split desktop manual
TRANSCRIPT
Split-Desktop® Version 3.0
Help Manual
Copyright
This documentation copyright © 2010 Split Engineering, LLC. All rights reserved.
Split-Desktop software copyright © 2010 by Split Engineering, LLC
Split-Desktop® is the registered trademark of Split Engineering, LLC
Split-Online® is the registered trademark of Split Engineering, LLC
Excel® is registered by Microsoft Corporation
Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation
Welcome to Split-Desktop 3.0!........................................................................................... 1
How to Contact Us .................................................................................................................... 1
What do I need to get Started? ................................................................................................ 1
What is different in this version of Split-Desktop? ................................................................ 2
Quick Start.......................................................................................................................... 3
1. Install...................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Get a License.......................................................................................................................... 3
3. Run Split-Desktop................................................................................................................. 3
4. Start Fresh ............................................................................................................................. 3
5. Open an Image ...................................................................................................................... 4
6. Delineate................................................................................................................................. 5
7. Scale........................................................................................................................................ 6
8. Edit Delineations ................................................................................................................... 7
9. Estimate Fines ....................................................................................................................... 8
10. Get Results!.......................................................................................................................... 9
11. Export Results ................................................................................................................... 10
12. Save the Project................................................................................................................. 11
13. Enjoy Automation ............................................................................................................. 11
How Split-Desktop Calculates Size.................................................................................. 12
Start with Good Images.......................................................................................................... 12
Particle Delineation & Editing............................................................................................... 12
Scaling ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Fines Estimation...................................................................................................................... 12
Divining the Third Dimension................................................................................................ 12
The Split-Desktop Pipeline..................................................................................................... 13
Image Acquisition Techniques ........................................................................................ 14
Safety First............................................................................................................................... 14
Operating the Camera ............................................................................................................ 14
Image Resolution..................................................................................................................... 14
Capture Representative Samples........................................................................................... 14
Sampling Methodology ........................................................................................................... 16
Image Scale .............................................................................................................................. 16
Image Lighting ........................................................................................................................ 19
Number of Images to Acquire................................................................................................ 21
Installing and Licensing .................................................................................................. 24
Installing .................................................................................................................................. 24
Licensing .................................................................................................................................. 27
Geography of Split-Desktop............................................................................................. 29
Running Split-Desktop ........................................................................................................... 29
Split-Desktop Projects ............................................................................................................ 29
Three Important Windows..................................................................................................... 30
The Display Window: Images or Results .............................................................................. 31
Images Window....................................................................................................................... 33
Layout Window....................................................................................................................... 35
Selecting Images ...................................................................................................................... 36
Printing .................................................................................................................................... 37
Working With Images ...................................................................................................... 38
Adding Images to the Project................................................................................................. 38
Image Status ............................................................................................................................ 38
Viewing Images ....................................................................................................................... 39
Delineating Images.................................................................................................................. 48
Manual Edits to Delineations ................................................................................................. 50
Marking Areas of Fines .......................................................................................................... 51
Masking Parts of an Image .................................................................................................... 53
Scaling Images ......................................................................................................................... 56
Selecting Image Areas............................................................................................................. 61
Editing Images......................................................................................................................... 65
Automated Image Processing................................................................................................. 70
Estimating Fines .............................................................................................................. 72
Fines Factor ............................................................................................................................. 72
Working with Results ....................................................................................................... 76
Results Options........................................................................................................................ 76
General Options ...................................................................................................................... 77
Graph Content......................................................................................................................... 80
Graph Colors ........................................................................................................................... 83
Legend and Logos ................................................................................................................... 85
Text Content ............................................................................................................................ 87
Sieve Series............................................................................................................................... 90
FXO Series ............................................................................................................................... 93
Reference Curves .................................................................................................................... 94
Exporting Results.................................................................................................................... 97
Organizing with the Layout Window............................................................................. 101
Anatomy of the Layout Tree ................................................................................................ 101
Selecting Images with the Layout Window......................................................................... 102
Creating the Layout Tree ..................................................................................................... 105
Adding Branches ................................................................................................................... 105
Modifying and Deleting Branches ....................................................................................... 106
Adding Images....................................................................................................................... 106
Image Properties and Status ................................................................................................ 106
Scripting ......................................................................................................................... 107
Who Should Use Scripting? ................................................................................................. 107
Introduction to IronPython.................................................................................................. 107
Three Ways to Use Scripting................................................................................................ 107
The Interactive Python Interpreter..................................................................................... 109
1
Welcome to Split-Desktop 3.0!
Split-Desktop is a digital image analysis tool for measuring the size distribution of
fragmented rock. Using one or more digital images as input, it produces the calculated
size distribution as output.
How to Contact Us
On the Web www.spliteng.com
Tucson, Arizona USA Office 110 S. Church Ave, Suite #8312
Tucson, AZ 85701 USA
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Phone: (520) 327-3773
Fax: (520) 326-7532
Santiago, Chile Office Calle General Salvo #331, Oficina 201
Casilla 16807 - Correo
Providencia, Santiago ~ Chile
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 56-2-5978200
Fax: 56-2-5978206
What do I need to get Started? Split-Desktop can be installed from CD or from the web. The CD includes sample images
and projects to help get you started. If you do not have the CD with the sample images, or
if you would just rather use your own images for exploring Split-Desktop, they need to be
in jpg, bmp or tif format and should adhere to the guidelines for taking good images.
2
What is different in this version of Split-Desktop? If you have used previous versions of Split-Desktop, you may not even recognize this
release as the same software. The user interface is totally new, and the process of
calculating size distribution results has been streamlined.
Previous versions of Split-Desktop created a lot of files … and then left file management
up to you. Split-Desktop 3.0 now uses a self contained project file that includes all of
your images, settings and output options. Binary files are no longer part of Split-Desktop.
Delineations are simpler and usually better than in previous versions. The sometimes
confusing array of delineation parameters has been reduced to one simple slider bar that
will increase or decrease the amount of delineation.
Scaling has been simplified and the scales are now visible in the image. You can insert
one to three scales anywhere in the image, and modify or delete them later.
The calculations have been improved too. Not only are they faster, but the combining
formula used for merging multiple images into one result has been updated and brought
more in line with the typical field practice.
3
Quick Start
1. Install Install the latest version of Split-Desktop from the CD or over the Web.
Split-Desktop Installer
2. Get a License If you have already purchased a hardware key (dongle) for Split-Desktop 3.0, insert it
now and skip to the next step. Otherwise, contact Split Engineering to purchase a full
license or to request a free temporary demo license. Without a license, Split-Desktop will
run as a viewer which does not allow you access to most of the features covered in this
Quick Start.
3. Run Split-Desktop Start Split-Desktop from any of the shortcuts created by the installer. You will find them
on the Windows desktop and on the Start Menu under Programs | Split Engineering.
Shortcut Icon
4. Start Fresh If you have already been using Split-Desktop, you may have changed some of the
options. For the benefit of this Quick Start reset the software by doing the following:
4
Start With a New Project From the menu, select File | New Project.
Reset System Options From the menu, select Tools |Options…. Ensure that only the first and last options are
checked, as shown here.
Reset System Options
5. Open an Image A sample image is installed in the Samples folder, beneath the Split-Desktop installation
folder. If you already have your own images of muck piles or other appropriate images,
you can start with one of those instead.
Open the image by dragging it into Split-Desktop, or from one the menu options.
5
Sample Image Opened
6. Delineate Select Image | Delineate… from the menu. When the Delineation Settings dialog
appears, press OK.
Delineation Settings
View Delineations Right-click on the image to toggle the delineation display. You can also use the comma
and period keys to toggle.
6
Display Delineations
7. Scale If you are using a sample image, or any other image with red scaling balls, you can use
automatic scaling to locate the scales. If that’s not the case, skip below and use manual
scaling.
Automatic Scaling
For automatic scaling. select Image | Find scales… from the menu. When the Find
Scales Settings dialog appears, press OK.
Find Scales Settings
7
When the scales have been located, they will appear as shown here with a length
indicator and circular masks. Carefully inspect the location of the scales, and make any
adjustments necessary.
Scales Found and Masked
Manual Scaling
With the scale tool you can insert one to three scales anywhere on your image where
there is an object of known length. From the toolbar or from the menu with Tools |
Scale tool and use the mouse to locate the two ends of the scale. You can modify the
position of the scale at any time by selecting it.
Scaled Manually
* You can change an image’s scales at any time. The results will be automatically updated after changes.
8. Edit Delineations Use the eraser and brush tools to manually edit the delineations. The automatic
delineations from step 7 are a good start, but you will usually want to improve your
results by manually editing the delineations.
8
Improve Delineations with Manual Edits
* You can change an image’s delineations at any time. The results will be automatically updated after
changes.
9. Estimate Fines Preview the section on estimating fines in an image. To change the image’s Fines Factor
from the default of Medium, select Image | Properties… from the menu and move the
slider bar to the desired amount.
* You can change an image’s Fines Factor at any time. The results will be automatically updated after
changes.
