October 2020 - Therion

Re: [Therion] Point altitude/deph, Help !
by Xavier Robert 28 Jun '22

28 Jun '22

Hi all, I think I have found a trick. The other Xavier led me to the right tracks, thanks a lot ! Finally, this is quite simple with the point altitude, and no need to change anything inside the : - If we use the point altitude only with the option -align, we get the altitude - If we use the point altitude with the options -align and -value [-1004 m] where 1004 is the altitude of the main entrance, we print the depth only for that point (Do not forget the " - " before the altitude of the main entrance), and thus, we do not erase the classic point altitude. The only (small) limits are : * If the main entrance changes, we need to manually update ALL the points that print the depth. But that should not be be everyday, and not a big issue to do that. * the symbology of the two points is the same. I will have a look for a way to modify that and let you know if I find a trick (If I copy the code of the point Altitude, and call it p_u_depth(expr pos, R, S, A), it crashes...). Cheers, Xav

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How to calculate the volume of a cave
by Bill Gee 31 Jan '22

31 Jan '22

Hello everyone - What tools can be used to calculate the volume of a cave based on center line and LRUD data? I found an email from Martin Sluka from about 4 years ago describing how to use Loch to export a .lox file in other formats, then run that file through CloudCompare or ParaView. The process looks very complex to me, and besides - Loch does not run on my computers, so there is no way for me to generate an export. As far as I can tell, Survex does not have a way to calculate volume. Could it be done with a KML file and Google Earth? -- Bill Gee

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"\legendbox" "\loadpicture" and absolute paths
by rowena 14 Mar '21

14 Mar '21

Hello, I am using the "\loadpicture" capability in "\legendbox" constructs to include map sections, elevations, etc. It all works nicely on my PC where I am using relative paths to the pdf files. My club has a desire to archive the map data for posterity - ie if my pc dies or I go walkabout, the map data should still be available so that others can add to the maps as they are extended. I would prefer to have the images included using relative pathnames, rather than absolute pathnames, so that future explorers can download the map data and extend it, without having to duplicate my file hierarchy. How can I include relative paths in the \loadpicture functionality? Thanks, Rowena

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texts_rs and a remark about karren vs anastomosis
by ivana miskovic 09 Feb '21

09 Feb '21

Hello, Here I put the translation file of map outputs in Serbian language. It would be great if texts_rs.txt were compiled in next Therion release. Also, unrelated to the translation itself, during translation I found some confusion in point symbols for karren and for anastomosis. It seems like they are inverted. Karren are generally sharp limestone formations on the floor, and anastomosis are usually remain like rounded rock formations in the cave ceiling. Unfortunately, in the UIS official symbol list, karren and anastomoses were put on the same picture. Thanx and c u in next surveyes, Ivana

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Blended colour by gradient?
by alastair gott 14 Nov '20

14 Nov '20

Hi therion users, One of my friends has asked me whether it’s possible to colour an elevation survey by a blended gradient rather than a discrete scrap by scrap basis. I thought about it, but I don’t have the expertise in metapost, would it be possible to metapost a gradient which is predefined one colour through the normal rainbow of therion colours to the final colour and then bound this by the top and bottom of the cave. Then insert this gradient as a fill cave fg user. Just a thought? I know John Stevens has some good success with the Agen allwedd survey in South Wales (uk) but I think his solution relied upon the 1 colour for one scrap method, though my memory could be wrong. Regards, Alastair Gott, Alastairgott(a)hotmail.com Sent from my iPhone

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Creating PDF/A map files
by Bill Gee 22 Oct '20

