Surfer ®

Powerful contouring, gridding & surface mapping system

Quick Start Guide
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Surfer® Quick Start  Guide
Contouring and 3D Surface Mapping
for Scientists and Engineers

Golden Software, LLC

809 14th Street, Golden, Colorado 80401-1866, U.S.A.
Phone: 303-279-1021 Fax: 303-279-0909
www.GoldenSoftware.com
 COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Copyright Golden Software, LLC 201 8

The Surfer® program is furnished under a license agreement. The Surfer software, quick start guide,
and user's guide  may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement. It is
against the law to copy the software, quick start guide, or user's guide  on any medium except as
specifically allowed in the license agreement. Contents are subject to change without notice.

Surfer is a registered trademark of Golden Software, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.

November  2018
Table of Contents
Introduction to Surfer ............................................................................................................... 1
Scripter ............................................................................................................................... 1
New Features ....................................................................................................................... 1
Who Uses Surfer? ................................................................................................................. 1
System Requirements ........................................................................................................... 1
Installation Directions ........................................................................................................... 2
Updating Surfer .................................................................................................................... 2
Uninstalling Surfer ................................................................................................................ 2
Surfer Trial Functionality ....................................................................................................... 2
Three-Minute Tour ................................................................................................................ 3
Using Surfer......................................................................................................................... 3
Using Scripter ...................................................................................................................... 4
Surfer User Interface ................................................................................................................ 5
Surfer Layout ....................................................................................................................... 5
Opening Windows ................................................................................................................. 6
Changing the Layout ............................................................................................................. 6
Menu and Tab Commands...................................................................................................... 7
Status Bar ........................................................................................................................... 8
Progress .............................................................................................................................. 8
Contents ............................................................................................................................. 9
Properties ...........................................................................................................................10
3D View Window .................................................................................................................12
Worksheet Document ...........................................................................................................12
Grid Editor ..........................................................................................................................13
File Types ..............................................................................................................................15
Data Files ...........................................................................................................................15
Grid Files ............................................................................................................................15
Base Map Files ....................................................................................................................16
Surfer Files .........................................................................................................................16
Gridding Overview ..................................................................................................................16
What is Gridding? ................................................................................................................16
Gridding Methods ................................................................................................................16
General Gridding Options......................................................................................................16
Grids Tab Commands ...........................................................................................................17
Grid Data............................................................................................................................17
Map Types .............................................................................................................................21
Base Map ...........................................................................................................................21
Contour Map .......................................................................................................................21

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Table of Contents

Post Map ............................................................................................................................22

3D Surface Map ...................................................................................................................22
3D Wireframe Map ...............................................................................................................22
Color Relief Map ..................................................................................................................22
Grid Values Map ..................................................................................................................22
Watershed Map ...................................................................................................................23
Vector Map .........................................................................................................................23
Point Cloud Map ..................................................................................................................23
Viewshed Layer ...................................................................................................................23
Symbology .............................................................................................................................23
Map Layers ............................................................................................................................24
Coordinate Systems ................................................................................................................24
Source Coordinate System - Map Layer ..................................................................................25
Target Coordinate System - Map ...........................................................................................25
Tutorial ..................................................................................................................................25
Tutorial Overview ................................................................................................................26
A Note about the Documentation ...........................................................................................26
Sample File Location ............................................................................................................26
Starting Surfer ....................................................................................................................27
Lesson 1 - Viewing and Creating Data ....................................................................................27
Lesson 2 - Using the Map Wizard ...........................................................................................30
Lesson 3 - Changing Layer Properties.....................................................................................33
Lesson 4 - Modifying an Axis .................................................................................................42
Lesson 5 - Creating a Profile .................................................................................................43
Lesson 6 - Saving a Map.......................................................................................................43
Lesson 7 - Creating a 3D Surface Map ....................................................................................44
Lesson 8 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titl es .........................................................47
Lesson 9 - Creating Maps from Different Coordinate Systems....................................................52
Tutorial Complete ................................................................................................................55
Getting Help ...........................................................................................................................55
Context-Sensitive Help .........................................................................................................55
Internet Help Resources .......................................................................................................56
Technical Support ................................................................................................................56
Index ....................................................................................................................................57

ii
Introduction to Surfer
Welcome to Surfer,
Surfer, a powerful contouring, gridding, and surface mapping package for scientists,
engineers, educators, or anyone who needs to generate maps quickly and easily. Producing
publication quality maps has never been quicker or easier. Adding mult iple map layers and objects,
customizing the map display, and annotating with text creates attractive and informative maps.
Virtually all aspects of your maps can be customized to produce the exact presentation you want.

Surfer is
Surfer is a grid-based mapping program that interpolates irregularly spaced XYZ data into a regularly
spaced grid. Grids may also be imported from other sources, such as t he United States Geological
Survey (USGS). The grid is used to produce different types of maps including contour, color relief, and
3D surface maps among others. Many gridding and mapping options are available allowing you to
produce the map that best represents your data.

An extensive suite of gridding methods is available in Surfer.

Surfer. The variety of available methods
provides different interpretations of your data, and allows you to choose the most appropriate method
for your needs. In addition, data metrics allow you to map statisti cal information about your gridded
data. Surface area, projected planar area, and volumetric calculations can be performed quickly in
Surfer.
Surfer. Cross-sectional profiles can also be computed and exported.

The grid files can be edited, combined, filtered, sliced, queried, and mathematically transformed. For
example, grids can be sliced to create cross-sectional
cross-sectional profiles, or the Grids | Calculate | Math
command can be used to create an isopach map from two grid files. Grids can be edited with an
intuitive user interface in the grid editor.

Scripter
The ScripterTM program, included with Surfer,
Surfer, is useful for creating, editing, and running script files
that automate Surfer procedures.
Surfer procedures. By writing and running script fi les, simple mundane tasks or
complex system integration tasks can be performed precisely and repetitively without direct
interaction. Surfer also
Surfer also supports ActiveX Automation using any compatible client, such as Visual
BASIC. These two automation capabilities allow Surfer to
Surfer to be used as a data visualization and map
generation post-processor for any scientific modeling system.

New Features
The new features in Surfer are summarized:
• Online at https://support.go
https://support.goldensoftware.co
ldensoftware.com/hc/en-us/articles/1150013860
m/hc/en-us/articles/115001386073
73
• In the web help at http://surferhelp.goldensoftware.com/#t=topics%2Fnew_features.htm
• In the program, click the help button , and click on the New Features page
Features page in the
Introduction book
Introduction  book

Who Uses Surfer?

People from many different disciplines use Surfer.
Surfer. Since 1984, over 100,000 scientists and engineers
worldwide have discovered Surfer’s power
Surfer’s power and simplicity. Surfer’s outstanding
Surfer’s outstanding gridding and
contouring capabilities have made Surfer the
Surfer the software of choice for working with XYZ data. Over the
years, Surfer users
Surfer users have included hydrologists, engineers, geologists, archeologists, oceanographers,
biologists, foresters, geophysicists, medical researchers, climatologists, educators, students, and
more! Anyone wanting to visualize their XYZ data with striking clarity and accuracy will benefit from
Surfer’s powerful
Surfer’s powerful features!

System Requirements
The system requirements for Surfer are:
Surfer are:
• Windows 7, 8 (excluding RT), 10 or higher

1
Introduction to Surfer

• 512MB RAM minimum for simple data sets, 1GB RAM recommended
• At least 500MB free hard disk space
• 1024x768 or higher monitor resolution with a minimum 16-bit color depth

Installation Directions
Installing Surfer requires
Surfer requires Administrator rights. Either an administrator account can be used to install
Surfer,
Surfer, or the administrator's credentials can be entered before installation while logged in to a
standard user account. Golden Software does not recommend installing Surfer 16 in 16 in the same
location as any previous versions of Surfer.
Surfer. Surfer can coexist with older versions (e.g. Surfer 15)
15)
as long as both versions are installed in different directories. By default the program installation
directories are different. For detailed installation directions see the Readme.rtf  file.
 file.

To install Surfer from a download:

1. Download Surfer according
Surfer according to the emailed directions you received.
2. Double-click on the downloaded file to begin t he installation process.
3. Once the installation is complete, run Surfer.
Surfer.
4. License Surfer by activating a single-user license product key or connecting to a license
server.

Updating Surfer
To update your version of Surfer,
Surfer, open the Surfer program
Surfer program and choose the File | Online | Check
for Update command.
Update command. This will launch the Internet Update program which will check Golden
Software's servers for any updates. If there is an update for your version of Surfer (e.g.
Surfer (e.g. Surfer 16.0
to Surfer 16.1),
16.1), you will be prompted to download the update.

You can also email your registered Surfer product key to [email protected] and
request to download the full product update. See the Check for Update topic
Update topic in the help for additional
information.

Uninstalling Surfer
To uninstall Surfer,
Surfer, follow the directions below for your specific operating system.

Windows 7
To uninstall Surfer go
Surfer go to the Windows Control Panel  and
 and click the Uninstall a program link.
program link. Select
Surfer 16 from
16 from the list of installed applications. Click the Uninstall  button
 button to uninstall Surfer.
Surfer.

Windows 8
From the Start  screen,
 screen, right-click the Surfer 16 tile
16 tile and click the Uninstall  button
 button at the bottom of the
screen. Alternatively, right-click anywhere on the Start  screen
 screen and click All
click All apps at
apps at the bottom of the
screen. Right-click the Surfer 16 tile
16 tile and click Uninstall  at
 at the bottom of the screen.

Windows 10
Select Settings in the Start menu. In Settings,
Settings, select System | Apps & features.
features. Select Surfer 16
and then click Uninstall . To uninstall Surfer from the Windows Control Panel, click Programs |
Programs and Features.
Features. Select Surfer 16 and click Uninstall .

Surfer Trial Functionality

The Surfer trial
Surfer trial is a fully functioning time-limited trial. This means that commands work exactly the
same as they do in the full program for the duration of the trial. The trial has no further restrictions on
use. The trial can be installed on any computer that meets the system requirements. The trial version
can be licensed by activating a product key or connecting to a l icense server.

2
 Quick Start Guide

Three-Minute Tour
We have included several sample files with Surfer so
Surfer so that you
can quickly see some of Surfer's capabilities.
Surfer's capabilities. Only a few files
are discussed here, and these examples do not include all of
Surfer's many
Surfer's many map types and features. The Contents window is
a good source of information as to what is included in each file.

To see the example files:

1. Open Surfer.
Surfer.
2. Click the File | Open command.
Open command.
3. In the Open dialog,
Open dialog, navigate to the Surfer Samples
Surfer Samples
folder. The Surfer Samples
Surfer Samples folder is located in
C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16\ by default.
4. Select the sample .SRF file of interest and click Open.
Open.
The sample file i s now displayed. Repeat as necessary to
see the files of interest.

3DView.SRF
The 3DView.srf  sample
 sample file includes contour and color relief layers, as well as a base (vector) layer
that is used for a 3D view fly-through. Select the map and click Map
click Map Tools | View | 3D View to
View  to open
a 3D view. Click 3D View | Fly-Through | Play to
Play  to view the example fly-through.

BaseSymbology.SRF
The BaseSymbology.srf  sample
 sample file i ncludes a base (vector) layer
with classed colors symbology applied to a map of Nevada.
Counties are classified and colored by population. A legend i s
included to indicate the upper class values for each of the five
classes.

Using Surfer
The most common application of Surfer is
Surfer is to create a grid-based
map from an XYZ data file. The Grid Data command uses an XYZ
data file to produce a grid file. The grid file is then used by most
of the Home | New Map commands
Map commands to produce maps. Post
maps and base maps do not use grid files. The general steps to
progress from an XYZ data set to a finished grid-based map are
as follows:

1. Create an XYZ data file. This file can be created in a Surfer worksheet

Surfer worksheet window or outside
of Surfer (using
Surfer (using an ASCII text editor or Microsoft Excel, for example).
2. To display the data points, click the Home | New Map | Post command.
Post  command.
3. Create a grid file .GRD from the XYZ data file using the Home | Grid Data | Grid Data
command.
4. To create a map, select the map type from the Home | New Map commands.
Map commands. Select the
grid file from step t wo. Grid-based maps include contour, 3D surface, 3D wireframe, color
relief, vector, watershed, viewshed, and grid values maps.
5. Click on the map to display the map properties in the Properties window
Properties window where you can
customize the map to fit your needs.
6. Click the File | Save command
Save command to save the project as a Surfer .SRF file which contains all
the information needed to recreate the map.

The following flow chart illustrates the relationship between XYZ data files, grid files, vector files,
image files, and various maps. This example displays only one of the grid based maps, a filled contour
map.

3
Introduction to Surfer

Using Scripter
Tasks can be automated in Surfer using Golden Software's Scripter program or any ActiveX
Automation-compatible client, such as Visual BASIC. A script is a text file containing a series of
instructions for execution when the script is run. Scripter can be used to perform almost any task in
Surfer. Scripts are useful for automating repetitive tasks and consolidating a sequence of steps.
Scripter is installed in the same location as Surfer. Refer to the Surfer Automation help book for
more information about Scripter. We have included several example scripts so that you can quickly
see some of Scripter's capabilities.

1. Open Scripter by navigating to the installation folder, C:\Program Files\Golden

Software\Surfer 16\Scripter. If you are running a 32-bit version of Surfer on a 64-bit
version of Windows, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Golden Software\Surfer
16\Scripter. Right-click on the Scripter.exe application file and select Run as
administrator.
2. Choose the File | Open command.
3. Select a sample script .BAS file. These are located in the C:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 16\Samples\Scripts folder or, if you are running a 32-bit version of
Surfer on a 64-bit version of Windows, the C:\Program Files (x86)\Golden
Software\Surfer 16\Samples\Scripts folder.
4. Click the Script | Run command and the script is executed. Most sample scripts open
Surfer and display a map in the plot window.

4
Surfer User Interface
Surfer contains four document window types: the plot document, worksheet document, 3D view, and
grid editor. Maps are created and displayed in t he plot document and 3D view. The worksheet
document displays, edits, transforms, and saves data in a tabular format. The grid editor displays and
edits Z values for the grid with various editing tools.

This is the Surfer  plot window with the Contents and Properties windows on the left and the
worksheet and grid editor tabs on the t op of the horizontal ruler.

Surfer Layout
The following table summarizes the function of each component of the Surfer layout.

Component
Component Function
Name
The title bar lists the program name plus the saved Surfer .SRF file name (if any).
Title Bar
An asterisk after the file name indicates the file has been modified.
All window types in Surfer include the quick access toolbar to the left of the title
Quick Access bar. The quick access toolbar contains buttons for many common commands. The
Toolbar quick access toolbar can be customized to add or remove buttons with the
Customize Ribbon command.

5
Surfer User Interface

The ribbon includes all the commands in Surfer. Commands are grouped under
the File menu and various tabs. Some commands and tabs are only available in
Ribbon specific views. For example, the Features | Insert | Polyline command is only
available in the plot window. The ribbon commands can be modified and
rearranged with the Customize Ribbon command.
The plot, 3D view, worksheet, and grid editor windows are displayed as t abbed
documents. The tabs may be reordered by clicking and dragging. When more than
Tabbed
one window is open, tabs appear at the top of the document, allowing you to click
Documents
on a tab to switch to a different window. When a document contains unsaved
changes, an asterisk (*) appears next to its tabbed name.
The Contents window contains a hierarchical list of all the objects in a Surfer plot
document, grid editor, or 3D view window displayed in a tree view. The objects
Contents can be selected, added, arranged, or edited. Changes made in t he Contents
window are reflected in the plot document, grid editor, or 3D view and vice versa.
The Contents window is initially docked at the left side of the window.
The Properties window contains all the properties for the selected object or
objects. Changes made in the Properties window are reflected in the plot
Properties document, grid editor, or 3D view. The properties in the Properties window are
grouped by page. The Properties window is initially docked below the Contents
window.
The status bar displays information about the current command or activity in
Surfer. The status bar is divided into five sections. The sections display basic plot
Status Bar commands and descriptions, the name of the selected object, t he cursor map
coordinates and units, the cursor page coordinates, and the dimensions of the
selected object.

Opening Windows
Selecting the File | Open command opens any of the three window types, depending on the type of
file selected. The File | New | Plot command creates a new plot window. The File | New |
Worksheet command creates a new worksheet window. The Map Tools | View | 3D View command
opens a 3D view of the selected map. The Grids | Editor | Grid Editor command opens a grid in the
grid editor.

Changing the Layout

The plot, worksheet, grid editor, or 3D view window, Properties window, Contents window, and
ribbon display in a docked view by default. However, they can also be displayed as floating windows.
The visibility, size, and position of each item may also be changed.

Visibility
Use the View | Show/Hide commands to toggle the display of the rulers, drawing grid, status bar,
Contents window, and Properties window. Alternatively, click the or buttons in the Contents
and Properties windows to auto-hide or close t he windows.

Right-click the ribbon or quick access toolbar to minimize the ribbon, move the quick access toolbar
above or below the ribbon, and customize the ribbon or quick access toolbar.

Auto-Hiding the Contents or Properties Windows

Click the button to auto-hide a docked Contents or Properties window. The window slides to the
side of the Surfer main window and a tab appears with the window name.

Position the mouse pointer over the tab to view the window. Move your mouse away from the window
and the window "hides" again. You can also click inside the window to anchor it at its current position.

6
 Quick Start Guide

Click in another window to release the anchor and hide the window. Click the button to return the
window to a docked position.

Size
You can drag the sides of the application window, Contents window, Properties window, or
document window to change its size. If a window is docked, its left and right bounds are indicated by
a cursor, and its upper and lower bounds are indicated by a cursor. Click and drag the cursor
to change the size.

Position
To change the position of a docked window, click the title bar and
drag it to a new location. To dock the Contents or Properties
windows, use the docking mechanism. You can also double-click
the window's title bar to toggle between floating and docked
modes. Left-click the title bar of a window and drag it to a new
location while holding the left mouse button. The docking
mechanism displays with arrow indicators as you move the
window.
The docking mechanism makes it
easy to position the Contents
When the cursor touches one of the docking indicators in the and Properties windows.
docking mechanism, a blue rectangle shows the window docking
position. Release the left mouse button to allow the window to be
docked in the specified location.

Restoring the Windows to Their Original Locations

If the Contents or Properties windows have moved or become invisible, or if they are in undesired
locations, you can use the View | Windows | Reset Windows command to move them back to their
original locations. You must restart Surfer for the changes to take effect.

Menu and Tab Commands

The ribbon contains the commands that allow you to add, edit, and control the objects on the plot,
worksheet, grid editor, or 3D view window page.

Plot Document Commands

When viewing a plot document, the main ribbon tab commands are available:

File Open and save files, import or export data, print, and set options and defaults
Home Contains common editing, selection, feature, grid, and map commands
Set the page display and a rrange or position maps and objects in the plot
Layout
document
Features Draw features and perform geoprocessing
Grids Perform grid operations
Map Tools Add map layers, and edit or analyze maps and map layers
Controls the display of toolbars, status bar, rulers, grids, and managers, resets
View window positions, tracks cursor between map and worksheet, and controls the
zoom level of the plot

Point Cloud Commands

The commands for editing the points within a point cloud layer are located in the Point Cloud tab.
The Point Cloud tab is only displayed when a point cloud layer is selected.

7
Surfer User Interface

3D View Commands
The commands for changing the view, creating fl y-throughs, and copying images in the 3D view
window are located in the 3D View tab. The 3D View tab is only displayed while viewing a map in the
3D view.

Worksheet Commands
The primary commands when viewing a worksheet window are located on the Data tab. However,
many of the File menu and Grid tab commands are also available when viewing a worksheet window,
and a few of the Home and View tab commands are available as well.

Grid Editor Commands

The primary commands when viewing a grid in t he grid editor are located on the Grid Editor tab. The
Grid Editor tab includes commands and tools for editing the grid values.

The Application/Document Control menu commands control the size and position of the application
window or the document window.

Status Bar
The status bar is located at the bottom of the Surfer window. The status bar displays information
about the current command or activity in Surfer. Click the View | Show/Hide | Status Bar check
box to show or hide the status bar. A check mark next to Status Bar indicates that the status bar is
displayed. Clear the Status Bar check box to hide the status bar.

Status Bar Sections

The status bar is divided into five sections. The left section displays information about the selected
command or item in the Properties window. The second section shows the selected object name or
the number of objects/points in the selecti on. The middle section shows the cursor coordinates in map
units, if the cursor is placed above a map. The fourth section shows the cursor coordinates in page
units of inches or centi meters. The right section displays the dimensions of t he selected object.

When viewing a grid in the grid editor, the first three sections of the status bar display a description
for the selected property in the Properties window, the active grid node grid coordinates, and the map
coordinates of the cursor location.

Adjust Section Width

The status bar section widths can be adjusted to display additional text. If "..." is displayed at the end
of the text, additional text can be displayed. To change the width, place the cursor over a section
division. When the cursor changes to a , left-click and drag the divider left or right to a new
location.

Progress
The Progress dialog indicates the progress of a
procedure, such as gridding. The percent of completion
and time remaining will be displayed. Click Cancel  to stop
the current process.

When the program does not know how much ti me is

required to complete a task, the Indeterminate mode is
displayed in the Progress dialog. This indicates that the
program is actively completing the task, with an unknown The progress of a procedure is shown in
time of completion. The program is not frozen. the Progress dialog.

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 Quick Start Guide

Contents
The Contents window contains a hierarchical list of all
objects in the plot, grid editor, or 3D view window. The
objects can be selected, arranged, moved, renamed, or
deleted in the Contents window. Changes made in the
Contents window are reflected in the plot, grid editor,
or 3D view window and vice versa.

Object Tree
If an object contains sub-objects, a or is located
to the left of the object name. Click on the or
button to expand or collapse the list. For example, a
map object normally contains at least one map layer
(e.g. Contours) and four axes. The Map object may
contain many other objects. To expand the Map tree,
click on the control. You can also select the item, and
press the PLUS key on the numeric keypad or press the
RIGHT ARROW key on your keyboard. To collapse a
branch of the tree, click on the control. You can also The Contents window displays the
select the item, and press the MINUS key on the structure of all the objects in the plot
numeric keypad or press the LEFT ARROW key. The window.
expansion state of sub-objects in the Contents window
is retained in the Surfer file .SRF. Use the Expand new Contents window items option in the Options
dialog to control the expansion state of new objects in Contents window.

Arranging Objects
To change the display order of the objects with the mouse, select an object and drag it to a new
position in the list above or below an object at the same level in the tree. The pointer changes to a
black arrow if the object can be moved to the cursor location, or a red circle with a diagonal line if the
object cannot be moved to the i ndicated location. Alternatively, select an object and use t he Bring to
Front, Send to Back, Bring Forward, and Send Backward commands. These commands can be
accessed in the Layout | Arrange command group or by right-clicking on an object in the Contents
window.

Moving Features
Features such as points, polylines, and polygons can be moved between base (vector) layers and the
plot document. The Move/Copy to Layer command can be used to move or copy features. Features
can also be moved in the Contents window. To move a feature to another base (vector) layer, select
the feature and drag it to a new position within another base (vector) layer. To move a feature to the
plot document, select the feature and drag it to a new position above, between, or below the top-level
objects in the Contents window.

Object Visibility
Each object in the Contents window includes an icon indicating the type of object and a text label for
the object. All objects also have a check box that indicates if the object is visible. A indicates the
object is visible. A indicates the object is not visible. Click on the check box to change the visibility
state of the object. Invisible objects do not appear in the plot window and do not appear on printed
output. The visibility check box also controls the visibility for all its sub-objects. For example, if a Map
object is made invisible the axes and layers within the Map will also be hidden. Note that if a surface is
made invisible, any overlays also become invisible.

Locked Objects
Objects and layers can be locked to prevent changes t o their size and position wi th the Lock Position
command. When an object or layer is locked, a small lock icon appears in the lower-right corner of the

9
Surfer User Interface

visibility check box. When a map, group, or base layer object is locked, all of its sub-objects are
automatically locked.

Selecting Objects
To select an item in the Contents window, click on the item or press the arrow keys, and the object
text is highlighted. The selection handles in the plot change to indicate the selected item. If you select
an object in the plot window, its name is selected in the Contents window as well. Only one nested
object can be selected at a time. For example, it is not possible to select two axes at once.

To select multiple objects at the same level in the tree, hold down the CTRL key and click on each
object. To select multiple contiguous objects at the same level in the tree, select the first object, and
then hold down the SHIFT key and click on the last object.

Renaming Objects
To edit an object’s text ID, select the object in the Contents window and then click again on the
selected item (two slow clicks) to edit the text ID associated with an object. You must allow enough
time between the two clicks so it is not interpreted as a double-click. Enter the new name into the
box. Alternatively, you can right-click on an object name and select Rename Object, select the
object and click the Rename command, or select the object and press F2 on the keyboard. Enter an ID
in the Rename Object dialog and click OK .

Deleting Objects
To delete an object, select the object and press the DELETE key. To move a map layer from one map
to a new map, click on the map layer and click Map Tools | Layer Tools | Break Apart.
Alternatively, right-click on the map layer and select Break Apart Layer.

Scroll the Contents Window

If the list of objects in the Contents window is long, you can use the scroll bar on the side of t he
Contents window to scroll down to an object. Alternatively, you can use the mouse scroll wheel to
scroll down. To scroll down using the mouse, click once in the Contents window to select the window.
Roll the mouse wheel backward to scroll lower in the Contents window. Roll the mouse wheel forward
to scroll higher in the Contents window.

Properties
The Properties window allows you to edit the properties of a selected object, such as a contour map
or axis. The Properties window contains a list of all properties for the selected object. The
Properties window can be left open so that the properties of the selected object are always visible.

To display the properties for an object, cli ck once on the object in the Contents window or in the plot
window. The properties are displayed in the Properties window. When the Properties window is
hidden or closed, double-clicking on an object in the Contents window opens the Properties window
with the properties for the selected object displayed. To activate the Properties window, click inside
the Properties window or press ALT+ENTER on the keyboard.

For information on a specific feature or property that is shown in the Properties window, refer to the
help page for that Properties window page. For instance, if you are interested in determining how to
set the Fill colors for a contour map or how to save data for a post map, refer to the contour map
Levels help topic or post map General  help topic respectively.

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 Quick Start Guide

Changing Properties
The Properties window displays the properties
for selected objects. To change a property, click
on the property's value and select a new
property from the pop up box, scroll to a new
number using the buttons, select a new
value using the slider , select a new
value from the list or palette, or type a property
value. Objects in the plot, grid editor, or 3D view
window automatically update after you select an
item from a palette, use one of the controls, or
press ENTER after typing a new value.

For example, a polyline has Style, Color, Opacity,

Width, and End Styles properties. Changing the
Color  requires clicking on the current color and
selecting a new color from the color palette.
Changing the Width requires highlighting the The Properties window displays the properties
current width and typing a new number or associated with the selected object.
scrolling to a new number. Changing the Opacity 
requires highlighting the current value and typing a new number or clicking on the sl ider bar and
dragging it to a new value.

You can modify more than one object at a time. Only shared properties can be changed are when
multiple objects are selected. For example, you can click on a polyline in the Contents window. Hold
the CTRL key and click on a polygon. You can then change the line properties of both objects at the
same time. Fill properties, which are available if only a polygon is selected, are not available as the
polyline does not have fill properties.

Some properties are dependent on your other selections. For example, there is a Pattern Offset 
section on the Fill page. This section is only available when an image fill type is selected as the
Pattern.

Expand and Collapse Features

Features with multiple options appear with a or to the left of the name. To expand a group, click
on the icon. To collapse the group, click on the icon. For example, the expanded Filled Contours
section in the Levels page contains three options, Fill contours, Fill colors, and Color scale.

Keyboard Commands
To activate the Properties window, press ALT+ENTER on the keyboard. When working with the
Properties window, the up and down arrow keys move up and down in t he Properties window list.
The TAB key activates the highli ghted property. The RIGHT ARROW key expands collapsed sections,
e.g., Filled Contours, and the LEFT ARROW collapses the section.

Property Defaults
Use the File | Options command to change the default settings. Default settings for rulers, drawing
grid, line, fill, text, symbol, label format, and advanced settings that control each map type can be set
from the Options dialog.

Property Information Area

If the Show property info area is checked on the Options dialog User Interface page, a short help
statement for each selected command in the Properties window.

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Surfer User Interface

3D View Window
The 3D view window displays a map in a three-dimensional view space. The input grids from grid-
based layers are rendered as surfaces in the 3D view. Base (vector and raster), post, and classed post
layers are overlaid on the surfaces. Point data in base (vector) and post layers are also displayed in
3D. The visualizations from the grid-based maps are also overlaid on the surface. For example,
contour lines or color relief layers will be overlaid on the surfaces. Point cloud layers are rendered as a
3D point cloud. Contour lines may be rendered as 3D polyline objects. However, contours are
displayed as overlays on a surface and not as 3D polylines by default.

The 3D view window only displays layers that are visible in the map in the plot window. Show or hide
surfaces, textures, and vectors in the 3D view with by selecting or clearing the visibility check boxes in
the 3D view Contents window. Completely remove a surface, texture, or vector from the 3D view by
switching to the plot window and hiding the associated map layer.

Click the Map Tools | View | 3D View command or 3D View  button in the Map frame View
properties page to open a 3D view window of the selected map. A new 3D view i s created for the
selected map. A 3D view can also be created by right-clicking a map or map layer and clicking 3D
View in the context menu. The map must include at least one grid-based layer or point cloud layer to
create a 3D view. The document tab includes the file name and view number. For example, when a 3D
view is created for a map in the Plot1 plot window, the plot window tab name is Plot1:1 and the 3D
view window tab name is Plot1:2.

The 3D view displays the map in a three-dimensional space. This map

includes contour, color relief, post, base, and point cloud layers.

Worksheet Document
Worksheet windows are a view of the data file and are designed to display, edit, enter, and save data.
The worksheet windows have several useful and powerful editing, transformation, and statistical
operations available. In addition, a coordinate system can be assigned to the data file. Several import
and export options are available for opening data files from other spreadsheet programs. The
components of the worksheet window are displayed below.

To enter data in a worksheet, click the File | Open command to open an existing data file or click the
File | New | Worksheet command to create a blank worksheet. The components of the worksheet
window are discussed below.

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 Quick Start Guide

The components of a worksheet window shown above are described in t he

table below.

Component Name Component Function

Column Letters The letter that identifies a column of the worksheet.
Row Numbers The number that identifies a row of the worksheet.
The cell highlighted with a bold outline. The active cell receives
Active Cell data input (numeric values or t ext strings) from the keyboard.
Only one cell is active at a time.
The location of the active cell, specified by column letter and row
Active Cell Location
number.
The box displaying the data or text contained in the active cell.
Active Cell Edit Box Data typed into an empty cell appears in both the edit box and
the active cell.
The name of the data file displayed in the worksheet or the
Worksheet Name
worksheet number prior to saving.
Select Entire Worksheet The button used to select all cells in the worksheet. Located in the
Button top left corner of the worksheet.

Grid Editor
The File | Open, Grids | Editor | Grid Editor, and Map Tools | Edit Layer | Grid commands open
the grid editor as a new document.
• The File | Open command opens the grid editor when a grid or image file is selected in the
Open dialog.
• The Grids | Editor | Grid Editor command opens a grid file with the Open Grid dialog.
• The Map Tools | Edit Layer | Grid command opens the grid file from the selected map layer
in the plot document. You can also edit the grid for a map layer by right-clicking on the map
layer and clicking Edit Grid. This command enables the Update Layer command in the grid
editor. The Map Tools | Edit Layer | Grid command is not available for 1-grid vector and 2-
grid vector layers.

The grid editor contains various methods for editing the grid Z values. Editing the grid Z values will
change the appearance of any grid-based maps. For example, the grid editor can be used to edit
contours on a contour map or change the surface in a 3D surface map.

Each grid node is indicated with a black "+" in the grid editor window by default. Each NoData grid
node is indicated with a blue "x" by default. The active node is highlighted with a red diamond. To
move between grid nodes, press the arrow keys, or click a node with the Select tool active to make it
the active node. The grid editor also includes contours, node labels, and a color fill. The grid
appearance is controlled by the items in the Contents window and the properties displayed in the

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Surfer User Interface

Properties window. Note the Undo command does not undo changes in the Properties window in
the grid editor.

Grid Editor Window

The following image and table explain the purpose of the grid editor window components.

This is the Surfer  grid editor with the Contents and Properties windows

on the left and grid editor window on the right.

Component Name Component Definition

Ribbon The ribbon contains the Grid Editor commands.
Toggle the display of the Node Labels, Node Symbols, Contours, and
Contents
Color Fill  with the Contents window.
Edit Node Labels, Node Symbols, Contours, and Color Fill  display
Properties
properties in the Properties window.
Plot windows, worksheet windows, and grid editor windows are
Tabbed Documents
displayed as tabbed documents.
The tool options bar contains the Z value box, Brush size, Density ,
Tool Options
and/or Pressure depending on the selected tool mode.
The node that is currently selected. The active node is highlighted with a
Active Node
red diamond.
Each grid node is indicated with a black "+" in t he grid editor window by
Grid Node
default. NoData nodes are indicated with a blue "x".
The status bar includes information about t he selected property, active
Status Bar
node grid coordinates, and cursor map coordinates.

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 Quick Start Guide

Using the Grid Editor

The grid editor can be used on existing map layers or on grid files without first creating a map.

To edit a map layer's grid

1. Select the map layer you wish to edit in the plot document Contents window. Only the grid
for this map layer will be edited, even when multiple layers use the same grid file.
2. Click Map Tools | Edit Layer | Grid in the plot window. The grid file is opened and is
represented by a filled contour map. The location of each grid node in the file is marked with a
black "+". NoData nodes are marked with a blue "x".
3. Use the Grid Editor | Tools commands to make the desired adjustments to the grid.
4. When you are done editing the grid, click the Grid Editor | Options | Update Layer
command to update the map layer in the plot document with your grid.
5. Click the plot document tab to view the changes to the map layer. If you wish to revert the
changes to the map layer, click the Undo command while viewing the plot window. If you are
satisfied with the changes to the map layer, you may wish to save the edited grid to a file.
6. If you wish to save your edits to a file, click File | Save As to create a new grid file. Click File
| Save to overwrite the existing grid file. It is necessary to save your edits to a file with Save
or Save As if you wish to update all l ayers in your map to use the edited grid.
7. To close the grid editor window, click the File | Close command or click the X in the grid
editor document tab. To view an existing window and keep the grid editor window open, click
on another document tab.

To edit a grid file

1. Click the Grids | Editor | Grid Editor command and select the grid file in t he Open Grid
dialog. Alternatively, click the File | Open command and select a grid file in the Open
dialog. The grid file is opened and is represented by a filled contour map. The location of each
grid node in the file is marked with a black "+". NoData nodes are marked with a blue "x".
2. Use the Grid Editor | Tools commands to make the desired adjustments to the grid.
3. When you are done editing the grid, click File | Save As to create a new grid file. Click File |
Save to overwrite the existing grid file. It is necessary to save your edited grid to a file with
Save or Save As if you wish to create map layers with the grid.
4. To close the grid editor window, click the File | Close command or click the X in the grid
editor document tab. To view an existing window and keep the grid editor window open, click
on another document tab.

File Types
Surfer uses four basic file types: data, grid, base map, and Surfer .SRF files.

Data Files
Data files are used t o produce grid files, post data points on a map, or generate a residuals l og. These
files are generally referred to as XYZ data files or data files throughout the help. Data can be read
from various file types. Most data files contain numeric XY location coordinates and optional Z values.
The Z values contain the variable to be modeled, such as elevation, concentration, rainfall, or similar
types of values.

XYZ data files contain raw data that Surfer interprets to produce a grid file. To create a grid file, you
must start with an XYZ data file. XYZ data files are organized in column and row format. Surfer
requires the X, Y, and Z data to be i n three separate columns.

Grid Files
Grid files produce several different types of grid-based maps, are used to perform grid calculations,
and to carry out grid operations. Grid fil es are a regularly spaced rectangular array of Z values in
columns and rows. Grid files can be created in Surfer using the Home | Grid Data | Grid Data

15
Gridding Overview

command or can be imported from a wide variety of sources such as WCS servers or other
applications.

Base Map Files

Base map files contain XY location data such as aerial photography, state boundaries, rivers, or point
locations. Base map files can be used to create layers overlaid on other map types, or to specify the
limits for assigning NoData values, faults, breaklines, or slice calculations. Base map files can be
created from a wide variety of vector and i mage formats or can be imported from online WMS, OSM,
or WFS servers. Base map files may be referred to as vector data files, raster data files, and images or
image files in the help, depending on the type of data in the base map file.

Surfer Files
Surfer .SRF files preserve all the objects and object settings contained in a plot window. These files
are called Surfer .SRF files throughout the documentation. Surfer 16 can open .SRF files from
previous Surfer versions v7 through v15. Surfer 16 can save files in Surfer 11, Surfer 12, Surfer
13, Surfer 14, and Surfer 15 .SRF format. For example, the Surfer 15 Plot .SRF  file type can be
opened in Surfer 15 or Surfer 16, but does not contain features that are new in Surfer 16. Previous
versions of Surfer (e.g. Surfer 15) cannot open Surfer 16 .SRF files. Beginning with Surfer 16, the
Surfer Plot (*.srf) file type will be backwards compatible with all Surfer versions 16 and newer.

Gridding Overview
A grid is a rectangular region comprised of evenly spaced rows and columns. The intersection of a row
and column is called a grid node. Rows contain grid nodes with t he same Y coordinate. Columns
contain grid nodes with the same X coordinate. Contour, color relief, grid values, vector, viewshed,
watershed, 3D surface, and 3D wireframe map layers all require grids in Surfer.

What is Gridding?
Gridding is the process of taking irregularly spaced XYZ data and generating a regularly spaced grid of
Z values at each grid node by interpolating or extrapolating the data values. In addition to gridding
data, Surfer can also use a variety of other grid files directly. For a li st of these, refer to the File
Format Chart  in the online help.

Gridding Methods
Gridding the data produces a regularly spaced, rectangular array of Z values from irregularly spaced
XYZ data. The term "irregularly spaced" means that t he distance between data points varies in the X
or Y direction, or both. Irregularly spaced data often has many holes where data are mi ssing. Gridding
fills in these holes by extrapolating or interpolating Z values at those locations where no data exists.
The gridding method determines the mathematical algorithms used to compute the Z value at each
grid node. Each method results in a different representation of your data. It is advantageous to test
each method with a typical data set to determine the gridding method that provides you with the most
satisfying interpretation of your data.

When your XYZ data is regularly spaced, meaning th e distance between data points does not change
in the X and Y directions, you may produce a grid file that uses the Z values directly and does not
interpolate values for the grid nodes. See the Producing a grid file from a regular array of XYZ data
help topic for more information.

General Gridding Options

Each gridding method has its own set of gridding options. Some of the options are the same or similar
for the different gridding methods, while other options are specific to particular gridding methods.
Some options that are available to multiple gridding methods include: Search, Anisotropy, Breaklines,
and Faults.

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 Quick Start Guide

Grids Tab Commands

There are many ways to manipulate grid files in Surfer. The Grids tab contains commands used to
assign the NoData value, convert, create, extract, fil ter, mosaic, slice, smooth, and transform grid
files. In addition, volume calculations, variogram generation, calculus operations, cross section
creation, and residual calculations can be performed using the commands under the Grids tab.

Grid Data
Grid files are necessary in Surfer to create grid-based maps types. Data files are typically randomly
spaced files, and this data must be converted into an evenly spaced grid before using many of
Surfer's features. Grid files are produced from XYZ data using the Home | Grid Data | Grid Data or
the Grids | New Grid | Grid Data command. With this command, you can specify the parameters for
the particular gridding method and the extents of the grid. The gridding methods define the way in
which the XYZ data are interpolated when producing a grid file. Refer to the tutorial for more
information on data and gridding data.

When creating a grid file you can usually accept all the default gridding parameters and generate a
grid file that represents your data well. Under most circumstances, the recommended gridding method
is kriging with the default linear variogram. This is the selected default gridding method because it
gives good results for most XYZ data sets.

Gridding options are set in the Grid Data dialog.

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Gridding Overview

Data Columns
Individually specify the columns for the X data, Y data, and Z data in the Data Columns section.
Surfer defaults to X: Column A, Y: Column B, and Z: Column C .

You can filter the data before gridding based on a predefined filt er or based on a user-defined
equation by clicking the Filter Data button.

If you are unsure of which columns contain your XYZ data, click the View Data button to see the data
file in a worksheet format. If you get an Insufficient data (3 or more XYZ triplets required) error, use
View Data to check the layout of the data. One common reason for this warning is that the data is not
numeric or date/time format. After clicking View Data, make sure that all three columns of data are
right aligned. If one of the columns is left aligned, the data are text, not numbers. You can use the
data view to determine the appropriate columns for the X, Y, and Z values.

Click the Statistics button to display statistics based on the selected X, Y, and Z columns.

Check the box next to the Grid Report  option to create a gridding report that includes all the gridding
parameters used to generate a grid. This report also includes statistics about the grid. You can also
access the grid statistics by creating a grid information report. Create a grid information report in the
Grid Editor by clicking the Grid Editor | Options | Grid Info command or by clicking the Grids |
Info | Grid Info command from any document window.

Gridding Method and Advanced Options

Surfer has several different gridding methods. These gridding methods define the way in which the
XYZ data are interpolated when producing a grid fil e. Choose the Gridding Method  and gridding
options ( Advanced Options button) in the Gridding Method  group. Refer to the gridding methods help
topics for more information on the options.

Click the Cross Validate button to perform cross validation on your data. Cross validation is an
objective way of assessing the gridding parameters for your data set. Cross validation is always
performed on the linear Z values, not the transformed Z values.

Output Grid Geometry

The Output Grid Geometry  section defines the grid limits and grid density.

The Copy geometry from option copies the grid geometry from an existing map layer or grid fil e. This
option is useful when creating grids that will become overlaid map layers, processed with the Grid
Math command, or used to calculate a volume between two surfaces. The Math and Volume
commands require the input grids to have t he same geometry.

Grid limits are the minimum and maximum X and Y coordinates for the grid. Surfer computes the
minimum and maximum X and Y values from the XYZ data file. These values are used as the default
minimum and maximum coordinates for the grid.

Grid limits define the X and Y extent of t he output grid. The extents of the grid define the extents of
contour maps, color relief maps, 3D surfaces and other maps created from grid files. When creating a
grid file, you can set the grid limits to the X and Y extents you want to use for your map. Once a grid
file is created, you cannot produce a grid-based map larger than the extent of the grid file. If you find
you need larger grid limits, you must regrid the data. You can, however, read in a subset of the grid
file to produce a map smaller than the extent of the grid fi le.

Grid density is usually defined by the number of columns and rows in the grid, and is a measure of the
number of grid nodes in the grid. The # of Nodes in the X Direction is the number of grid columns,
and the # of Nodes in the Y Direction is the number of grid rows. The direction ( X Direction or Y
Direction) that covers the greater extent (the greater number of data units) is assigned 100 grid
nodes by default. The number of grid nodes in the other direction is computed so that the grid nodes
Spacing in the two directions are as close to one another as possible.

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 Quick Start Guide

By defining the grid limits and the number of rows and columns, the Spacing values are automatically
determined as the distance in data units between adjacent rows and adjacent columns.

Grid Z Limits
In some cases, the gridding interpolation and extrapolation can result in undesired values, for example
negative numbers in cases where negative values are physically impossible. The Grid Z Limits options
clamp the grid output to specific minimum and maximum values.

The Grid Z Limits are applied after the interpolation operation. After the grid interpolation is
performed, Surfer locates any grid values less than the Minimum and replaces them with the Data
min or Custom value. Surfer locates any grid values greater than the Maximum and replaces them
with the Data max  or Custom value.

Convex Hull of Data

The convex hull of a data set is the smallest convex polygon containing all the data. The convex hull
can be thought of as a rubber band that encompasses all data points. The rubber band only touches
the outside points. So, areas inside the convex hull without data are still gridded.

Check the box next to the Assign NoData outside convex hull of data to automatically assign the
NoData value to the grid nodes outside the convex hull of the data. Leave the box cleared to
extrapolate the data to the mini mum and maximum grid limits, regardless of whether data exists in
these areas.

The Inflate convex hull by  option expands or contracts the convex hull. When set to zero, the
boundary connects the outside data points exactly. When set to a positive value, the area assigned
the NoData value is moved outside t he convex hull boundary by the number of map units specified.
When set to a negative value, the area assigned the NoData value is moved inside the convex hull
boundary by the number of map units specified.

To change the value, highlight the existing value and type the desired value. Values are in horizontal
(X) map units. If the value is set to a large positive value, the grid values may extend all the way to
the minimum and maximum X and Y limits of the grid, essentially overriding the Assign NoData
outside convex hull of data option. If the value is set to a large negative value, the entire grid may be
assigned the NoData value, resulting in no grid file being created.

Z Transform
The Z Transform option changes how the Z values are gridded. Available options are Linear; Log, save
as log; and Log, save as linear. To change the Z Transform option, click on the existing option and
select the desired option from the l ist.

Linear  uses the Z values in the worksheet for gridding. No transformation is applied to the Z values.
The Linear  method is a good option for data that gradually increases over space. This is the default Z
Transform.

Both Log options use take the log (base 10) of the Z values before gridding. The log (base 10) of the
Z value is then used for gridding. The Log, save as log option takes the log (base 10) of the Z values
and uses the log value for gridding. The grid is then saved with the log (base 10) values. The Log,
save as linear  takes the log (base 10) of the Z values and uses the log value for gridding. The grid is
then converted back to the linear Z values by taking the antilog of the gridded results. When the Log,
save as log or Log, save as linear  option is selected, at least three data points must be positive Z
values. Negative values are ignored for gridding. Both Log methods are good options when the data
changes very quickly over a small area or when very high and very low values occur very closely to
each other. This can be common with concentration values in ground water or geochemical data.

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Gridding Overview

Breaklines
Breaklines are used when gridding to show discontinuity in t he grid. A breakline is a three-dimensional
boundary file that defines a line with X, Y, and Z values at each vertex. When the gridding algorithm
sees a breakline, it calculates the Z value of the nearest point along the breakline, and uses that value
in combination with nearby data points to calculate the grid node value. Surfer uses linear
interpolation to determine the values between breakline vertices when gridding. Unlike faults,
breaklines are not barriers to information flow, and t he gridding algorithm can cross the breakline to
use a point on the other side of the breakline. If a point lies on the breakline, the value of the
breakline takes precedence over the point. Breakline applications include defining streamlines, ridges,
and other breaks in the slope.

Using Breaklines when Gridding

The breaklines options are displayed in the Breaklines section of the Grid Data Advanced Options
dialog when the selected interpolation method supports breaklines.

The Breaklines section is displayed when an interpolation

method supports breaklines.

Click the button in the File containing breaklines field to select the blanking file BLN containing the
breaklines. In the Open dialog, specify the blanking file and click Open. The blanking file will be
displayed in the File containing breaklines field. The number of traces and the number of total vertices
are displayed under the file name. Delete the file name to exclude the breaklines from the
interpolation process. Breaklines must contain 3 columns: X, Y, and Z. If the Z column is missing, the
.BLN file cannot be used as a breakline. Note that .TXT files can be used to define breaklines, but the
data must be formatted similarly to the .BLN format.

Faults
Faults are used to show discontinuity when gridding, similar to breaklines. A fault is a two-dimensional
boundary file defining a line acting as a barrier to information flow when gridding. When gridding a
data set, data on one side of a fault is not directly used when calculating grid node values on the other
side of the fault.

If the fault line i s a closed polygon, the gridding algorithm will grid the data on the side of the polygon
where the data are located. If the fault line is not a closed polygon, the gridding algorithm can search
around the end of the fault to see a point on the other side of the fault, but this longer distance
reduces the weight of the point in interpolating the grid node value. If a point lies directly on the fault
line, random round-off error determines which side of the fault captures the point.

Using Faults when Gridding

The faults options are displayed in the Faults section of the Grid Data Advanced Options dialog
when the selected interpolation method supports faults.

The Faults section is displayed when an interpolation method

supports faults.

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 Quick Start Guide

Click the button next to File containing fault traces to select the blanking file BLN containing the
fault traces. In the Open dialog, specify the blanking file and click Open. The blanking file will be
displayed in the File containing fault traces field. The number of traces and the number of total
vertices are displayed under the file name. Delete the file name to exclude the fault traces from the
interpolation process. Note that .TXT files can be used to define faults, but the data must be formatted
similarly to the .BLN format.

The map on the l eft is created from demogrid.dat using default gridding settings. The center map
is created with two fault lines. The right map is created with breaklines.

Map Types
Several different map types can be created, modified, and displayed with Surfer. These map types
include base, contour, post, classed post, 3D surface, 3D wireframe, color relief, grid values,
watershed, 1-grid vector, 2-grid vector, and point cloud maps. Viewshed layers can be added to
existing maps. A brief description and example of each map is listed below.

Base Map
Base maps display boundaries on a map and can contain polygons,
polylines, points, text, images, or metafiles. Base maps can be
overlaid with other map layers to provide details such as roads,
buildings, streams, city locations, areas of no data, and so on. Base
maps can be produced from vector files, images, and data files.
Individual base map objects can be edited, moved, reshaped, or
deleted. Symbology can be added to a base map to communicate
statistical information about the map features. Empty base maps can
be created and used for drawing objects on ot her maps. Raster
(image) and vector base maps can be downloaded from online WMS,
OSM, and WFS mapping servers.

Contour Map
Contour maps are two-dimensional representations of three-
dimensional data. Contours define lines of equal Z values across the
map extents. The shape of the surface is shown by the contour lines.
Contour maps can display the contour lines and colors or patterns
between the contour lines. Contours can be li nearly spaced,
logarithmically spaced, spaced with an equal area for each contour
interval, or a custom spacing can be set between each set of lines.

21
Map Types

Post Map
Post maps and classed post maps show data locations on a map. You
can customize the symbols and text associated with each data
location on the map. Each location can have multiple labels. Classed
post maps allow you to specify classes and change symbol properties
for each class. Classes can be saved and loaded for future maps.

3D Surface Map
3D surface maps are color three-dimensional representations of a grid
file. The colors, lighting, overlays, and mesh can be altered on a
surface. Multiple 3D surface maps can be layered to create a block
diagram.

3D Wireframe Map
3D wireframe maps are t hree-dimensional representations of a grid
file. Wireframes are created by connecting Z values al ong lines of
constant X and Y.

Color Relief Map

Color relief maps are raster images based on grid files. Color relief
maps assign colors based on Z values from a grid file. NoData regions
on the color relief map are shown as a separate color or as a
transparent fill. Pixels can be interpolated to create a smooth image.
Hill shading or reflectance shading can be applied to the color relief
map to enhance its depth and appearance.

Grid Values Map

Grid values maps show symbols and labels at grid node locations
across the map. The density of the labels and symbols is controlled in
the X and Y directions independently. Symbol color can vary by value
across a colormap, and symbols and labels can be displayed for only a
specific range of values. Grid lines can be added to the map.

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 Quick Start Guide

Watershed Map
Watershed maps display the direction that water flows across the grid.
The watershed map breaks the grid into drainage basins and streams.
Colors can be assigned to the basins and line properties can be
associated with the streams. In addition, depressions can be removed
by filling the depression.

Vector Map
1-grid and 2-grid vector maps display direction and magnitude data
using individually oriented arrows. At any grid node on t he map, the
arrow points in the downhill direction of the steepest descent and the
arrow length is proportional to the slope magnitude. Vector maps can
be created using information in one grid file (i.e. a numerically
computed gradient) or two different grid files (i.e. each grid giving a
component of the vectors).

Point Cloud Map

Point cloud maps display LAS/LAZ data as points at XY locations.
LAS/LAZ data can be combined from multiple files and filtered with
various criteria when creating a point cloud map. Color is assigned to
the points by elevation, intensity, return number, or classification.
Surfer includes commands for modifying, classifying, and exporting
points in a point cloud layer. A grid can be created from the point
cloud layer. Point cloud layers are displayed in the 3D View as three-
dimensional points.

Viewshed Layer
Viewshed layers highlight the regions of a map that are visible (or
invisible) from a transmitter location. The transmitter, receiver, and
obstruction height above the surface can be specified. The viewshed
analysis radius and angle can also be specified. Viewsheds can be
added to any 2D grid based map. A viewshed can also be added to a
3D surface map that is displayed with no tilt (90 degrees) and in the
orthographic view.

Symbology
Vector base maps can include symbology. Symbology uses symbols or colors to display statistical
information about the features in t he base layer. Symbology applies line, fill, and/or symbol properties
to features in the base layer depending on an attribute value. The symbology can be included in a
legend. The type of symbology and the l ayer's appearance are controlled in the Symbology dialog.
Click Edit Symbology in the Base (vector) layer Properties window General page to open the
Symbology dialog. There are five symbology types in Surfer:

• Unique Values - Line, fill, and/or symbol properties are specified for unique values in the
attribute field.
• Unclassed Colors - Colors from a color spectrum are applied to the features by numeric
attribute value.

23
Map Layers

• Unclassed Symbols - Symbols are added for each polygon feature and scaled proportionally by
numeric attribute value, or point features are scaled by numeric attribute value. Unclassed
Symbols symbology is not applied to polylines.
• Classed Colors - Colors are applied to the features by classifying numeric attribute values.
• Classed Symbols - Symbols are added for each polygon feature and classified by a numeric
attribute value, or point features are classified by a numeric att ribute value. Classed Symbols
symbology is not applied to polylines.

A symbology can be added to a base (vector) layer by clicking Edit Symbology  in the Properties
window General page. Select the symbology type, specify the att ribute field for the symbology, and
then specify the various line, fill, and/or symbol properties for the symbology in the Symbology
dialog. Click OK  or Apply  to apply the symbology to the base layer.

To apply symbology, the features in the base (vector) layer must have at l east one attribute field. Any
of the five symbology types can be applied to an attribute field that contains numeric data. The Unique
Values symbology can be applied to text or numeric data. Add or edit attribute data in the base layer
with the Attribute Table.

Map Layers
A map layer is a single map type contained in a larger map object. The map layer may be a contour
layer, a post layer, a base layer, or any other layer type that Surfer can create. The larger map object
contains all the individual map layers and axes used to create the entire map. Map layers can be
created as separate maps or added to a single map object.

It is possible to combine several maps created from related data to create one map object with
multiple map layers. You can add any combination and number of contour, base, post, color relief,
vector, watershed, viewshed, or 3D surface layers to a single map. However, a map can contain only
one 3D wireframe layer.

There are multiple ways to overlay map layers in Surfer. If you have multiple maps and wish to move
only one layer, you can drag a map layer from one map object to another map object in the Contents
window. If you wish to combine all the layers from multiple maps, you can select all the maps and use
the Map Tools | Map Tools | Overlay Maps command. This moves all the map layers to a single
map object. If you have already created a map and need to add map layers to it, you can select the
map and use one of the Home | Add to Map | Layer commands to add a map layer to the existing
map.

Coordinate Systems
A coordinate system is method of defining how a file's point locations display on a map. Different
types of coordinate systems exist that control how the coordinates are shown on the map. In Surfer,
a map can be unreferenced in local coordinates, referenced to a geographic latitude and longitude
coordinate system, or referenced to a known projection and datum. Each data set, grid, map layer,
and the map frame can have an associated coordinate system. All coordinate systems for individual
layers are converted “on the fly” to t he map’s target coordinate system. This allows maps with
different coordinate systems to be easily combined in Surfer.

A local coordinate system generally is considered unreferenced. A local system has a location that
begins numbering at an arbitrary location and i ncrements numbers from this location. This is
frequently referred to as a Cartesian coordinate system. The distance units can be specified for an
unreferenced local system in the Assign Coordinate System dialog.

A Geographic coordinate system uses a spherical surface to define locations on the earth. Geographic
coordinate systems are commonly called unprojected lat/long. Surfer has several predefined
geographic coordinate systems available. Each system has a different datum. The same latitude and
longitude value will plot in different locations depending on the datum.

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 Quick Start Guide

A Projected  coordinate system consists of a projection and a datum. Each projection distorts some
portion of the map, based on the ellipsoid and datum specified. Coordinates can be l at/long, meters,
feet, or other units. Different projections cause different types of distortion. It is recommended that
you do not use projected coordinate systems if you do not need to convert between coordinate
systems or if all your data are in the same coordinate system.

Source Coordinate System - Map Layer

Maps can be created from data, grids, or base map files in any coordinate system. The Source
Coordinate System is the coordinate system for the original data, grid, or base map used to create a
map layer. Each map layer can reference a different projection and datum. If some map layers are
using a different source coordinate system than what you want the map to display, the map layer is
converted to the map's Target Coordinate System.

3D surface maps and wireframe maps do not have an associated coordinate system and cannot be
converted to a different coordinate system. When a layer with a coordinate system is overlaid onto
either a surface or wireframe map, the layer's coordinate system is removed and the layers are
displayed in Cartesian coordinates.

Target Coordinate System - Map

Maps can be displayed in a ny coordinate system. The map is displayed in the coordinate system
defined as the Target Coordinate System. A coordinate system normally has a defined projection and
datum. When a map layer uses a different a different Source Coordinate System than the map's
Target Coordinate System, the map layer is converted to the map's Target Coordinate System.

The standard procedure for creating maps in a specific coordinate system is as follows:
1. Create the map by clicking on the appropriate Home | New Map command.
2. Click on the map layer to select it.
3. In the Properties window, click on the Coordinate System tab.
4. If the Coordinate system is not correct, click the Set  button next to Coordinate System. The
Assign Coordinate System dialog opens. This is the initial coordinate system for the map
layer, i.e. the coordinate system for the source data. Select the correct coordinate system in
the dialog. When finished making changes, click OK .
5. To change the target coordinate system for the map, click on the Map object in the Contents
window. In the Properties window, click on the Coordinate System tab. This is the coordinate
system in which you want the map to display.
6. Click on the Change button next to Coordinate System to set the desired target coordinate
system. When finished, click OK .
7. All the map layers are converted on the fly to the target coordinate system. The entire map is
now displayed in the desired coordinate system.

Surfer does not require a map projection be defined. Maps can be created from unreferenced data,
grid, and map layers. As long as all map layers have t he same X and Y ranges, coordinate systems do
not need to be specified. If you do not specify a source coordinate system for each map layer, it is
highly recommended that you do not change the target coordinate system. Changes to the target
coordinate system for the map can cause the unreferenced map layers to appear incorrectly or to not
appear.

Tutorial
The tutorial is designed to introduce basic Surfer features and should take less than an hour to
complete. After you have completed the tutorial, you will have the skills needed to create maps in
Surfer using your own data. The tutorial can be accessed in the program by clicking the button
and navigating to the Tutorial  book or by clicking Tutorials in the Welcome to Surfer dialog.

25
Tutorial

If you find you sti ll have questions after you have completed the tutorial, you should consider
reviewing the material in Surfer's extensive in-program help. The help is also available on the
web. The Golden Software website contains a knowledge base of questions and answers, an
interactive forum, and training videos. Usually, the answers to your questions are found in one of
these locations. However, if you find you still have questions, do not hesitate to contact Golden
Software’s technical support team. We are happy to answer your questions before they become
problems.

Tutorial Overview
The following is an overview of lessons included in the tutorial.

shows you how to begin a new Surfer session and open a

Starting Surfer
new plot window.
Lesson 1 - Viewing and Creating opens and edits an existing data file and creates a new data
Data file.
creates a grid file, the basis for most map types in Surfer,
Lesson 2 - Using the Map Wizard
and a map with contour, post, and color relief layers.
Lesson 3 - Changing Layer
edits the contour, post, and color relief layer properties.
Properties
Lesson 4 - Modifying an Axis edits the axis ti ck labels and axis title properties.
creates a profile line on the contour map and displays the
Lesson 5 - Creating a Profile
profile.
saves your map and all the information it contains to a
Lesson 6 - Saving a Map
Surfer .SRF file.
Lesson 7 - Creating a 3D Surface
creates and edits 3D surface map.
Map
Lesson 8 - Adding Transparency, changes the transparency of various objects, adds a color
Color Scales, and Titles scale, and adds a map title.
Lesson 9 - Creating Maps from loads multiple map layers from different coordinate systems
Different Coordinate Systems and sets the target coordinate system for the entire map.

A Note about the Documentation

Various font styles are used throughout the Surfer quick start guide and online help. Bold text
indicates commands, dialog names, tab names, and page names. Italic  text indicates items within a
dialog or the Contents or Properties windows such as section names, options, and fiel d names. For
example, the Save As dialog contains a Save as type list. Bold and italic text may occasionally be
used for emphasis.

Also, commands appear as Home | New Map | Contour. This means, "click or scroll to the Home
tab at the top of the plot window, then click on the Contour command within the New Map command
group." The first word is always the menu or ribbon tab name, followed by the command group, and
finally the command name within the menu list or on the ribbon.

Sample File Location

The sample files used in the tutorial lessons are located in the Surfer SAMPLES folder. The SAMPLES
folder is located by default at C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16\Samples. Note, if you are
running the 32-bit version of Surfer on a 64-bit version of Windows, the SAMPLES folder is located at
C:\Program Files (x86)\Golden Software\Surfer 16\Samples, by default.

26
 Quick Start Guide

Starting Surfer
To begin a Surfer session:
1. Navigate to the i nstallation folder, which is C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16 by
default.
2. Double-click on the Surfer.exe application file.
3. The Welcome to Surfer dialog appears. Click New Plot  to open a new blank plot window.
4. A new empty plot window opens in Surfer. This is the work area where you can produce grid
files, maps, and modify grids.

If this is the first t ime that you have opened Surfer, you are prompted to license Surfer. Activate your
Single-User product key, select a license server, or continue using the trial. Your product key is
located in the download instructions email. You may also access your product key at your Golden
Software My Account page.

If you have already been working with Surfer, open a new plot window before starting the tutorial. To
open a new plot window, click the File | New | Plot command.

Lesson 1 - Viewing and Creating Data

An XYZ data file is a fil e containing at least three columns of data values. The first two columns are
the X and Y coordinates for the data points. The third column is the Z value assigned to t he XY point.
Although it is not required, entering the X coordinate in column A, the Y coordinate in column B, and
the Z value in column C is a good idea. Surfer looks for these coordinates in these columns by
default. You can customize the default columns for XYZ data with the Assign XYZ Columns
worksheet command. Surfer requires the use of decimal degree Latitude (Y) and Longitude (X) values
when using Latitude and Longitude values.

 A simple XYZ data file. Notice that the X, Y,

and Z data are placed in columns A, B, and
C, respectively.

Creating a New Data File

The Surfer worksheet can also be used to create a new data file. To open a worksheet window and
begin entering data:

1. Click the File | New | Worksheet command, click the on the quick access toolbar, or
press CTRL+W on the keyboard. A new empty worksheet window is displayed.
2. Data is entered into the active cell. The active cell is selected by clicking on the cell or by
using the arrow keys to move between cells. The active cell is indicated by a heavy border and
the contents of the active cell are displayed in the active cell edit box. The active cell location
box shows the location of the active cell in the worksheet. Letters are the column labels and
numbers are the row labels.

27
Tutorial

3. When a cell is active, enter a value or text, and the information is displayed in both the active
cell and the active cell edit box.
4. The BACKSPACE and DELETE keys can be used to edit data as you type.
5. To preserve the typed data in the active cell, move to a new cell. Move to a new cell by
clicking a new cell with the pointer, pressing one of the arrow keys, or pressing ENTER. Press
the ESC key to cancel without entering the data.

Opening an Existing Data File

To look at an example of an XYZ data file, you can open any sample data fi le in a worksheet window:
1. Click the File | Open command, click the button on the quick access toolbar, or press
CTRL+O on the keyboard to open the Open dialog.
2. If you are not in the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in
C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16. In the l ist of files, click TutorWS.dat .
3. Click Open to display the file in the worksheet window.

Notice that the X coordinate (Easting) is in column A, the Y coordinate (Northing) is in column B, and
the Z value (Elevation) is in column C. Although it is not required, row 1 contains header text, which is
helpful in identifying the type of data in the column. When a header row exists, the information in the
header row is used in the Properties window when selecting worksheet columns.

When a data file is displayed, the name of the file is shown in the title bar and in the
worksheet tab. In this file, row 1 contains descriptive information about each column
of data.

Adding New Data

To edit any value, click in the cell to select it. Type information and the existing value is overwritten.
Data can be transformed, sorted, or filtered in this window. New columns can be added. For instance,
an ID column can be added which labels each row with a unique identifier. To do this,
1. Click in cell D1.
2. Type the text Name.
3. Press ENTER to save the text and move the active cell to cell D2.
4. Click the Data | Data | Transform command.
5. In the Transform dialog, set the Transform with to Column variables (e.g., C = A + B).
6. Set the Transform equation to D = "MW" + ITOA( ROW() - 1). This equation will use a prefix
of “MW” before a number. The number is the row number minus 1 for each row. The ITOA
function converts the ROW() -1 number to text.

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 Quick Start Guide

7. Set the First row  to 2.

8. Set the Last row  to 48 (the last row in the worksheet).
9. Leave the Empty cells, Text cells, and Number cells set to the defaults.
10. Click OK  and each row will have a unique identifier.

Set the options in the Transform dialog as above to add

a unique identifier to each row.

The worksheet should now have a unique i dentifier column:

The new column contains a unique identifier for each row. This can be used for
labels later in the tutorial.

Saving the Data File

When you have completed entering all of the data, the file can be saved.
1. Click the File | Save As command. The Save As dialog is displayed.

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Tutorial

2. Navigate to the folder in which you wish to save the tutorial, for example the Documents
folder.
3. In the Save as type list, choose the DAT Data (*.dat) option.
4. Type Tutorial  into the File name box.
5. Click the Save button and the Data Export Options dialog opens.
6. Accept the defaults in the Data Export Options dialog by clicking OK .

The file is saved in the Data .DAT  format as Tutorial.dat . The name of the data file appears in the title
bar and on the worksheet tab.

Lesson 2 - Using the Map Wizard

Now that we have saved the data file, we will use the Map Wizard to create a grid and a map with
contour and post layers. The Map Wizard steps through the map creation process from raw data to a
map with one or more l ayers. The Map Wizard is useful for creating multiple map types from a single
data file. The Map Wizard can use a data, grid, or boundary file as an input file.
1. If you have the worksheet window open, click on the Plot1 tab above the worksheet window.
Alternatively, you can create a new plot window with the File | New | Plot command.
2. Click the Home | Wizard | Map Wizard command.

The Map Wizard opens to the first page, the Select Your Data page. The remaining topics in Lesson
2 will step through the pages of the Map Wizard.

Select Your Data

The first page in the Map Wizard is the Select Your Data page. Here you select the XYZ data, grid,
vector data, or image file you wish to use to create your map.

Select the data file from Lesson 1 in the Select Your Data page.

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 Quick Start Guide

1. By default, the Map Wizard displays the sample files in the Select File list. Click Sample files
and select Browse from the list. The Open dialog is displayed. You can also display Recent
files and Project files in the Select File list.
2. In the Open dialog, navigate to the Tutorial.dat  file you saved in Lesson 1 - Saving the Data
File.
3. Select the Tutorial.dat  file and click Open. The Tutorial.dat  file is loaded in the Data Preview 
section. The column letters and header row information is displayed in the Select Data
Columns list. By default the X  coordinate is column A, the Y coordinate is column B, and the Z 
coordinate is column C. Any other valid input files in the folder are also displayed in the Select
File list.
4. Click Next  in the Map Wizard.

Select Your Map Type

Now that you have selected a data file and specified the data columns, we can select which map layers
will be included in the map on the Map Wizard - Select Your Map Type page.

Select the map layers you wish to create with the Map Wizard .

XYZ data files are the most flexible input file type. All of the layers are available in the Select Your
Map Type page after selecting an XYZ data file on the Select Your Data page. Some map types will
be unavailable after choosing an image, vector, or grid file on the Select Your Data page. The data
file type and the map type selections determine if a map is created after the Select Your Map Type
page or if a grid must be created first.

For this tutorial we will include a contour and post layer in our map:
1. Click the Post  map in the Map types - check all desired  list to select it. Notice a description is
displayed in the Description field.

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Tutorial

2. Click the Contour  map in the Map types - check all desired  list to select it. The Finish button
changes to Next . This is because we must create a grid from the XYZ data file before we can
create a contour map.
3. Click Next .

Select Gridding Parameters

Grid files are required to produce a grid-based map. Grid-based maps include contour, color relief,
vector, viewshed, watershed, 3D wireframe, and 3D surface map layers. If necessary, grid files are
created with the Map Wizard. Grid files can also be created at any time by using the Home | Grid
Data | Grid Data command.

A grid must be created from the Tutorial.dat  file to display a contour map. The Map Wizard - Select
Gridding Parameters page controls the gridding options and output grid file name. The Select
Gridding Parameters page displays a preview color relief map for you to quickly compare gridding
methods. We will create a grid with the default gridding method and options.

1. Verify that the Gridding method  is set to Kriging. If it is not, click the current gridding method
and select Kriging from the list.
2. Verify that the Assign NoData outside convex hull of data option is not checked.
3. Verify that the Output grid file is named Tutorial.grd  and in the desired directory, for example
your Documents folder. If it is not, click and select the desired path for the created grid
file.
4. Click Finish.

 A map is created with default contour and post

layers.

The grid is created and saved, and a map is created in the plot window with a contour and post layer.
The map uses the default display properties. The Map Wizard is a useful tool for quickly creating
maps and grids. However, it is not necessary to use the Map Wizard. Grids can be created with the
Grid Data command, and maps and layers can be created with the Home | New Map and Home |
Add to Map | Layer commands.

Adding a Color Relief Layer

Map layers allow you to add multiple maps to an existing map to create one map object displaying a
variety of map types. The map uses a single set of axes and the map layers are positioned according
to the target coordinate system. For example, if you have a contour map of weather data, you can add
a post map layer displaying the location and station names of each data collection station.

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 Quick Start Guide

Multiple map layers can be created at one time when using the Map Wizard. However, map layers
can also be added to an existing map by selecting the map and using the Home | Add to Map |
Layer command, by dragging an existing map layer f rom one map object to another, or by selecting
all maps and using the Map Tools | Map Tools | Overlay Maps command. Now we will add a color
relief layer to the map:
1. Click on the Map object in the Contents window, or click on the map in the plot window, to
select it.
2. Click the Home | Add to Map | Layer | Color Relief  command. The Open Grid dialog is
displayed.
3. Navigate to the Tutorial.grd  file you created in Select Gridding Parameters and select it.
4. Click Open to add the color relief layer to the map.

Now a color relief layer is also displayed in the

map.

The color relief layer is added to the map and uses the default display properties. In Lesson 3, we will
edit the appearance of the map by changing the color relief, contour, and post layer properties.

Lesson 3 - Changing Layer Properties

The map's appearance is mainly determined by the properties of the map layers. This lesson will
demonstrate a few of the common properties for controlling the display of contour, post, and color
relief layers. However, each map type has many properties and display options. A description and
explanation is included for every property in the help.

This color relief layer uses the Rainbow colormap.

33
Tutorial

We will begin by changing the color relief layer's colors:

1. Click the Color Relief-Tutorial.grd  layer in the Contents window to select it. When multiple
layers are overlaid in a single map, it is often easier to select the desired layer in the
Contents window. When the color relief layer is selected, the color relief layer properties are
displayed in the Properties window.
2. Click the General tab in the Properties window to display the General page.
3. If necessary, click the button next to General  to expand the General  section.
4. The Colors property determines the colormap used in the color relief map. The default
colormap is Terrain. Click Terrain and select Rainbow  from the Colors list.

Now the color relief layer is using the Rainbow colormap. You can click the next to the Colors
property to customize the colormap in the Colormap Editor.

Changing Contour Levels

You can easily modify any of the contour map features. For example, you might want to change the
contour levels displayed on the map.

Go to the Levels page to display the contour level

 properties.

To change the contour levels:

1. Click on the Contours-Tutorial.grd  object in the Contents window. When the contour layer is
selected, the contour properties are displayed in the Properties window.
2. In the Properties window, click the Levels tab to display the contour levels and contour line
properties for the map. In this example, the contour levels begin at Z = 20. This is displayed
next to Minimum contour . The Maximum contour  level is Z = 105.
3. To change the contour range, click in the box next to Minimum contour  or Maximum contour .
Highlight the current value and type a new value. The Data range of the grid file is displayed
at the top of the Levels page, making selecting an appropriate range easier. For best results,
select values for Minimum contour  and Maximum contour  that are in or near this Data range.
4. The Contour interval , or the frequency of contour lines, is five. This means that a contour line
will be displayed every five Z units. We should see contour lines at 20, 25, 30, 35, etc. up to
105. Click in the Contour interval  box, highlight the value 5, and type the value 10.
5. Press ENTER on the keyboard. The map automatically updates to show contour lines every 10
Z units. The minimum contour level is Z = 20, and the l argest contour level is Z = 100.

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 Quick Start Guide

The contour map is redrawn using new contour

levels based on a contour interval of 10.

Changing Contour Line Properties

You can set any of the options in the li st on the Levels page to customize the contour map. The Major
contour every  value allows the setting of two different line styles, the major and minor contour lines,
for the contour map. By default, the major contour lines are black and labeled and the minor contour
lines are gray and unlabeled. The number of minor contour lines and the line properties for both the
major and minor contours can be changed.

Setting the Major Contour Value

1. Highlight the number in the box next to Major contour every  and type in a new value of 3.
2. Press ENTER on the keyboard and every third line is a major contour li ne.

Changing the Major Contour Line Properties

1. Click the next to Major Contours, if the section is not already expanded.
2. Click the next to Line Properties in the Major Contours section. The major li ne properties
appear.
3. Click the Black  color box next to Color . Select another color, such as Red , from the list. The
map automatically updates.
4. Click the next to Width and change the value to 0.03 inches. Thick red lines now appear at
the major contours.

Changing the Minor Contour Line Properties

1. Click the next to Minor Contours, if the section is not already expanded.
2. Click the next to Line Properties in the Minor Contours section. The minor li ne properties
appear.
3. Click the 30% Black  color box next to Color . Select another color, such as 80% Black , from the
list.
4. Click in the box next to Style and select a dashed line from the list. Dashed gray lines now
appear at the minor contours.

35
Tutorial

The contour map should look similar to this

example after changing the major and minor li ne
 properties.

Advanced Contour Level Properties

Contour map level properties can be set in one of four methods: Simple, Logarithmic , Equal area, or
 Advanced . As seen is the previous topic, the Simple method is easy to use and quick to adjust. The
Logarithmic method is very similar to the Simple method, but it uses a logarithmic scale rather than a
linear scale. The Equal area method creates a number of contour i ntervals with equal area. When
using the Advanced  method, each contour line i s individually controlled.

Control advanced settings for the Level, Line, Fill, Label, and Hach properties of the contour map in
the Levels for Map dialog. Properties can be adjusted for all contours at once by clicking on the
column buttons, or for individual contours by double-clicking on the specific contour level.

The changes that can be made by clicking the Levels for Map dialog header buttons include the
following:
• Set the minimum, maximum, and contour interval by clicking the Level  button.
• Set the line properties for all lines to a uniform or gradational color and style by clicking the
Line button.
• Set the colormap for the foreground and background color and the fil l pattern between all
contour lines by clicking the Fill  button.
• Set the label properties for all contour labels or contour labels on a frequency basis by clicking
the Label  button.
• Set the hachure properties for all contours or on a frequency basis by clicking the Hach
button.

Individual level changes that can be made include the following items:
• Set an individual level value by double-clicking on the level value to enter a new Z value.
• Set the individual line properties for a single level by double-clicking the line style for that
level.
• Set the fill color or pattern for a single level by double-clicking on the fill pattern for that level.
• Set the label properties for a single contour label by double-clicking on the Yes or No under
the Label  column for that level.
• Set the hachure properties for a single contour level by double-clicking on the Yes or No under
the Hach column for that level.

Now we will apply the Advanced level method and customize the contour levels with some bulk
changes:
1. In the Contents window, click once on the Contours-Tutorial.grd contour layer to select it.
2. In the Properties window, click on the Levels tab.

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3. Change the Level method  by clicking on the word Simple next to Level method  and selecting
 Advanced  from the list.
4. Click the Edit Levels button next to Contour levels to open the advanced Levels for Map
dialog.
5. Clicking the column header buttons makes bulk changes at regular intervals. Click on the
Label  button. The Labels dialog opens.
6. Change the First  value to 2, the Set  value to 1, and the Skip value to 2.
• The First  value tells Surfer which contour line to first change. This says to set the
label format for the second contour line (Z=30).
• The Set  value tells Surfer how many lines to set with thi s style. This says to set only
one line with the label format.
• The Skip value tells Surfer how many lines to skip before setting the next contour
line. This says to skip two contour lines. So, the Z=40 and Z=50 contours are not set.
The next contour line Z=60 uses the label format. Z=70 and Z=80 are skipped. Z=90
is set. Z=100 is skipped.
7. Click the Font  button. The Font Properties dialog opens.
8. Set the Size (points) to 14.
9. Set the Foreground color and opacity color to White.
10. Click OK in the Font Properties dialog.
11. Click OK  in the Labels dialog. Notice how the label status is changed in the Levels for Map
dialog.
12. Click on the Hach button. The Hachures dialog opens.
13. Set the First  to 1, the Set  to 1, and the Skip to 0.
• The First  value tells Surfer to set the hachure setting for the first contour line, Z=20.
• The Set  value tells Surfer to set only one contour line to the hachure style.
• The Skip value tells Surfer how many contours to skip. In this case, no contours are
skipped. This means that all of the contours will have the hachure style.
14. Check the Hachure Closed Contours Only  box, if it is not already checked.
15. Change the Direction to Uphill.
16. Click OK  in the Hachures dialog. This changes all of the it ems under Hach to Yes. All closed
contours will have hachure marks.
17. Click OK  in the Levels for Map dialog and the bulk changes are made to the contour map.

Now we will open the Levels for Map dialog again and set properties for individual contour levels:
1. In the Contents window, click once on the Contours-Tutorial.grd contour layer to select it.
2. In the Properties window, click on the Levels tab.
3. Make sure that the Level method  is set to Advanced .
4. Click the Edit Levels button next to Contour levels to open the advanced Levels for Map
dialog.
5. In the Levels for Map dialog, you can double-click an individual Z value in the list underneath
the Level  button to change the Z value for that particular contour level. Let's double-click on
the number 60.
6. In the Z Level dialog, highlight the value 60 and type in 65.
7. Click OK  in the Z Level dialog, and the contour line level changes to 65.
8. You can also double-click the line style for an individual level to modify the line properties for
the selected level. This provides a way to emphasize individual contour levels on the map.
Double-click on the line style next to the level 70.
9. In the Line Properties dialog, change the Style to a solid line by clicking on the dashed line
and selecting the Solid  line from the list.
10. Click OK  in the Line Properties dialog.
11. Let's add a single contour line halfway between two existing values. Click on the number 65
under the Level  column.
12. Click the Add  button. The value 57.5 is added between the 50 and the 65.

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Use the Levels for Map dialog to make bulk and individual changes to
contour levels.

13. Click OK  in the Levels for Map dialog and the individual settings are made to the contour
map.

Now the advanced level properties have been

applied to the contour map.

Adding, Deleting, and Moving Contour Labels

Contour label locations can be changed on a n individual basis. Labels can be added, deleted, or
moved. This section will demonstrate adding, deleting, and moving contour labels:
1. Select the contour layer by clicking the Contours-Tutorial.grd  object in the Contents window.
2. Click the Map Tools | Edit Layer | Contour Labels command or right-click on the contour
map and select Edit Contour Labels. The cursor changes to to indicate that you are in
edit mode. Contour labels have rectangular boxes around them in edit mode.
3. To delete a label, click on the label and press the DELETE key on the keyboard. For example,
left-click on one of the 65 labels and press the DELETE key on your keyboard.
4. To add a label, press and hold the CTRL key on the keyboard and left-click the location on the
contour line where you want the new label to be located. The cursor changes to a black

arrowhead with a plus sign to indicate you are able to add a new label. Add several
contour labels to the red lines.

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5. To move a contour label, left-click on the label, hold down the left mouse button, and drag the
label. Release the left mouse button to complete the label movement.
6. To duplicate a label, hold the CTRL key and then click and drag an existing label. The duplicate
label will be dragged to a new location along the line.
7. To exit the Edit Contour Labels mode, press the ESC key, click the Home | Selection |
Select command, or click the Map Tools | Edit Layer | Contour Labels command.

Contour labels can be moved, added, or deleted

with the Map Tools | Edit Layer | Contour
Labels command.

Exporting 3D Contours
When you have completed a contour map in the plot window, you can export th e contour lines with
associated Z values to an AutoCAD DXF, 2D SHP, 3D SHP, or TXT fil e. To export contour lines to a
DXF, 2D or 3D SHP, or TXT file:
1. Select the contour map layer by clicking Contours-Tutorial.grd  in the Contents window.
2. Click the Map Tools | Layer Tools | Export Contours command.
3. In the Save As dialog, type Tutorial contours in the File name box.
4. Select AutoCAD DXF File (*.dxf), 2D Esri Shapefile (*.shp), 3D Esri Shapefile (*.shp), or Text
format (*.txt) in the Save as type list.
5. Click Save and the file is exported to the current directory. This creates a file titled Tutorial
contours.dxf , Tutorial contours.shp, or Tutorial contours.txt depending on what file type you
selected. Additional files may also be created t hat accompany the DXF or SHP fil e.

The contours are exported as polylines or polygons. The labels and gaps are removed. The exported
file can be used in Surfer as a base map, or used in other applications. The File | Export command
can also be used to export 2D or 3D contours. A comparison between the Export Contours and
Export commands is available on the Export Contours help topic.

Changing the Post Layer Properties

Symbols in a post map can all be the same or can be selected with a worksheet column. Symbol sizes
can all be the same or have proportional sizes. Symbol colors can all be the same or have color based
on a column. Now we will edit the post map layer properties:
1. Click on the Post-Tutorial.dat  layer in the Contents window.
2. In the Properties window, click on the Symbol tab.
3. Click the next to Symbol , if the Symbol  section is not already expanded.
4. Click the next to Symbol Properties to open the Symbol Properties section.
5. Click the selected symbol next to the Symbol property. In the list, click on the filled diamond
symbol (Symbol set: GSI Default Symbols, Number: 6) from the symbol palette.
6. Click the next to Symbol Size to open the Symbol Size section.
7. Highlight the value next to the Symbol size option and type 0.15 in.

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8. Press ENTER on the keyboard. The symbols update with the new symbol size.
9. Click the next to Symbol Color .
10. To change the symbol colors based on a worksheet value, click on the None next to the Color
column option and select Column C: Elevation.
11. Verify that the Color method i s set to Numeric via colormap.
12. Click the colormap next to the Symbol colors and select the desired colormap, such as Terrain.

If the post map is not visible, ensure that the post layer is on top of the contour layer in the Contents
window. The order the layers are listed in a map object is the order the map layers are drawn in the
plot window. To move the post layer in the Contents window, left-click and drag t he post layer above
the other layers in t he map object. Alternatively, select the post layer and click the Layout | Arrange
| Bring to Front | Bring Forward command, or right-click the post layer and select Order Objects
| Move Forward.

The updated post map is displayed overlaid on the

contour layer and color relief layer.

Adding Labels to the Post Layer

You can add labels to the data points on post maps and classed post maps. Multiple labels can be
added to display all of the information desired in the map. We will add labels showing the elevation
and names for the data points:
1. Click on the Post-Tutorial.dat  layer in the Contents window.
2. In the Properties window, click on the Labels tab.
3. Click the next to Label Set 1, if the section is not already open.
4. Next to Worksheet column, click the word None. A list displaying all of t he columns in
Tutorial.dat  are displayed. Select Column C: Elevation from the list.
5. For the Position relative to symbol  option, click on the existing option and select Below  from
the list.
6. Click the Add  button next to the Add label set  option to add a second label to the post map.
7. Next to Worksheet column, click the word None. A list displaying all of t he columns in
Tutorial.dat  are displayed. Select Column D: Name from the list.
8. For the Position relative to symbol  option, click on the existing option and select Above from
the list.
9. Click the next to Font Properties to open the Font Properties section.
10. Change the Background opacity  to 33%. This places a semi-transparent white box around the
names.

The post map layer is automatically redrawn with labels on each of the data points.

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 Add labels to post maps in the Properties

window on the Labels tab.

Moving Individual Post Labels

You can move individual labels on post maps and classed post maps with the Map Tools | Edit Layer
| Post Labels command. Alternatively, add labels, and then right-click t he post map and select Edit
Post Labels to enter edit mode. A customizable line is automatically added from the data point label
to the actual X, Y data point location.
1. Select the Post-Tutorial.dat  layer in the Contents window.
2. Click the Map Tools | Edit Layer | Post Labels command or right-click on the selected map

and select Edit Post Labels. The cursor will change to to indicate you are now in post
label editing mode.
3. Left-click on a label, hold the left mouse button down, and drag the label to a new location.
With the left mouse button held down, the arrow keyboard keys can be used t o nudge the
label location. Release the left mouse button to place the label in the new location. A leader
line will be added from the point location to the new label location by default. The leader line
visibility and line properties are controlled on the Labels page in the Properties window
when the post layer is selected.
4. Press the ESC key to exit the post label editing mode.

Customize the post map labels with the Edit Post

Labels command.

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Lesson 4 - Modifying an Axis

Every map is created with four map axes: the bottom, right, top , and left axes. 3D maps also have an
additional Z axis. You can control the display of each axis independently of the other axes on the map.
Additional left, right, top, bottom, or Z axes can be added to a map with the Map Tools | Add to
Map | Axis commands. In this example, we will change the axis label spacing and add an axis title:
1. Move the cursor over one of the axis tick labels on the bottom X axis and left-click the mouse.
In the status bar at the bottom of the plot window, the words "Map: Bottom Axis" are
displayed. The Bottom Axis object is selected in the Contents window. This indicates that you
have selected the bottom axis of the map. Additionally, blue circle handles appear at each end
of the axis, and green square handles appear surrounding the entire map. This i ndicates that
the axis is a "sub-object" of the entire map.
2. The bottom axis properties are displayed in the Properties window. Click on the General tab.
3. Click the next to Title to open the Title section if it is not already open.
4. Click in the box next to Title text . Type Bottom Axis and press the ENTER key on the
keyboard. This places a title on the selected axis. Alternatively, click the button. Type the
text in the Text Editor and click OK .
5. If you cannot see the axis title, cli ck the View | Zoom | Selected command. The map
automatically increases its size to fill the plot window.

Changing the Tick Label Properties

All properties of the axis can be edited, including the tick label format and frequency. We will change
both format and frequency in this example:
1. In the Properties window, click on the Scaling tab to display the axis scaling options.
2. In the Major interval  field, highlight the value 1 and type the value 1.5.
3. Press ENTER on the keyboard to place 1.5 X map units between tick marks. This spacing
automatically updates on the map axis.
4. Click on the Labels tab in the Properties window.
5. Click the next to Labels, if it is not already open.
6. Click the next to Label Format  to open the Label Format section.
7. In the Label Format  section, select Fixed  for the Type.
8. Click in the box next to Decimal digits. Highlight the existing value and type the value 1.
9. Press ENTER on the keyboard. This indicates that only one digit follows the decimal point for
the axis tick labels.

The map is updated immediately after every change, showing the axis tick spacing, labels, and the
axis title.

You can use the axis properties to change the tick

mark and axis title properties.

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Lesson 5 - Creating a Profile

The ability to slice a grid file in Surfer to create a file of data points along a specified line of section is
a very powerful tool. The sliced data can be visually displayed as a profile in Surfer, or multiple
profiles can be combined to display a cross section. However, the Map Tools | Add to Map | Profile
command provides an excellent quick method to producing a profile from a grid-based map. The
profile trace will be drawn directly on the map:
1. Click once on the Contours-Tutorial.grd  contour layer to select it.

2. Click the Map Tools | Add to Map | Profile command. The cursor changes to a to
indicate that you are in the drawing mode.
3. Click inside the contour map near the (0,4) and (9,4) coordinate locations. The exact
coordinates of the cursor are displayed in t he status bar for reference.
4. After the second point has been clicked, a line connects the points. Press ENTER on the
keyboard to end drawing mode.
5. Click the View | Zoom | Fit to Window command to see the entire map and profile.

The Base(vector)-Profile 1 layer is automatically added to the map and the profile graph is
automatically created. The properties can be edited by clicking on the Profile 1 object in the
Contents window and adjusting the properties in the Properties window.

The profile trace is di splayed on the map. The

 profile is displayed in a graph below the contour
map.

Lesson 6 - Saving a Map

When you have completed the map in the plot window, you can save the map to a Surfer .SRF file.
Surfer .SRF files contain all the information necessary to reproduce the project. When you save a
map as a .SRF file, all the scaling, formatting, and map properties are preserved in the file. An
asterisk (*) next to the file name in the title bar and tab indicates the file has been modified and the
modifications have not yet been saved.

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1. Click the File | Save command or click the button on the quick access toolbar. The Save
As dialog is displayed because the map has not been previously saved. Set the Save in
directory to any directory on your computer.
2. In the File name box, type Tutorial .
3. Make sure that the Save as type is set to Surfer Plot (*.srf).
4. Click Save and the file is saved to the current directory with a .SRF extension. The saved map
remains open and the title bar changes to reflect the name change. There is no longer an
asterisk next to the file name.

If desired, the Save as type can be set to Surfer 11 Plot (*.srf), Surfer 12 Plot (*.srf), Surfer 13 Plot
(*.srf), Surfer 14 Plot (*.srf), or Surfer 15 Plot (*.srf) if the file is to be shared with users using
Surfer 11, Surfer 12, Surfer 13, or Surfer 14, or Surfer 15. After selecting the format, click Yes in
the dialog. Any Surfer 16 specific features are lost when saving to a previous Surfer version format.

Lesson 7 - Creating a 3D Surface Map

Surfaces are three-dimensional shaded renderings of a grid file. Surfaces provide an impressive visual
interpretation of data. Surfaces can be layered with other surfaces, so that the surfaces will intersect
with each other. Surfaces can also have layers of other map types, excluding 3D wireframes. Surfaces
allow you to generate an elevation model of your area of interest and then add layers of data on the
top of the surface. You can control the color, lighting, overlay blending, and wire mesh grid of a 3D
surface.

The 3D surface map shows the grid with a 3D aspect and color
filled areas.

For example, if you have location (X, Y) and temperature (Z) data for a region and you have the same
location (X, Y) and corresponding elevation (Z) data for the area, you could create a grid file with the
Z variable being elevation and a grid file with t he Z variable being temperature. You could create a 3D
surface of the elevation grid t o represent topography, then add a contour map of the temperature
variation. You could continue to add map layers, such as a classed post map layer with the
temperature collection stations that have different symbols depending on the elevation.

We are going to use the same grid file you used to create the tutorial contour map. The 3D surface
map will provide a new perspective to the contour map you have already created. Although we are
going to create this map in a new plot window, the surface map could easily be added to the existing
plot window.

1. Click the File | New | Plot command or click the button on the quick access toolbar to
open a plot document.
2. Click the Home | New Map | 3D Surface command.

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3. In the Open dialog, select the grid file Tutorial.grd  from the list of files. The Tutorial.grd  file
was created in Lesson 2 - Using the Map Wizard.
4. Click Open and the 3D surface is created using the default settings.

Adding a Mesh
Mesh lines can be applied to surfaces. 3D surface maps have more capability than 3D wireframe
maps. 3D surfaces can be combined with more map types, and the surface map l imits can be
changed. Adding mesh lines to a 3D surface map simulates a 3D wireframe map. We will add a surface
mesh to the map:
1. Click once on 3D Surface-Tutorial.grd  in the Contents window to select it. The 3D surface
properties are displayed in the Properties window.
2. Click the Mesh tab.
3. Check the box next to the Draw lines option in both the Lines of Constant X  and Lines of
Constant Y  sections.
4. Change the Frequency  in both the Lines of Constant X  section and Lines of Constant Y  section
to 5.

The mesh is automatically added to the selected 3D surface.

The mesh lines indicate lines of constant X and Y on the 3D

surface.

Changing the 3D Surface Layer Colors

Changing color schemes on 3D surfaces is similar to changing colors on other map types such as color
relief maps or contour maps. A colormap is used to load previously defined color schemes or to create
your own color schemes. In this example, we will use a modified Rainbow  colormap:
1. Click on the 3D Surface-Tutorial.grd  layer in the Contents window to select it.
2. In the Properties window, click on the General tab.
3. Click the next to Material Color  to open the section if it is not already open.
4. Click the button to the right of the selected colormap for Upper . The Colormap Editor
opens.
5. In the Colormap Editor, select the Rainbow colormap from the Presets list in the Color
Mapping section. The Presets list contains a variety of predefined color schemes.
6. The Rainbow  preset has six nodes t hat range from purple to red. You can add, remove, apply
opacity, customize the nodes, or accept the default selections. To reverse the color order, click
the Reverse button.
7. Click OK  in the Colormap Editor to update the surface map properties with your color
changes.

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You can continue to experiment with the colors by selecting other color spectrums from the list next to
Upper . Or, click the button to the right of the colormap and make changes in the Colormap
Editor. You can experiment with selecti ng custom node locations, colors, and opacities.

This is a 3D surface map with a mesh displayed at a frequency

of five. The 3D surface map is using the reverse of the Rainbow
color spectrum.

Adding a Surface Map Layer

You can add additional map layers to the 3D surface with the Home | Add to Map | Layer command.
All map layers, except other 3D surfaces, are converted into a type of image known as a texture map.
This texture map is then applied to the surface by stretching it and shrinking it as necessary. When
these maps are added to the surface map, you have a choice on how to treat the texture map. You
can use the colors from overlays only, from the surface only, or blend colors from the overlays and
surface. For example, you could create a color filled contour map, add the contour map and surface,
and then use the colors from the contour map only.

When multiple 3D surfaces of differing elevations are added, the surfaces can int ersect and overlap
each other. If a surface map is added to another surface map with the Home | Add to Map | Layer |
3D Surface command and the two maps are adjacent to each other in the X or Y direction, the
surfaces are drawn side-by-side. In this example, we will add a planar layer to the surface you just
created:
1. Click on the 3D Surface-Tutorial.grd  layer in the Contents window.
2. Click the Home | Add to Map | Layer | 3D Surface command, or right-click the surface
map and select Add to Map | 3D Surface.
3. In the Open Grid dialog, select the planar grid, TutorPl.grd  from Surfer's Samples directory.
If you are not in the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in
C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16.
4. Click Open and the new surface map layer is added using the default settings.
5. Click on the 3D Surface-TutorPl.grd  surface map layer in the Contents window.
6. In the Properties window, click on the General tab.
7. Click the next to Material Color  to open the Material Color  section.
8. Click the next to Upper  to open the Colormap Editor.
9. In the Color Mapping section, select Rainbow  in the Presets list.
10. Click Reverse to match the colormap in the 3D Surface-Tutorial.grd  layer.
11. In the Data section, type 25  in the Min field, and type 104.9 in the Max field. Now the surfaces
use the same colormap mapped to similar data values.

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You can overlay two or more 3D surfaces. Depending on each

surface's XYZ ranges, the surfaces may overlap or i ntersect
each other. This example shows the intersection of the
Tutorial.grd and TutorPl.grd sample files.

If you wish to save your map, click the File | Save command. We will create a new plot in the next
lesson.

Lesson 8 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titles

The opacity of a map, image, text, line, fill, symbol, or entire layer can be customized in Surfer.
Opacity is the amount of light that is obscured by an object. An object can be made semi-transparent
by adjusting the opacity value. Reducing the opacity of an object makes other objects visible through
the less than 100% opaque object. An Opacity  value of 0% means that the object is invisible. An
Opacity  value of 100% means that the object is fully opaque. Setting the opacity is useful when
creating a semi-transparent map layer. For example, you may want to display a semi-transparent
contour map layer over a satellite image base map layer so that both map layers can be seen. Being
able to set the Opacity  of entire layers is especially useful when you have multiple layers with filled
objects and you need to see all of the layers.

Creating a Filled Contour Map

First, we will create a filled contour map:

1. Click the File | New | Plot command or click the button on the quick access toolbar. A
new empty plot window is displayed.
2. Click the Home | New Map | Contour command.
3. Select the grid file Golden.grd  from the list of files in the Open Grid dialog. By default, the
Samples folder is located in C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16.
4. Click Open. The map is created using the default settings. Some settings are persistent while
Surfer is open. If you have completed Lesson 3 in the same session, the map created in this
step will have uphill hachures and white-text contour labels.
5. Click on the contour map layer to select it.
6. In the Properties window, click on the Levels tab.
7. Set the Level method  to Simple, if it is not already Simple.
8. Click the next to Filled Contours to open the Filled Contours section, if it is not already
open.
9. Check the box next to Fill contours to fill the contours.
10. Click the next to Labels to open the Labels section, if it is not already open.
11. Click the next to Font properties to open the Font properties section.

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Tutorial

12. If the Foreground color  is not Black , click the current color and select Black  from the color
palette.

Adding Transparency to Map Layers

You can adjust the Opacity  value of a map layer or of individual contour fill, polygon fill, text, l ines, or
symbols when the appropriate object is selected. Adjusting the Opacity  for an entire layer may be
useful when you have multi ple map layers and need to make one or more layers semi-transparent to
best represent your data. For this example, we will adjust the opacity for the contour fill while keeping
the contour lines and labels completely opaque.
1. Click on the Contours-Golden.grd  layer in the Contents window to select it.
2. In the Properties window, click on the Levels tab.
3. Click the button next to Fill colors. The Colormap Editor opens.
4. In the Color Mapping section, click the current selection in the Presets list and select Terrain.
5. In the Opacity Mapping section, highlight the current 100.00% value next to the Opacity 
option and type 30.
6. Click OK  in the Colormap Editor. The Terrain colormap and 30% opacity setting is applied to
the contour layer's Fill colors. Notice Custom is displayed in the Fill colors field.

The contour map is displayed with a partially

transparent fill color.

Adding and Editing a Color Scale

Color scales are legends that show the fi ll colors. Color scales are available for contour, 3D wireframe,
3D surface, color relief, and vector maps. The color scale displays the colors assigned to levels in a
filled contour map or 3D wireframe, the colors used in a color relief map or 3D surface, and the fil l
assigned to vector symbols. Let's add a color scale and color scale title to the contour map
1. Click on the Contours-Golden.grd contour layer to select it. The properties are displayed in the
Properties window.
2. Click on the Levels tab in the Properties window.
3. Select the box next to Color scale. A default color scale is created. A new Color Scale object is
added to the Contents window.
4. Click on Color Scale in the Contents window to select it.
5. In the Properties window, click on the General tab to edit the color scale properties.

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6. Click the next to Title to open the Title section, if it is not already open.
7. Click in the empty box next to Title text.
8. In the Title text  field, type Elevation (feet).
9. Press ENTER. The title is added with the default settings.
10. Change the title position by clicking the current selection next to Position. Select Top from the
Position list.

Notice the color scale title moves to the top of the color scale, and the text orientation automatically
changes to horizontal. The color scale has the same opacity as the contour layer when transparency is
applied to the contour layer Fill colors colormap.

The map and color scale object are shown in this image.

Downloading an Online Base Map Layer

A base map layer can be added below the existing semi-transparent contour layer to enhance the
map’s appearance. To add a base map layer from an online server,
1. Click anywhere on the map to select it.
2. Click the Home | Add to Map | Layer | Base from Server command to download an image
base map from an online server. The Download Online Maps dialog is displayed. Surfer can
download base layers from WMS, OSM, and WFS servers. Surfer can also download grids from
WCS servers.
3. In the Download Online Maps dialog, click the next to OpenStreetMaps Imagery .
4. Click the OpenCycleMap server in the OpenStreetMaps Imagery  category. A preview is
displayed in the preview section.
5. Notice Specify Latitude/Longitude Extents is selected, and the values are set to the boundaries
of the Map. When the map coordinate system is a geographic or projected system and the
Home | Add to Map | Layer | Base from Server command is used, the area to download
will be automatically set to the map extents.

49
Tutorial

The Specify Latitude/Longitude extents values are automatically filled with the extents of
the selected map.

6. For the tutorial, we will use the default setting in the Select Image Resolution to Download 
section.
7. Click OK  and the base layer downloads. The base layer is automatically placed behind the
contour layer. If a Surfer Warning dialog appears prompting you to adjust the map limits,
click No.

Increasing the image resolution will increase the download size when retrieving layers with the
Download Online Maps dialog. With some servers such as the OpenCycleMap server, increasing the
resolution will also return a different layer than the one displayed in the preview. Feel free to
experiment with different resolutions by repeating steps 2 through 9 and selecting a higher or lower
resolution in step 7. You will need to hide previous base layers to view the new one. In the Contents
window, clear or select the check box next t o the Contours-Golden.grd  or Base(raster)-OpenCycleMap
layers to toggle the visibility of the maps on and off.

The base map is visible behind the partially transparent contour map.

50
 Quick Start Guide

Adding a Map Title

Adding a title to a map is a great way to stay organized and create publication quality maps.
1. Click once on the Top Axis in the Contents window to select it.
2. In the Properties window, click on the General tab.
3. Click the next to Title, if the section is not already open.
4. In the box next to Title text , click the button to open the Text Editor. The Text Editor
provides more control over the text appearance than the Properties window.
5. Type Tutorial Map and press the ENTER key on the keyboard.
6. On the second line, we will use a dynamic predefined math text instruction to insert the

current date. Click the button.

7. In the Date/Time Format Builder dialog, select the desired date/time format in the
Predefined date/time formats list. For instance, select dd-MMM-yy .
8. Click Insert next to the selected date/time format in the Predefined date/time formats list.
Notice the format in the Date/Time format  field updates to t he selected format.
9. Click OK  in the Date/Time Format Builder dialog. Today's date is added to the Text Editor.
10. Select the date in the Text Editor by double-clicking the date or by clicking and dragging
across the date.

11. Click the button to make the highlighted text bold.

12. Select the Tutorial Map text.
13. Change the Size (points) to 14. The size is located immediately to the right of the font name.

14. Click the center justification button to center the text.

15. Click OK  to close the Text Editor.

The map is automatically updated with the new map title. Save the project if you wish. We will open a
new plot window in the next lesson.

This map contains a semi-transparent contour layer on top of a base

layer. A color scale and title were added to the map.

51
Tutorial

Lesson 9 - Creating Maps from Different Coordinate Systems

Map layers from different coordinate systems can be created in the same map frame. Surfer converts
the source coordinate system for each map layer to t he target coordinate system for the entire map.
The axes display the target coordinate system. A coordinate system is method of defining how a fi le's
point locations display on a map. Different types of coordinate systems exist that control how the
coordinates are shown on the map. In Surfer, a map can be unreferenced in local coordinates,
referenced to a geographic lat/long coordinate system, or referenced to a known projection and
datum.

Creating the First Map

First, we will create a map with a defined coordinate system in Surfer:
1. Click the File | New | Plot command to open a new plot window.
2. Click Home | New Map | Contour to create the map with a contour layer.
3. In the Open Grid dialog, click on the Diablo.grd  file from Surfer's Samples folder. If you are
not in the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in C:\Program
Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16.
4. Click Open. The contour map is created.
5. Click on Contours-Diablo.grd  in the Contents window to select the contour layer.
6. Click the Levels tab in the Properties window. Set the interval, fill, and contour lines
properties for the contour map using the methods described in Lesson 3 and Lesson 8.
7. In the Properties window, click on the Coordinate System tab. Note that the contour map
layer was imported with a coordinate system already specified. This map layer is in the State
Plane 1927 - California III (Meters) coordinate system.

The first map layer is created with a predefined

coordinate system.