Set Fines Factor
9
10. Get Results! Once the image is delineated and scaled, you are ready to look at the results. Select the
Results Display from the menu item View | Results display or from the toolbar .
Switch to Results Display
Results Display
10
To modify the way results are displayed, select the menu item Results | Results
options…. There are too many options to cover here, so see the section on Results for
more information.
11. Export Results If you are using a demo license, you cannot do this.
Excel Spreadsheet If you have Microsoft Excel installed, you can export directly to an Excel spreadsheet.
The easiest way to do this is to click on the toolbar button and a new spreadsheet will
pop up. You can also select the menu item Results | Save as…, and for Save as type
select Excel file. This saves the spreadsheet file first and then opens the spreadsheet with
your data.
Results Exported to Excel
Copy/Paste with the Clipboard From the menu, select Edit | Copy text or Edit | Copy graph. The text or bitmap can be
pasted into any application that supports the format.
11
12. Save the Project Save your Split-Desktop project with the menu item File | Save project or the toolbar
button . All of the work you have done is saved in the project, plus any changes you
have made to the way your data is displayed.
13. Enjoy Automation You can save some time by configuring Split-Desktop to automatically delineate and
scale images when they are added to the project. This works best when you have multiple
images with similar settings for delineation and finding scales.
Enable automated image processing by going back to the same System Options menu we
looked at before. From the menu, select Tools |Options… and selectively check the
options inside Perform on added images.
Automation Options
12
How Split-Desktop Calculates Size
Start with Good Images Size calculation starts with one or more images of broken rock. See the section on image
acquisition for information on proper photography techniques. Images can be cropped to
remove areas not containing broken rock. Interior areas of non-rock are excluded from
the calculation by masking them.
Particle Delineation & Editing In a partially automated step, the rock part particles in the images are delineated to create
their 2-dimensional boundaries. This step is called partially automated because the
algorithms for finding particle edges have not yet advanced to the point where human
editing of the boundaries is not required, or at least suggested, to provide reliable results.
In addition to outlining the particle boundaries, the manual editing step should mask out
any non-rock areas of the image.
Scaling Scaling requires at least one identifiable object of known size in each image. Most
images should have at least two scaling objects to account for the slope of the rock pile,
and as many as three scaling objects can be used to more accurately define the average
planar orientation of the image.
Fines Estimation Particles smaller than a certain size can no longer be reliably delineated in an image. For
the automated delineation, this size is approximately 16 square pixels. Particles below
this size are lumped together as fines. Measuring the fraction of fines in an image can be
an intractable problem so Split-Desktop uses a user-defined fines estimation value.
Divining the Third Dimension The two-dimensional particle outlines are transformed into three-dimensional sieve sizes
with time tested, proprietary algorithms. From there it is a simple matter to calculate the
histogram frequencies of the measure sieves sizes of all particles.
13
The Split-Desktop Pipeline From the operator’s perspective, getting results from Split-Desktop follows a regular
sequence of steps, or pipeline.
The pipeline is shown here with both required and optional steps. The color coding is
used to show the required order of the operations; the order of the operations with the
same color is not important. For example, you can perform the blue colored operations in
any order, but you cannot advance to the yellow colored steps until you are done with the
blues.
The Split-Desktop pipeline
Acquire
Images Reduce
Resolution
Crop
Image
Delineate
Scale Edit
Delineations
Show
Results
Required
Optional
Export
Results
Fines
Estimation
Add images
to project
14
Image Acquisition Techniques
Safety First Please practice common sense if working around heavy machinery that is in operation
and/or if working close to muckpiles or an active face. Please obey all current safety
rules and regulations! Not only the safety rules and regulations of your company, but
also of the prevailing governmental agency or authority responsible for regulating safety
and health in your industry.
Operating the Camera All images should be in focus. To eliminate side-to-side distortion, all pictures should be
taken perpendicular to the line of the toe of the slope.
Image Resolution In most cases you should use the highest resolution offered by your camera, and then
reduce the resolution to more reasonable values if required. See the section of limiting
image resolution.
Capture Representative Samples Make sure the largest scale images really show the overall size range present. Include the
patches of fines that are actually visible and not just the largest boulders or the results
from the analysis may be biased toward the coarse end.
You must get close enough so that the rock fragments are distinguishable in the image.
The image below was taken too far away to define the particles well. Much "wasted"
space in the image, i.e. space that is not going to be analyzed such as sky and foreground
in front of the pile. Not only does this wasted space lack material to be sized, but this
wasted space will waste your time later in unnecessary editing of the image.
15
Taken too far away
Good Image…. slope angle is clear, even light with few shadows, and nice range in size
Not so good image... The one large rock leads to a biased sample
16
Sampling Methodology It is important to capture your images in a systematic manner so that the calculated
results truly represent the size distribution of the material of interest. Consistent methods
should be applied to all samples that you collect so that you can make valid comparisons
between sites of interest. Try to develop (and Split Engineering will assist you) a
consistent method for acquiring images at various scales and various locations and adhere
to it in order to avoid introducing artificial bias or scatter in the size information.
You should make an attempt to capture images over the entire exposed surface of the pile
or one continuous section of the pile with minimal overlap so that the results are not
biased by omission or by repetition. Remember that only what is visible can be sized,
and that the surface may hide variations of the material beneath.
The outside surface of a muck pile before digging should not be used to represent the
material within the pile but may be important by itself. The surface of an unexcavated
muck pile may be quite different from the material within the pile that is exposed while
digging. It is recommended for muck piles to let the shovel advance to about the middle
of the shot before acquiring images that can be deemed representative of the blasted
material. If you are only able to obtain images from the exposed surface before digging,
make sure you only compare those to similar sets of data. It is probably not good practice
to compare the distribution of the outside of an unexcavated pile to the inside of a
partially excavated pile.
The amount of fines is determined by the images at the largest scale. The distribution of
fines is calculated from the zoomed in images of fines. Make sure that the largest scale
images include the patches of fines that are actually visible and not just the largest
boulders or your results may be in error.
You should be careful of changes in geology within the area of interest, since most
investigators are interested in the size distribution within a geology.
Image Scale
For material piles, you may need to take images of different scale in order to obtain a
decent sample of the material:
1) Large scale including boulders and areas of fines. The horizontal length of the image
should be about 20 ft (7 m). These images will contain the topsize material and will
adequately sample the coarse material as well as provide indications of the large areas of
fines.
2) Medium scale of typical regions of 2 to 10 inch (5 to 25 cm) material. The horizontal
length of the image should be about 8 ft (3 m). These images will provide a closer look
at the medium size material (material in size between the topsize and the fines) and will
17
lower the fines cutoff value (the value at which the software stops measuring and begins
to estimate).
3) Small scale which are zoomed in images of representative samples of the finer
material. The horizontal length of the image should be about 1.5 ft (0.5 m). These
images will try to measure the fine material to give an indication of the size distribution
within the large areas of fines that may be present on the surface of the large scale
images. Many zoomed-in fines images would need to be acquired to change the
distribution of the entire sample, but these images can help with measuring the fines and
lowering the fines cutoff value as opposed to using the fines estimation equation in the
software.
Take approximately equal numbers of images at each scale although if you are not
interested in the size distribution of the smallest scale of material and are happy to accept
a Schumann or Rosin-Rammler curve in this range, you may omit taking the zoomed-in
images.
Large Scale (Far Range)
18
Medium Scale (Medium-Range)
Small Scale (Zoom-in)
19
Image Lighting
Be conscious that shadows and direct sunlight do not interfere with the overall image
appearance as heavy shadows mask particle edges.
Images with uneven light (i.e. bright sunlight on one portion with a shadow cast across it)
will not delineate well and may require heavy editing later. The wide range of pixel
values hinders the effectiveness of the edge detection algorithms.
Overcast days actually provide more consistent lighting due to fewer shadows.
EXAMPLES
The following grayscale image has distinct areas of intense light and heavy shadowing.
This image will most likely not delineate well and will require more manual editing.
Poor Lighting
20
The following image is better than the image above, but still has areas of uneven light.
Notice the darkness below the lower scaling ball as compared to the very light looking
particles in the center of the image.
Better Lighting
The image below has even light throughout the image.
Good Lighting
21
Number of Images to Acquire
The number of images required to calculate the size distribution of a given sample of
material is not fixed and varies from situation to situation. The number of images to
acquire depends on:
1) the physical size of population of material in question; and
2) the rock size fraction that is of interest (i.e. do you need images at all three
scales to calculate a complete distribution curve? Or, are you most interested in
oversize and will accept an estimation of finer material?).
Taking these two key issues into consideration should lead you to the correct number of
images to acquire for your sample.
Contact Split Engineering to discuss methods for determining a significant sample for
conveyor belt material as well as calibration for the finer, or hidden material.