22 Oct '20

Hello everyone - I propose a new feature for Therion. This will probably take some work, and I am sure there will be discussion about how to implement it. It seems to me that the maps we produce with Therion are likely going to be stored for a very long time, perhaps running into multiple tens of years. As we all know, computer technology over that amount of time will change drastically. Just think about the contrast in both hardware and software in the last 25 years - from Windows 95 running on 486dx processors to Linux and Windows 10 running on i7 and i9 processors. I think we have some obligation to make sure the cave maps we generate are still usable many years from now. Saving them in PDF format is a large - but incomplete - step in that direction. The new feature I propose is to modify the PDF creation code so that it produces files that are PDF/A version 1b (or possibly version 2) compliant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF/A I have checked all of the PDF files I created in Therion, and none of them are flagged as PDF/A compliant. It is possible that they are, in fact, compliant and simply do not have the necessary flag. The experts can check that against the PDF/A specifications. Existing PDF documents can be checked for PDF/A compliance with a command-line tool called "verapdf". The web site for that tool is https://openpreservation.org/products/verapdf/ It is possible to use GhostScript to transform an existing PDF into a PDF/A file. The command line is daunting. https://www.mcbsys.com/blog/2018/10/batch-convert-pdf-to-pdf-a-2018-edition/ I tried the GhostScript conversion on one of my Therion maps. Immediately at startup it produced this message three times: "GPL Ghostscript 9.53.3: UTF16BE text string detected in DOCINFO cannot be represented in XMP for PDF/A1, reverting to normal PDF output" The process continued running and took about 10 minutes. The resulting file failed verapdf analysis. It also increased the file size from 4.3 megabytes to over 52 megabytes! The output file displayed correctly in Okular. I do not have any idea how Therion produces PDF files. It probably uses some combination of TeX and GhostScript to get it done. The new feature may be as simple as adding some additional parameters to the command lines that call the external programs. Let the discussion begin! :-) -- Bill Gee

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Include additional symbols in the legend
by Evaristo Quiroga 22 Oct '20

22 Oct '20

Hy, I have create a map with extended profile and plant together, with the following commands: / export map -projection extended -o alzado.pdf -layout Layout_ECB \// // -layout-map-header 0 0 off \// // -layout-map-header 0 0 nw \// // -layout empty_header// //// // export map -projection plan -o ./00_OUTPUT/EstebanFelipe_TOPO_800.pdf -layout Layout_ECB \// // -layout-map-image 35 110 s "./alzado.pdf" \// // -layout-map-header -30 80 nw\// // -layout-legend on\// // -layout recuadro\// // -layout longitud \// // -layout-map-image 102 0 e "./LOGO_ECG.png"// //// // system "del alzado.pdf"/ I have a problem. I have lost the symbols that appear in the legend of the extended profile and that are not in the legend of the plant. How can I force the legend of the plant to include symbols not used in it? Regards, Evaristo.

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Can't symbol-assign line rope
by Evaristo Quiroga 18 Oct '20

18 Oct '20

Hi, I have modified a little the line rope symbols SKBB, making a new "l_rope_ECMB". But I can't assign the new symbol. Therion compilation show a error: :\Program Files (x86)\Therion\therion.exe: error -- Simbologia_ECB_2000.th [726] -- Simbologia_ECB_2000.th [726] -- symbol can not be assigned -- line rope [line 726] symbol-assign line rope ECMB Same error with: symbol-assign line rope SKBB Regards, Evaristo.

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new Therion 5.5.3
by Therion 17 Oct '20

17 Oct '20

Hi, there is a new release 5.5.3 of Therion. Release notes: v5.5.3 Therion 5.5.3 (2020-10-17): therion: * mil/mils angle unit deprecation warning [#129] * sql export shot length precision increase [#147] * bugs fixed - incorect calculation of station position when fixed multiple times [#269,270] - memory leaks causing some random behaviour [#278] - scale value should default to 1 when omitted from "calibrate" [#263] loch: * splay shots are rendered with darker colour * duplicate shots displayed by default * small bug fixes Best regards, Therion team

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Fixing a point using standard deviation in different centrelines
by Tarquin Wilton-Jones 14 Oct '20

14 Oct '20

Hi folks, Our survey has a location fix. The location has been taken 4 times, on 2 separate dates, with separate teams and equipment. As a result, I would like to have the fix data in 2 centreline sections, each with its own date, team and instrument. Each fix has its standard deviation values set, so that Therion can calculate the weighted position. When I do that, Therion miscalculates the position. If I put the fix statements all in the same centreline section, Therion calculates the position correctly. It is definitely using all four "fix" statements, as the positions are different if I remove the second centreline block completely. But when they are split over separate centreline blocks, it seems to reduce the weighting that it applies to the fixes in the second block. The specified standard deviations don't seem to affect the bug. I have attached a demo that shows the problem, along with .3d and .kml outputs that show the incorrect positions. Am I doing something wrong, or is this a Therion bug? Cheers, Tarquin

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