Changing Map Layer Display Properties

Map layers display objects that are either lines (), points (), regions (), or text.

Change the way point, line, polygon, and text spatial objects are displayed on the map including line styles, point styles, fill styles, text fonts, and symbology. Some map layers contain different types of display objects within the same layer. Following are the object types that compose each layer. So, for example, the Fields map layer has both Line and Fill properties that can be set.

For some layers, different draw styles or rendering methods can be selected. For example, pipelines can include draw styles such as Basic, where pipelines are represented by basic lines, or By Status where the line style differs depending on whether the pipeline is abandoned, operating, to be constructed, etc.

The Layer Properties pane appears immediately below the Layer Legend pane. The Layer Properties pane displays the options available for a given layer selected in the Layer Legend pane. The Visible Scale Range, which specifies the minimum and maximum map scale at which a given layer appears, can be set for each individual layer.

Layer settings are remembered for future AccuMap sessions.

The following procedure describes how to set display properties for fills, points, lines, and text. For details around posting to map layers, see Related topics below.

The name of layers for which you aren't licensed are preceded by in the Layer Legend.

To change line properties

1. Using the Line Style pane, specify the following:

• Show Labels, Show Road Allowance - for Grid layers, select whether labels denoting the coordinates appear and their display properties () and whether road allowances are displayed.
• Color - if changing a group of layers, the color type is labelled as Mixed. Click the drop-down list and select either the Palette or Named tab and click the desired color. To change the opacity, click , and then drag the slider as depicted.
  
• Thickness - click the drop-down list arrow and click the desired thickness in the drop-down list.
• Style - click the drop-down list arrow and click the solid, dash, or dot style combination in the drop-down list.
• Enhanced Pipelines - this option is available for pipelines and displays pipeline data that's spatially corrected using surveyed right of ways, and additional line and attribute pipeline data.

2. Click Apply.

To save configuration properties as the default settings for future maps, using the Ribbon toolbar, with the View tab displayed, click Save as Default ().

To change point properties

1. Using the Point Style pane, specify the following:

• Font - click the drop-down list arrow and click the font family from which the point symbol is derived. Note that the symbol displayed can change radically between different font families. If changing the font family, you will likely need to select a different symbol below as well.
• Symbol - click the drop-down list arrow and click a specific symbol to display based on the symbols available in the font family selected above.
• Color - if changing a group of layers, the color type is labelled as Mixed. Click the drop-down list and select either the Palette or Named tab and click the desired color. To change the opacity, click , and then drag the slider as depicted.
  
  
• Size - Click the drop-down list arrow and click the desired point size for the symbol from the drop-down list. The point size (symbol size) remains the same while the map scale changes.
• Wellbore - Click Show Wellbore to display the wellbore connecting both the top and bottom hole on the map, which can be useful for differentiating directional wells from vertical wells. Click Show Surface Hole to display whether H and D appear on the map to denote horizontal and directional wells when either the Wells layer or wells from a well list are displayed. For example, with this option on, a directional well would appear as follows: , and a horizontal well as follows: . In these cases the D and the H indicate the location of the surface well and the well symbol () indicates the bottom hole location. Select the point size for the symbol from the drop-down list, the wellbore thickness, and click Color Map to display the Setup Directional Survey Formation Color Map dialog box where you associate colors with a formation. Click Well Symbol Legend for a legend of well symbols.
• Seismic Point Options - click to specify the locations and frequency at which seismic readings appear along the seismic line. This option is available for all seismic layers (SeisMarket, and Seismic Proprietary).

2. Click Apply.

To save configuration properties as the default settings for future maps, using the Ribbon toolbar, with the View tab displayed, click Save as Default ().

To change fill properties

1. Using the Fill Style pane, specify the following:

• Color - if changing a group of layers, the color type is labelled as Mixed. Click the drop-down list and select either the Palette or Named tab and click the desired color. To change the opacity, click , and then drag the slider as depicted.
  
  
• Style - Click the drop-down list arrow and click the solid, hachure, or stipple style combination in the drop-down list.

2. Click Apply.

To save configuration properties as the default settings for future maps, using the Ribbon toolbar, with the View tab displayed, click Save as Default ().

To change text properties

1. Using the Text Style pane, specify the following:

• Font - Click the drop-down list arrow and click the font family in which to display text in the drop-down list.
• Color - if changing a group of layers, the color type is labelled as Mixed. Click the drop-down list and select either the Palette or Named tab and click the desired color. To change the opacity, click , and then drag the slider as depicted.
  
  
• Size - Click the drop-down list arrow and click the desired point size for the font from the drop-down list. The point size remains the same while the map scale changes.

2. Click Apply.

To save configuration properties as the default settings for future maps, using the Ribbon toolbar, with the View tab displayed, click Save as Default ().

To change visible scale range

The data that's displayed for a layer is based on the detail that's available for the layer in one of several culture files. Generally, culture files that are drawn from at a higher map scale (1:2,500,000) include less detail than those drawn from at a lower map scale (1:1,000,000). AccuMap switches to a culture file with more detail as your map scale is reduced.

Although you can set the scale range at which objects for a map layer are displayed, in order for those items to appear, they must exist in the culture file that AccuMap is accessing, using the Visible Scale Range option in the Layer Properties pane below the Layer Legend, you can't override the culture file that AccuMap uses at a given map scale. For example, if the culture file AccuMap uses at a map scale of 1:1,000,000 includes the Cities outline and the culture file that's invoked at a map scale of 1:2,500,000 doesn't, the Cities layer won't be visible when the map is zoomed to 1:1,000,001 or greater -even if the Visible Scale Range option for the Cities layer is changed to 1:1,000,001 or greater.

• Using the Visible Scale Range pane, specify the map scale range (the measurement units are based on your selected preferences) within which the objects on the map layer are visible.

To save configuration properties as the default settings for future maps, using the Ribbon toolbar, with the View tab displayed, click Save as Default ().

To change the layer name

• Rename User Layers, which appear under the My Layers and Open Layers nodes in the Layer Legend by right-clicking the layer name and clicking Rename from the context menu.

Related Topics