Physical Size of Material to be Measured
If what is on the surface of the material in question is deemed to be representative of the
entire population of material, then images covering the entire surface area of the material
should be taken. A key consideration in assessing the surface area is the homogeneity of
the material on the surface. If the entire pile looks similar in size on each exposed face,
then extra images of the “same” material will probably not result in better size
information. However, more images in a sample will not hurt. If the surface area does
expose varying size fractions, then images of the entire surface should be acquired.
Again, when imaging muckpiles and only acquiring a single set of images as a
representative sample of the pile, it is recommended to acquire images after the shovel
has advanced towards the middle of the pile as the surface of the blast is rarely
representative of the fragmentation inside the pile.
Size Fraction of Interest
As previously recommend, images should be acquired at different scales (large scale/far
range, medium scale/medium range and small scale/zoom-in). This allows actual data to
be measured at different scales that will eventually be merged together in one cumulative
size distribution.
For example, if you are only interested in oversize material, you can stand back and take
large scale - far range images of the entire surface that will capture those large particles
(12 inches or 30cm plus or higher). From a distance away from the pile, the Split
software will not be able to detect and delineate mid-size particles (5 to 8 inches or 13 to
20 cm or so) or smaller with only the far range image and will estimate for what it cannot
detect. For every scale image, there is a cut-off point where the Split imaging software
cannot detect (delineate) any smaller particles. Below that point is the fines estimation.
22
Depending on the scale of the image, the fines estimation may be for fairly large
particles, not only the size of what is normally considered to be fines. The fines are
distributed below the cutoff using a Schumann or Rosin-Rammler distribution, the slope
of the curve below the cutoff is calculated from slope of the curve just above the cutoff
point.
Basically, if estimation is not acceptable for smaller size fractions, acquire the medium
and small scale images. The Split software will merge the entire sample together as one
size distribution curve and the size cutoff and fines estimation will be lower.
IMAGE ACQUISITION EXAMPLES
In the above image: Very large particles in this medium range image. There is no need
to zoom further in and acquire another image as the particles are clear and distinguishable
in the image. This image would have a rather large fines cutoff size. The image is also
taken rather close to the pile, you can tell by the large change in apparent size of the two
10" balls. A better image would have been collected had the photographer, stepped
further back and zoomed in.
23
In the above image, far range picture captures largest particles, but loses resolution on the
finer particles, particularly between the scaling balls. A medium scale image, as shown
below, can be acquired without moving the scaling balls to obtain better resolution on the
smaller particles. Zoom even further in to achieve resolution on the smaller particles to
the bottom left of the top scaling ball. If you are happy to accept an estimation of those
particles based on the slope of the curve using the large scale and medium scale images,
than omit acquiring the small scale zoom-in image
24
Installing and Licensing
System Requirements
Operating System
Split-Desktop is supported on the following Microsoft Windows operating systems:
• Windows 7
• Windows Vista
• Windows XP
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows Server 2008 (see special instructions)
Hardware
Required hardware
• CD/DVD drive or Internet connection for installation
• Free USB port for the protection key (required for the full version)
Recommended hardware
• 2 gigabytes RAM
Installing Split-Desktop can be installed with the Split-Desktop CD or with the online installer
available from the company website at www.spliteng.com. To keep the online installer
small for faster downloads, it does not include all of the features and pre-requisites that
are available on the CD version.
If you need assistance obtaining a CD or downloading from our website, please contact
one of our offices.
Installing from the CD
Insert the installation CD into your CD/DVD drive. Depending on how you have
Windows set up, the Split-Desktop installer may start automatically. If it does not,
browse to the root of the CD folder on your computer and run setup.exe. Follow the
installation wizard as directed below.
25
Installing from the Web
Use any Internet browser to visit our website at www.spliteng.com. From there go to the
Downloads section to locate the Split-Desktop installer. When you have saved it to your
own computer, run the setup program as directed below.
The web installer does not include the pre-requisite packages that may need to be
installed on your computer. If your computer requires any of these packages, the installer
will attempt to download them from the Internet; therefore it is important to attempt the
installation only on computers with an Internet connection. If you experience any
problems downloading the pre-requisites, please contact your IT administrator to ensure
that your local network is set up to allow this kind of download.
Installation Options
Your first interaction with the installer will be your opportunity to select the language.
The language selected affects both the installer program and the Split-Desktop software.
Currently we support English and Spanish language options. The language of the Split-
Desktop interface can be changed at any time with this option.
Select the language
After you have had the chance the read the license agreement and additional installation
information in the Readme file, you can select the destination folder of the installed
software.
26
Select the destination folder
Special Instructions for Windows Server 2008
Installing Split-Desktop on Windows Server 2008 may result in the error message shown
below.
Error on Windows Server 2008
If this happens, first ensure that your account has administrator privileges and then start
the Server Manager (Start Menu | Administrative Tools | Server Manager). Select
Features, then Add Features, and check the box for .NET Framework 3.0 Features.
27
Adding .NET Framework 3.0 Features to Windows Server 2008
Continue with the wizard to install the .NET Framework 3.0 features, and then run the
Split-Desktop setup program again.
Licensing A license is required to use all of the features of Split-Desktop. Without a license, Split-
Desktop will run in the limited viewer mode where many of the features are disabled.
To purchase a license or to request an evaluation demo, contact Split Engineering at any
of the locations here.
Hardware vs. Software License
Split-Desktop licenses are delivered with either a hardware protection key, also known as
a dongle, or with a Softlock activation code. The hardware key is generally the most
flexible license medium because it can be moved to any computer, whereas the activation
code works only on the computer for which it was generated. Not all license options are
available with both types of license. The summary table below spells this all out.
Upgrade Licenses from Previous Versions
Some licenses held on hardware protection keys from older versions of Split-Desktop can
be upgraded to run this latest version. Plug the protection key into the computer and start
Split-Desktop. You will be given instructions on how to perform the upgrade.
28
Demo Evaluation License
The demo evaluation allows you to use Split-Desktop for a limited time. All of the
processing features are available in the demo, but printing and exporting your results is
disabled.
Summary of Licensing Options
Feature Unlicensed
Viewer
Demo
License
Academic
License
Full
License
Open projects Yes Yes Yes Yes View results Yes Yes Yes Yes Open new images No Yes Yes Yes Modify projects No Yes Yes Yes Save projects No Yes Yes Yes Print No No Yes Yes Export data (e.g. to Excel) No No Yes Yes Watermark on output Yes Yes Yes No Hasp hardware license No No No Yes Softlock license No Yes Yes No
29
Geography of Split-Desktop
Running Split-Desktop The installer puts a shortcut to Split-Desktop on your Windows desktop. You can also
run it from the Start Menu, under Programs | Split Engineering | Split Desktop 3.0.
Split-Desktop Shortcut Icon
Selecting the Language The interface language of Split-Desktop is selectable as an installation option. To change
the language after installation, select the menu option File | Select language….
Selecting the language
Split-Desktop Projects You are always working with a project when you are using Split-Desktop. Projects
include the images and their delineations, plus the various options for calculating and
displaying results. When you open a project, you will see everything exactly as it looked
when you saved the project.
Split-Desktop projects can be shared by copying one project file (*.desk) and, with just a
few exceptions, projects appear exactly the same to anyone who opens it, regardless of
how they’ve configured their personal copy of Split-Desktop.
30
A Project is a Disk File
Split-Desktop projects are a single file which can be saved to disk and copied just like
any other file. The basic operations to open and save a project are on the File menu and
the toolbar, as shown here.
Basic project operations on the File menu and toolbar
Automatically Load the Previous Project
To configure Split-Desktop to automatically open the last-used project each time you
execute the program, select Tools | Options… from the menu and check the box Load
last project on startup.
When to make a new Project
The maximum size of a project is limited by aspects of the operating system, such as
memory consumption and the size of the disk file. The answer of when to make a new
project really depends on your needs.
You could possibly put all of your work in one project and use the Layout Window to
help keep it organized, however that could result in a very large project. Generally,
images that you want to use together should be kept in the same project. For example
images that might be combined into one result or images that might be compared against
each other should be kept in the same project.
Three Important Windows The Split-Desktop workspace is divided into three main windows.
31
Three Important Windows in Split-Desktop
• The Display Window shows your images and results. The majority of your
interaction happens here.
• The Images Window is a list of all images in the project.
• The Layout Window provides you with an optional method of grouping your
images into meaningful samples.
The Display Window is always visible. You can hide the Images Window or the Layout
Window – but not both – through the View menu option.
The Display Window: Images or Results This window shows the currently selected images with one of the following display
types:
• Image display- Shows selected image files as 2-dimensional photos. This is where
you can edit the delineations, modify scales, and make other changes to the
individual images (see Working With Images).
~or~
• Results display – Shows the calculated size distribution results of the selected
images. See Working With Results.
32
The Display Window
Switching Between Image Display and Results Display
You can switch between the two displays through the View menu option or with one of
the toolbar buttons shown here.
Switch between Image Display and Results Display
33
Changing the display type between Image and Results Display does not change the
current selection. The illustration below shows two images in the different display. You
can switch back and forth between Image and Results Display any number of times.
