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TNT Products V6.70
August 2002
Table of Contents
Introduction
Optimize Your Performance
Product Licenses
Mac OS X
Editorial and Associated News
[by Dr. Lee D. Miller, President]
X Server (alias MI/X)
TNTsim3D™ for Windows
TNTatlas 6.7 for Windows and X
Published Atlases
TNTserver 3.0
TNTview® 6.7
TNTedit™ 6.7
QuickGuides
Tutorial and Reference Booklets
New TNTmips Features
Internationalization and Localization
MicroImages Authorized Dealers / Geospatial
Consultants
Discontinued Dealers
Papers on Applications
Appendix: Abbreviations
Attached Color Plates
Immersive Geospatial Analysis
Immersive TNTsim3D
Geospatial Analysis
Built for Mac OS X
Use
Powerful SML Scripts in Mac OS X
TNTmips for Mac OS X
16
Years and Still On Top
Color Plates on the Web
Preparing Multiple Textures for TNTsim3D
Georeferenced Views in TNTsim3D
Simultaneous Views in TNTsim3D
Map
View in TNTsim (1/2)
Set
Vertical Exaggeration (2/2)
TNTsim3D Point-Of-Interest Views
Multiple Textures in TNTsim3D
Launching TNTsim3D from TNTatlas 2-sided
Using TNTsim3D to Launch TNTatlas
Geotectonic Map of East and Southeast Asia
New
Tutorial and Application Booklets
Translated Documentation
Windows Desktop or the X Desktop
Customizing TNT Menus
JPEG2000: Compression Results
JPEG2000: Lossy or Lossless?
JPEG2000 versus JPEG “Classic”
JPEG2000: A Closer Look at Compression Artifacts
JPEG2000: Almost Lossless
New
Buffer Zone Features
Separating Buffer Zones by Attribute
Polygon Fitting By Attribute
Transferring Attributes in Polygon Fitting
Auto
Generating Vector Polygon Labels
Auto
Generating Vector Line Labels
Screening for Label Collisions (1/2)
Interactive Editing of Line Labels (1/2)
Interactive Editing of Labels and Leader Lines
Legend Samples for CartoScript Styles
Orient Point Symbols Using CartoScripts
Geologic Map of Granite Gulch Study Area
Text
Labels for Polygon Legends (1/2)
Alignment Control for Legend Text (1/2)
Advanced Text Features
Introduction to Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
SVG
Capabilities
Layouts Converted to SVG and PDF
Editing SVG
MicroImages is pleased to distribute V6.70 of the TNT products,
which is the 52nd release of TNTmips and adds 124 new features
submitted by clients and MicroImages. All TNT products can use now use
a native Windows desktop and create and use JPEG2000 files with images
compressed 100 times. TNTsim3D has more than doubled in features and
is now a free TNT geopublishing tool just like TNTatlas.
Generating buffer zones and fitting polygons to point observations have many
new, unique features. Polygon and line label placement and appearance is
improved and coupled with new, interactive label editing. Even more
attractive maps can be created with new legend design tools. TNT map
layouts can be converted to the new web standard Scalable Vector Graphics.
And, all of these are now available for use with Apple’s latest Mac OS X. A
summary of the new capabilities introduced in V6.70 are listed below.
-
Native Windows Desktop:
Elect to see and manage every TNT window and dialog as a separate
window on your Microsoft Windows’ desktop. In this mode, TNT windows
are not directly rendered by the X server. Now TNT windows and other
software’s windows are intermixed and operate similarly.
-
ISO Standard Wavelet Compression: Be
the first to directly use, import, and export georeferenced JPEG2000, the
replacement for JPEG files. Compress still images to 1/100 of their
original size, where appropriate, without introducing any image noise or
other artifacts.
-
Better Label Placement:
New label placement for polygons finds the best place in the polygon or
outside with a leader line. Multiple like line segments are automatically
assembled into a virtual line and assigned 1 label. Other elements in a
layer, including polygon fills, are prevented from drawing in label clipping
boxes.
-
Interactive Label Editing:
Pan successively to every label to check it and edit it and its placement as
needed. Select and move a polygon label outside its polygon and a leader
line is automatically added. Slide line labels along the line. Use many
new text styling features and labels of more than 1 line in length.
-
FREE Real-Time 3D Simulations:
TNTsim3D for Windows is now free and can be distributed for use with
any Landscape File(s). Use layer controls during a simulation to select or
switch between various surface texture layers, which can be offset, merged,
mosaicked, and be locally transparent. Open and maintain multiple
simulation views with different viewpoints: at fixed points, special map
view, down, left, right, and others. New readout panels provide all
position and orientation parameters for all open views. Move cursor in any
view and track its surface and distance coordinates in any projection and
units.
