Tools Overview

The Tools menu offers a variety of stereonet, annotative and measure tool options. The drawing tools can be used to customize the appearance of Stereonet 2D and Rosette views for screen captures and reports.

The following options are available:

Stereonet Tools

• Trend Line
• Cone
• Pitch Grid

Measure Tools

• Measure Angle
• Line from Two Planes
• Plane from Two Vectors

Annotation Tools

• Text
• Arrow
• Line Segment
• Ellipse
• Rectangle
• Polyline
• Polygon

All objects created with the Tools menu options are referred to as "Tools" in Dips.

Adding Tools

Tools (e.g., text, arrows, etc.) can be added anywhere in Stereonet 2D or Rosette views from options in the Tools ribbon.

Editing Tools

After adding Tools to a view, they can be edited, moved, resized, deleted, hidden, or copied.

To edit a tool:

1. Select a tool from the Visibility tree or graphically from the Stereonet 2D or Rosette view.
2. Select Edit Tool from the Properties pane or Annotation > Edit Tool from the Tools ribbon.
3. Edit text, lines, fill formatting properties, and re-size or move the tool (if applicable) by input in the dialog or graphically, by left-clicking and dragging with the mouse.
   

Tool visibility can be configured using the Visibility tree visibility toggles.

For any selected tool, you can edit the tool's format properties (e.g., Color, Line Color, Line Width, Apply Fill, Fill Color) in the Properties pane.

Deleting Tools

To delete tools:

1. Select a tool from the Visibility tree or graphically from the Stereonet 2D or Rosette view.
2. Select Delete Tool button from the Visibility tree or Annotation > Delete Tool from the Tools ribbon.

Import/Export Tools

To export all tools in the current view:

1. Select Export from the Visibility tree from the Tools group.
2. Specify a Save As file name/path. Dips tools files have a .toolsdips file extension.
3. Select Save to save the file.

To import tools to the current view:

1. Select Import from the Visibility tree from the Tools group.
2. Specify an Open file name/path. Dips tools files have a .toolsdips file extension.
3. Select Open to load the file and import the tools to the current view.

Right-Click Menu

If you right-click on a tool, the popup menu will display applicable edit, delete and copy options.

See the Edit Tools topic for more information.

Saving Tools

Tools are automatically saved with the Dips file (i.e., when you select the Save or Save As options in the File menu), and will automatically re-appear when you open the file.

Undo / Redo

The Undo / Redo options apply to tools as well as other Dips file changes. Therefore, you can easily undo/redo changes to the Tools.