Two images, shown in Image Display (left) and Results Display
Images Window The Images Window appears as a vertical list in the upper right corner of the Split-
Desktop main window. Images that are selected in this window will appear in the Display
Window.
The Images Window
34
The list in the Images Window includes every image that is in the project. Each image
appears once, regardless of how many times it may appear in the Layout.
Selecting Columns
The left column is always the Image column (the title appears at the top of the column)
and shows a thumbnail of the image along with the image’s status indicator. This is the
only mandatory column; the other eight columns listed here are optional.
• Name – The image’s display name
• Fines Factor – The user-defined fines factor for the image
• Results Status – The image’s status in text form
• Scale – Scaling information
• Resolution – The number of rows & columns in the image
• Modified – The date this image was last modified in this project
• Added – The date this image was added to the project
• File Name – The original file name of the image
To add, remove or change the order of the columns shown in the Images Window, from
the menu select View | Select Images Window Columns… or right-click on the column
header and select the Select columns… item.
Selecting Images Window columns
Use the button labeled <<==>> to move columns between the Displayed and Hidden
collections. To change the order of the displayed columns, select a column name in the
Displayed Columns list and use the Up and Down buttons to move its relative position.
Image Status
Each image in the Split-Desktop project has a status value that indicates whether the
image is ready for use in generating results. The image status is shown as part of the
image thumbnail in both the Images Window and in the Layout Window. You have three
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options for how the status is displayed, as shown below. To change the status display,
select View | Status display options… from the menu, or right-click on any thumbnail
and the same menu item will be on the popup menu.
Changing the status display – three options
Layout Window The layout window is an optional tool for organizing your images. See the section
Organizing With the Layout Window for details. You can create any number of branches
in its tree-like structure. The primary reason for using the layout window is to create
groups for viewing results.
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The Layout Window
In the layout shown above you can get instant results for all images taken on K-Bench by
clicking on the K-Bench node. If you are only interested in the images on K-Bench that
were in Shot 234, you would click on the Shot234 node.
Image Status
The image status is displayed in the layout window exactly as it is displayed in the
Images List.
Selecting Images There are two ways to select images: from the Images Window or from the Layout
Window. Selected images appear in the Display Window, where they appear either in
image form or in results form, depending on which type of display is active.
Selecting from the Images Window Select one image by clicking on it in the Images Window. To select more than one image,
use the standard Windows key combinations of Ctrl or Shift while clicking.
Selecting from the Layout Window Click on any image or branch in the Layout Window. Clicking on a branch that has more
than one image beneath it will select all of the images. If an image appears more than
once beneath a branch, it is shown only once in the Display Window.
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Printing Split-Desktop can print individual images or results. Images are printed the maximum
size that will fit on a single page, and results are printed on multiple pages. The first page
of the results printout is always the graph, and the columns of tabulated results are printed
on the following pages.
Display the item you want to print in either the Image Display or the Results Display, and
then File | Print… from the menu or press the button. This will present the standard
Windows printer dialog where you can select the printer and printer-related options. The
File | Page setup… menu option lets you specify the margins of the printout. To preview
the format before actually printing, select File | Print preview… or press the button.
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Working With Images
Adding Images to the Project To add an image to the current Split-Desktop project, simply open the image by any of
the following methods:
• Image | Open… from the menu
• File | Open image… from the menu
• Toolbar button (opens images or projects)
• Drag-n-drop image files
Images that are added to the project appear in the Images window. From there you can
select one or more images to view or edit.
Image Status The image status provides a visual indication of whether each image is ready to be used
in calculating results. Each image’s status is shown in the Images Window and the
Layout Window, and there you can modify the way the status is displayed with the Status
Display Options.
The status indicator will be one of these three values:
Red. Cannot be used for results (missing scale and/or delineations)
Yellow. Can be used for results, but results may not be reliable because the
delineations & scale have not been edited.
Green. Ready for results. The image is delineated and scaled, and has been
edited.
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More Detailed Information
Tooltips More detailed information about the image’s status is available from the tooltips that
appear when you hover the mouse over an image’s icon.
Detailed Status Information in the Tooltip
Images Window Columns The Results Status column in the Images Window provides a concise summary of the
image’s status, and the Scale column give details about the scales in the images. Refer to
the section on the Image Window Columns for information.
Detailed Information in the Images Window
Viewing Images Selected images are shown in the Image Display.
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Viewing a Single Image vs. Multiple Images
Most commands for viewing and editing images require that exactly one image be
selected. The multiple image view does not allow zooming & panning, and it does not
allow viewing or modifying delineations.
Single Image View – most work happens here
Multiple Image View
Image Properties
Select the menu item Image | Properties… to see the properties of one or more selected
images. When more than one image is selected, only those properties common to all
images are shown.
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Image Properties – single image
The only items that can be modified from the Image properties dialog are the Display
Name and the Fines Factor.
Display Name
The image’s name as it appears in Split-Desktop. The default name of an image is its file
name.
Columns and Rows
The current resolution of the image.
Fines Factor
The estimated fines factor used in generating the size distribution results.
Original Image
The name and resolution of the image when it was added to the project.
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Added & Modified
The time the image was added to the project, and the last time it was modified.
Getting Around: Zooming and Panning
Zooming with the Zoom tool
To use the Zoom tool, select it from the toolbar or from the menu with Tools | Zoom
tool. The mouse cursor will change to when the Zoom tool is active. Click the left
mouse button to zoom in and the right mouse button to zoom out. The zoom operation is
focused on the position of the mouse, meaning the image pixels under the mouse will still
be under the mouse after you zoom in or out.
Zoom tool – showing how mouse position is maintained
Other ways to zoom
There are two other ways to zoom without using the zoom tool:
• Mouse wheel
• + and – keys on the keypad
These might be useful when you have another tool selected, for example when you are
editing an image, and do not want to have to invoke the Zoom tool.
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The mouse wheel zoom is focused on the mouse position just like when using the Zoom
tool. When using the keyboard to zoom, the zoom is focused on the center of the display.
Panning
To use the Pan tool, select it from the toolbar or from the menu with Tools | Pan tool.
The mouse cursor will change to when the Pan tool is active. To pan the image, hold
down the left mouse button and move the mouse. You can also use the four directional
arrow keys to pan the image. To increase or decrease the distance panned with each
keystroke of the arrow keys, use the + and – keys on the keypad. Press the Home key to
automatically pan the upper-left corner of the image to the corner of the display.
Nifty Shortcut for Panning!
You can pan at any time without having to select the Pan Tool but holding down the right
mouse button and moving the mouse.
Toggling Delineations On and Off
Delineations are visible in the Display Window when viewing a single image (not
multiple images) in the Image Display. The delineation information is shown as an
overlay on top of the original image.
With the mouse cursor over the image, click the right mouse button to turn delineation
visibility on and off (press down and release the mouse button). Alternatively, use the
comma and period keys on the main keyboard to toggle the delineations.
Delineations Off Delineations On
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Changing Delineation Colors
Delineation colors are used in the delineation overlay when viewing a single image that
has been delineated to indicate particle outlines and areas of fines and/or mask. Select the
menu option Image | Display options… to modify the delineation colors.
Image Display Options
With some images, particle outlines may be more visible if you select a different color for
the particle boundaries.
Default delineation colors
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Modified delineation colors
Mouse-Over Feedback: Particle Outlines
Mouse-over feedback is a tool that shows particle outlines and size information on a
delineated image. This information is especially helpful when performing manual edits
on the delineations.
Mouse-over feedback – outline in yellow
To modify the mouse-over options, select the menu option Image | Display options….
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Image Display Options
The two options for mouse-over information are
• Highlight particles (draws particle outlines)
• Tooltip information (shows approximate particle sieve size, scaled if possible)
Both of these effects are shown in the image above where the particle is outlined with
yellow and the tooltip shows the scaled particle sieve size is approximately 4.41 inches.
Particle Highlight Options
The particle highlight can show the particle outline, the best-fit ellipse (used to calculate
the particle’s sieve size), or both. To change the highlight options, press the Settings…
button shown above.
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Particle Highlight Options
An example of the best-fit ellipse is shown here.
Particle highlight plus best-fit ellipse
Using Particle Highlight While Editing Delineations
The two images below illustrate how to use the particle highlight to improve delineations.
The first image shows what appear to be good delineations, however the second image
shows where a small bridge between two particles that might be missed by the human eye
is made obvious with the highlight outline.
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Apparently good delineations
Or are they?!
Delineating Images Delineations are the foundation of the size distribution calculations in Split-Desktop.
Delineating is a semi-automatic process of drawing borders around the boundaries of
rock particles in an image. It also includes filling areas of the image with color to indicate
that the area is to be masked, or that the area is mostly fines material. A delineated image
will show the original image overlain by the delineated boundaries.
Usually, the final delineations used in an image are a combination of the automatic
delineations performed by Split-Desktop and manual edits made to improve the quality of
the automatic delineations. It is possible to skip either of these steps, but in most cases the
most efficient and accurate method is to let Split-Desktop do most of the delineation
work for you and then do a little manual tidying up.
