Orthopanels Context Menu
Commands available when right-clicking Orthopanels (also called OrthoPlanes) in the Data Tree. Orthopanels are 2D planar images extracted from 3D data volumes, typically showing axis-aligned or oblique cross-sections through point clouds, meshes, or voxel models. They provide orthographic views for visualisation, measurement, and export.
Navigation
Goto
Menu name: Goto
Tooltip Move the 3D view to the orthopanel location.
What it does Centres and zooms the 3D view on the selected orthopanel, positioning the camera to provide a clear view of the plane's location and orientation in 3D space. The view is oriented to show the orthopanel face-on for optimal viewing.
When to use it
- Locating orthopanels in 3D space
- Reviewing orthopanel spatial context
- Navigating between multiple cross-sections
- Inspecting orthopanel content in detail
Notes View is positioned perpendicular to the orthopanel for optimal viewing. Zoom is adjusted to frame the entire panel extent. Useful for quickly navigating to specific cross-section locations in complex 3D datasets.
Display & Analysis
Make Active
Menu name: Make Active
Tooltip Set this orthopanel as the active orthopanel.
What it does Designates the selected orthopanel as the "active" orthopanel. The active orthopanel is used as a reference by various operations and may receive special display treatment (highlighting, different rendering). Only one orthopanel can be active at a time.
When to use it
- Before operations requiring a reference plane
- When digitising or tracing features on orthopanel images
- For workflows that reference the active orthopanel
- Setting primary cross-section for analysis
Notes Active status is indicated in the project tree and may affect display highlighting. Some digitising and measurement operations automatically apply to or reference the active orthopanel. Particularly useful when working with multiple cross-sections simultaneously.
Attributes
Commands in this submenu convert orthopanel RGB colour images to grayscale attribute representations using different conversion methods.
Grayscale (luminosity)
Menu name: Grayscale (luminosity)
Tooltip Convert orthopanel to grayscale using luminosity-weighted formula.
What it does Converts the orthopanel's RGB colour image to grayscale using a luminosity-weighted formula that accounts for human perception of brightness. This method weights green most heavily (typically 0.59), followed by red (0.30) and blue (0.11), producing grayscale values that correspond to perceived brightness.
When to use it
- Creating perceptually accurate grayscale representations
- Preparing images for analysis requiring luminance values
- Converting colour imagery for publication (black and white)
- Extracting brightness information from colour data
Notes
Luminosity formula (typically 0.30*R + 0.59*G + 0.11*B) reflects human eye sensitivity - we perceive green as brighter than red or blue at equal intensities. This produces the most natural-looking grayscale conversions.
Result is stored as a new attribute channel. Original colour image is preserved. This is the recommended method for most grayscale conversions as it produces results closest to human perception.
Grayscale (Average)
Menu name: Grayscale (Average)
Tooltip Convert orthopanel to grayscale using simple averaging.
What it does
Converts the orthopanel's RGB colour image to grayscale by computing the simple arithmetic mean of red, green, and blue channel values ((R + G + B) / 3). This produces grayscale values without perceptual weighting.
When to use it
- When equal weighting of all colour channels is desired
- For mathematical or statistical analysis of colour data
- When perceptual accuracy is not critical
- Creating unweighted intensity representations
Notes Simple averaging does not account for human perception - the result may appear less natural than luminosity-weighted grayscale. Green areas may appear darker than expected, while blue areas may appear lighter. Use luminosity method for most applications; use average method when mathematical rather than perceptual accuracy is needed.
Grayscale (Lightness)
Menu name: Grayscale (Lightness)
Tooltip Convert orthopanel to grayscale using lightness formula.
What it does
Converts the orthopanel's RGB colour image to grayscale using the lightness formula: (max(R,G,B) + min(R,G,B)) / 2. This computes the midpoint between the brightest and darkest colour channels, producing a different grayscale representation than luminosity or averaging.
When to use it
- When highlighting colour saturation differences
- Creating alternative grayscale representations
- Comparing with other grayscale conversion methods
- Specific image processing workflows requiring lightness values
Notes Lightness method emphasises highly saturated colours differently than luminosity. Pure colours (saturated hues) may appear brighter or darker compared to desaturated colours of similar luminosity. Less commonly used than luminosity method for general visualisation, but useful for specific analytical purposes.
Regeneration & Updates
Regenerate
Menu name: Regenerate
Tooltip Recalculate orthopanel from source 3D data.
What it does Recalculates and regenerates the orthopanel image by re-sampling the source 3D data (point cloud, mesh, or voxel model). This updates the orthopanel to reflect any changes in the source data, such as filtering, editing, or attribute modifications. The plane position and orientation remain unchanged.
When to use it
- After editing or filtering source point cloud/mesh data
- When source data attributes have been updated
- After changing visualisation settings or colour mapping
- To update orthopanel resolution or sampling parameters
- Following mesh refinement or point cloud decluttering
Notes
Regeneration may be time-consuming for high-resolution orthopanels extracted from large datasets. Resolution and extent remain unchanged unless regeneration parameters are modified.
Original plane definition (position, orientation, extent) is preserved. Only the image content is recalculated by re-sampling the source geometry. If source data has been deleted or significantly changed, regeneration may produce different results. Useful when source data has been refined or corrected but orthopanel still references old data.
Export
Export
Menu name: Export
Tooltip Export orthopanel to image file.
What it does See Export in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Opens export dialogue to save the orthopanel as an image file in various formats (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, BMP). Export includes the rendered image content with current colour mapping, attributes, and annotations.
When to use it
- Creating figures for reports or publications
- Archiving cross-section images
- Sharing visualisations with collaborators
- Preparing images for GIS or CAD integration
- Exporting for image analysis in external software
Notes Export preserves current visualisation settings (colour mapping, attribute display, transparency). Resolution matches the orthopanel's defined resolution. For georeferenced export with spatial information (world file, GeoTIFF), ensure coordinate system is defined. TIFF format supports high bit depth and georeferencing metadata. JPEG is lossy but produces smaller files.
Object Operations
Delete
Menu name: Delete
Tooltip Permanently remove orthopanel from project.
What it does See Delete in Shared Commands for complete documentation. Permanently removes the orthopanel from the project database. The underlying source data (point cloud, mesh) is not affected - only the orthopanel definition and cached image are deleted.
When to use it
- Removing obsolete cross-sections
- Cleaning up redundant orthopanels
- Deleting incorrectly positioned planes
- Managing project size by removing unused panels
Notes
Deleting an orthopanel does not affect the source 3D data. The orthopanel can be recreated by re-extracting a cross-section from the source data if needed.
Operation cannot be undone. The cached orthopanel image and plane definition are removed, but source geometry remains intact. Consider exporting important orthopanels before deletion for archival purposes.