RockWorks/16 Revision History
2014/Q2 (04/01/14-06/30/14)

(087) Improvement (06/26/14/MIW): The RockPlot3D animation programs now include an option to skip the CODEC (Compression/Decompression) dialog and default to uncompressed video settings.

(086) Bug Fix (06/25/14/MIW): Converting RockPlot 2D files that contain raster images to RockPlot 3D files will no longer vertically flip the images.

(085) Bug Fix (06/25/14/MIW): Access violation errors no longer occur when the program fails to load a raster image.

(084) New Feature (06/13/14/MIW): The Utilities / Solid / Math / Resample program now includes an option titled "Closest Point" that uses a closest-point strategy to preserve the values when resampling a stratigraphy or lithology model.

(083) Improvement (06/11/14/MIW): The binary fault files now use an extension of "RwFlt".

(082) Improvement (06/11/14/MIW): A warning is now issued if the spacing or maximum distance parameters for multiple profiles are set to zero.

(081) Improvement (06/11/14/MIW): The spacing and maximum distance parameters for multiple profiles are now converted to their absolute values.  For example if the user enters a spacing of -10, the program interprets the spacing to be 10.

(080) Bug Fix (06/11/14/MIW): Embedding a raster image within a ReportWorks diagram no longer generates a "File Not Found" error message.

(079) Bug Fix (06/11/14/JCJ): All of the borehole XYZ values are now recalculated when the orientation data is changed by using the Edit As Datasheet option.

(078) New Feature (06/06/14/JPR): A new option for exporting RockWorks block models to MODFLOW zone files has been added to the Utilities / Solid / Export sub-menu.

This program uses a MODFLOW discretization (DIS) file to "map" the data from a RockWorks block model into a MODFLOW zone file by averaging all of the RockWorks nodes that reside within a MODFLOW cell and then saving these averages within a MODFLOW zone file.  The intent of this program is to transfer K-values (hydraulic conductivity) from RockWorks into MODFLOW.  An example of the usefulness of this process can be illustrated by creating a lithology model within RockWorks, using the Lithology-to-Idata program to convert the lithologies to k-factors, modeling the k-factors, and then dumping these k-factors into MODFLOW.

Note: In order to optimally export a RockWorks model to MODFLOW, the horizontal dimensions of the RockWorks file should be set to the smallest cell X or Y dimensions within the MODFLOW model.  This may result in a very large RockWorks model.

(077) New Feature (06/06/14/JPR): A new option for importing MODFLOW data into a RockWorks block model has been added to the Utilities / Solid / Import sub-menu.

This program uses a MODFLOW discretization (DIS) file to "map" the data from a MODFLOW zone file into a RockWorks block model by assigning all of the RockWorks nodes that reside within a MODFLOW cell to the values defined within the MODFLOW zone file.  The intent of this program is to transfer K-values (hydraulic conductivity) from MODFLOW to RockWorks for subsequent manipulation (e.g. comparisons with lithology).

Note: In order to optimally import a MODFLOW file, the horizontal dimensions of the RockWorks file should be set to the smallest cell X or Y dimensions within the MODFLOW model.  This may result in a very large RockWorks model.

(076) Improvements (06/06/14/JCJ): Some of the Windows registry values (e.g. RwNetPort) are now tested and corrected during startup.  This eliminates some obnoxious error message that may occur on startup.

(075) Improvements (06/06/14/JCJ): The Bitmap-Types listing (accessed from the Borehole Manager /  Bitmaps / Bitmap Types option) has been improved such that non-applicable menu items have been removed and/or renamed.

(074) Bug Fix (06/06/14/MIW): Solid models thank only contain a single value and null values (e.g.  boolean models) now display correctly in RockPlot3D.

(073) Improvement (06/06/14/JPR): The minimum number of vertices that are used to create Dip Ribbons and 3D fault definitions has been decreased from three to two.  This is a big deal if you're trying to use 3D Fault Files when creating block models because the two-point faults only retard the execution speed by a few minutes versus complex faults that may require hours.