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Automated Delineation
Existing delineations are deleted from the images. If you have already spent time
performing manual edits to the delineations, executing this command will wipe out those
edits.
To have Split-Desktop perform automated delineations, select one or more images and
execute the menu option Image | Delineate…. The Delineation Settings dialog will give
you a chance to modify the level of delineations and auto-fines, as shown here.
Automated Delineation Settings
Move the Level of delineation slider to adjust the amount of delineation and press OK.
Do not forget to turn delineation visibility on to see the results. The effects of moving the
slider are shown in the two images here. The same image was delineated with different
Level of delineation settings.
Less delineation More delineation
The appropriate Level of delineation may change with different images taken under
different environmental conditions. It is usually easiest to start with the level in the center
and make adjustments as needed.
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Auto Fines
Check the Use auto-fines option to have Split-Desktop automatically identify particles
that appear to be patches of fines. Usually it is preferable to manually identify fines, so
this option is unchecked by default.
Manual Edits to Delineations Delineations can be edited on one image at a time. With the Image Display active, select
one image and toggle delineation visibility on.
Manually editing delineations involves three main operations:
• Drawing boundaries
• Erasing boundaries
• Filling particles with fines/mask colors
Changing the Image Status
Making manual edits to an image will change the image’s status from yellow to green by
marking the image as having been edited. You can also artificially mark the selected
images as edited with the menu option Image | Mark as edited.
Drawing and Erasing Boundaries
Select the Brush or Eraser tool from the toolbar or from the menu with Tools | Brush or
Tools | Eraser. The toolbar buttons gives you a chance to specify the thickness of the
tool; the menu options use the same width as the last time you used the tool. Move the
mouse cursor into the image, press down the left button and drag the mouse to draw or
erase. Release the left button to end.
In the example shown below, the automatic delineations have some obvious problems
that require both erasing existing boundaries and drawing in new ones.
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Original Image Automatic Delineations – Some Problems
Edited Delineations
Nifty Editing Shortcut!
There is a shortcut that allows you to quickly switch between the brush and the eraser: if
you hold down the Shift key before you press the left mouse button, the eraser tool
becomes brush tool and vice versa. This way you do not have to go to the toolbar or
menu to switch between the brush and the eraser.
Marking Areas of Fines Particles below a certain size cannot be accurately delineated so Split-Desktop lumps
them together as fines. Set the section on estimating fines for additional information on
how this affects the results.
As part of manual editing, areas of fines should be filled in with the fines color. This tells
Split-Desktop that the area is all fine material, which will be used in calculating the size
distribution results.
There are two ways to mark part of the image as fines:
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• Cut and fill an area with the Fines area tool
• One particle at a time with the Fines fill tool
Fines Area Tool
The Fines area tool cuts out an area of delineation pixels and fills it with the fines color.
The area is selected with the same rectangle, polygon, or circle options used to make
selections. Refer to that section for details on drawing the fines area selection.
Select the fines area tool either from the toolbar or from the menu with Tools | Fines
area.
Fines area tool
Fines Fill Tool
The Fines fill tool fills in existing particles with the fines color. Select the tool from the
toolbar or from the menu with Tools | Fines fill. Position the cursor over any particle
and click the left mouse button to fill with the fines color.
Fines Example
In the example below, there are large rocks mixed in with the fines. In this case it was
easiest to first remove the delineations from the entire left side of the image by making a
Polygonal area selection and deleting the delineations. Then the boundaries of the coarse
particles can be drawn in, and the fine area is filled with the Fines fill tool.
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Image with a Lot of Fines
Same Image, Delineated with Fines Areas in Red
Masking Parts of an Image Masking removes parts off the image from analysis by coloring them with the mask
color. Masking is always performed after delineations, because the masked area uses
delineation boundaries. Consider using cropping instead of masking whenever possible
because cropping is usually more efficient, however for the example below we will use
masking to illustrate the process.
There are two ways to mask part of the image:
• Cut and fill an area with the Mask area tool
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• One particle at a time with the Mask fill tool
Mask Area Tool
The Mask area tool cuts out an area of delineation pixels and fills it with the mask color.
The area is selected with the same rectangle, polygon, or circle options used to make
selections. Refer to that section for details on drawing the fines area selection.
Select the fines area tool either from the toolbar or from the menu with Tools | Mask
area.
Mask area tool
Mask Fill Tool
The Mask fill tool fills in existing particles with the mask color. Select the tool from the
toolbar or from the menu with Tools | Mask fill. Position the cursor over any particle
and click the left mouse button to fill with the mask color.
Mask Example
In the image below, you would want to mask out the shovel bucket and probably some of
the unbroken rock face at the top. In this case the polygonal shape works the best.
Image Needs Masking
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The image below shows the mouse clicks used to create the polygonal masked area.
Notice that some of the clicks are outside the image. That’s a useful trick you can use
when you want to snap a selection line to the edges of your image.
Polygon Area Selection – Showing mouse click locations
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Area filled with mask
Scaling Images Split-Desktop allows one to three scales in each image. (It also allows zero, but in that
case the image cannot be used to calculate results.) Scales appear in the image as shown
below, displaying the length of the scale and the value of the scale in pixels per unit.
Typical Scale
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Scales can be added manually, using the Scale tool, or automatically using scaling objects
in the image. Regardless of which method is used to add the scale(s), they can be
modified or deleted at any time by selecting them with the Scale selection tool.
Manual Scaling
To add a scale manually, select the scale tool from the toolbar or from the menu with
Tools | Scale tool. Position the mouse over the first end point of the scale, press down the
left mouse button, and drag the mouse to the other end of the scale. When you release the
mouse button the scale dialog shown here will ask you for the length of the scale. Press
OK and Split-Desktop will insert the scale and calculate its value in pixels per unit.
Enter the Scale’s Length
Selecting and Editing Scales
To modify an existing scale, select the Scale selection tool from the toolbar or from the
menu with Tools | Scale selection and draw a rectangle over the scale(s). To select all
scales in an image, use the menu option Image | Select all scales. The selection rectangle
does not have to enclose the entire scale, just one of the endpoints. To draw the selection
rectangle, press down the left mouse button to define one corner of the rectangle, and
hold down the left button while you move the mouse to the opposite corner. Release the
left button to complete the selection.
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Selecting a scale
Scale, selected
After the scale is selected, you can use the mouse to move either endpoint of the scale
with the end grippers, or move the entire scale by dragging the center gripper. To change
the known length of the scale, right-click on any of the grippers and select Properties…
from the popup menu. The value of the scale is automatically recalculated after either of
these changes.
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Right-Click on a Gripper
To delete all selected scales, select Delete from the popup menu shown above or select
Edit | Delete from the menu. To delete all scales in an image, select Image | Delete all
scales.
Automatic Scaling
Automatic scaling can be performed on images as they are added to the project. See the
section on automation for more information.
Automatic scaling works by locating scaling objects (generally the red scaling balls
provided by Split Engineering) in the image. Currently, automatic scaling works only
with round or spherical objects. The search for scaling objects is based primarily on their
color, so automatic scaling works best when the scaling objects in all images are the same
color.
Executing automatic scaling
To use automatic scaling, select Image | Find scales… from the menu. You will have
the chance to change any of the options shown in dialog box below, or you can just click
OK to proceed with the same settings used last time.
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Auto scale settings
• Scaling object diameter – diameter of the scaling balls
• Scaling object color – color of the scaling balls, see below
• Apply mask to scale object – check this to mask out the scaling objects after they
are located
Setting the scaling object color
The most reliable method of setting the color of the scaling objects is to copy the color
from an image. As shown in the image below, select an area of a scaling ball that is
representative. For example, avoid the edges of the ball where lighting may create bright
spots and avoid discoloration such as the writing shown here.
Representative area of scale ball color
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Copy the color of the selected area (Edit | Copy) and then run the auto-scale tool (Image |
Find scales…). When the clipboard holds image information, the Paste from Clipboard
button is enabled. Simply click that button to set the scale object color.
Clipboard option enabled
An alternative method of setting the color is to use the standard windows color selection
dialog, which you can invoke with the … button.
Rangefinder Scaling
To use rangefinder scaling, select Image | Rangefinder scaling… from the menu.
This method is the most technically difficult. You must first calibrate your camera by
using similar triangles between the sensing array, the distance to the lens, the distance
from the lens to the object and the size of the image collected. This calibration will
change if the focal length is changed, so to use this method you must calibrate for
whatever zoom settings you acquire images at. It is probably only practical to use this
method for the most zoomed in levels and the most zoomed out levels on a zoom camera.
You must also use a rangefinder to record the distance to a particle that appears at the
bottom of the image and the distance to a particle that appears at the top of the image. If
you wish to use this method, please contact Split Engineering for further instructions and
help in calibrating your camera.
