.
b = Top of unit within left log.
c = Top of unit within right log.
d = Base of unit within right log.
m = Horizontal midpoint between logs.
m1 = Vertical midpoint of unit within left log.
m2 = Vertical midpoint of unit within right log.
* = Only plotted if new "Allow Pinch-Outs" option is activated. Otherwise,
nothing will be plotted.