Work with Objects

Working with Objects Tutorial - Learn how to create and edit objects

This tutorial takes you through the steps involved in creating and editing basic objects, using the Hurricane Michael Damage Management dataset. 

1. Let's continue in the Hurricane Michael project from the previous tutorial (Open TerraExplorer > Open Project from SGS > Search for mexico_beach_emergency_response and click Open).
2. See the wind swath map showing the direction and intensity of the wind during the hurricane: The wind swath is made up of different colored polygon objects representing the maximum sustained wind speed in each area. In the Project Tree's search tool located at the top of the tree, search for wind swath, and then click the search result to fly to it. The wind swath's visibility is currently turned off, so you won't yet see anything. To turn it on: In the Project Tree, select the checkbox of the Michael group. In addition to the wind swath, you will also see a group of polyline objects that represents the path of the storm and a group of text label objects with information on the date and time when the storm reached that area.
   
   
3. Now let's return to the scene of Hurricane Michael (Mexico Beach) that we visited in the first tutorial: Expand the Objects and Layers group (folder) and then expand the Locations group (folder) under that, and double-click  to fly to it.
4. Let's draw a polygon around one of the piles of debris to make it more visible in the 3D Window for the debris removal team to spot: Navigate to a debris pile and then on the Objects tab, click the Polygon command. In the 3D Window, place the polygon points by clicking in the desired locations, and then right-click to complete. In the property sheet that opens, type a name for your object and change the color of the polygon. Change its Activation Action to Jump to. This is the action the object will perform when selected in the Project Tree. Let's also align the polygon to the ground at each of its vertices: Click in the top bar of the property sheet. (More about: Working with objects)
   After creating an object, you may realize it needs some editing. To edit, select the object in the 3D Window (tab > Select > select object in 3D Window). In the object's property sheet that opens, in the top toolbar, click to move individual vertices or to move the entire object. Then drag the object or vertices in the 3D Window as required.
   
   
   
5. Let's add a model of the drone that surveyed Mexico Beach to capture high-resolution images of the hurricane's path. Dynamic objects provide an easy-to-use way to add movement to 3D objects. You set the route of a dynamic object by manually placing waypoints in the 3D Window. This is what we will be doing in the steps below. More about: Dynamic objects >
6. Load a 3D model of a dynamic quadcopter drone: Objects tab > click Aerial Object. The Dynamic Object property sheet is displayed. In the Object Options section of the property sheet, in the Object Type field, select 3D Model. In the File Name, type https://cloud.skylineglobe.com/SG/Demos/resources/625713/model_1.xpl2 to load an XPL model from SkylineGlobe Server. Enter the rest of the properties as displayed below, and then click in the 3D Window to place the drone. More about: Loading a 3D model >
7. With the cursor in the 3D Window, click the mouse to define the first waypoint of the vehicle’s route. Use additional mouse clicks to add waypoints to the path. Right-click to finish and close the property sheet. Watch how your drone flies in the 3D Window.
   
8. See the resources below for more information on working with objects.

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Video Tutorials

Knowledge Base Articles

• Basic and Advanced Objects - Overview
• Basic Object Operations
• Draw and Edit Features and Objects