Basics and getting started

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OpenOutcrop projects are contained in a single folder. The folder contains a project file. The project file contains a list of all models (meshes) and ancillary data that has been loaded (for example surfaces, log images etc).

When OpenOutcrop is first started you will need to either open an existing project file or create a new one.

Creating new projects

To create a project from scratch, use the main menu option File / New project…

This will result in the following screen -

A project name must be specified as well as a project folder. Click on the … button to the right of the project folder name to select or create a new folder.

Project offsets are then specified as easting/northing and depth offsets.

A note about project offsets

The majority of outcrop models are supplied with local coordinate systems relative to their actual position measured in (say) UTM coordinates. That is, they are generally not georeferenced.

Adding project offsets when creating projects allows you to ensure that when coordinates are displayed in OpenOutcrop, they are displayed in x,y and z coordinates that are georeferenced (viz. Easting, Northing and Height relative to a known datum).

When importing outcrop models, please ensure that local coordinate systems are used – that is, project offsets have already been subtracted from (say) UTM mesh coordinates.

Local coordinates are held to a precision of around 6-7 significant digits. If for example, your local coordinate system covers an area of (say) 1km by 1km, local XY coordinates are accurate to around 1 cm when displayed on the screen

Opening an existing project

Use the main menu option File/Open project … to open an existing project file. If you did not explicitly save a project with a unique project file name, it would have been saved as the default project file with the name “Outcrop_Interpretation.proj” in the project folder. You are able to save multiple interpretations using “File/Save As …”

What’s in a project folder ?

A project folder contains everything that has been imported into a project and all interpretation elements. In many cases when complex models are imported, OpenOutcrop also creates ancillary files that allow the project to be loaded quicker in subsequent sessions.

This also allows projects to be portable. That is, the project folder contains copies of ALL files that have ever been loaded and allows users to simply copy the contents of the project folder to other systems or users without having to have regard to the original location of any file loaded.