Areas

Introduction

This page covers adding areas to your scenario which can interact with radars.

Contents

Adding an Area

To add an area to the map, ensure you are in Edit mode, then:

1. Click the Add Area button:
   
   

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2. This will open the Name Area dialog:
   
   

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3. Choose a name that is meaningful for the situation:
   
   

    

4. Next, decide if the area is an obstruction that the radar cannot see past, for example, a building. If selected, the area will be drawn by default in yellow and will be used to mask areas. If not selected, then the area will only be displayed as a perimeter and it will not be used when calculating the line-of-sight for radars.

5. Click the Create button:
   
   

    

6. The mouse cursor will change to a cross hair.  To draw the area, simply click the mouse to plot points on the map. Note: it is easier to plot the points if you zoom into the area:
   
   

    

7. Continue to click on points around the obstruction:
   
   

    

8. To finish the area, place your mouse cursor over the first point and press the left mouse button. This will 'close' the area and finish the drawing process. Once finished, the area is automatically selected, and you can drag it around the map, and also add and remove points:
   
   

    

9. Click Save to save the area.

Area Properties

Areas have a set of properties that can be used control their appearance.

Name: The Name field allows you to rename the area after creating it. There is no limit on length, and it is sensible to use a meaningful name.

Font Size: This controls the size of the text that is displayed when labels are shown. The drop-down allows for a font size between 10 and 20 points, with 20 being the default size. If there are a lot of areas that are closely packed together, showing area labels will result in a cluttered display. In this case it may be better to switch off all labels except for the prominent ones.

Stroke Size: This controls the size of the plotted outline of the area.

Hidden:  This option physically hides the area on the map and it will not be used for tracing. To amend this setting on a hidden area, you will need to select it from the object properties list.

Area Colour: This option displays a colour picker that will allow you to choose the display colour of the area. By default it is yellow.

Obstruction:  When enabled, the area will be used in the calculation for determining what a radar can see. If it is disabled then the area becomes a perimeter.

Display Label:  If deselected, the label for the area will not be displayed.

Editing an Area

Once an area has been created, it can be edited.

To do this:

1. Click the Edit button:
   
   

    

2. Select the area either by selecting it from the Properties list:
   
   

    

3. Or by clicking on the area itself:
   
   

    

4. Both options will perform the same task, but when you select an area or perimeter from the list, the map will pan to the area in question. Once selected, the editor panel above will be shown, and the area will be in edit mode.

5. For example, this area has not been selected for editing:
   
   

    

6. This area has been selected for editing:
   
   

    

7. In this mode, you can change the name of the area, alter the colour and decide whether it is hidden.

8. To alter the shape of the area, select one of the white points and drag it to a new location. If you are unhappy with the editing, you can click Cancel and this will undo the last changes.

Deleting an Area

1. To delete an area, you first must be in edit mode, then select the area you wish to delete:
   
   

    

2. Once selected, press the Delete button:
   
   

    

3. A dialog will appear:
   
   

    

4. Select Yes to delete the area from the scenario. If you choose No, you will be returned to the editor.

5. Click Save to save the changes.

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