Selecting Image Areas
Select an area of an image by highlighting part of the image. The highlighted selection
can then be used in the editing Cut, Copy or Delete operations. Split-Desktop supports
three ways to select an image area:
• Rectangle selection
• Polygon Selection
• Circular selection
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Use the toolbar button or select the menu option Edit | Select area and select one of
the shapes from the dropdown menu.
Three selection shapes
Rectangular Area Selection
Position the mouse over one corner of the desired rectangle and press down the left
mouse button. Holding the button down, move the mouse to the opposite corner and then
release the button. The selected area is highlighted with a marching ants border and a
shaded interior.
Rectangular area selected
Polygon Area Selection
The polygonal selection tool can draw straight lines, curves, or both. To draw straight
lines, click the left mouse button (one click equals button down + button up) on the
endpoints of the segments. To draw a curve, press the left mouse button down and hold it
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down while you trace the curve with the mouse. Release the mouse button to stop
drawing the curve. You can mix any combination of lines and curves. To erase one or
more previously drawn points, press the Backspace key.
To close the polygon, either press the Enter key or draw a point on the curve so that the
curve crosses itself. When the curve crosses itself, it will be automatically closed. Press
the Esc key to abort the current outline.
Polygonal area selected
In the example shown above, part of the area was drawn with straight lines and part was
drawn with a curve.
To draw a polygon selection that touches the borders of the image, move the mouse
beyond the boundary of the image and click a point. The selection point will be snapped
to the closest edge of the image. In the graphic below, the points where you might click
the mouse are indicated with red dots and lines pointing to the snapped location.
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Polygonal area that touches the image boundaries
Circular Area Selection
Position the mouse over any point along the circumference of the circle. Press down the
left mouse button and move the mouse to the opposite point on the circumference of the
circle.
Circular selection
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Editing Images
Cropping
The Crop tool reduces the area of the image. You might want to do this if a significant
part of the image does not contain broken rock to be used in the size analysis.
Select the crop tool from the toolbar or from the menu with Edit | Crop tool. Draw a
rectangle (see the selection tool description for drawing a rectangle) that includes all
scales in the image. If the image has scales in it, the cropped area must include all of the
scales or the cropping will fail with an error message.
Original image with crop area selected
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Image after cropping
Cut, Copy and Delete
These tools work on the selected area of an image (see Making Selections). The Cut and
Delete tools remove delineations, including any fines or masked areas, therefore these
tools are enabled only when viewing a delineated image. The Copy tool works on either
the delineated image or the original image.
Original image with polygonal area selected
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Cut the selected area
Image after cutting selected area
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Cut area is put onto the clipboard
Reducing Image Resolution
Generally, more image resolution (meaning, the number of rows and columns of pixels)
is better than less when performing image processing as performed in Split-Desktop,
however larger images take longer to process and they take up significantly more space in
the computer’s memory and on the hard drive.
The optimum image resolution depends on a number of variables, including the area
captured in the image, the size range of the particles, and the amount of texture on the
rocks in the image. There are no solid numbers to use as a maximum resolution, but in
most cases an image size of 1Kx1K (1024 columns & 1024 rows) is at least sufficient.
To reduce the resolution of an image, select the image and then from the menu select
Image | Reduce resolution…. The new resolution will be reduced to 10-100% of the
current resolution. Use the slider or manually type in a value to specify the new fraction.
Reducing Image Resolution
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As a reference, the original image resolution is available from the Image Properties.
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Automated Image Processing Some of the operations in the Split-Desktop pipeline can be configured to execute
automatically on each image that is opened. To turn automated processing on or off,
select Tools | Options… from the menu and change the settings within the Perform on
added images box.
Automated Processing Options
Delineate
Check this box to automatically delineate images as they are opened. Press the Settings…
button to modify the delineation parameters, which are the same as the parameters used
when this command is performed from the menu.
Fine Scales
Check this box to automatically locate scaling objects within images as they are opened.
Press the Settings… button to modify the scale size and the parameters used to locate
scales. These settings are the same as those used when this command is performed from
the menu.
Limit Image Resolution
Check this box to limit the maximum image size. Images that are larger than the
maximum size will be scaled down when they are opened. The final resolution will be
close to (but rarely exactly) the value specified here.
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Maximum Image Resolution
Some example resolutions are shown in the table below.
Columns and Rows Approx resolution (pixel count)
700 x 700 0.5 Megabytes
1024 x 1024 1 Megabyte
2048 x 2048 4 Megabytes
4096 x 4096 16 Megabytes
See the section Reducing Image Resolution for reducing the resolution after the image
has been added to the project.
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Estimating Fines
Split-Desktop can see and measure particles, but in every image there is a point below the
resolution of the image where particles can no longer be seen and delineated. At this
point, Split-Desktop will estimate the remaining finer material. The fines cutoff chiefly
depends on the resolution of the image (in pixels/unit). The shape of the curve below the
cutoff is determined by the distribution of the particles right above the cutoff. Split-
Desktop utilizes the best fit of either a Schumann or Rosin-Rammler equation to
represent the distribution of fines below the automatically computed fines cutoff point. A
regression is computed for the data before the fines correction for each method and the
one with the highest correlation is chosen.
Fines Factor Since the black pixels in the image represent both fines and outlines of particles, a
percentage of these pixels are included in the fines calculation. This percentage is called
the fines factor, and can vary for each image.
Change the fines factor through the Image Properties dialog. You can either use the slider
bar to select a canned percentage, or you can manually type in any percentage value from
0 and above.
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Fines Factor on Image Properties
The Fines Factor can be modified on more than one image at a time. Select any number
of images to change them all at once.
If you do not want any black pixels to count as fines, i.e. rip rap material where the fines
have been screened out, then move the slider to None which will enter 0%. Similarly, if
the material is very fine, you will want all of the black pixels to count as fines, thus move
the slider to High, which will select 100%. Of course, Split-Desktop will allow any
percentage to be entered. The default setting for muckpiles is 50% and the values above
100% are typically used when calibrating conveyor belt material.
Example guidelines for setting this percentage are shown in the images below.
Obviously not all images from a muck pile will look the same so you should set this
number based upon your overall impression. If you are group processing images, note
that the same fines percentage is applied to all images.
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Example of many fines. Use High (or 80% - 100%)
Medium fines amount. Use Medium (or approx. 50%)
Few fines present. Use Low (or 10% - 20%). Or use None (0%) if you know fine
material has been screened out.
NOTE: The fines estimation does indeed change the size calculation that Split-Desktop
produces. If the image has many black pixels, the change in size results can be dramatic.
Before using Split-Desktop for your testing purposes or as a part of the daily regimen, it
is not unreasonable to calibrate a fines estimation factor for your site. You may want to
calibrate the fines factor by imaging material and comparing the sieve results to the Split-
Desktop results. By altering the fines factor you should be able to get the lower portion
of the cumulative size curve to fit the sieve curve. Be sure to employ proper sampling
techniques before calibrating, otherwise the calibrated fines factor may not be accurate.
Contact Split Engineering if you want advice on developing a procedure. This will be
most beneficial when encountering finer material and especially when acquiring and
processing images of finer material on conveyor belts. For future systematic use of the
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software you will have a consistent frame of reference if you start with calibrated
samples.
Because the fines estimation percent is a powerful user controlled parameter, remain
systematic in its use. Split-Desktop helps to be systematic by providing five options:
None, Low, Medium High and Very High; each with a corresponding preset percentage.
Wanton use of this parameter will hinder your ability to compare data output sets with
confidence.
The image below shows the effect of changing the Fines Factor. The five curves are from
the same image at different Fines Factor values.
Effect of changing the Fines Factor
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Working with Results
To view the size distribution results for the selected image(s), select the Results Display
in the Display Window. Calculated results are available for images that are delineated
and scaled, and can be shown for a single image or a collection of images.
Results are presented in graphical form and as tabulated text, as shown here.
Typical results (framed in red) – showing graph and text
Results Options Result options are available on the Results Options dialog. Invoke the dialog by any of
the following methods:
• Menu option Results | Results options…
• Right-click on the graph or text and select Results options…
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One way to change results options
General Options Items on the General page of Results Options mostly control placement of the graph and
text boxes.
Result Options – General
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Show Graph and Text Options
You can hide the graph or the text results, but not both. The visible results are controlled
by the choices:
• Show just the graph – hide the text results
• Show just the text – hide the graph results
• Show both text and graph – show both graph and text results
Graph only Text only Graph and text
Toolbar Shortcuts
Show just the graph
Show just the text
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Graph and Text Position
The Position Text options control where the text box is placed relative to the graph.
Select one of the four options.
Left of graph Right of graph
Above graph Below graph
Toolbar Shortcuts
�Left of graph
Right of graph
Above graph
Below graph
Display Results In [units]
Select the size units that will be used in the results, including the graph and the text
output. This does not have to be the same units used in the sieve or in any reference
curves.
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Graph Content
Result Options – Graph Content
Curves Displayed
These options control how the curves that are displayed on the graph.
• Combined – Applies when more than one image is selected. When checked,
the combined size distribution of all images is displayed. Use the line style
combo box to select the line style for combined results.
