Printing with Custom Overview Maps in GTViewer

GTViewer has for some time had the ability to show an Overview Map in the upper left corner of a print. Traditionally, this Overview Map has been the same as the Overview category which is also used by the Overview Window (see previous blog posting for more detail on the Overview Window). The print below show the default Overview Map in the upper corner of the plot with the Red box indicating the printed view:

A recent feature added to GTViewer allows the user to create his or her own Overview Map for printing. While the generic Overview Map is often adequate for providing a quick reference to the printed data’s location in relationship to the entire data set, the ability to define the Overview Map adds a whole new level of sophistication to your prints. Look at the print below and see how useful the Overview Map can be when the area it displays is explicitly specified:

It is very easy to define your Overview Map for Prints. Under the File menu in GTViewer, the Set View As Print Overview option will mark the active View as the Overview Map. The active view’s window shape, data extents, and display filters are all used in the creation of the printed Overview Map. Once the Overview Map view is set, create a second view of your data with Window/New Window and navigate to the area you want to print. When you print the second view, GTViewer will use the first view (the one set as the Print Overview) as the printed Overview Map. Make sure you select the Overview option when printing and select the Overview Map size (Small, Medium, or Large).

A not so obvious use of this custom Overview Map is to combine drawings of different items. For example, if you have a detail file, you can set its view as the Overview Map and then print another view showing a Geographic view. The resulting print shows the detail file as the Overview map: