Annotation Introduction
Models in Reveal4D can be annotated, or marked up. Typical uses for this include:
- Marking different types of damage (or defects).
- Providing contextual labels (such as span numbering or compass points).
- Showing positions of survey points.
Annotation Concepts
Annotation sets
Each model may have zero or more associated annotation sets. Annotation sets are managed in the web interface, where you can:
- Add new annotation sets
- Delete sets
- Copy an annotation set (ie, add a new annotation set and populate with a copy of the annotations in an existing set)
- Rename a set, lock/unlock, and manage permissions ("Edit")
- Import annotations from a CSV file
An annotation set may be locked, in which case the set and its contents cannot be modified without first unlocking.
The web and desktop clients each have an "active" annotation set, which may be different.
On the desktop client, the selected annotation set controls:
- Which annotation set is shown (subject to the selected style sheet).
- Which annotation set new annotations are added to.
The selected annotation set will be styled by the selected style sheet. If the style sheet does not provide styles for the annotations in the selected annotation set, no annotations will be visible.
In the web app, the annotations shown in the table view are for the selected set.
Annotations
Every annotation belongs to exactly one annotation set.
An annotation consists of:
- A location (a point in 3D space)
- View settings
- An optional shape (a point, line string, or polygon)
- Optional properties, conforming to property templates
- Metadata (creation and modification date and user)
The location, shape, and view settings are not currently shown in the properties table.
Annotation tables
Annotation properties can be reviewed in tables in the web and desktop apps. In the destop app, open the right sidebar and click the "Annotation Table" button.
The desktop app table can be used to select the active annotation to allow editing. Annotation properties are not editable within the table view on desktop.
The annotation table in the web app allows annotation properties to be edited one by one or in bulk, and annotations to be deleted.
Annotation properties
Each annotation may have ?zero or more properties. A property has a name and a value. The name and the allowable values are defined the property template.
Properties are used in the stylesheet system to style annotations for display, and can be used to filter and sort annotations in the annotation table in the web app.
Annotation property templates
Before a property can be added to an annotation, a property template must be defined. The property template specifies the property name and the type of the value (string, number, single select, multi select ...).
Annotation properties belong to the project, and apply to all annotations sets across all models within the project.
Annotation stylesheets
The display style for annotations is controlled by stylesheets.
For an annotation to be visible, it must be in the currently selected annotation set on the desktop app, and the selected stylesheet must provide styling information that applies to the annotation.
Annotation stylesheets can control line and fill styles for annotation shapes, and style, content and visibility of annotation labels.
Adding annotations
- Set up the relevant property templates (web app)
- Right click and choose "add annotation" for ad hoc use
- Define annotation presets, then use Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2 etc to define annotations using the presets
- For systematic annotation, eg of defects, set up stylesheets early as this makes it easier to see progress