-
TNTatlas and TNTsim3D:
Automatically start up a TNTsim3D simulation from any position in a
TNTatlas and automatically orbit about, pan, or stare at the starting
point before moving on in the simulation. Start up a TNTatlas
automatically zoomed in to view the position selected in a TNTsim3D
view.
-
Landscape Builder:
Create or add multiple texture layers in a Landscape File.
-
Scalable Vector Graphics:
Convert TNT map layouts to the “new flash,” the World Wide Web
Consortium’s standard layout, all expressed
in open XML for use in browsers, page layout, Illustrator, and many other
products.
-
Transfer Attributes:
Transfer attributes provides new convenience options and all operations are
faster, especially for polygons with a very large number of vertices.
-
Buffer Zones:
A completely rewritten process providing a display window to preview buffer
zone results. Many new options have been added to assist in preparing
complex buffer zone layers.
-
Polygon Fitting:
Large databases can be mined in a single pass to produce many separate
groups of polygons in a vector or CAD object. Records representing points
with common attributes are grouped together and fit with polygons and their
attributes attached. Many such groups of points defined by their attributes
can be processed in a single pass and all written to a single CAD or vector
object.
-
Harmonic Analysis:
This is a new process using Fourier analysis to extract time dependent
changes from the common multi-temporal set of images.
-
HTML-based TNTclient:
Easily customized to control which features are presented to its end user
and this, in turn, controls its size during its download.
-
HTML-based TNTbrowser:
Now uses same HTML code base as HTML-based TNTbrowser and, thus,
provides the same features. Downloads now as a familiar Windows installable
program.
-
QuickGuides:
9 new QuickGuides are available.
-
Getting Started Booklets:
5 new Tutorial booklets are available as well as revised and expanded
versions of 6 earlier booklets.
-
MacOS X:
TNTmips, TNTedit, and TNTview are now fully supported
in Apple’s native Aqua interface and desktop for all features including
moving about a network via a floating license.
-
Better USB Key Support: A new USB
software authorization key permits a fixed license TNT professional
product to be immediately moved between Windows, Mac 9.x, Mac OS X, and
Linux based computers with a USB connector.
Multi-Processor PCs?
Periodically questions are
received about the advantages, if any, of dual processor PC’s for use with
TNTmips. By now it is common knowledge that the operating system manages
and allocates tasks or portions of tasks on dual or higher multiple processor
PCs. However, as processors are added, the efficiency of the utilization of
each processor goes down as overhead to manage them increases. It is only
very specialized application software that is being written to directly manage
multiple processors at once, and generally it is not worth it for a small
number, especially 2 or 4. If you think you may need dual processors, buy a
machine equipped to handle them but with only 1 installed. You can then plug
in a second processor later when you need it or when they are cheaper.
Creating multiple threads in a
given process more effectively utilizes a single processor and gives the
operating system discrete activities it can allocate to different processors
in a multi-processor system. Gradually, multithreading is being introduced
into TNT products where appropriate as major sections are being revised
and updated or as new products are designed. For example, TNTsim3D
uses multiple threads in the terrain server and application. TNTserver
is also multi-threaded.
Since Moore’s law continues to
be applicable, rapid advances in the speed and other PC system optimization
features continue to outpace the advantages of dual main processors when the
cost is considered. By the time a processor chip’s price drops so it can be
economically combined with 1 or more additional processors, Moore’s law and
Intel’s market plan go into action. Intel then offers a new, single, higher
speed processor at a cost of less than the sum of the 2 earlier slower chips.
Intel does not want a multi-processor system on your desk. If Intel’s cost
structure / market plan promoted multi-processor designs using a stabilized
processor speed and focused on multi-processor designs, their competition
could catch up and supply multiple, functionally similar processors for this
purpose at a lower cost.
What is being overlooked by many
who ask about dual processor systems is that the area of your display system
and its speed have the most impact on your efficiency in conducting geospatial
analysis or playing a game. As a result, the processing associated with
visualizing complex images can be offloaded to the powerful, but specialized
processor on your display board if you are careful in its selection. Thus,
from the viewpoint of geospatial analysis, the era of dual processors is
already widespread and cheap due to the high demand and economy of scale
provided by video game technology and its market. A buyer of a new computer
or display board must be careful to select one of the current advanced game
driven display boards from ATI, nVIDIA or Matrox. It is usually the most
economical to accept the display board integrated into your computer.
However, by investing in the latest game board, whose price may range from
US$100 (for a little earlier model) to US$400 for the latest model, will gain
much more for you at a lower cost than a dual processor computer. Granted, it
is sometimes hard to convince the grownup with the money, be that you or
someone else, that you need the latest PC game board. However, this is an
important and most volatile component of your TNTmips workstation. It
directly exploits dual processing and is evolving so rapidly that your display
board should be upgraded about once a year considering that its cost is a
fraction of your workstation and monitors. For example, features will
continue to be added to TNTsim3D, and this can lower your frame rate.
