I thought this second question warranted a second discussion. This is still in relation to my original problem of managing large grid surface files with gINT for plotting on FENCES.
In the surfaces tab, it states that an alternative to loading grids directly into the gpj, that we can save a surface storage file in the gpj folder and I think it somehow is linked so gsf can be read from gINT?
In gINT, how do I get my GRID surface into a .gsf?
From gINT Help Menu.
Description:
External surface storage file. These contain the data from the Input Application Group.
Location:
The default folder is the same as the Projects property of the File►System Properties menu item. However, they can be located anywhere.
Note that in order to access the Surfaces application the surface (GSF) file must me located in the folder that it was in when you added the surface to the gINT project (GPJ) file. If you move the surface file you will not be able to open the Surfaces application. Also, if you send the project file to another gINT user, they will also need the surface file and it will need to be located in the same path that was specified when the surface was added to the project file.
Hi Matt,
The gsf gets created when you load a surface in and choose the option to store file externally. It stores it in the location of the project.
If you have already imported the surface and then decide later to store externally go back into input surfaces and toggle the button
As a follow up, Kirk has been helping me with my data import. What we determined is that gINT can't handle very large Grid sizes (ASCII GRID, TIN, or LandXML, even if you try to store as a .gsf. I have had trouble with sizes around 25 MB. I have seen others load sizes as large as 45 MB.
Our work-around is to extract surface data along my baselines in GIS and export to gINT as alignments. In some cases I have 6 to 7 datasets, so I have to create alignments in multiples of 3 datasets, alignments only store 3 z values at a time. We then export FENCES with each alignment and then copy and paste to buffer our alignments into one final FENCE.
It's not ideal but it does work.
I'm having similar issues in that I can load surfaces to gINT greater than >50 MB, but when I attempt to load a Fence with the surfaces, gINT just stalls then crashes. gINT will also stall when trying to access the surfaces tab. What's strange is that sometimes gINT will execute the Fence with the surfaces (its rare though).
Michael, good luck. I couldn't get any file sizes that large to work in gINT. I've been utilizing the GIS work around. It is much more time consuming, but it does work. In some ways the application of these surfaces is best in Rockworks or EVS. I think the customization of text entities and annotations in gINT are superior to EVS, at least that is what I've heard.
I hope it works out for you.