This guide describes the main tabs found in Perspective.
To switch to a This will initiate a "Save Project" message if you have not already saved your project.
This option will allow the user to open a previously saved project.
This allows the user to save the current project, you will be prompted for a project name if one has not been previously setup.
The user may select a project name to save to.
This allows the user to import many different file formats.
Raw Data file... .xtf, seg, segy, sgy, tra
Mosaic File... .tmap_moz
ENC (S57) File... .7cb
GeoTIFF File... .tif, .tiff
Contact File... .con
TritonMap File... .dds_vif, dds_vob
Vector File .dxf
Neural Net... .cnx
Classification File... .tmap_cla
Symbol... .bmp, .jpg, .tif, .png
Ascii XYZ File... .xyz
Bathy DTM File... .tmap_dtm
Export will generate a composite geotiff. This is a geotiff that includes all active (turned on) layers present in the main view, this includes grid lines.
The usual page setup for printing.
The usual windows options for printing.
Exits the Perspective program, will ask if you want to save project if project is not already saved.
This tab allows the user to change between cursor modes and program functionality. All of these function options are also available via icons or function "F" hot keys.
This is the basic cursor selection and is used to select items in the main map view. The cursor will also display it's current position as it is moved around the map view. If there is bathymetry data present, the depth values will be displayed.
Once selected either from Modality>Measure or from the Measure icon. This feature is initiated by clicking and holding down the left mouse button while dragging the cursor, as long as the mouse button is held down the mouse will be in measure mode. The user is able to measure any feature in the map view. The measurements are dynamically displayed in the Measure info tab.
This feature is activated by clicking and holding down the left mouse button. The cursor changes to an omnidirection arrow and the image will be slightly blurred while the image is being panned, but will return to the normal resolution as soon as the left mouse button is released.
This feature is activated by clicking and holding down the left mouse button while dragging the cursor to create a square around the desired zoom area. Once the left mouse button is released the image inside the drawn area will be zoomed. The user can also zoom in or out by selecting the zoom in or zoom out icons from the zoom toolbar. There is also a zoom 1:1 icon which allows the user to zoom to a ratio of 1 meter per pixel.
This mode launches the TargetPro window. It also activates the Contact tab above the treeview. It is recommended that the user go to the Contact tab in Program Settings to setup the Targeting Paths. Contact size and contact number can be setup in Program Settings or from the Contact tab above the treeview. Once TargetPro has been launched, go to File -> Set Working Directory to set the working directory to be the same as the Targeting Path set in Perspective Program Settings. Setting the directories to be the same will allow any contacts that are saved to be displayed in Perspective mapview.
This option is currently unavailable. In the future it will launch SB-Interpreter, a sub bottom processing program.
This launches the Triton SeaClass Wizard. In this wizard the user will create a training set of image features and then train a neural net to recognize and identify those image features. Triton SeaClass can be run on sidescan sonar images, geotiff images.
This is used when a neural net has been created and the user would like to identify areas on the image without creating a classification (.tmap_cla) file. The cursor changes to an standard arrow cursor with a question mark beside it If the Quick Classification ID icon does not become active, the user must highlight the neural net node (name of neural net) to have the icon become active.
This activates a tool palette to draw shapes and text in the map view.
This enables the user to turn on or off specific toolbars: Main, Modality, Zooming and Utilities.
This feature zooms in on the image by a factor of 0.8 * pixel width (meters).
This feature zooms the image out by a factor of 1.2 *pixel width (meters).
This features zooms the image to a ratio of 1 meter per pixel.
If the user has saved a view as Home (see Save As Home), this option will return the image to the "home" view.
This let the user set a map view to be the 'home" view, which the user can easily return to with "Zoom Home".
This is a feature for future use.
This brings up the Program Settings dialog box.
Scratch Path
This is the directory where temporary Perspective files are kept.
Optimize GeoTiffs
This speeds up viewing large geotiffs by indexing a copy of the file in the scratch folder, than accessing it from the scratch folder. This indexing allows Perspective to only load part of the geotiff when needed rather than the whole geotiff file.
Number of Cores
This is where the user tells Perspective how many, if any, cores the host computer utilizes. Helps to optimize Perspective processing.
Options
Ask before removing layers. This option allows the user to turn on or off the message, "Are you sure you want to remove....", that pops up when "remove" is selected in the treeview.