To use more and more of these features, you may need to annually upgrade your
display board to keep pace with this, the most active development area of
PCs. There has been a lot invested learning your geospatial analysis skills,
your equipment, and your TNT software. Support these big investments
by making at least the small additional purchases (display board and monitors)
that will make measurable increases in your efficiency and productivity.
Latest
Display Board.
Matrox has just fired another
shot across the bow of nVIDIA and ATI, Matrox’s Toronto neighbor, with the
introduction of its new Parhelia graphics chip and boards. Please see
Matrox.com for all the details on the chip and the advanced features of the
initial Matrox board using it. For an independent review of their first board
(US$399) using this new graphics chip see
Matrox Aims for ATI and nVIDIA in 3-D
Graphics. by Dave Salvator. PC
Magazine, 1 August 2002 issue. page 44.
or online at
pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,381586,00.asp
MicroImages’ previous recommendations for the best all around display board
for the TNT products were the Matrox
G400, G450, and G550 series of boards. These boards were recommended for
their 2 standard multisync connections for dual analog monitors and their fast
operation, including the support of DirectX 8 and OpenGL. The Parhelia chip,
and the first Matrox board based upon it provide triple monitor support and
the following advanced video display options:
-
dual independent DVI-out at
1600 x 1200 resolution for each,
-
dual independent RGB-out at
400Mhz spanning a total of 2048 x 1536 pixels @ 85 Hz, and
-
triple independent RGB-out in
extended desktop mode at 3840 x 1024 pixels and 32 bits per pixel.
The cables for these various
configurations are provided with the display board.
Matrox is promoting the triple
monitor support to game developers as the basis for introducing “Surround
Gaming.” But you do not need to wait. With this new Matrox board and 3 of
S150 17" flat screen analog RGB tube monitors, you can immediately use
TNTmips to ”get into your work.”
MicroImages has just received
this display board and completed preliminary testing with triple monitors
using Matrox’s Windows driver to span all 3 monitors. At this time it is the
recommended board for anyone who wants to use TNTmips in an “Immersive
Geospace.” The attached color plate entitled Immersive Geospatial Analysis
illustrates several uses of 3 monitors with TNTmips.
TNTsim3D pilot’s window
was also tested spread over all 3 monitors (a single simulation view of 3840
by 1024 pixels). It ran at 10 frames-per-second (fps) or faster if the point
of view was close to the ground and 70 fps at higher altitudes and was
impressive. The test machine used was a 600 MHz Pentium of an older design.
This was adequate for an impressive simulation, but, higher fps rates will
occur with a current design PC (2.5 GHz, 400 MHz front side bus, more cache
memory on the drive, and so on). With 3 monitors, the US$3000 to US$4000 new
system outlined below takes on the appearance of a much more expensive
simulator. The attached color plate entitled: Immersive TNTsim3D
illustrates several arrangements for your simulations on 3 monitors.
Computers.
The last time MicroImages
recommended a complete, top-of-the-line computer for your geospatial analysis
system to you was in the V6.10 Release Notes in early 1999. As a
reference point, that configuration is reproduced below.
MicroImages Recommended Computer in Early 1999
(V6.10)
Gateway
Performance 550XL US$4000
Intel 550
MHz Pentium III Xeon
128 Mb SRAM
512 Kb
internal cache
18 Gb 9.5
ms ultra ATA 66 7200 rpm hard drive
19" VX900
color monitor (.26 dp)
AGP display
board with 16Mb memory
4.8X
DVD-ROM drive with MPEG2 Decoder
Philips CD-RW
CD-Rewritable Drive
3.5"
diskette drive
TV/FM tuner
card
SoundBlaster sound card and 3-piece speaker system
56K modem
Tower case
Keyboard
and MS Intellimouse
W98, MS
Office 97 (w/o Access)
This is still a good low end
platform for TNTmips for those who are not professional users. Note
that it is approximately the computer used for the Matrox triple monitor
display board testing of TNTsim3D described above. Many students still
run TNTlite on slower computers with 64 Mb of memory. TNT
processes are modularized for a small memory footprint, and processing lite
sized data sets does not use much memory. In fact, students and the
instructor in MicroImages’ last training program used 200 and 333 MHz Pentium
computers with 32 Mb of memory (unless they brought their own portables).
Using these slower machines has partly been to insure that the training
proceeded at an even pace. Fast training machines mean the action is merely
over in a second without time to think about what is taking place. Working
examples at a methodical pace also provides focus to those who get concepts
immediately, or think they do, and then get distracted and begin to ask about
other things. During teaching, instant results mean that underlying concepts
may flash past.
