In Dips, numerical listings of orientation pairs can correspond to either the orientation of POLES or the PLANES that they represent. The Convention option in the Setup menu toggles the format of the orientation coordinates displayed in the Status Bar:
If the Convention is Pole Vector, the coordinates will be in Trend / Plunge format, and represent the cursor (pole) location directly.
If the Convention is Plane Vector, the coordinates will correspond to the Global Orientation Format (e.g. Dip/DipDirection , Strike/DipRight , Strike/DipLeft), and represent the PLANE corresponding to the cursor (pole) location.
NOTE: The Convention can also be toggled by clicking on the box in the Status Bar to the left of the coordinate display, with the LEFT mouse button. This is the quickest and most convenient way of toggling the Convention.
The Convention also affects the format of the following data listings in Dips:
Plane listings in the Major Planes legend.
Plane listings in the Edit Planes and Edit Sets dialogs.
And the Convention affects the format of orientation data input for the following options:
Coordinate entry in the Add Plane dialog.
Coordinate entry in the Add Set Window dialog.
Coordinate entry in the Measure Angle dialog.
The Convention does not affect data input for all options. For example, when using the Add Cone option, the cone axis is always entered in Trend / Plunge format, regardless of the current Convention. The Plane Vector Convention is only used where it is applicable. The Convention applies to ALL views in a document. It cannot be changed on a per view basis.
Convention vs. Global Orientation Format
Do not confuse the Convention option with the Global Orientation Format of your Dips data file. The Global Orientation Format determines how Dips interprets and processes your raw orientation data. The Convention option DOES NOT.
In Dips, poles are ALWAYS plotted using the Trend and Plunge of the pole vector with respect to the reference sphere. THE CONVENTION OPTION DOES NOT AFFECT THE PLOTTING OF DATA, OR THE VALUES IN THE GRID IN ANY WAY!!!
Saving the Convention
Dips will automatically save your most recent choice of Convention.
If your most recent choice was Plane Vector convention, then the Plane Vector Convention will automatically be in effect each time you open a file in Dips (coordinates will be displayed as Dip/DipDirection or Strike/Dip).
If your most recent choice was Pole Vector convention, then the Pole Vector Convention will automatically be in effect each time you open a file in Dips (coordinates will be displayed as Trend/Plunge).