Adding User-selected Files to Your VDF | Optimizing Your Distribution | Adding Esri Map Documents to Your VDF

Authoring A VDF tutorial

When optimizing the VDF, you should consider whether included datasets are needed by your audience. Common considerations include the following:

  1. What is an acceptable amount of time to wait for a VDF to open?

    Start creating VDFs to get a benchmark. On an average PC it takes about three minutes to save or open a 1-GB VDF. Also consider client internet connection speed when saving VDFs to an STK Data Federate Server.


  2. Why exclude large file(s) from the VDF? (Typically Globe Content)

    • Not all files compress. Big VDFs take longer to load.

      The VDF is similar to a .zip file in that the contents you select are bundled and compressed. But all files do not compress equally. The file size of an already heavily compressed file will be translated directly to the VDF file size. Examples of heavily compressed files are the STK terrain and imagery formats like .pdttx, .pdtt, and jpeg2000.


    • More than one VDF may depend on the same large file(s)

      If you have more than one VDF which uses the same image/terrain file consider using the VDF Overview to reference dependencies which must be obtained separately by the recipient.


    • Recipients may have the large file(s) already

      Recipients of a VDF may already have the large files (STK Terrain, Imagery and Maps or Datadisc) in a network location or a location with more available disk space which is different from where the VDF will be saved. See Edit Preferences - File Find for setting the search path used by STK to locate imagery / terrain / models.


    • Clients may have internet access allowing them to use Microsoft Bing™ maps or access Esri's ArcGIS.com.

  3. VDF must be self-contained. What are the alternatives to excluding large files from a VDF?

    • Clients may have internet access allowing them to use Bing maps or access Esri's ArcGIS.com.


    • Let STK re-create some of the data when the VDF is opened


      • Delete az-el mask (.aem) files from the scenario folder prior to saving the VDF


      • Delete .cva files from the scenario folder and have the recipient Compute Access.


      • Under Edit Preferences - Save Load Preferences uncheck Save for


        • Vehicle Ephemeris


        • Accesses


        • Sensor Targeted pointing times


      • Use the same .pdtt file for both Globe Manager and Scenario - Basic - Terrain.


      • Use the Imagery and Terrain Converter to crop both imagery and terrain for only the required area

Knowing the data can be leveraged by each application can help you decide what to include in the VDF. If you want your VDF to be accessible by all applications, then author your VDF with a comprehensive selection of content.

 
STK Viewer
     STK     
Analysis
Computed ephemeris
yes
yes
Earth orientation parameters
yes
yes
Planetary ephemeris
yes
yes
Analytical terrain
yes
yes
Quick Reports
yes
yes
Graphics
3D models
yes
yes
Markers and labels
yes
yes
Cloud imagery
yes
yes
Central body images
yes
yes
Other
Multiple 3D windows
yes
yes
2D window(s)
no
yes
Non-STK files
no
yes

Adding User-selected Files to Your VDF

In addition to STK specific content, you can add your own non-STK files to your VDF. These may include data files, reports, presentations, HTML pages, scripts, spreadsheets, and other files beneficial to the audience.

You can also manually add files that are not automatically included by the authoring process. For various reasons, there are file types and datasets that do not normally get included in the VDF. The data files can be large, indirectly associated, or exhibit a complex nature. Some datasets that are not automatically included are:

  • STK World Terrain
  • DMED terrain
  • STK Celestial Imagery
  • STK High Resolution Maps
  • Radar Advanced Environment
  • TLE files
  • STK databases (satellite, facility, city, star)
  • Map details
  • Space weather files
  • 2525 symbology
  • TIREM
  • Planetary Spice Files
  • VPF data
  • Plugin scripts
  • Core astrodynamic files pertaining to celestial body properties (other than Earth orientation parameters). These files are already part of STK products.

For datasets that are large, it is best not to copy them to the VDF. Instead use a network-based solution (see Distributing VDFs within organizations). For smaller datasets, such as Astrogator files and plugin scripts, you can add them individually from the Authoring a VDF window, or if they already exist in your scenario folder, you can add them quickly by selecting Copy scenario folder contents.

The following datasets are always linked; that is, content cannot be copied to the VDF. You will need to ensure the user has connectivity to the same datasets called by your scenario.

  • Enterprise GIS databases referenced in an Esri map document (.mxd). The map document and local geodatabases can be either linked or included. In most cases, the .mxd should be saved in ArcGIS with relative data paths. (See best practices for more information.)

Optimizing Your Distribution

Distributing VDFs within organizations

You can minimize the size of a VDF by pointing to data rather than copying it. Like a scenario, VDFs maintain network links.

Many users already employ network resources for sharing data among STK scenarios, such as with an SDF server. These can include terrain, imagery, geospatial vector data, 3D models and textures, cloud files, and more. When your scenario points to these datasets on the network, you can have the VDF do the same. In the Authoring a VDF window, do not select Copy... for datasets that are already referenced to the network. The VDF will preserve the network paths and the data will not copy. You can send this VDF to users on the same network and have them see the full content.

Distributing VDFs to Non-connected Users

When authoring for users without network or internet access, you must selectively choose what data to copy in the VDF. You have the option of not copying large datasets—such as globes, 3D models, markers—and rely on default ones that will activate on the receiving end. For other potentially large datasets, such as analytical terrain, you can make a smaller dataset or simply not include it. These tradeoffs are part of the authoring process. The VDF will display whatever content it finds in the file, and may prompt the user in the case of globes. Lacking a network you can send a custom globe to the user and have STK Viewer prompt for its location.

Adding Esri Map Documents to Your VDF

Use the following table to determine whether an Esri map document (.mxd, .lyr, .mxt, .pmf) can be included in a VDF file and, if it cannot be included, what the options are for the STK Viewer user.

Esri Map... Saved in VDF Requirements for the STK Viewer User
...has absolute paths to geospatial data residing on the local machine or in an ArcSDE server.
yes
 The geospatial data must reside in the same location that was used when the VDF was authored. If not, the map document will not be able to find the referenced geospatial data. This is a good option if the GIS users in the enterprise use ArcSDE as the geospatial data source.
...references geospatial data residing in an ArcIMS/WMS server.
yes
 Requires internet access and access to ArcIMS/WMS servers. This may be a good option in most cases.
...has relative paths to geospatial data residing on the local machine or in an ArcSDE server.
no

A link to the location of the map document is saved in the VDF.

The map document and referenced geospatial data must be placed in the same locations that were used when the VDF was authored. This can be challenging since the author does not have much control over who receives the VDF, and has no easy way of communicating the location requirements.

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