In the Maps panel, different kinds of maps (raster, vector, database) can be administered. On the one hand maps can be shown as background information, on the other hand map geometry and attribute data can be used as a basis for parameter assignment, selection operations etc.
All the currently loaded maps along with the supermesh if contained in the model file are shown in a tree view, by default grouped by their file type. Supermesh elements can be exported to map files via their respective context menus.
To add additional maps, the context menu for all maps (left click onto the magnifying glass in the filter/search bar) or the context menu of a specific folder in the list can be used.
That way, also background maps from the online Resource Maptiler® can be added to any map with a defined projection. An extensive list of available maps can be accessed with click on Add Online Map(s)... in the context manu of the maps panel.
Accessing online maps
For removing maps, either the context menu for a single map, the context menu for a folder (remove all maps in the folder), the context menu for multiple selected maps or the context menu for all maps can be applied.
Maps panel with Supermesh entries and imported map files.
The available Supermesh (polygons, lines and points) of the current model is also displayed as map data in the panel.
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Using a naming convention of X, Y and Z as column headers for the geographical coordinates is recommended in the tabular data of a map file in FEFLOW. This will facilitate the immediate display of the map information in the FEFLOW views. |
By default, maps are sorted according to their format in the 
Maps panel. For more convenience especially in large projects, the tree structure can be customized according to the user’s needs:
Maps panel or by clicking on the search icon at the top of the panel. |
The relative map locations and all map settings can be stored with the FEFLOW map reference file (*.mre ) files. and thus easily be transferred between different FEFLOW models. Export is available for folders and maps, while the import option is limited to folders. |
Besides the possibility to load maps from different file types, FEFLOW can also connect to geographic databases to derive map information.
To open a connection to a geographical database, an *.fedb file needs to be loaded. In case of tabular data, the columns containing coordinate values have to be chosen at the time of import, unless they correspond to some defaults like X, Y and Z.
By default maps are sorted according to their file type, with additional sections for the supermesh elements and added exported maps if existing.
Within the tree of the Maps panel, the order of maps and map folders can be customized by drag and drop. New folders can be added by using Create Folder in the context menu. Folder names can be changed by hitting <F2> while a folder is selected, or by using Rename from the context menu.
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The filter tool on top of the panel can be used to constrain the displayed maps by a full-text search. Adding text to the input box, only the maps in folders containing the search text in the name and maps with the text contained in the name are shown. |
For vector maps, such as ASCII line/point/polygon files (*.pnt, *.lin, *.ply), ESRI Shape Files (*.shp), Drawing Interchange File Format (*.dxf) files and database files (*.dat, *.dbf, *.xls, *.xlsx, *.mdb, *.accdb), the color scheme can be defined based on attribute data.
Each color scheme is stored in a so-called layer. When loading the map, a Default layer is created for the map. Additional layers can be generated by using Create layer from the context menu of the corresponding map, or by applying Copy layer from the context menu of an already existing layer. The properties of the layer, including classification, can be edited by selecting Edit properties from the context menu of a layer, hereby opening the Map Properties panel. For each map, an unlimited number of different layers with different classification and color schemes may be created and used.
A map layer is drawn to the active view window by double-clicking on the corresponding layer name in the tree view of the Maps panel. For 3D views, the selection in the Selections panel determines the geometry the map is plot on.
Both the 
Selection and Editor toolbars contain functionality to use geometries from a specific map as a basis for specific operations. The corresponding map to be used for this is selected by a double click or by using Set Selection Map from the context menu.
The attribute data of vector maps and data bases can be shown via 
Show Map Table in the context menu of the map. This command brings up the Map Table dialog, displaying the records and attribute data of the map in tabular form.
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If data selection has been applied, the Map Table dialog will display the selected features only. If additional tables have been joined to the map, the dialog will show the attributes of all tables joined together. |
Besides serving for visualization purposes maps (including text files), are the most important source of data for parameter input in FEFLOW. In most cases, the relation of map attribute data and FEFLOW parameter needs to be defined via Link to Parameter in the context menu of a vector map or database before being able to assign the values via the map mode in the Editor toolbar.
For easier transfer of map data and Map Properties settings between FEFLOW models, some import and export tools are provided in the context menus of maps and map layers.
The Quick Import option in the context menu of a map can be used to import previously exported and thus perfectly matching data to parameters without the need of first defining a parameter link.
In some cases map geometry and attribute data can be used for direct conversion into model data via the Convert to... context menu entry. This can be done to
import Supermesh elements (polygons, lines and points), to
import observation points and their properties, and to
import location set points, lines or loops.
Via data selection, the map data range can be limited using SQL statements on the attribute data. Map joining provides the possibility to join additional data tables to a map, using a common identifier in both tables.
Raster maps can be inverted by using the corresponding entry in the context menu of the map.
This context menu entry provides a shortcut to the Tool Properties page of the FEFLOW Global Settings dialog.