(072) Improvement (06/06/14/JPR): The minimum number of vertices that are used to create Dip Ribbons and 3D fault definitions has been decreased from three to two.  This is a big deal if you're trying to use 3D Fault Files when creating block models because the two-point faults only retard the execution speed by a few minutes versus complex faults that may require hours.

(071) New Feature (06/06/14/JPR): It is now possible to independently specify the colors and thicknesses for the lines that are used to draw the panels within the Utilities / Planes / Dips → Ribbon / Multiple program.

This new capability provides more flexibility when plotting dip ribbons in conjunction with other 3D data (e.g. block models).

(070) New Feature (06/06/14/JPR): It is now possible to independently specify the colors and thicknesses for the lines that are used to draw the panels within the Utilities / Planes / Dips → Ribbon / Single program.

This new capability provides more flexibility when plotting dip ribbons in conjunction with other 3D data (e.g. block models).

(069) New Feature (06/06/14/JPR): The RockWorks Level-5 Solid Modeling Options menu now includes a "Faulted" option that uses a 3D Fault Table (see item #068 below) to isolate the modeling within faulted regions.

The faulting works by "tricking" the algorithms into thinking that points on the other side of a fault (relative to the node that is currently being estimated) are much farther away (10x) than they really are.  In regards to the Lateral Extrusion algorithm, the basic idea is to restrict the lateral extrusion of lithotypes to the regions bounded by the fault surfaces. 

Note: Fault-bounded modeling is considerably slower than non-fault modeling by orders of magnitude (e.g. hours versus minutes).  This is especially true for complex faults (faults with more than two vertices).

Tip: Plotting a semi-transparent dip-ribbon in conjunction with the block model (see diagram below) can be a useful way to highlight fault discontinuities as shown by the following diagrams.

NOTE: Using 3D fault files when creating block models is only available within RockWorks Level-5.

(067-068) New Features (06/06/14/JPR): A new sub-menu titled Dips → 3D Fault File has been added to the Utilities / Planes menu.  The two sub-items within this menu are used to create a binary "3D Fault File" that can now be used to add faulting to the block modeling process (see item #069 above).

065: The Single Fault program will read the contents of a datasheet that contains a list of XYZ coordinates, dip-directions, and dip-angles and convert these points to a 3D Fault File that can be used to add a single fault when creating a block model of lithology, I-data, P-Data, etc.

066: The Multiple Faults program will read the contents of a datasheet that contains a list of linked datasheets which contain the XYZ coordinates, dip-directions, and dip-angles for more than one fault and convert these points to a 3D Fault File that can be used to add multiple faults when creating a block model of lithology, I-data, P-Data, etc.

Note: The input formats for these programs are identical to the "dip ribbon" input formats (see Utilities / Planes / Dips->Ribbon/Multiple).

(065-066) New Features (06/06/14/JPR): A new sub-menu titled Fault Dips → Solid has been added to the Utilities / Solid menu for creating boolean "fault models" based on faults projected from a list of XYZ points. 

065: The Single Fault program will read the contents of a datasheet that contains a list of XYZ coordinates, dip-directions, and dip-angles and convert these points to a boolean block model in which the voxels that lie along the fault defined by these points (with added projections - see menu below) are set to "true" (g-value = 1.0) while the voxels outside of the fault zone are set to "false" (g-value = 0.0). 

Note: This is the same format as the "dip ribbons" (see Utilities / Planes / Dips->Ribbon/Single).

The Single Fault program will generate a boolean block model (solid) by creating a series of connected panels that are projected up-dip and/or down-dip from the control points.  The block model (solid) voxels through which these panels pass are assigned a value of "true" (1.0) while those voxels that do no contain a portion of a fault panel are assigned a value of "false" (0.0).

066: The Multiple Faults program will read the contents of a datasheet that contains a list of linked datasheets which contain the XYZ coordinates, dip-directions, and dip-angles for more than one fault and convert these points to a boolean block model in which the voxels that lie along the fault defined by these points (with added projections - see menu below) are set to "true" (g-value = 1.0) while the voxels outside of the fault zone are set to "false" (g-value = 0.0).