Until recently the downward
spiral of computer prices meant there was little choice and complexity in the
computer to use for TNTmips. Everything had become standardized for the
previous 3+ years. You simply bought the fastest machine with the lowest price
and added memory as needed. About the only opportunity you had in that period
was to add a CD writer. Now the price of a new machine with 3 to 4 times the
processor MHz and many other standard features is US$600. Now Wal-Mart has a
850 MHz computer, 128 Mb memory, CD, and so on for US$299 (without monitor),
which will run TNTmips. This “low ball” approach has lead again to
healthy stratification with upper end design choices. One choice is to buy a
self contained high end portable computer if mobility is important. The other
is to design the best, state of the art geospatial analysis workstation for a
professional. Both of these are outlined below.
Why spend US$3000 when you could
spend US$600? What is the total annual opportunity cost for you to maintain
yourself or someone else as a professional geospatial analyst: annual salary,
training, office space, benefits (vacation, health, …) and so on, and the
intangible cost of not doing it better, cheaper and faster than your
competition. Compare this to the cost of using the best software available,
keeping it current, and operating it in the most efficient fashion on a
US$3000 computer, which will actually cost US$1500 per annum if upgraded
biannually? The cost of your tools with which you actually produce work are
only a fraction of your total cost. Ask your boss (we all have 1 or more) how
much your wasted time is costing if you do not have the best tools available.
If you are a consultant, you can not get more hours into the work day or get
someone else to do it as well as you, but you can buy back some time by doing
tasks faster (for example, best computer) and even better (multiple displays,
latest software version, …).
Power Portable Workstation.
Sony VAIO GRX570 (8.4
pounds) US$2500
Pentium 4 at 1.60 GHz 512 Kb cache memory and 400 MHz bus
16.1" UXGA (1600 x 1200) TFT display
4X AGP ATI RADEON 7500
w/ 32 Mb VRAM (via 128-bit DDR SDRAM)
512 Mb DDR SDRAM
Removable (but included) 40 GB hard drive
Removable (but included) CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Ethernet 10/100 base
Jog dial and touch pad
2 PC Card slots
Sony memory stick slot
Integrated I/O connectors: firewire, 3 USB, TV out, Modem, Ethernet, VGA
out, parallel, headphone, and port replicator.
While this portable has more of
everything than other portables, it does not have wireless networking built
in. However, a wireless network connection, if needed, is best added via the
PC Card slot where it can be upgraded, as this is at the moment a very
volatile and geographically determined technology. Sony has also recently
announced memory stick cards for GPS, wireless, and other expansion features,
which are interchangeable with their other products (base computers, cameras,
and so on).
There are more and less
expensive Sony VAIO’s in this GRX series. This GRX570 model is designed for
multimedia users and has a faster graphics board for things like TNTsim3D
than the other GRX models. This multimedia GRX570 also has dual monitor
support. Another analog monitor can be connected to the portable. As
with other portables this can provide for a mirror (demo) monitor or for
projecting the built in monitor’s image.
| This Sony model portable
will also span your desktop across both monitors if you plan to use it as
your base computer. This is available on very few portables most of which
simply mirror the built in display. |
Power Desktop Workstation.
This recommended US$3000 base
station configuration is designed around 3 monitors to provide for immersive
geospatial analysis. Using this system, TNTmips will provide your
geospatial analysis on a desktop of 3840 pixels wide and 1024 pixels high).
Tilting your left and right monitors at an angle to the center monitor will
immerse you in that analysis.
| Pentium 4 or AMD of at least
2.5 GHz or AMD equivalent. |
US$750 |
| make sure:
internal bus is 400 MHz |
|
| PCI bus is
133 MHz |
|
| AGP video is
not built into the motherboard or can be disabled |
|
| AGP4X slot
is available |
|
| 512 Mb of DDR memory |
|
| make sure its
expandable later to at least 1 Gb |
|
| without
replacement of first 512 MB |
|
| Matrox triple headed Parhelia
Display Board (see above section) |
US$400 |
| 3 matched Flat Panel 15" inch
monitors (analog multisync) |
US$1200 |
| DVD read/writer (not DVD-RAM)
also capable of CD-RW |
US$400 |
| 120 Gb Western Digital HD
|
US$200 |
| make sure it’s the
new one with 8Mb buffer, not 2Mb |
|
| Ethernet 10/100 base |
US$50 |
| Integrated I/O connectors:
firewire and USB 2.0 |
US$50 |
|
cheaply added via
combo PCI card |
|
| |
total |
US$3050 |
Design Notes.
To get the best buy for your
money you may want to buy a bare bones computer (processor, memory, built-in
Ethernet, IDE drive controller, I/O card, and WXP or W2000). With this in
mind, most of the components of this base system are not specified by brand
name. The Matrox Parhelia board is a must even if you use only 1 monitor
(monitors can always be added later). Add your hard drive via a US$20
removable tray and add a second empty tray. Alternately, accept the built in
lowest cost hard drive in the package (probably 40 Gb) and use it for your
software drive. Then add the 120 Gb drive using a removable tray for easy
swapping in and out with other hard drives providing more storage or various
operating systems (which means, Windows and Linux).