Show Mosaic Tiles. This lets the user see the tiles that the mosaic is divided into.
Auto Update
Checking this box will allow Perspective to check for any updates to the Perspective software on the Triton Imaging Inc website each time Perspective is opened.
Auto Save
Perspective will automatically save the project every user defined minutes while the program is open.
Cache Options
Force Cache Rebuild. When a survey file is opened in Perspective it is cached or "indexed" and a .xtf_idx file is created. This allows Perspective to access an XTF file in a non-linear fashion which significantly speeds up the processing once the .xtf_idx file is created. The first time a survey file is read, the xtf_idx file is created and it takes a little longer to load the file, once the idx file is created Forcing a cache rebuild, forces this xtf_idx file to be recreated.
Use Ensemble X/Y (SEG-Y). Some SEG-Y have the data "stacked" and the navigation stored in a different place, checking this box identifies the file as this type.
SuppressWarnings. These are warnings that come from indexing a file when building the cache. For example "10 pings had no navigation". If you do not want to have these warning pop up then click the box to "suppress warnings". Unchecking this box allows these warning to pop up.
Intersection. User can change the color Perspective assigns to sub bottom intersections.
Background. User can change the color of the mapview background.
Profile Font. User can change the color of the profile font in SB-I.
Zoom Tool. User can change the color of the zoom box.
Measure Tool. User can change the color of the measuring line used by the measure tool.
Import Projection. When the first file is loaded, the import projection is set to that projection (lat/lon, UTM, etc). Perspective will use the set projection for future imports unless the user changes the import projection here. If the user has another file to import that is a different projection, it can be set here.
Auto set UTM/WGS84. If this box is checked Perspective will automatically assign a UTM zone, based on WGS84, to any imported files in the lat/lon format.
Export Projection. The user can select which projection is used for exporting data.
Ask to use current import projection. If a file is imported in the same format (UTM, lat/lon) as the current import projection and this box is check, Perspective will ask if you want to use the current projection. It could be that a file could be imported in UTM, but not be WGS84, so the user would not want Perspective to assume the format.
Test. This brings up a coordinate converter to test the import and export coordinates.
Size (meters).
This is where the user selects the size of the contact to be saved in meters.
Bookmarks.
Show. The user can select whether or not to show bookmarks from the .xtf file(s).
Write to XTF. The user can select whether or not to write new bookmarks to the .xtf file(s).
Targeting Paths.
It is recommended that the user use the same directory paths Perspective and TargetPro. In TargetPro the directory is called the Working Directory. If both programs use the same directory paths, contacts that are saved in TargetPro will automatically be displayed in Perspective.
Temporary. The user can select where to have TargetPro keep contacts until they are saved.
Saved. The user can select where to have TargetPro save contacts once they have been saved in TargetPro.
Application Paths.
TargetPro. This is where the user can tell Perspective where to find the TargetPro executable program.
FocusSpot. This is where the user can tell Perspective where to find the FocusSpot executable program.
Contact Usage
The contact generated from Perspective can either be sent to TargetPro or to an XML file. Contacts sent to TargetPro will have the Triton Imaging Inc .CON file format. A contact generated as XML contains the parameters required to queue external programs to an areas of interest within the mosaic. Included in the XML structure is a link to a geo-referenced TIFF file (.tif + .tfw) that is the snapshot from the Perspective Mosaic. XML contacts can also contain links to other types of imagery such as AUV mounted optical cameras.
Current Contact Number - this indicates the current contact number that will be given to the next contact generated.
Auto Load From Target Path - Checking or unchecking this box enables or disables the monitoring in Perspective that looks to see when TargetPro saves a contact.
This is a feature for future use.
The user can select to have an additional projection displayed other than the import and export projections. If Projected Cursor is selected, at the bottom of the tree view the following box will appear. Click on the tab button and the Select Custom Cursor Projection dialog box will open.
Make the choices appropriate to your projection and as the cursor moves over the map view, the new projection coordinates will be displayed in the Projected Cursor panel.
Selecting this option opens a Perspective Log Window that displays all the layers added to the current project.
Currently not available - please see quick guides.
This window tells the user which Perspective options are authorized within the current Perspective.
This option brings up Sales contact information.
This indicates the version of Perspective.
This will check for Perspective updates, and update the version if a current EMA is found.