Note: This is the same format as the "dip ribbons" (see Utilities / Planes / Dips->Ribbon/Multiple).

The Multiple Faults program will generate a boolean block model (solid) by creating a series of connected panels that are projected up-dip and/or down-dip from the control points.  The block model (solid) voxels through which these panels pass are assigned a value of "true" (1.0) while those voxels that do no contain a portion of a fault panel are assigned a value of "false" (0.0).

(060-064) Cosmetic Improvements (06/06/14/JPR): The following changes have been made to the solid modeling algorithm menu;

• 060: Radio-buttons and check-boxes are now properly positioned if the menu is maximized or resized.

• 061: The algorithms and check-box options are now listed alphabetically.

• 062: The Declustering option has relocated from the main I-Data, P-Data, T-Data, Solid Model menus into the Solid Options menu.

• 063: The Distance cutoff filter may now be expressed in terms of map units or as a percentage of the project dimensions when using the Lithology modeling. 

• 064: Selected items within the Additional Options section will now be hidden if they are considered to be "inappropriate" for the currently selected algorithm.

(059) New Feature (06/05/14/JPR): A new algorithm titled "Lateral Extrusion" has been added to the Solid Modeling Options menu.  This algorithm laterally extrudes the values at the boreholes in a fashion identical to the lithoblending algorithm used for modeling lithology.  The reason for making it available for downhole quantitative data (e.g. I-data, P-data) is to provide a means for creating models of data that is horizontally contiguous but numerically discrete.  For example, let's say that you've got some LIF (Laser Induced Fluorescence) data for hydrocarbons in which the data consists of discrete values (e.g. 0.0 = uncontaminated, 1.0 leaded gasoline, 2.0 = unleaded gasoline, and 3.0 = diesel).  The lateral extrusion algorithm will conceptually "bleed" these intervals from the boreholes outwards, coalescing with the adjacent boreholes.

The diagram depicted below shows hydrocarbons (red = leaded gasoline, green = diesel, yellow = unleaded gasoline, blue = ammonia) for a hypothetical site below a decomissioned refinery.

(057) New Feature (06/05/14/JPR): The lithologic modeling menu has a new button titled "Modeling Options" that displays a menu that is very similar to the Solid Modeling Options that are displayed for other programs.  Many of the options within the former Lithology Modeling menu have been removed and re-located into this new menu.  Notice that the options for the lithology menu are titled "Lateral Extrusion".  The reason for this new terminology is that the algorithms used for lithologic modeling are now available for other types of non-lithology data (see item #58 above).

(056) New Feature (05/30/14/JCJ): The program now allows the user to set the default values for SPC_Zone, UTM_Datum, UTM_Zone, Meridian, Range, Township, Section values.  This improves improves data entry speed and ease-of-use.

(055) New Feature (05/29/14/MIW): A new program called RW15to16Converter.exe has been added to the RockWorks package.

(054) New Feature (05/28/14/JCJ): Excel exports from the Borehole Manager will now export data using a variant instead of a string.  This improves results when different Thousand Separators (different locales) are used. 

(053) New Feature (05/28/14/JCJ): Optional list-type fields added to tables other than the Location table are now be editable in the grid as a drop-down list.

(052) New Feature (05/28/14/MIW): An option has been added to the Stratigraphic Modeling that truncates all surfaces below the active "base plate".

(051) Bug Fix (05/16/14/JCJ): Creating a new project with only the enabled boreholes from another project will now transfer all the data for those boreholes (instead of just the location data).

(050) New Feature (05/14/14/MIW): It is now possible to disable the transparency altogether when displaying bitmaps within 2D striplogs.

(049) Bug Fix (05/14/14/MIW): The Vertical Pattern Scaler setting is now honored during printing.

(048) Improvement (05/14/14/JCJ): The full memory status is now displayed when the user clicks on the Memory status panel.

