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Fault Context Menu

Commands available when right-clicking a Fault in the Interpretation Tree. Faults are interpreted 3D surfaces representing discontinuities with displacement in geological structures. They are typically defined by polyline traces and orientation data, forming surfaces that can interact with stratigraphic horizons.

Menu name: Navigate To Tooltip Move the 3D view to frame the selected fault.

What it does See Navigate To in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Centres and zooms the 3D view on the selected fault, positioning the camera to provide a clear view of the entire fault surface.

When to use it

  • Quickly locating specific faults in complex structural models
  • Reviewing fault geometry after creation or modification
  • Inspecting fault-horizon relationships

Notes Particularly useful in models with multiple fault sets or complex fault networks.

Selection & Clipboard​

Copy​

Menu name: Copy Tooltip Copy fault to clipboard.

What it does Copies the selected fault object to the system clipboard. The fault can then be pasted into the same project, a different group, or even a different VRGS project. All fault properties (geometry, orientation, classification) are copied.

When to use it

  • Duplicating faults for modification whilst preserving originals
  • Transferring fault interpretations between project sections
  • Creating similar faults from template geometry

Notes Copied faults retain their spatial coordinates and orientation. When pasting into a different project, ensure coordinate systems are compatible.

Copy Orientation​

Menu name: Copy Orientation Tooltip Copy fault plane orientation to clipboard.

What it does Copies the calculated best-fit plane orientation (dip and azimuth) of the fault surface to the clipboard. The orientation can be pasted to other faults, polylines, or structural measurements.

When to use it

  • Propagating consistent orientations across related faults
  • Transferring orientation to other structural features
  • Applying measured orientations to interpreted fault surfaces

Notes For planar faults, orientation represents the fault plane. For curved faults, orientation is calculated from the best-fit plane through all vertices. Consider whether average orientation is meaningful for highly curved or listric faults.

Paste Orientation​

Menu name: Paste Orientation Tooltip Paste orientation from clipboard to fault.

What it does Applies a previously copied orientation (dip and azimuth) to the selected fault. This updates the fault's stored orientation property, which can affect operations like projection and fault surface generation.

When to use it

  • Applying consistent fault plane orientations
  • Correcting fault orientations based on measured data
  • Standardising orientation values across related faults

Notes Updates orientation property but does not modify fault geometry. Consider using "Calculate Best Fit Plane" to ensure orientation matches actual geometry after applying.

Quality & Refinement​

Adaptive Refine​

Menu name: Adaptive Refine Tooltip Add vertices where fault curvature is high.

What it does Opens a dialogue to specify an angle tolerance (in degrees). Analyses fault trace segments and adds vertices at locations where the angle between adjacent segments exceeds the threshold. This creates denser vertex spacing in curved regions whilst maintaining sparse spacing in straight sections.

When to use it

  • Improving representation of curved or listric fault geometry
  • Preparing faults for surface interpolation
  • Increasing detail in structurally complex regions

Notes Lower angle thresholds create more vertices. Typical values: 5-20 degrees. Excessive refinement can create unnecessarily large datasets. Original vertex positions are preserved; new vertices are inserted between existing ones.

Refine by Spacing​

Menu name: Refine by Spacing Tooltip Add vertices at regular distance intervals.

What it does Opens a dialogue to specify maximum spacing distance (in project units, typically metres). Subdivides all fault trace segments longer than this distance by adding evenly-spaced vertices. This creates uniform vertex distribution regardless of curvature.

When to use it

  • Creating consistent sampling density for fault surface generation
  • Preparing faults for operations requiring uniform vertex spacing
  • Standardising resolution across fault networks

Notes Spacing is measured in 3D distance. Shorter spacing values dramatically increase vertex count. Original vertices are preserved. Useful for ensuring consistent resolution before fault surface interpolation.

Smooth​

Menu name: Smooth Tooltip Apply smoothing to reduce fault trace irregularity.

What it does Opens a dialogue to specify smoothing iterations and strength. Applies iterative smoothing that repositions vertices towards the average position of their neighbours. This reduces high-frequency irregularities whilst preserving overall fault shape.