If you need to reduce the cost
of the above system to US$2400 use 3 matched 17" analog, flat screen CRT
monitors at about US$150 each. If you can increase your workstation’s cost to
US$3600, then move up from 15" to 17" flat panels (Samsung is currently rated
best for both sizes). Some clients are already planning to use double and
triple 18" flat panel monitor systems, which provide very high quality
images.
How many hours a day would you
tolerate watching less than the best television picture before doing something
about? You spend at least twice as many hours a day in front of your computer
monitor! It’s the quality of the display system and its speed that most
impacts the efficiency of your work, especially in how long you can tolerate
work day eyestrain and the long term outlook for your eyesight. Your display
system is not the place you want to save money.
You can now purchase 4.7 Gb DVDR
and DVDRW media at about US$1 each in 100 unit quantities, so its use is now
practical (see rima.com).
Large
Format Printing.
By popular request the P15 large
format printer option can now be ordered for TNTview and TNTedit.
Previously, this option was only available for TNTmips. TNTview
and TNTedit have already provided access to all the TNT map
layout features. Now with the P15 option, they can print any map size larger
than the standard 11" by 17" page and use “print to” to convert a TNT
map layout to any resolution of TIFF, SVG, PDF, EPS, and Illustrator file.
The price for P15 with TNTview and TNTedit is the same as the
price for P15 with TNTmips.
New
Universal USB Keys.
Why Add Another New Key?
V6.70 adds support for an
additional type of USB Software Authorization Key manufactured by Aladdin and
called a HASP key. It does not look very different from the earlier USB key
manufactured by Rainbow and used for V6.60 and earlier. It is slightly
smaller in size and, unfortunately, is only available in the same drab purple
color, so you will have to look closely to tell these 2 brands apart. The
important difference is that Aladdin is much more progressive and responsive
to changes in the marketplace and provides software drivers for new operating
systems when they are released rather than years later or never.
How Universal Is It?
The new Hasp USB Software
Authorization Key is supported in V6.70 for use with the TNT
products on systems running Windows, Mac OS X, Mac OS 8.6 & 9.x, and Linux.
The only operating system it can not be used with are workstation UNIX’s,
since these platforms do not support USB ports.
How About an Exchange to Get
It?
If you want to exchange any
TNT product key for a new HASP USB key, that TNT product must be
the current version at the time of the exchange (which means, V6.70 at
this time). The cost will be US$100, which just covers the cost of this new
key and its average shipment anywhere in the world by fastest air express.
The used keys that you return can not be reused for new products by US law.
Can It Be Moved Between
Computers?
If you have this new USB HASP
key, it is your TNT product and MicroImages’ license permits you to
move it freely between Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. If you have a
TNT fixed product license, simply plug this key into that computer, and
go. If you are using this new HASP key to authorize a floating license, its
virtual licenses can float to any platform including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux,
or UNIX (but not Mac 9.x).
Think of moving the key for your
fixed TNT license between platforms and the locations, such as the home
and office, just as many are now moving data using the new USB memory keys.
The difference is that the TNT key does not provide memory, but the
authorization to start up and use the TNT products. As you know,
TNTlite can be freely installed and run from the TNT product CDs or
mircroimages.com on any supported platform. Plug in the USB HASP key to a
computer with a TNTlite and it will run as your professional product,
remove it and you are back to TNTlite. Choose TNTlite, TNT
professional products, and any operating system: same interface, same
features, same geodata resident somewhere on the network or moved about via
your network or the Internet. If you want TNTmips software (which
means, TNTlite) for other platforms, all you have to do is ask, and
MicroImages will send you CD’s for installation on additional different
platforms, or you can immediately download any version from microimages.com.
Will TNT Project Files Move as
Well?
It is also probably worthwhile
to remind you that the Project Files you prepare while your USB HASP key is
plugged into a Windows, Mac, or Linux platform can automatically be used
between platforms – no conversion required (also includes UNIX when a floating
license is used). And, of course, the functionality, operation, and user
interface is the same it you move from one operating system to another.
Updated Floating License
Manager.
The FlexLM license manager used
for the floating license version of the TNT professional products has
been upgraded in V6.70 of the TNT
products from the earlier version 6 to the current version 8. This was done
to support Mac OS X, improve reliability, and license server stability.
No changes are needed on the
machine where TNTmips, TNTedit, or TNTview will run. The
license file will be automatically adjusted as needed.
Before installing the license
server itself, you should
-
Shut down the existing license
server.
-
Uninstall the old license
manager.
-
Install the new license
manager. This will go through the steps needed to restart the license
server.
Free Upgrades Only By
Downloading.
MicroImages discontinued
providing new purchasers with a single, first free upgrade to its commercial
products in late 2001 in connection with the announcement that MicroImages’
new upgrade schedule would be at 6-month intervals instead of the 3- to
4.5-month intervals used over the previous 15 years. However, any client
authorized to use the currently shipping version of MicroImages products, such
as a new buyer, can obtain patches containing additional changes,
improvements, and corrections to the MicroImages’ products they own from
www.microimages.com/downloads/tntpatch/ under the following conditions.