(047) New Feature (05/14/14/JCJ): The Level-5 version of RockWorks now accomodates MDB files that are not within the project folder.

(046) Improvement (05/14/14/JCJ): When transferring PLSS (Public Land Survey System) data from RockWorks15 to RockWorks16, items that were concatenated within the Legal field are now parsed into the x,y offset fileds. 

(045) Improvement (05/14/14/JCJ): The LAS file import now allows th user to continue even if the Well Name is not mapped from the header data.

(044) New Feature (05/10/14/JPR): A new option for selecting voxels that will not be smoothed has been added to the new Solid / Filter / Smooth / Selective Smoothing menu. 

This capability has been added primarily for users who have "sacrosanct" voxels (e.g. faults and marker beds) that they do not wish to smooth.

(043) Improvement (05/13/14/MIW): Drawing raster images with a transparent color or blended transparency in RockPlot2D now uses less memory and can draw larger images.

(042) Bug Fix (05/06/14/MIW): Sector-based grid resampling no longer ignores the output dimensions.

(041) Bug Fix (05/06/14/MIW): Reopening the pattern editor now initializes the settings.

(040) Bug Fix (05/06/14/MIW): The correct color assignments are now being shown when the Logical Color scheme is selected within RockPlot3D.

(039) Bug Fix (05/06/14/MIW): The 3D Strike and Dip map now calculates the dip direction correctly.  The previous version was plotting the disks with the opposite dip angle.

(038) Bug Fix (05/06/14/MIW): A data set containing only measurements with a dip direction of 225 degrees now longer causes a divide by zero error.

(037) New Feature (05/06/14/JPR): The solid modeling smoothing filter within the now includes options for defining the smoothing method.

The "Averaging" method reassigns the node value based at the surrounding voxels (within the filter).  The new "Classification" method reassigns the node value based on the most frequently occuring value within the surrounding voxels.  The classification filter is designed to be used when smoothing the contents of a lithology model (e.g. removing the details from a lithology model prior to converting it to a hydraulic conductivity model for subsequent export to Modflow).

(036) Improvement (05/06/14/JPR): The maximum number of iterations within the Utilities / Solid / Filter / Smoothing Filter menu has been increased from 5 to 1,000.

(035) Improvement (05/05/14/MIW): The size of the solid models (without generating an out-of-memory error) that may be viewed within RockPlot3D has been increased.

(034) Improvement (05/01/14/JCJ): The user may now cancel selected map-generating and conversion operations (e.g. Utilities/Map/Section-Map, UTM conversions, PLSS conversions).

(033) Improvement (04/30/14/JPR): It is now possible to use a grid that contains null values to warp a lithologic model.  To accomodate this new capability, the program now discards points that correspond to null nodes within the warping grid.

(032) Improvement (04/29/14/JCJ): It is now possible to "un-map" a table (to change the XML template) when running RCL scripts.

(031) Improvement (04/29/14/JPR): The Upper and Lower Surface filters within the lithologic model no longer remove the nodes above and/or below the clipping surfaces after the modeling.  Instead, this new version no longer interpolates nodes above and/or below the clipping surface thereby speeding up the processing time.

(030) New Feature (04/29/14/JPR): A new suite of options have been added for clipping lithology models during the actual modeling.  Unlike the previous method of clipping the model after it has been created, this new capability speeds up the process by not interpolating the nodes outside (or inside) the polygon as the model is being created.

(029) Improvement (04/28/14/MIW): The 2D borehole logs now include the Project Dimensions so that their pattern density can be adjusted.  

(028) Improvement (04/24/14/MIW): The scaling for RockPlot3D to Google Earth exports now adjust for dimension changes over large areas at different latitudes (i.e. x and y are scaled independently).

(027) Bug Fix (04/24/14/MIW): The contour interval for 2D striplog p-data filling is now set correctly.

(026) Bug Fix (04/24/14/JPR): The Solid Model Directional Weighting algorithm now uses the Vertical Cutoff filter setting.

(025) Improvement (04/23/14/JPR): The Grid / Directional Analyses programs can now process grid models that contain null values (-1.0e27).

(024) Improvement (04/22/14/JCJ): The time required to transfer data from a RockWorks15 project to a RockWorks16 project has been radically improved for projects that include lots of point data (e.g. from hours to minutes).  These changes have also been applied to the Text and Excel data imports.

(023) New Feature (04/17/14/JPR): The EarthApps / Extract / Polyline program now includes an elevation column that lists the elevations for the polyline vertices.

(022) Bug Fix (04/17/14/MIW): The installation security certificate is now correctly time-stamped. 

(021) Bug Fix (04/17/14/MIW): The GIS Link now behaves correctly when the RockWorks Level 5 trial period has expired. 

(020) Enhancement (04/21/14/MIW): The Filter-based Grid Resampling now includes an option for dealing with destination-grid nodes that reside outside the source grid.  Specifically, these nodes may be either interpolated (via the currently-selected method), set to Null values (-1.0e27), or set to a user-defined value. 

(019) Enhancement (04/17/14/MIW): The Section Selection Map now highlights the nearest borehole with a green (color will change depending on the background) rectangle if Snap is activated.

(018) Bug Fix (04/17/14/MIW): Grid resampling now takes the edges of the grid into account. 

(017) Bug Fix (04/17/14/MIW): Polylines within a 3D borehole diagram are now displayed if the total depth of the borehole is less than the vertical resolution. 

(016) Bug Fix (04/17/14/MIW): The boolean solid model display options are now displayed within RockPlot3D.

(015) Bug Fix (04/17/14/MIW): The Grid Mosaic program was only looking at the closest point which might be null. The program now looks at the number of closest points that matches the grid count and uses the closest non-null point.

(014) Improvement (04/16/14/JCJ): The date that is displayed within the Solid / Stats / Report now allows for variations in localized formats (e.g. 15-04-2014 vs. 4/15/2014).

(013) Improvement (04/16/14/JCJ): The date that is displayed within the Grid / Stats / Report now allows for variations in localized formats (e.g. 15-04-2014 vs. 4/15/2014).

(012) Bug Fix (04/15/14/MIW): The Survey / XYZ -> Optimum Path / Downhole Survey program no longer generates an Access Violation error.

(011) Bug Fix (04/09/14/MIW): The Dimensions diaglog no longer changes the Depth Output Units when the Apply button is pressed.

(010) Bug Fix (04/04/14/JCJ): The RCL version of the ADO import of data into the Borehole manager has been updated to work for RW16.  It was not setting up the units conversion properly and some names were change to protect the innocent.

Example RCL commands:

    DEFINE:  ADO_IMPORT    DATA_LINK    myUDL.udl
    DEFINE:  ADO_IMPORT    TEMPLATE     C:\Users\Joe User\Documents\RockWorks16 Data\SamplesTest\SamplesTemplate.xml

    EXECUTE: ADO_2_BM_RCL

The DATA_LINK variable can be blank if the connection is included in the Template.  When both are present the Template's 'ConnectionString' value will take precedence.

(009) New Feature (04/04/14/JPR): The Column Parameters menu that is used to define column titles and content now includes an option titled "Pick List".

Clicking on the "Select Pick List Type" button will display a list of available tables.  At this time, there are only two options: Alteration and USCS.

By designating a pick list, the program will display the list contents whenever user clicks on a cell within the designated column.  For example, if a column is designated as a Pick List using the USCS table, the following menu will appear whenever the user clicks on a cell within that column.

The pick list uses the new tablet-friendly (e.g. big buttons, big fonts, and simplified interface).  From here, the user can click on an item to copy the selected term into the datasheet cell and close the pick list menu.  Another way to pick items is to use the cursor keys to select the desired item and then click on the green check-mark button.  If you don't want to select an item press the red X button.  If you wish to change the font size or menu size, click the blue gear button.  Examples of various font sizes are shown below.  The larger sizes may seem obnoxious, but you may change your tune if it's cold, and you're using a 6" tablet, and you're over fifty.