When to use it

  • Removing digitisation noise from manually drawn fault traces
  • Smoothing faults extracted from noisy data
  • Creating more geologically plausible fault geometries

Notes

Shape Alteration

Excessive smoothing can alter fault geometry and change throw relationships. Start with few iterations (1-3) and low strength (0.3-0.5).

End vertices are typically fixed to prevent trace shrinkage. Consider geological validity before smoothing faults with known sharp bends or relay zones.

Attributes​

Calculate Best Fit Plane​

Menu name: Calculate Best Fit Plane Tooltip Calculate dip and azimuth from fault geometry.

What it does Computes the best-fit plane through all fault trace vertices using least-squares regression. Calculates and stores the plane's dip angle (0-90°) and azimuth (0-360°). Results are displayed in a dialogue and stored as fault properties.

When to use it

  • Determining average orientation of planar faults
  • Calculating fault plane parameters for structural analysis
  • Extracting dip/azimuth from 3D digitised fault traces

Notes Requires at least three non-collinear vertices. Accuracy improves with more vertices spanning the fault. Works best for planar or near-planar faults. For listric or curved faults, consider whether average orientation is geologically meaningful. Results can be used with "Remove Dip" for structural restoration.

Remove Dip​

Menu name: Remove Dip Tooltip Remove regional dip from fault coordinates.

What it does Opens dialogue to specify dip angle and azimuth. Rotates fault coordinates to remove the specified orientation, effectively flattening the feature as if viewing it perpendicular to bedding. This is a 3D coordinate rotation useful for structural restoration and palinspastic reconstruction.

When to use it

  • Removing regional tilt for palinspastic restoration
  • Analysing fault geometry in bedding-perpendicular coordinates
  • Structural restoration to pre-tilting configuration

Notes Rotation is applied about the fault's centroid. To use the fault's own orientation, run "Calculate Best Fit Plane" first. This is a pure geometric operation - consider geological validity and restoration assumptions. Multiple faults can be restored together if they share common regional dip.

Sort Z Values​

Menu name: Sort Z Values Tooltip Reorder fault vertices by elevation.

What it does Reorders the fault trace vertices in ascending or descending Z (elevation) order. This organises vertices vertically, which can be useful for faults defined by stacked horizontal traces or for ensuring consistent vertex ordering for surface algorithms.

When to use it

  • Organising vertices on vertical or near-vertical faults
  • Preparing fault data for surface interpolation algorithms
  • Standardising vertex order across fault datasets

Notes Only reorders vertices; does not modify positions. X and Y coordinates remain unchanged. Useful when fault was digitised in inconsistent order or from multiple sources. May not be appropriate for sub-horizontal or complex fault geometries.

Convert To​

Polyline​

Menu name: Polyline Tooltip Convert fault to polyline object.

What it does Converts the selected fault object to a standard Polyline. The fault's trace geometry becomes a polyline, removing fault-specific properties (throw, displacement, fault plane attributes) but preserving geometry and position. Original fault is typically preserved.

When to use it

  • Converting fault interpretations to general polyline format
  • Removing fault-specific attributes whilst preserving geometry
  • Preparing data for workflows that require polylines not faults

Notes Fault-specific properties are lost in conversion. Only trace geometry is preserved. Consider exporting fault data before conversion if properties are needed later. Useful when fault interpretation was incorrect and feature is actually a non-fault contact.

Orientation​

Menu name: Orientation Tooltip Convert fault to structural measurement.

What it does Converts the fault to a Structural Measurement object by calculating the best-fit plane orientation. The fault's spatial position and calculated dip/azimuth are used to create a structural measurement located at the fault's centroid, classified as a fault plane measurement.

When to use it

  • Creating point data from fault surface interpretations
  • Populating stereonets with fault orientations
  • Simplifying fault representations to orientation measurements

Notes Original fault geometry is preserved (not deleted). Only meaningful for planar or near-planar faults. For curved faults, the average orientation may not represent local fault geometry. Useful for regional structural analysis where detailed fault geometry is less important than orientation statistics.

Group & Organisation​

Group​

Menu name: Group Tooltip Create group containing selected faults.