Patches to MicroImages products
are usually posted on Tuesday and Thursday of each week. Any client authorized
to use the current version of a MicroImages’ product can download and install
these patches to that same version. However, when a new, replacement version
of MicroImages products is officially shipped, any new updates released after
that date can only be applied to that new version. In other words, updates to
a purchased version are still available without cost only by download for
about 6 months after that version first ships.
MicroImages does reserve the
right to withhold any major new feature from the free patches to the currently
authorized version. This may occur for a major new feature being prepared for
the next release, which has probably not been released in the current version.
Mac
10.1.5 Direct Support.
V6.70 introduces full
support of TNTmips, TNTedit, and TNTview for the Mac OS X
platform. The attached color plate entitled Geospatial Analysis is
being distributed as a introduction to this product. These new TNT
products use the same Apple Aqua windows motif as any other product. Just as
with the new TNT Windows desktop for Microsoft Windows, you can not
directly visually tell that the TNT products are running as derivatives
of the Linux and UNIX versions.
TNTmips’ performance on a
Mac OS X platform is more or less the same as on any Windows platform, perhaps
a bit faster in interface and processing than a Windows-based platform with a
processor of the same megahertz rating. Its appearance is very pleasing, as
is the Mac OS X interface in general.
This new version of the TNT
products uses the same UNIX / C++ code simply compiled separately for each of
the other operating systems. Almost all of the product code operated
correctly the first time it was compiled under Mac OS X. The few errors that
did occur were always there in the TNT versions for other operating
systems but were more obvious in the Mac OS X implementation. However, the
scourge of software developers was the same on this new platform – support of
legacy devices (printers, GPS units, and so on). Even more complex and
frustrating is the task of properly packaging the large TNT software
package for trouble free installation on a Mac computer that might already
have just about anything else installed on it. This might include several
brands and previous versions of X servers, different versions of the window
manager, at least 4 versions of Mac OS X, key drivers, several earlier TNT
components, just to name a the few variables of direct concern.
As usual, the TNT
products use an X server hidden in the background. This Darwin X server is
open source, so its source code was compiled by MicroImages, and it can be
modified in the future if needed. This X server is converted to look and
operate exactly like the native Mac OS X Aqua windows using an X window
manager named OroborOSX, which is the open software creation of Adrian Umpleby
in Great Britain (see julia.et.ic.ac.uk/... [link obsolete]). Samples of these attractive TNT
Aqua windows can be seen on the attached color plate entitled Built for Mac
OS X.
Installation is a bit more
complicated than for the TNT products for Mac 9.x where you could
simply copy them onto your drive. You can still simply copy all of this new
TNT product code by dragging it to any directory, but now you must
install the driver for the Software Authorization Key, the X server, and
OroborOSX in separate installation steps, and the Apple installer package is a
bit awkward.
Since all the familiar features
of TNTmips are available in this new version, it has no close
comparison on this Mac OS X platform. Just 1 example, SML scripts can
now be developed on any platform, including this Mac, and run without
alterations on it or any other TNT platform. There is nothing else
vaguely like SML for custom
geospatial applications available on the Mac. The various forms of SML
scripts for use on this Mac are illustrated on the attached color plate
entitled Use Powerful SML Scripts in Mac OS X. But, all the new
V6.70 features just being introduced now are also automatically available
as well: JPEG2000 wavelet compression, Scalable Vector Graphics, label
placement and editing, map layouts, advanced buffer zone and polygon fitting,
even building Landscape Files.
Beta Testing.
A number of beta testers helped
perfect the TNT products for release for Mac OS X as it evolved from
V6.6.1 to 6.6.7. MicroImages appreciates their help, which has
made V6.70 a product ready for professional use with all of its
features available. They identified printing, GPS access, coverage file
import, installation, and other problems as we moved this version forward.
May email (V6.6.3) from one of these beta tester is attached entitled
TNTmips for Mac OS X: How good is it? providing his opinion as of that
date.
Mac 9.x.
| Contrary
to an earlier announcement, V6.70 of the TNT products
will not be the last upgrade for this Mac OS 9.x. |
Many Mac users have not yet
switched to Mac OS X due to their legacy Mac products that just keep on
working. As a result and by popular request, this will not be the last
release of the TNT products for the earlier Mac 9.x operating system.
And
Yet Another Release.
This is the 52nd
consecutive total release of TNTmips over the past 16 years. Yes,
that’s a lot of lines of code and hard work from the software engineers. Yes
that’s a lot of new features introduced and errors solved. Yes, that’s a lot
of pages of tutorials, manuals, and illustrations by our writers. And, yes
that’s me writing and assembling a lot of these MEMOs, (4000 to 5000 pages).