• Images – Applies when more than one image is selected. When checked, a
curve for every selected image is displayed. Use the line style combo box to
select the line style for individual image results.
• Intermediate – Applies when a branch is selected from the Layout Window.
When checked, intermediate results from branches beneath the selected
branch are displayed. Use the line style combo box to select the line style for
intermediate results.
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• Reference Curves – Reference curves are displayed when checked.
• Cumulative Curve – When checked, curves are shown as cumulative
histograms
• Sieve series histogram- When checked, curves are shown as non-cumulative
histograms
Graph Showing Intermediate and Combined Results
Axis Scales
Select linear or log scale for the size (X) axis and the percent (Y) axis.
Titles and Fonts
The Axis label font is used for labels on the X and Y axis. The title appears at the top in
the title font.
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Title and axis fonts
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Graph Colors
Result Options – Graph Colors
The curves that are shown in the graph are assigned colors from the list on this page. The
colors are assigned in the same order that the results appear in the legend. If there are
more curves displayed than there are colors in the list, the list repeats.
Changing the List of Colors
Press the Add button to add a new color using the standard Windows color selection
dialog.
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Adding a color
Select a color in the list by clicking on it. Selected colors can be deleted, changed (use the
Modify… button), or moved up & down the list. Press Default to restore the color list to
the factory default.
Saved Color Schemes
The colors in the list can be saved to a *.color file. Press the Save As… button to save the
list, and the Load… button to load a previously saved color list.
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Legend and Logos
Result Options – Graph Legend and Logos
Legend Position
The Legend Position graphic on the dialog shows the eight positions (radio buttons on
white boxes) relative to the graph, portrayed at the dark gray box. Four of the available
positions are shown here.
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Some Different Legend Positions
Logo
You can replace the Split Engineering logo in the lower right corner of the graph with
your own logo. To select a different logo, press the … button and browse to a jpeg or
bmp file. Note: the entire image is stored in the Split-Desktop project, so large logo
image files may greatly increase the size of your Split-Desktop project file.
You can change the size of the logos at the bottom of the page by selecting the Small,
Medium or Large options.
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Changing the Logo Size and Image
Text Content Text content controls the amount of information shown in the text output part of the
result.
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Result Options – Graph Legend and Logos
Items Displayed
These options are analogous to the Curves Displayed options on the Graph Content page.
• Final cumulative – Applies when more than one image is selected. When
checked, the combined size distribution of all images is displayed.
• Images – Applies when more than one image is selected. When checked, a
curve for every selected image is displayed. Use the line style combo box to
select the line style for individual image results.
• Intermediate cumulative – Applies when a branch is selected from the Layout
Window. When checked, intermediate results from branches beneath the
selected branch are displayed.
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Other Text Content Options
Font
Select the font used in the text output window. We suggest a non-proportional font such
as Courier so the columns of text line up correctly.
Sieve Series
Check Show sieve series to include the sieve series results in the text output. The option
Limit sieves above 100% is used to minimize the number of sieve sizes that are 100%
passing. When this box is checked, redundant sieve sizes of 100% are not displayed. The
illustration below shows the effect of checking this option.
Limiting sieve sizes above 100%
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FXO Series
Check Show FXO series to include the FXO series results in the text output.
Fines Factor & Cutoff
Check Show fines factor & cutoff to include the fines factor and the fines cutoff in the
calculated minimum size of delineated particles.
Fines Fit Statistics
Check Show fines fit statistics to include the calculated fines fit constants in the text
output.
Sieve Series The sieve series is a virtual set of sieve sizes that you create. The purpose is to mimic the
size distribution results provided by a lab that does actual sieve analysis.
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Results Options – Sieve Series
Sieve Series in the Results
When the Show sieve series option is selected, the sieve series is shown in the results text
output. For each Size value in the list created here, a percent-passing value is calculated
and displayed, as shown in the results example below.
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Sieve Series in Results
Adding a New Sieve Size
Sieve sizes are entered by typing them in place in the list. You can start this process by
clicking the Add button or by double-clicking the mouse on the (new sieve size) item at
bottom of the list.
Modifying or Deleting a Sieve Size
Modify an existing sieve size by double-clicking on it, or by selecting it in the list and
pressing the Modify button. Changes are made to the value in place. Delete an entry by
selecting it in the list and pressing the Delete button.
Saved Sieve Series
The sieve series can be saved to a *.siv file which is compatible with the Split-Online
software. Press the Save As… button to save the current series, and the Load… button to
load a previously saved sieve series. Press Default to reset the sieve series to the default
list. The default list is different for different units, so ensure the correct units are selected
before pressing Default.
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Units
These are the units of the sieve series, and not necessarily the same as the output units.
FXO Series The FXO series is a virtual set of percent-passing values that you create. The purpose is
to mimic the size distribution results provided by a lab that does actual sieve analysis.
Results Options – FXO Series
FXO Series in the Results
When the Show fxo series option is selected, the sieve series is shown in the results text
output. For each % Passing value in the list created here, a size value is calculated and
displayed, as shown in the results example below.
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FXO Series in Results
Formatting FXO Values
The F prefix is added to the default FXO values out of convention. The prefix has no
effect on the results and it is optional. It can be removed by modifying existing values,
and it can be omitted from new values.
Adding a New FXO Value
FXO values are entered by typing them in place in the list. You can start this process by
clicking the Add button or by double-clicking the mouse on the (new sieve size) item at
the bottom of the list.
Modifying or Deleting an FXO Value
Modify an existing FXO value by double-clicking on it or by selecting it in the list and
pressing the Modify button. Changes are made to the value in place. Delete an entry by
selecting it in the list and pressing the Delete button.
Saved FXO Series
The FXO series can be saved to a *.fxo file which is compatible with the Split-Online
software. Press the Save As… button to save the current series, and the Load… button to
load a previously saved sieve series. Press Default to reset the sieve series to the default
list.
Reference Curves Reference curves are optional size distribution curves that you can display on the graph.
Each curve consists of a user-defined sieve series that includes the percent-passing values
for each sieve size.
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Defining Reference Curves
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Reference Curves on the Graph
When the Reference Curves option is checked, these values are plotted as a curve on the
graph along with the calculated size distributions.
Reference Curve Shown On the Graph (blue curve)
Adding a New Curve
Press the New button to create a new curve. Ensure that the curve is selected in the
Reference Curves list on the left, and then define the sieve series for the curve in the
Curve Definition box on the right.
Defining the Sieve Series for a Curve
The curve’s sieve series is defined in a similar manner to defining the standard sieve
series for output. The difference is that after entering the Size value, you also need to edit
the % Passing value. To do that, double-click on the current % Passing value and edit it
in place.
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Units
These are the units of the sieve series, and not necessarily the same as the output units.
Curve Color and Style
Set the reference curve’s color by pressing the … button beside the color indicator. The
standard windows color selection dialog allows you to pick any color. Select a line
thickness from the Style combo box.
Saved Reference Curves
Reference Curves can be saved with the Save As… button. Use the Load button to add a
new curve by loading its definition from a previously saved curve. Note that Load will
not only open a reference curve file (*.tgt), but it will also open a sieve series file (*.siv)
that was created with either Split-Desktop or Split-Online, or a suitably formatted text file
(*.txt). A suitably formatted text file will contain two columns of numeric values. There
may also be non-numeric data in the file; Split-Desktop will read past and ignore any
non-numeric data while searching for data that appears to represent a sieve series.
When the clipboard contains text that can be parsed as a curve, the Paste button will be
enabled. Simply press Paste and the curve will be added to the list.
Exporting Results Exporting is disabled in the Split-Desktop demo.
There are five primary ways to export your results from Split-Desktop:
• Copy/Paste using the clipboard
• Saving to a text file
• Exporting to an Excel spreadsheet
• Printing
• Custom output with script
Copy/Paste with the Clipboard
To copy the graph, select Edit | Copy graph from the menu or right-click on the graph
and select Copy from the popup menu.
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Two ways to copy the graph to the clipboard
To copy the entire contents of the text window, select Edit | Copy text from the menu (see
the graphic above). You can also copy any part of the text window by selecting it with the
mouse, and then right-click on the text window and select Copy from the popup menu.
Copying part of the text
Saving to a Text File
Saving the results to an ASCII text file writes only the text part of the results, not the
graph. From the menu, select Results | Save as…. When the Save As dialog appears,
select Text file (*.txt) as the Save as type. To save the text file in the same format as
previous versions of Split-Desktop (for compatibility with other software that parses the
file) select Text file-Desktop 2.0 Format (*.txt) as the Save as type
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Saving as a Text File
Exporting to Excel
When you export to Excel, the format of the output will mimic the way your results look
in Split-Desktop. For example, if you are showing the graph above the text, that is how it
will look in Excel.
To write the results to a spreadsheet and then immediately open the spreadsheet, select
Results | Save as…. When the Save As dialog appears, select Excel file (*.xls) as the Save
as type. See the graphic above.
To export the results to a spreadsheet without first saving the spreadsheet, press the
toolbar button .