Adding a Post Map Layer

Maps can be created without predefined coordinate systems and assigned the correct coordinate
system in the layer properties.
1. Create a new post map with the Home | New Map | Post command.

52
 Quick Start Guide

2. In the Open Data dialog, select the Diablo Example.dat  file in the Surfer Samples directory.
If you are not in the Samples folder, browse to it. By default, the Samples folder is located in
C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 16.
3. Click Open.
4. Click on the Map in the Contents window that contains the post map to select it.
5. Click and drag the map in the plot window to move the post map. Move the post map until the
two maps are side by side. Note that the axes on the two maps have very different
coordinates.
6. Click on Post-Diablo Example.dat  in the Contents window to select the post l ayer.
7. In the Properties window, click on the Coordinate System tab. Note that the post map does
not have a predefined coordinate system.
8. Click the Set  button to define the coordinate system for the post map. The Assign
Coordinate System dialog is displayed. Since we know this coordinate system, we can set i t.
9. We can use the search bar to reduce the number of projections listed in the Assign
Coordinate System dialog, since we know the map coordinate system. In the Search for text
or EPSG code box, type UTM Zone 10N .

10. Press ENTER or click the button.

11. In the Assign Coordinate System dialog, click the next to Predefined  to open the
Predefined  section.
12. Click the next to Projected Systems to open the Projected Systems section.
13. Click the next to UTM  to open the UTM  section.
14. Click the next to North America to open the North America section.
15. Click on the North America NAD27 UTM Zone 10N  coordinate system to select it.
16. Click OK . On the Coordinate System tab, the post layer shows the defined coordinate system
next to Name.

The two maps are displayed side by side with very different coordinates displayed on the axes.

17. In the Contents window, click and drag the Post-Diablo Example.dat  layer into the Map just
above the Contours-Diablo.grd  map layer. The two m ap layers are now overlaid. You can see
the posted symbols are located on the contour li nes, despite the different coordinate systems.

Setting the Target Coordinate System for the Map

The target coordinate system is the system displayed in t he plot and on the map axes. Once all map
layers are defined, the target coordinate system can be changed to any desired coordinate system.

53
Tutorial

1. Click on the Map object in the Contents window.

2. In the Properties window, click on the Coordinate System tab.
3. Click the Change button.
4. In the Assign Coordinate System dialog, click the next to Predefined  to open the
Predefined  section.
5. Click the next to Geographic (lat/lon) to open the Geographic (lat/lon) section.
6. Click on World Geodetic System 1984 near the bottom of the list to select it.
7. Click OK .

The map now has a different coordinate system than either the contour or post map layers on the
Coordinate System page. Notice that the axes are now showing latitude and longitude values as
well. In the above section, we did not use the search function in the Assign Coordinate System
dialog. When searching in the Assign Coordinate System dialog, the search string must exactly
match a portion of t he desired coordinate system name or EPSG code. However, the search string
does not need to be the complete name or EPSG code. For example, searching for System 1984 will
return the World Geodetic System 1984 coordinate system, but searching for World 1984 returns no
results.

The map axes now display lati tude and longitude coordinates.

Changing the Axis Label Format

The axis labels can be displayed in a variety of number formats. We will change the axis labels to
Degrees, Minutes, Seconds format.
1. Click on the Left Axis object in the Contents window.
2. In the Properties window, click on the General tab to view the General page.
3. Click the next to Labels if the Labels section is not already open.
4. Click the next to Label Format to view the Label Format  properties.
5. Click the current selection next to Type and select DMS (Lat/long) from the list.
6. Click on the Bottom Axis object in the Contents window.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 5 for the Bottom Axis.

54
 Quick Start Guide

The axis labels are now in Degrees, Minutes, Seconds format. Many additional edits can be made to
the map. You can continue to experiment with the various coordinate systems or editing any portion
of the map layers.

The final map contains two overlaid layers, each with different source
coordinate systems. The axis labels are in Degrees, Minutes, Seconds
format.

Tutorial Complete
Congratulations! You have completed the Surfer tutorial. The remaining tutorial lessons are optional
advanced lessons. It is recommended that you complete the optional lessons, because these lessons
provide additional information about how Surfer works. If you have questions, t ry looking for answers
in the online help, online knowledge base, and interactive forum. If you find you still have questions,
do not hesitate to contact Golden Software’s technical support team.

Getting Help
Within Surfer, the help file is opened by clicking the Home | Help | Help command or the help
button in the upper right corner of the ribbon. You can also quickly search the help by typing a
term in the command and help search above the ribbon and clicking Search help file in the results.
Alternatively, press F1 at any time to open the help. You can navigate help using the Contents,
Index, Search, and Favorites pages in the navigation pane to the left of the topic page.

Context-Sensitive Help
To obtain context-sensitive help about dialogs or highlighted commands:
• Find the function of commands by hovering the cursor over the command and pressing F1.

• Click the button, the Help button, or press F1 in dialogs to open the help topic
pertaining to that dialog.
• Press SHIFT + F1 on your keyboard, then click a command or screen region to view
information regarding that item.

55
Getting Help

Internet Help Resources

There are several Internet help resources.
• Click Forums or Knowledge Base from Home | Help to post a question on t he forum or search
the knowledge base.
• Use the File | Feedback commands to send an Information Request, Problem Report, or
Suggestion by email.
• Search our website at www.goldensoftware.com or use the File | Online commands for
additional help, including the Golden Software Home Page, Surfer Product Page, and
Frequently Asked Questions.
• The Golden Software support website has a variety of resources including training videos, a
support forum, a blog, a user image gallery, and a variety of downloads.
• The Surfer web help can be viewed in a browser window by navigating to
surferhelp.goldensoftware.com.

Technical Support
Golden Software’s technical support is free to registered users of Golden Software products. Our
technical support staff is t rained to help you find answers to your questions quickly and accurately. We
are happy to answer all of your questions about any of our products, both before and after your
purchase. We also welcome suggestions for improvements to our software and encourage you to
contact us with any i deas you may have for adding new features and capabilities to our programs.

Technical support is available Monday through Friday 8:00 AM t o 5:00 PM Mountain Time, excluding
major United States holidays. We respond to email and fax technical questions within one business
day. When contacting us with your question please have the following information available:
• Your Surfer product key
• Your Surfer version number, found in File | About Surfer
• The operating system you are using (Windows 7, 8, 10 or higher)
• The steps taken to produce your problem
• The exact wording of the fi rst error message that appears (if any)

If you cannot find the answer to your question in online help, the quick start guide, or on our web
page FAQs, KB, or support forum, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Phone: 303-279-1021
Fax: 303-279-0909
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.goldensoftware.com
Mail: Golden Software, LLC, 809 14th Street, Golden, Colorado, 80401-1866, USA

56
Index
# of lines, 17 breakline example, 20 cross section, 43
3D DXF, 39 breakline format, 20 current command, 8
3D SHP, 39 breaklines, 20, 21 custom labels, 38
3D surface, 12 breaklines and faults, 21 DAT, 29
a note about the bulk contour levels, 36 data, 17, 27
documentation, 25 cancel, 8 data columns, 17, 27
active cell, 12 changing colors, 45 data command, 17
active cell edit box, 12 changing the grid node data file, 3, 27, 28, 29
active cell location, 12 editor, 6 data files, 15
add contour labels, 38 changing the layout, 6 data points, 27
add text, 54 changing the managers, 6 data transform, 28
add, delete, and move changing the menu bar, 6 decimal digits, 42
contour labels, 38 changing the object default gridding method, 17
adding a color scale, 48 manager location, 9 deflate convex hull by, 17
adding a map layer, 46 changing the plot window, 6 delete contour labels, 38
adding a map title, 51 changing the post map delete map in overlay, 24
adding a mesh, 45 properties, 39 DEM, 16
adding a post map layer, 52 changing the toolbars, 6 demo, 1
adding a unique column changing the worksheet, 6 density of grid, 17
identifier, 28 changing tick label digital elevation model
adding an overlay, 46 properties, 42 [.DEM], 16
adding color fill between changing tick labels, 42 dock object manager, 9
contour lines, 33 closing the object manager, docking mechanism, 9
adding labels to the post 9 drag and drop map layer, 24
map, 40 CLR, 45 drape maps on wireframes,
adding new data, 28 color, 45 24
adding transparency to map color fill, 33 draw contours, 13
layers, 48 color filled contours, 33 edit contour, 13
adding transparency, color color scale, 48 edit contour labels, 38
scales, and titles, 47 color scales, 47 edit contours, 13
adjacent maps, 24 column, 27 edit grid, 13
advanced contour level column letters, 12 edit grid value, 13
properties, 36 combine maps, 24, 32 edit maps in an overlay, 24
arrange objects, 9 combining maps, 24 edit menu, 10
asterisk, 5 compatibility, 15 edit overlay, 24
auto hide, 9 contact us, 56 edit properties, 10
AutoCAD DXF export, 39 contour interval, 34 edit surface, 13
axes, 42 contour labels, 38 editing worksheet cells, 12
axis, 42 contour levels, 34 email, 56
axis scaling, 42 contour line properties, 35 enter group, 54
axis tick labels, 42 contour lines, 39 enter group and add text to
axis title, 42 contour map, 31, 42, 47 a base map layer, 54
blank grid outside convex convex, 17 entering data, 12, 27
hull, 17 convex hull, 17 export 3D contour lines, 39
blank grid outside convex coordinate, 25 export contour lines, 39
hull of data, 17 coordinate system, 24, 25 faults, 20, 21
blank grid outside data, 17 create a grid file from an faults and breaklines, 20
blank inside data, 17 XYZ data file, 17 fax, 56
blank outside convex hull, creating a 3D surface, 44 file menu - grid node editor,
17 creating a contour map, 31 13
blank outside data, 17 creating a cross section, 43 file types, 15
blanking file, 21 creating a grid file, 17, 32 fill, 10
BLN, 21 creating a new data file, 27 filled contour map, 33
boundary around data, 17 creating an XYZ data file, 27 filter data, 17
boundary files, 15 creating grid files, 17 foreground color, 33

57
Index

general gridding options, 16, map coordinate system, 25 properties of multiple

21 map layer, 24, 46 selections, 10
GRD, 17 map layers, 24, 31 property manager, 10
grid columns, 17 map overlay, 24 remove map from overlay,
grid data, 17 map projection, 25 24
grid density, 17 map title, 47 row numbers, 12
grid editor, 13 map types, 21 running surfer, 27
grid extents, 17 map units, 25 sample files, 3
grid files, 15, 17 material color, 45 saving a data file, 29
grid limits, 17 maximum, 17 saving a map, 43
grid line geometry, 17 maximum grid size, 17 saving the data file, 29
grid lines, 17 menu commands, 7 scale bar, 48
grid menu, 13, 17 mesh, 45 scaling, 42
grid menu commands, 17 minimum, 17 scattered data interpolation
grid node, 13 modifying an axis, 42 dialog, 17
grid node editor, 13 move contour labels, 38 screen layout, 5
grid node editor commands, moving individual post map select entire worksheet
7 labels, 41 button, 12
grid rows, 17 new contour map, 47 selecting objects, 9
grid size maximum, 17 note about the serial number, 27
grid spacing, 17 documentation, 25 SHP export, 39
grid toolbar, 17 number of columns and source coordinate system,
grid utilities, 17 rows, 17 25
gridding, 16, 17 number of lines, 17 spacing, 17
gridding data, 17 object dimensions, 8 SRF, 15, 43
gridding faults, 20 object manager, 5, 9 SRF file compatibility, 15
gridding methods, 17 object manager tree, 9 starting surfer, 27
gridding options, 17 object name, 8 statistics, 17
gridding overview, 16 object properties, 10 status bar, 8, 17
gridding parameters, 17, 32 object visibility, 9 support, 56
gridding with breaklines, 21 online help, 25 surface material color, 45
gridding with faults, 21 online tutorial, 25 surface mesh, 45
help, 25 opacity, 47, 48, 49 surface overlay, 46
hidden lines, 24 opening an existing data file, surfaces, 44
hide a map in an overlay, 24 28 Surfer files, 15, 43
hide object manager, 9 opening surfer, 27 surfer tutorial, 27
how to use Surfer, 3 opening the object manager, Surfer user interface, 5
hull, 17 9 system requirements, 1
indeterminate mode, 8 opening windows, 5 tabbed document, 5, 12, 13
individual contour levels, 36 options menu - grid node tabbed view, 5
inflate convex hull by, 17 editor, 13 tabbed windows, 5
introduction to grid output grid file, 17 target coordinate system, 25
operations, 17 overlay, 24, 46 task progress, 8
introduction to map layers, overlay adjacent maps, 24 tech support, 56
24 overlay maps, 24, 31, 32 technical support, 56
introduction to Surfer, 1 overlaying maps, 24 three-minute tour, 3
introduction to the overlaying two or more title, 42
worksheet window, 12 maps, 24 toolbars, 5
label format, 40 parts of the worksheet, 12 tools menu, 7
label properties, 42 phone, 56 tooltips, 7
labels, 38, 40 plot document commands, 7 transparency, 47, 48
latitude/longitude, 28 pointer coordinates, 8 tutorial, 25, 27, 28, 30, 33,
layer, 24, 46 post map, 31, 52 42, 44, 47
layers, 30 post map labels, 40 tutorial - changing tick
levels, 34 post map properties, 39 labels, 42
line properties, 35 progress of task, 8 tutorial advanced contour
line spacing, 17 projection, 25 levels, 36
mail, 56 projections, 24, 25 tutorial introduction, 25
main, 7 properties, 10, 39 tutorial lessons, 25

58
 Quick Start Guide

tutorial overview, 25 using the online tutorial, 25 windows, 5

understanding how to use using the tutorial with the worksheet, 12, 27
Surfer, 3 demo version, 25 worksheet commands, 7, 12
uninstalling Surfer, 1 view data, 17 worksheet document, 12
user interface, 5 view menu, 8, 9 worksheet name, 12
using breaklines and faults view menu - grid node worksheet window, 12
when gridding, 21 editor, 13 X direction, 17
using Scripter, 4 vista, 1 XYZ data file, 27, 28, 29
using surfer, 3 window types, 5 Y direction, 17

59
 Customer Service Resources

Before calling, please check the following available resources as your question may already be
answered.

Registration:
Register online at www.goldensoftware.com or fax to the number below.
Knowledge Base:
support.GoldenSoftware.com or in the Surfer program using the File | Online | Knowledge
Base command
Forums:
support.GoldenSoftware.com or in the Surfer program using the Forums button in the online
help.
Frequently Asked Questions:
In the Surfer program using the File | Online | Frequently Asked Questions command

Tutorial:
Complete the tutorial section in this guide or in the Tutorial  book in the online help.

Online Help:
surferhelp.GoldenSoftware.com or press F1 in the Surfer program.
Support Videos:
support.GoldenSoftware.com for Surfer specific training videos and webinars, or check out the
Golden Software channel on YouTube.

Business Hours
Technical Support:
Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Mountain Time

Product Sales:
Online orders available 24 hours, 7 days a week

Golden Software Contact Information

www.goldensoftware.com
[email protected]
phone: 303-279-1021
fax: 303-279-0909