Note: Only the text that precedes the colon character will be copied into the datasheet.  For example, if you were to click on the row labeled "ML: Silt" only "ML" would be copied into the datasheet.

This Pick List capability also applies to the new Row Editor described below.  Between the new Row Editor, Sensor Detector, and the Pick List, we think we've made a pretty good stab at making RockWorks a bit more "tablet friendly", especially on smaller tablets.

RockWorks currently includes only two Pick List (USCS and Alteration) but you are free to add your own or send us your list and we'll add it to the Tables folder.  To create you own, follow these steps:

• Create a text file with a "Pik_" prefix and a ".txt" extension within the Tables folder.  If you don't know where the Tables folder is located, click on the Help / About / Diagnostics button.  This will provide a list of folder locations.

• Populate the text file with the terms.  Don't forget that you can add a colon after each term to show additional information within the menu that won't be copied back into the data cell.  For example, if you add a line of text like: "Sandstone: Rock composed of cemented sand grains.", the program will only add the "Sandstone" text to the datasheet cell if selected.

• If you want to add additional reference information, create an HTML file within the same Tables folder with the same name as the text file but with a ".html" extension.  For example, if the text file is named "Pik_RockTypes.txt", then name the HTML file "Pik_RockTypes.html".  If RockWorks finds an HTML file for the current pick list, it will be shown within an additional tab titled "Info" as shown by the following examples:

(008) New Feature (04/04/14/JPR): A new program called the "Row Editor" has been added for editing rows of data within the RockWorks datasheet in a data-entry format.  Unlike previous RockWorks menus, the Row Editor uses large fonts and buttons for easier viewing and data-entry on tablet computers for field acquisition and processing.

As data is changed withiin the Row Editor, it will simultaneously change within the RockWorks datasheet.

The menu items within the Row Editor are described as follows;

1. First Row Button: Display data for first row within datasheet.

2. Previous Row Button: Display data for previous row within datasheet.

3. Next Row Button: Display data for next row within datasheet.

4. Last Row Button: Display data for last row within datasheet.

5. Sensor Detector Button: Activate Sensor (e.g. GPS) - described within previous item in this revision list.

6. Font Size: Active font-size selection menu.  Once a font size has been selected, the content of the Row Editor will change accordingly.

7. Close/Exit Button: This will close the Row Editor dialog.

8. The first row within the Row Editor is a fixed, un-editable row that shows the corresponding record (row) number within the RockWorks datasheet.

9. All of the special items (e.g. colors, patterns, line styles, etc.) will behave in a fashion identical to the datasheet editor.  For example, if you click on a cell with a pattern in it, the pattern-selection dialog will appear.

(007) Bug Fix (04/04/14/JCJ): When exporting data from the Borehole Manager to the Utilities DataSheet, the program now saves the proper elevations for data sets in which the horizontal and vertical units are different (e.g. horizontal units = meters, vertical units = feet).

(006) Improvement (04/03/14/JCJ): The Borehole Manager / exports for T-Data and Aquifer data now include date and time filtering options.

(005) Improvement (04/02/14/JCJ): The pound symbol (#) is now allowed in borehole names when using RockWorks with an SQL server.

(005) Improvement (04/02/14/JCJ): The pound symbol (#) is now allowed in borehole names when using RockWorks with an SQL server.

(004) Bug Fix (04/01/14/JPR): Gridding with the triangulation algorithm and interpolated edge points no longer generates an error.  This fixes a new bug that was recently introduced with the dip-based gridding.

(003) Cosmetic (04/01/14/JCJ): The dialog for reassigning/re-projecting coordinates no longer looks squirrely on some computers (e.g. "Classic" configuration).

(002) Improvement (04/01/14/JCJ): The View / Select boreholes based on a polygon routine will now report to the user if the selected polygon does not contain any boreholes rather than attempting to execute the query.

(001) New Feature (04/01/14/JCJ): The Utilities datasheet row-sorting program now includes options for secondary and tertiary row sorting.

Previous Quarter (Q1/14) - RockWorks16