What it does See Group in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Creates a new group (folder) containing all selected faults.

When to use it

  • Organising faults by fault set or kinematic type
  • Creating logical groupings for fault network analysis
  • Simplifying project tree structure

Notes Selected faults must be at the same tree level. Useful for organising complex fault systems by strike direction, age, or fault set.

Ungroup​

Menu name: Ungroup Tooltip Dissolve selected fault group.

What it does See Ungroup in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Dissolves the group container and moves child faults up one level.

When to use it

  • Flattening project tree structure
  • Breaking up temporary fault groupings
  • Reorganising fault network hierarchy

Notes Only works on group containers. Faults are preserved.

Object Operations​

Export​

Menu name: Export Tooltip Export fault to external file.

What it does See Export in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Opens export dialogue to save fault geometry to various file formats (DXF, Shapefile, CSV, KML, etc.).

When to use it

  • Sharing fault interpretations with external applications
  • Creating deliverables for structural analysis
  • Archiving fault interpretation work

Notes Format options vary. Export typically includes trace geometry; fault surface may require conversion to mesh format first. Consider coordinate system compatibility for GIS formats.

Delete​

Menu name: Delete Tooltip Permanently remove fault from project.

What it does See Delete in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Permanently removes the fault from the project database.

When to use it

  • Removing incorrect or obsolete fault interpretations
  • Cleaning up test or trial faults
  • Simplifying projects with redundant features

Notes

Cannot be undone

Operation is permanent. Ensure you have backups if needed. Deleting faults may affect geosurfaces that reference them for cutoffs or throw calculations.

Group Operations​

When right-clicking a Fault Group (folder), additional commands are available:

Spreadsheet​

Menu name: Spreadsheet Tooltip View faults in spreadsheet format.

What it does Opens a spreadsheet view displaying all faults in the group with their properties in tabular format. Columns typically include fault name, orientation (dip/azimuth), length, displacement, and other attributes. Allows sorting, filtering, and batch editing of fault properties.

When to use it

  • Reviewing fault network statistics
  • Batch editing fault properties
  • Sorting faults by orientation or displacement
  • Quality control of fault interpretations

Notes Spreadsheet is editable - changes update fault properties in the 3D model. Useful for systematic organisation and analysis of complex fault networks.

Paste​

Menu name: Paste Tooltip Paste faults from clipboard into group.

What it does Pastes previously copied fault objects into the selected group. Faults are added as new objects with the same geometry and properties as the originals. Useful for transferring faults between groups or projects.

When to use it

  • Populating groups with copied faults
  • Transferring interpretations between project sections
  • Duplicating fault sets for testing different interpretations

Notes Pasted faults are independent copies. Coordinate system must be compatible. Consider position/offset if pasting between projects.

Import​

Menu name: Import Tooltip Import faults from external file.

What it does Opens file dialogue to import fault geometry from external formats. Supported formats typically include line/polyline formats (DXF, Shapefile, CSV) that define fault traces. Imported traces are converted to fault objects.

When to use it

  • Importing fault interpretations from other software
  • Loading fault networks from regional databases
  • Bringing in fault mapping from GIS

Notes Import format options vary. Typically imports 2D or 3D polyline data as fault traces. Fault surface generation is a separate step after import. Coordinate system should be specified during import.

Export​

Menu name: Export Tooltip Batch export all faults in group.

What it does Opens export dialogue to batch export all faults in the selected group. Can export to individual files per fault or combined formats where supported.

When to use it

  • Exporting complete fault networks
  • Creating deliverables of all interpreted faults
  • Archiving fault interpretation projects

Notes Export options vary by format. Large groups may take significant time to export. Consider coordinate system conversion for external software.

Empty List​

Menu name: Empty List Tooltip Remove all faults from this group.

What it does Removes all fault objects from the selected group. The faults are deleted from the project database. This is a bulk delete operation affecting all group contents. The group container itself is preserved empty.

When to use it

  • Removing all test or temporary faults
  • Clearing groups before reimporting
  • Resetting fault collections for new interpretations

Notes

Cannot be undone

This operation permanently deletes all faults in the group. Ensure you have backups or exports before clearing.