SURFACE Version 2 ----------------- Contour or display a surface generated from scattered x,y,z data points Copyright (c) 1993-1995 John Coulthard All Rights Reserved Description ----------- SURFACE is a program written for MS WINDOWS which will read in a set of scattered data points (x, y, z) which represents a surface. The program will generate a regular grid from this data and then display the surface as a contour map, or as a grid viewed from an arbitrary viewpoint, with hidden lines removed. The display may be zoomed and panned using the left mouse button. Data about features on the display may be selected using the right mouse button. SURFACE runs under MS WINDOWS 3.1 or later. An 80 by 80 grid representing 1000 scattered data points will typically be gridded in 10 to 20 seconds on a 33Mhz 486. A 125 by 125 grid (the maximum allowed) representing 15,000 data points will be gridded in less than a minute on the same machine. This program makes no special demands on the PC and will run on much smaller machines at a (much) slower speed. The display may be copied to the clipboard, printed or output as a DXF file which may be used as input to Autocad or other programs that accept that format. SURFACE is a lean program. Its ease of use, speed, and the fact that it will run on very modest hardware platforms may make it attractive. It is well suited in situations where it is desired to have a quick look at a set of data points, for example under field conditions where only a portable PC is available. It is self documented through it's help facility. Installation ------------ 1. The distribution disk or .zip file contains four files: SURFACE.EXE SURFACE.HLP README.TXT FILE_ID.DIZ 2. Copy the files SURFACE.EXE and SURFACE.HLP into the same directory. (for example C:\SURFACE ). 3. Create an item in a program group for SURFACE by using the Program Manager "File, New..." menu, or by dragging SURFACE.EXE from a File Manager window to a program group. Distribution ------------ The shareware version of SURFACE may be distributed freely. It is a fully functional version of the program if the number of data points input to the program is less than 100. For more than 100 data points the shareware version will not support many functions present in the registered version (for example copying the display to the clipboard is disabled if more than 100 data points are input). Registration ------------ Surface Version 2 is Shareware. To purchase a registered copy send a bank draft or money order in the amount of $50.00 Canadian or equivalent in US funds to the author. Include a prefered "Registration name" which will appear in the About box of the program. Please contact the author for information about pricing for site licenses or for educational purposes. Please read the Disclaimer before ordering. The registered version grants the right to use the software on one computer at any given time. Disclaimer ---------- Persons who are unfamiliar with machine contouring and grid generation techniques may find articles in the June issue of Geobyte interesting. A quote from the conclusion of the article "Contouring: Art or Science?" by Daniel J. Tearpock, p 43, reads "...contour maps are interpretations - they are not absolutely correct. " DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY THIS SOFTWARE IS SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OR MERCHANTABILITY. THE SELLER'S SALESPERSONS MAY HAVE MADE STATEMENTS ABOUT THIS SOFTWARE. ANY SUCH STATEMENTS DO NOT CONSTITUTE WARRANTIES AND SHALL NOT BE RELIED ON BY THE BUYER IN DECIDING WHETHER TO PURCHASE THIS PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM IS SOLD WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER. BECAUSE OF DIVERSITY OF CONDITIONS AND HARDWARE UNDER WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE USED, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. THE USER IS ADVISED TO TEST THE PROGRAM THOROUGHLY BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF SELLER OR MANUFACTURER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE. John Coulthard 3135 West 11th Vancouver, B.C. CANADA V6K 2M8 E-mail: w.j.coulthard@ubc.ca