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Results in Excel
Printing
Results are printed on multiple pages. The first page of the results printout is always the
graph, and the columns of tabulated results are printed on the following pages.
Select File | Print… from the menu or press the button. This will present the standard
Windows printer dialog where you can select the printer and printer-related options. The
File | Page setup… menu option lets you specify the margins of the printout. To preview
the format before actually printing, select File | Print preview… or press the button.
Custom Output with Script
Custom output uses scripting to provide unlimited output formatting options. For
example, the script can write to a text file using any format and/or it can send the results
as a new record to a SQL or Access database.
The menu option Results | Custom output… invokes a script with the name
CustomResultsOutput.py. There is a minimal example of this script installed in the script
samples folder which creates two simple text files in the standard Windows
Public/Documents folder.
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Organizing with the Layout Window
The Layout Window is an organization tool. It contains a hierarchical Layout tree where
images can be assigned into groups. When you select an item in the tree, you effectively
select the item plus any of its children branches and images.
A Typical Layout Tree
Anatomy of the Layout Tree The layout tree is built of branches and images. Branches are parent nodes, and the
children of a branch can be either images or more branches. A branch’s immediate
children can be branches or images, but not both.
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The Same Tree – Showing Anatomy
In the example above, the root includes two children which are branches: the K-Bench
branch and the L-Bench branch. The L-Bench branch has two children which are images.
The more complicated K-Bench branch has two children which are also branches:
Shot234 and Shot235. Both of the Shot branches have one image child each.
Selecting Images with the Layout Window You can select individual images from the Layout Window the same way you select them
from the Images Window, by clicking on the image’s icon in the tree. The Layout
Window also allows you to select multiple images with a single click by clicking on a
branch icon. Selecting a branch’s icon effectively selects every image beneath that
branch.
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In the examples below, note the selected branch in the tree and the resulting collection of
selected images.
Root Branch Selected (4 images)
K-Bench Branch Selected (2 images)
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As with any selection, you can switch between the Image Display and the Results
Display to see the selection as images or as results.
Root Branch Selected (4 images)
K-Bench Branch Selected (2 images)
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Creating the Layout Tree An empty project has an empty layout tree, composed of just the root branch. You cannot
assign images to the root branch, you have to add at least one child branch to the root
first.
Empty Project has an Empty Layout Tree
Adding Branches To add a new branch to the Layout tree, right-click on the branch which will become the
parent branch and select New branch from the menu. A new branch will appear, waiting
for you to edit its name.
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Right-Click to Add a New Branch
Modifying and Deleting Branches From the menu shown above, select Rename to rename the branch. Delete the branch
with Delete from the menu shown above, or by selecting the branch and pressing the Del
key.
Adding Images Add images to branches in the Layout tree by dragging them from the Images Window.
Image Properties and Status Select Properties from the menu shown above to view the selected image properties.
Select Image status indicators to modify the appearance of the status indicators.
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Scripting
Scripting is a way to extend the features of Split-Desktop. For example, you can use
scripting to automatically create branches in the Layout tree each time images are added,
or to employ a custom algorithm when performing delineations.
Who Should Use Scripting? Scripting is an advanced feature that involves writing computer software. It is also a
potentially hazardous feature because if done incorrectly it could lead to unpredicted or
incorrect behavior of the Split-Desktop software. Anyone writing scripts should have
some prior experience writing computer software. In most cases, you can use or modify
one of the existing sample scripts that are part of the Split-Desktop installation, so while a
thorough understanding of the IronPython scripting language would be ideal, it is not
always necessary.
Scripting is disabled in the Split-Desktop demo.
Introduction to IronPython Split-Desktop uses IronPython as its scripting language. IronPython is a variant of the
popular Python language that is tailored to the Microsoft .NET platform, making it ideal
for Split-Desktop. It is public-domain software, distributed along with Split-Desktop
under Microsoft Public License.
If you plan to do any significant amount of scripting, we highly recommend taking time
to learn the basics of the IronPython scripting language. Many books on the subject are
available, as well as online sites such at the IronPython home page that offer tutorials.
Three Ways to Use Scripting Script files are executed from Split-Desktop under three different processes:
• Script file specified on the command line
• Custom results output script
• Automation scripts execute at specific points in the processing
From the Command Line
Use the /script command line argument followed by the name of the IronPython script
file to execute a script when Split-Desktop is run. For example, this line will run Split-
Desktop and immediately execute the specified script Regression.py.
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C:\Program Files\Split Engineering\Split-Desktop 3.0>Desktop.exe /script
d:\test\Scripts\Regression\Regression.py
Only one script file at time can be run from the command line this way.
Custom Results Output
See the section on creating a custom output script for exporting results.
Automation Script Points
Automation scripts are enabled by selecting the menu option Tools | Options… and
checking the Run automation scripts box.
Enable Automation Scripts
At various points during processing, Split-Desktop will attempt to locate an appropriately
named IronPython script file that matches the processing point. If the script file exists,
Split-Desktop executes the script. The list of processing points and matching script file
names are shown below.
To customize the behavior of Split-Desktop at one of the processing points, make sure
that the appropriately named script file exists in the scripts folder of the Split-Desktop
installation. It must actually be in the scripts folder, and not any subfolders.
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Processing Point Script File Name
Before attempting to open one or more image
files from disk on request from the interactive
user
PreOpenImages.py
After opening one or more image files from disk
on request from the interactive user, after any
automatic image processing takes place.
PostOpenImages.py
Before attempting to open each individual image
file from disk. Differs from PreOpenImages.py in
that this executes once for each image, and files
opened from other scripts will invoke this.
PreOpenImage.py
After opening each individual image file from
disk. Differs from PostOpenImages.py in that this
executes once for each image, before any
automatic image processing takes place.
PostOpenImage.py
Before delineating an image. This can replace
the standard delineation algorithm.
PreDelineateImage.py
After an image has been delineated. PostDelineateImage.py
When results are requested from an image. This
can replace the standard results calculations.
CreateResultsFromSingleImage.py
When the Histogram of sizes is requested from
an image. This can replace the standard
histogram generation.
CalculateHistogram.py
Sample Scripts
Refer to the sample script files in the scripts/samples folder of the Split-Desktop
installation. These sample scripts include comments that describe objects which are made
available to the script, plus they may help get your started writing your own script.
Caching Script Files
Script files are not cached, but their existence is. That means that you can change the
content of a script file while Split-Desktop is running. However if a script file does not
exist the first time Split-Desktop looks for it, it will not be searched for again until you
restart Split-Desktop.
The Interactive Python Interpreter While not directly related to writing scripts to control Split-Desktop, the IronPython
interactive interpreter is a convenient tool you can use for exploring IronPython, testing
scripts, or learning about the Split-Desktop interface to IronPython.
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To start the interpreter, run the ipy.exe program that is installed in the Split-Desktop
installation folder. The screenshot below shows the first three commands you are likely to
execute inside the interpreter. These commands import the Split-Desktop interface into
IronPython. Note that when running automation scripts from within Split-Desktop, these
commands are executed automatically and do not need to appear in your script file.
Getting Help
The best way to get help is by looking over the sample scripts and exploring the script
interface with the interpreter. After executing the three statements shown above, you can
explore the Split-Desktop interface to IronPython using the dir( …) and help(…)
commands. A few examples are shown below with the commands shown in blue.
>>> dir(Desktop)
['Algebra2D', 'CodedPoint', 'ColorSpace', 'ColorTriplet', 'DefaultDelineationSet
tings', 'DesktopDocSimple', 'Frame', 'GaussianSmoothList', 'Gray8Frame', 'Histog
ram', 'HistogramFraction', 'HistogramResizer', 'Image', 'ImageTreeNode', 'MainWi
ndowProxy', 'Particle', 'Properties', 'RGB24Frame', 'RawParticle', 'ReferenceCur
ve', 'Results', 'ResultsCalculatorOrig', 'ResultsDisplay', 'Shell', 'SieveSeries
', 'Win32']
>>> dir(Desktop.Algebra2D)
['Exact32', 'Real4']
>>> dir(Desktop.Algebra2D.Exact32)
['Point', 'Polygon', 'Rect', 'Segment', 'Vector']
>>> help(Desktop.Algebra2D.Exact32.Point)
Help on class Point:
class Point(__builtin__.object)
| Point()
| Point(Point that)
| Point(int x_, int y_)
| Point(Point pt)
| Point(Point pt)
|
| Methods defined here:
|
| Assign(...)
| Assign(self, Point that)
| Point Assign(self, Point pt)
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|
| DistanceTo(...)
| Single DistanceTo(self, Point that)
|
| Translate(...)
| Point Translate(self, Vector direction, Single distance)
|
| Translated(...)
| Point Translated(self, Vector direction, Single distance)
|
| __add__(...)
| x.__add__(y) <==> x+y
|
| __div__(...)
| x.__div__(y) <==> x/y
|
| __eq__(...)
| x.__eq__(y) <==> x==y
.
.
.