FAQ 4   -   OPERATIONS - MAP RENDERING
Q.	Why does the image turn black when shading is turned off?
A.	The appearance of an image depends on the color settings as well as the shading options. If the image turns black, change the emission color to a lighter value.
Q.	Why is it hard to see relief shading when a new Settings file is loaded?
A.	A Settings file contains both the minimum and maximum height values. When a height data file is loaded, you can click on the Set Min/Max values after loading checkbox in the Height data loader settings dialog to automatically adjust the color gradient so that color bands are distributed according to the minimum and maximum values found in the height data file. When a height data file is already loaded, and a new Setting file is then loaded, the color gradient can be adjusted to take account of the minimum and maximmum height values by selecting File > Info menu option and clicking on the Transfer min/max heights button.
Q.	How do I create a contour map without hill-shading?
A.	Bitmap mode is most appropriate for these types of images. Make sure that the gradient is set to solid, and 'no shading' is selected under the Map menu option.
Q.	How do I create ocean floor contour map?
A.	MapRender3D will generate sea colors according to the data available and based on the palette you select, so it depends on the DEM data source you use and how you choose to filter or display the data using the rendering palette settings. Check to see if the DEM data set includes any data below sea level zero datum - if all the sea area DEM's are zero then all sea level colors will the same as defined on the bottom layer of the color palette. DEM data such as the 10 km ocean DEM database supplied with MR3D can be used to generate sea floor contours - in this case you can set a palette to one color or as many colors you wish, defining a color for each depth band, 0 to -100 meters, -100 to -500 meters, -500 t0 -1,000 meters etc, etc. See the second and sixth examples on the Gallery for Sea Floor samples.
FAQ 4   -   OPERATIONS - TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Q.	Is it possible to stop the redraw between every slightest action, such as move a palette, open a window, go to save, etc.?
A.	Windows will redraw whenever the image is obscured (by a dialog, for instance) and then redrawn. The best method of avoiding long redraws is to use a low quality sampling when testing various settings, and then use higher settings when to view the image at high resolution. Also, the 'Cancel' button in the toolbar that is enabled when rendering and image will stop the image being rendered to the screen.
Q.	How can the demo version be uninstalled?
A.	Go to the control panel, select Add/Remove Programs, click on MapRender3D(DEMO) and then click on the Add/Remove button. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Q.	Will MapRender3D support OpenGL accelerator cards?
A.	There are many cards that support OpenGL. The installation instructions that come with your card should tell you how to enable OpenGL acceleration. Generally, this is done by replacing the OpenGL DLL files. MapRender3D uses the DLLs from its install folder, so they must be replaced there. The accelerator card must support rendering into Windows, otherwise MapRender3D will not be able to use acceleration (although MapRender3D will work as normal). If the accelerator card does not support rendering into Windows, do not replace the DLLs in the install folder.
Q.	My dialog boxes and the map don't redraw properly when I move the settings box?
A.	This problem affects particularly Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Decrease the speed of the hardware accelaration card to 50% or thereabouts. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Settings > Advanced > Troubleshooting > Hardware Accelaration > move cursor to half way down the scale and retest - decrease in increments until the redraw works correctly.
Q.	When running Convert in Windows XP and using the CD PSB files, Convert won't save the extracted DEM.
A.	Copy the entire PSB data file from the CD to your hard drive, and double-click the PSB to run Convert from this file.
Q.	Can I run MapRender3D under Windows emulation on a Macintosh?
A.	Yes, many clients do run MR3D on a Macintosh computer but you will not be impressed with the speed! Bear in mind the low cost of a native PC processor, it's worth the cost of a Windows computer over the cost of emulation software especially if you are charging your time to a client or trying to work cost-effectively. Another benefit is that you can use your Macintosh for other design work while MR3D on the Windows computer just renders away.
Q.	INPUT & DATA IMPORT
A.	Issues and FAQ's relating to data import....... more details
Q.	OUTPUT & IMAGE EXPORT
A.	Issues and FAQ's relating to image export....... more details
Q.	MAP PROJECTION
A.	Issues and FAQ's relating to map projections....... more details