Yes, we always seem to be chronically late in getting that next release out
(remember, each single day’s delay costs MicroImages a lot of money, since we
have guaranteed you 2 releases in your annual maintenance). And yes, we may
never seem to get to that specific feature of interest to you. However, with
your input, support, and patience and our decisions, we are still striving to
provide you with up-to-date software at a reasonable price. TNTmips is
powerful software that defines geospatial analysis by its integration of GIS,
IPS, surface modeling, visualization and publishing tools, and so on.
However, we have been at this so long that some of our clients are beginning
to “retire out” and say goodbye to us as documented in the attached color
plate entitled TNTmips: 16 Years And Still On Top.
Things have progressed a little
differently during this release cycle as the new features, which the brave
could download early, test, and use, were introduced by placing their
descriptive color plates prominently on microimages.com. This followed quite
naturally from the considerable effort made here to locate all the color
plates from previous MEMOs and resurrect them wherever possible. The attached
color plate entitled Color Plates on the Web provides additional
details on this completed project. Now the 400+ color plates introducing new
features in these MEMOs are available for your easy review, access,
downloading, and translation as map layouts with data where appropriate or as
PageMaker files. A PDF version of all plates is also available for download.
Monitor microimages.com for additional color plates on features you can try
out as they are added to V6.80, especially for TNTsim3D. The
next project is to provide you a cross-index by application to all the
previous MEMO’s contents, these color plates, QuickGuides, Tutorial booklets,
and miscellaneous TNT reference materials.
For your convenience you can now
proceed directly to the microimages.com home page using any of these aliases:
| microimages.us |
microimages. biz |
tntatlas.com |
| microimages.info
|
tntmips.com |
tntsim3d.com |
| microimages.net |
tntedit.com |
tntsim.com |
| microimages.org |
tntview.com |
|
Let’s Get Powered Up.
Okay, lets powerup your
geospatial analysis to a new level. This need is summarized in this portion
of a recent email to MicroImages.
… [A name] and his staff
did satisfy our concepts very much and all officers had seen our TNTmips
presentation with surprising on how fast of TNTmips displaying to handle the
whole country’s geodatabase – while they also saw TNTmips could handle both
GIS and remote sensing in single product.
…
Yes, TNTmips, TNTatlas,
TNTsim3D, and so on, can efficiently handle these large geodata sets.
But the project size you tackle and then challenge us with continues to grow:
whole nations, whole states, and whole counties with high level of detail. We
must keep redesigning and adding features to meet your expanding expectations
for the TNT products. You must help us by investing in the latest
equipment for your larger and larger projects.
In the technical sections of
this MEMO, I present several new opportunities provided by TNTmips
6.7 and new economical equipment to conduct large scale, powerful
geospatial analysis. Let me review them here.
With New Equipment.
Use the new Matrox based triple
monitor system to expand your Windows desktop to 3840 by 1024 pixels for all
those windows you will be juggling. It is also a game driven board that will
give you top performance from your rapidly expanding TNTsim3D
simulations. A powerful, multitasking processor of 2.5 GHz or more will keep
all these multiple tasks humming and/or rapidly form 3840 pixel wide
geospatial views if that is what you are about. Next add a 4.2 Gb DVD writer
to move big geodata sets about and fast 120 Gb drives via a removable carrier
to exchange as needed.
The typical international
geodata assets of whole states, provinces, or smaller nations, or businesses
can be organized and utilized in TNTmips. More results and utilization
means scaling up the number of floating licenses and those trained in
professional or opportunistic applications. However, geodata richness,
resolution, and precision keeps expanding, and we all must keep running to
keep up with the size of this geodata and the new applications it enables.
For example we are all now beginning to cope with sub meter satellite images,
a state/country wide DEM raster, large complex vector objects for large areas
or complex map layouts with smart attributes, and a nation wide database. It
is now proposed that for “homeland security” we need to assemble a
standardized, high resolution geodatabase of 400 different data layers.
And the Latest TNT
Features.
Using the new Windows Desktop
option, each TNT window is now independently exposed, and these windows
can be manipulated in the familiar Microsoft motif along with other concurrent
products operating at that time. This native windows approach is also used
for the new Mac OS X release of TNTmips and has always been an option
for Linux and UNIX workstations.
Now couple this with some of the
other new features available to you from TNTmips before any competing
mainline GIS or IPS product and included as standard features without any
additional cost as part of your V6.70 upgrade. Use ISO standard
JPEG2000 for compressing, storing, and moving huge images where appropriate
and SVG for compressing and moving around W3C standardized complex layouts. A
FREE, distributable TNTsim3D with an expanding set of features and
local analysis tools now joins TNTatlas and TNTserver so that
you can publish your geospatial results with an expanding set of local tools.
Why a
FREE TNTsim3D.
How do others do it?
