Common Stereo Viewer Features

This chapter explains further features that are available in all the stereo viewers.
The paragraph on 'Selecting a model' in the previous chapter in 'Different Stereo Viewers' is also common to all the stereo viewers.

Here is an example of the 'Stereo Explorer' showing the 'View' menu and the 'Options' menu which are common to the different Stereo Viewers:

It is possible to inspect some known points in the Stereo Explorer by means of the next functions.

The view menu gives two options:

1. Select a control point
2. Press the 'Show' button to automatically position the stereo viewer zoomed in on the selected control point.
   The floating mark will be placed on the control point e.g.:
   
   
3. The refresh button on the 'Goto Control Point' dialog will refresh the control point list.
   This is e.g. interesting and practical in case that you have entered a new control point using the 'Edit Control Point' dialog.

• This dialog has the same functions as the 'Goto Control Points' Dialog and lets you move the floating mark to the selected object point:
  
  

The Options dialog is selected using the Options menu button:

Pressing the 'Options…' button will show the next 'Stereo Options' dialog:

The next 'Stereo Options' parameters can be set:

The precision factors define the accuracy with which you can put the floating mark on a detail in a stereo model .
Because this factor is setting the size of the smallest step the floating mark can take, this factor is also defining the accuracy of the coordinates that will be registered during data captation.

Setting the precision to 100, means that the smallest step possible with the floating mark will correspond to 1/100 of the used unit of the coordinates.
Therefore this factor will also influence the speed with which you can move through the stereo model.
This factor is however not influencing the panning function speed ().

e.g: when the destination coordinate system is expressed in meter:

1. setting the speed factor to 1: the smallest step of the floating mark becomes 1 m
   This lets you move very fast through the model.
2. Setting the speed factor to 20: the smallest step of the floating mark becomes 5 cm.
3. Setting the speed factor to 100: the smallest step of the floating mark becomes 1 cm.
   With this setting the floating mark will move very slow through the model.

The initial value for these precision factors are always calculated after opening a project.
The initial values are calculated in function of the given imagery pixelsize and the projects fotoscale.
Two parameter are set in the Settings.ini file: 'stereo.speed.factor.xy' and 'stereo.speed.factor.z'.
These parameters are to be set to the fraction of the pixelsize you want to be used as precision in XY and Z.
e.g.: a project on scale 1/4000, with imagery scanned at 21 microns pixelsize,

1. the pixelsize = 21*4000/1000 mm = 84 mm
2. stereo.speed.factor.xy = 4
3. the desired precision for XY floating mark would be: 84/4 = 21 mm
4. the factor to be entered in the options dialog for XY would be: 1000 mm/ 21 mm = 48 (rounded integer value)

As you can see in the 'Stereo Options' dialog, you can select between five different floating marks.

1. a Small Point (1 pixel)
   
   
   
2. a Big Point (4pixels)
   
   
   
3. a Cross:
   
   
   
4. a Small Square:
   
   
   
5. a Big Square:
   
   
   

At the bottom of the 'Stereo Options' dialog there is toggle 'Inverse Floating Mark Movement', that lets you inverse the displacement of the floating mark
relative to the movements of the system mouse:

This setting inverses the behavior of the movement in XY.

To move the image parallel to the system mouse movements:

1. Deselect the toggle.
2. Press the OK button.
3. Move the floating mark as explained in the beginning of this chapter 'Moving the floating mark....'

To move the floating mark parallel to the system mouse movements, at the same time the image will move in the opposite direction:

1. Select the toggle.
2. Press the OK button.
3. Move the floating mark as explained in the beginning of this chapter 'Moving the floating mark....'

Selecting this option keeps the image stationary, and lets the Floating mark move around in the stereo image.
When the floating mark moves close to the border of the screen, the image will automatically be reset, placing the floating mark in the center of the image again, without any horizontal parallax. When there are big height differences in the stereo image, the stereo observation can become more and more difficult, because of the horizontal parallax that will be created moving the floating mark higher. The eyestrain in this situation can be overcome by pressing F3 or using button 3 on the Softmouse: this recenters the floating mark again, showing a stereo view without horizontal parallax. In this way the viewing is again without eyestrain.

The way of working with a free moving floating mark is far the most comfortable way of working, compared to the moving stereo image with the floating mark always kept in the center.

For moving the floating mark in the stereo viewer, a standard system mouse with scroll button will suffice.
The Immersion SoftMouse is also supported.

How to move the floating mark?

1. To move the floating mark in X and Y direction:
   1. Put the system mouse inside the stereo image extents.
   2. Press the left mouse button and keep it pressed down.
   3. Move the mouse over the table, while the left button is pressed down
      This will move the floating mark in X and Y direction.
2. To move the floating mark in Z direction:
   1. Put the system mouse inside the stereo image extents.
   2. Press the scroll button down, and keep it pressed down.
   3. Move the mouse up and down the table (move the mouse away from you, and back again), while the scroll button is pressed down.
      This will move the floating mark in Z direction.
      
   4. Also scrolling the scroll button (without pressing it) will change the Z-value but in smaller steps.

The coordinates of the floating mark are always visible above the stereo image.
While moving the floating mark, you will simultaneously see changing its coordinates.
The movements with the floating mark are executed using fine steps defined in the 'Options' menu dialog.

The floating mark becomes automatically white on a dark background, and black on a light background.

Panning using the icon is made possible to be able to replace the floating mark over big distances in a shorter time.
Together with the zoom tool it is a very interesting tool to move quickly over the models in the project.

See the Orbit GIS help files for a more elaborate explanation about these navigation tools.
They apply exactly the same functions in the Stereo Viewer as in Orbit GIS.

Navigation tools:

Strabo's softcopy tool supports the 3D SofMouse from Immersion (see http://www.immersion.com/industrial/3Dmouse/), next to the system mouse, for moving the floating mark.
You only have to connect the interface, accompanying the SoftMouse, to the computer and restart the application (OrbitGIS) completely. No drivers have to be installed.
This mouse has a set of trigger buttons, function buttons, shift and control buttons, and a thumbwheel that allows accurate Z-axis positioning.
Once the interface box is connected, Strabo will automatically detect it's availability and activate the functional use of the Softmouse.
This means that, if the interface box is connected and switched on, the X,Y and Z movements of the floating mark in any Strabo Stereo viewer will automatically be guided by the SoftMouse.

Next is a map of the Immersion Mouse:

The buttons are programmed as follows:

If no Shift buttons are pressed:

If Shift 1 is simultaneously pressed down:

If Shift 2 is simultaneously pressed down:

Strabo's softcopy tool supports the Stealth2 3D Mouse from Stealth International. This mouse is 100% compatible with the Immersion 3D SOftmouse, and works without the Immersion interface box. The stealth 2 mouse is directly plugged into the RS-232 interface of the PC.

View on the Stealth 2 3D Mouse buttons:

The same functinality exists:

While using any of the 3D Mouses, the PC's system mouse keeps his functionality. This means e.g. that the zoom and navigation functions can be used with the system mouse at any moment.