WinKarst V11.0

[Garry Petrie]

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****           WINKARST VERSION 11.0                      ****
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WinKarst 11.0 is available now. The two most important
improvements are sketch sheets, improved loop user interface
and three new data export file types. WinKarst is by far the
most useful software for cave survey and mapping.

WinKarst is "shareware" with a 30-day trial period. WinKarst 
runs on Windows '95 through XP operating systems. It is 
recommended the Pentium class computer have at 256MB of RAM and
a display resolution of at least 800x600 and set to display 
24 or 32 bit color. 

A fee of $25 registers a license, previous and subsequent 
registered users can upgrade for. The update includes an 
updated help file and online pdf manual suitable for printing. 

View the general description at

http://www.resurgentsoftware.com/winkarst.html

and download at

http://www.resurgentsoftware.com/software/download.htm

and email to

support@resurgentsoftware.com

The major enhancements in Version 11.0 are

o Sketches
  - Each sketch can be labeled with a Sheet Name.
  - The user can display all sketches with the same Sheet Name.
  - Sketch Preference dialog selects Sheet to display.
  - Sketch Preference dialog search by station, survey or name.
  - Single/Sheet/All sketch speed button
  - The survey editor has a Right-button mouse menu for sketches.

o File export types
  - ERSI Shapefile export.
  - dBaseIII database export.
  - COMPASS export of loops or group surveys.
  - DXF export now in UTM coordinates if geographic model.
  - Twelve total export file types.

o Loops
  - Plots of loops include side shots.
  - Export of loops or groups uses true north azimuth.
  - Ruler measurement works in loop and group focus.
  - Exclude non-blunder loops in Loop dialog.
  - Loops filtered by name in Loop dialog.
  - Station search of loops in Loop dialog.
  - After loop closer, option to return to unclosed.

o Miscellaneous improvements
  - Error and warning dialogs are modal, must close.
  - The user can close all dialogs by pressing ESC key first.
  - UTM grid increases density with zoom.

For previous users of WinKarst, the user can install version 11.0
directly over an earlier version and it should assume your 
existing registration code. However, as a precaution, please write 
down your registration code by running the older version 
first and accessing the Registration dialog from the Help 
pull down menu. Then install the new version.

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Detailed descriptions
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o Sketches
  - In very complicated caves, overlaying passages can make
    it impossible to distinguish coincident sketches. Users can
    label sketches with a Sheet Name. WinKarst treats all of the
    sketches with the same Sheet Name as a composite drawing. The
    user can assemble any number of Sheets to create complete
    non-overlapping views of the map.

  - The user can display all sketches with the same Sheet Name by
    clicking on one of three Sketch buttons on the tool bar.
    One button is for a single sketch, another for a sheet and
    the last for all sketches.

  - The Sketch Preference dialog selects which Sheet or single
    sketch to display. The dialog allows for searching the
    sketches by station or survey name. The search returns a
    list of sketches containing the station or survey.

  - The survey editor has a right-button mouse menu for sketches.
    The menu can invoke Photoshop 6.0 or Coreldraw 8.0 with
    the sketch. After touching up the sketch in the external
    image editor, a refresh option recalls the updated file.

o File export types
  - ERSI Shapefile export. The cave model creates six themes
    in ArcView/ArcExplorer, stations, shots, surveys, caves,
    control points and identity. Some 50 data fields are
    included in all of the themes. If the cave has a geographic
    reference point, then the export is in UTM coordinates.

  - dBaseIII database export. The database export is the same
    as the comma-delimited format, but much easier to import
    into database programs. There are 59 data fields in the
    export. Included with this version is an example Microsoft
    Access database with make-table queries to sort the data
    into tables of stations, surveys, etc.

  - Like the Shapefile export, the DXF export will be in UTM 
    coordinates if the survey has a geographic reference point.

  - Previous version only allowed for the export of surveys,
    loops and groups in native WinKarst format. Now the export
    of survey type objects includes COMPASS DAT file type.

  - 12 total export file types.
       Bitmap Files               .bmp
       Portable Network Graphics  .png
       Drawing exchange           .dxf
       WinKarst Survey            .sur
       SMAPS Survey               .sef
       COMPASS Survey             .dat
       dBaseIII                   .dbf
       ERSI ShapeFile             .shp
       Spread Sheet               .txt
       Garmin Track               .trk
       Garmin WayPoint            .wpt
       Waypoint+                  .txt

o Loops
  - Plots of loops now include side shots from each station 
    along the loop. The user can color a loop and the
    side shots appear in either black or white. Including the
    connecting shots of the loop helps the surveyor find blunders.
    The shots make recovering the stations in the cave easier.

  - For loop export, WinKarst normalizes each bearing to true
    north, because each survey can have a different magnetic 
    declination. This ensures subsequent processing of the
    exported loop yield the same results as from the original.

  - Previous versions the ruler measurement tool and the station
    inspection tool did not work when the focus was on a
    particular loop or survey group. The problem is corrected.

  - The Loop Preference Dialog has been improved. There is now a
    check box to exclude non-blunder loops. The cutoff value for
    blunders is in the Calculations|Parameters dialog. Typing
    a loop name selects a subset of all loops starting with the
    same characters. Typing a station name selects all loops
    containing the station. In the Calculations pull down menu
    there is a new option to return to the un-closed data after 
    loop closure.

o Miscellaneous improvements
  - Previous versions did not prevent the users from clicking
    on new menus or dialogs if an error or warning message
    appeared. This led to unstable or fatal conditions. Now
    error and warning dialogs are modal, which means the user
    must click on the OK button to close them before proceeding.

  - The user can close all dialogs by pressing the ESC key when
    the dialog first appears. This provides a quick exit when an
    undesired dialog is accidentally selected.

  - UTM grid increases density with zoom. Normally, WinKarst
    displays the UTM grid on 1km spacing. However, many caves are 
    smaller than 1km and as the user zooms in, the grid disappears. 
    Now the grid adapts to the scale, using grids of 100 and 
    10 meters.