Other GIS and IPS developers
offer simulation products. Like MicroImages, they also provide a process in
their basic product or as an option to organize and streamline geodata to
represent a particular landscape in an optimal format. This format is needed
to support realistic simulation on low-cost desktop computers. It exploits
the desktop computer display board and rendering software whose development is
now driven by the game industry.
Unlike MicroImages, they may
charge extra to add the capability to build this landscape model and extra to
use it in conjunction with one of their “paid for” products. For example,
ERDAS charges a substantial optional fee for the capability to assemble a
landscape model. In addition, you must then have their standard system to
“fly” this landscape. ESRI continues to follow its “a-la-cart” marketing
model requiring an optional product to view their simulations.
Last minute information:
It has just been brought to my attention by a client that they have had
TNTsim3D working in stereo with an NVIDIA GeForce4 board and US$100
stereo glasses called “Another I’s” (www.stereo3d.com/anotheris.htm).
Since the NVIDIA drivers provide this stereo capability it should work with
any of the stereo devices they support. For more nVIDIA information on this
support of stereo and the viewing devices their drivers support, which range
in price from US$100 to US$5000, please start with the short article
entitled : Featured Technology: NVIDIA 3D Stereo at www.nvidia.com. Preliminary
investigations also indicate that any board that features support for a
stereo device will show TNTsim3D in stereo including those from ATI
and Matrox.
What was the initial approach?
The Landscape Builder process,
which provides you with the ability to build landscapes, was first included as
standard in every TNTmips 6.6. Many of you are now using it as part of
your use of TNTsim3D. In V6.60 your landscape model could be
assembled free of additional charges, but its use was limited to your or any
other TNTmips 6.6 system. As an introduction to this marketing
strategy, TNTsim3D 6.6 was also concurrently released in a free
introductory “keyless” version with identical features to the same version
included and installed as part of V6.60. Rapid development then
proceeded on the “keyed” version of TNTsim3D. Some features of this
keyed version were initially made available in the free version after V6.60
via new postings on microimages.com. But, development rapidly continued and
new and useful features were added to the keyed version every week or two.
Gradually it became complicated to determine what was to be free and what was
not.
It also became apparent that
TNTsim3D was beginning to parallel TNTatlas in concept and your
potential use of it. It surprised us how many of you had appropriate geodata
and immediately used it in geospatial simulations. Finally, new design
objectives for TNTsim3D, other than simply responding to your requests
for a simulation capability, also became clearer to us. What you did not
need was another flight simulator – the prime objective of other competing
products. What you need is another mechanism to freely publish and
distribute the rich geospatial materials you develop in TNTmips
accompanied by tools for their local use in quantitative fashion.
What is the revised approach?
Effective with the release of
V6.70 all TNTsim3D code has been disconnected from the TNTmips
software license key. TNTsim3D 6.7 is now FREE and, as a result, your
new use of it will closely parallel that of TNTatlas. You build up
your 3D terrain model within TNTmips and publish and distribute it
however you choose in whatever quantity you choose along with a free copy of
TNTsim3D. You can put TNTsim3D on a CD or DVD with a standard
installation program for use with your Landscape Files. With a little
planning and compromise, you can even put TNTsim3D and TNTatlas
on the same CD/DVD and use the same landscape objects embedded and shared in a
TNTatlas Project File(s). You or your client can also download a
complete, current version of TNTsim3D packaged with the standard
Windows installation program from microimages.com. Sample Landscape Files
demonstrating some of TNTsim3Ds features can also be downloaded from
microimages.com. Remember that while TNTsim3D is compact and easily
downloaded, Landscape Files can be large for areas other than local examples.
You can even host an installable TNTsim3D on your intranet or Internet
site along with your models in Landscape Files.
How about an X version?
TNTsim3D has been
designed from the onset to potentially operate across all popular platforms by
being built for operation with either DirectX (for Windows) or OpenGL (for
Windows, Mac, UNIX, and Linux). To date we are only providing you with access
to the Windows version of TNTsim3D. TNTsim3D for all other
platforms will require that its user interface (dialogs and views) be
redeveloped for use in the X window structure. This will require effort even
though we have a mechanism in place for designing a GUI once that works on
both the Windows and X platforms (as is now done for TNTatlas). Most of
the development work would actually be required to work out the packaging (for
example, perfecting language support, assembly, installation, …) for reliable
distribution by all means for each platform. As a result, while
TNTsim3D could be released for these
other platforms, this will occur when the economics, which means, the sale of
related TNTmips units for those platforms, justifies the effort
involved in releasing and maintaining other non-Windows versions. Of course,
you can already build your Landscape Files on any TNTmips supported
platform (for example, on the Mac) for distribution and use with the Windows
version of TNTsim3D. Thus you can use the platform of your choice for
your geospatial analysis, and yet 95% of the people who might be interested in
using your simulation can do so using the free TNTsim3D for Windows.
View PDF Version (941 Kb)
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