Using Globe Manager in STK

STK Pro, STK Premium (Air), STK Premium (Space), or STK Enterprise
You can obtain the necessary licenses for this tutorial by contacting AGI Support at support@agi.com or 1-800-924-7244.

The results of the tutorial may vary depending on the user settings and data enabled (online operations, terrain server, dynamic Earth data, etc.). It is acceptable to have different results.

Capabilities Covered

This lesson covers the following STK Capabilities:

  • STK Pro

Problem

Engineers and operators require a quick way to populate the central body of their STK 3D Graphics window with imagery, terrain, data sets, and tile sets. Furthermore, they require the ability to manage how and when these items are displayed. In this lesson, you will insert, organize, and manage imagery and terrain for Mt. St. Helens. You will export and import a base globe. You will add a KMZ file for the Tioga West Rim Trail, and import this as an STK object. Lastly, you will insert a 3D Tileset that shows AGI headquarters.

Solution

Using STK Pro and the Globe Manager, first you will organize imagery and terrain items into sets. Then, you will toggle the display of individual imagery and terrain items or sets of items.

What You Will Learn

Upon completion of this tutorial, you will have a basic understanding of:

  • Globe Manager
  • Image Files
  • Terrain Files
  • 3D Tilesets

Video Guidance

Watch the following video. Then follow the steps below, which incorporate the systems and missions you work on (sample inputs provided).

Create a New Scenario

Create a new scenario.

  1. Launch STK ().
  2. In the Welcome to STK window, click Create a Scenario.
  3. Enter the following in the New Scenario Wizard:
    Option Value
    Name STK_Globe_Manager
    Location C:\Users\<username>\Documents\STK 12\
    Start Accept default Day/Month/Year. Change time to 18:00:00.000
    End Accept default Day/Month/Year. Change time to 18:00:00.000
  1. When you finish, click OK .
  2. When the scenario loads, click Save (). A folder with the same name as your scenario is created for you in the location specified above.
  3. Verify the scenario name and location.
  4. Click Save.

Organize the Workspace

Let's take a moment to organize the STK workspace.

  1. Close () the Insert STK Objects Tool.
  2. Close () the 2D Graphics window.
  3. Maximize () the 3D Graphics window.
  4. Close () the Timeline View.

Disable Terrain Server

You're using local files for now. Turn off Terrain Server.

  1. Open STK_Globe_Manager's () properties ().
  2. Select the Basic - Terrain page.
  3. Clear Use terrain server for analysis.
  4. Click OK to accept the changes and close the Properties Browser.

Adding and Managing Terrain and Imagery

You can use Globe Manager to access imagery and terrain data items from local drives and external sources such as the STK Data Federate and Microsoft Bing© Maps.

  1. Click Globe Manager (Globe Manager button) in the Globe Manager Toolbar (Globe Manager Toolbar Small) found at the top of the 3D Graphics Window to open the Globe Manager.

    2. The Globe Manager opens and displays the Hierarchy window and its associated toolbar. If all of the buttons are not visible, you may have to expand the Globe Manager pane. Some toolbar options are grayed out depending on what is selected in the Globe Manager.


Create a Terrain / Imagery Set

A Terrain / Imagery Set is a group folder used for organizing terrain and imagery files.

  1. Select Earth () in the Globe Manager.
  2. Click Add Terrain/Imagery () on the Globe Manager toolbar.
  3. Click Add Terrain/Imagery Set (Add Set button) to create a new set.
  4. Change Name: to St Helens in Globe Manager: Set Properties window.
  5. Click OK .

Add Terrain and Imagery

Add terrain and imagery to the set.

  1. Right-click on St Helens (Add Set button) in the Globe Manager.
  2. Select Add Terrain/Imagery to Set.
  3. Set Path: to <STK install folder>\STKData\VO\Textures in the Globe Manager: Add Terrain and Imagery Data window. This will display all the available STK textures in that folder.
  4. Select St Helens.jp2.
  5. Click Add .

Zoom To St Helens

View St Helens.jp2 in the 3D Graphics window.

  1. Expand (Add Set button) St. Helens (Add Set button) in the Globe Manager.
  2. Select St Helens.jp2 (Add Set button).
  3. Click Zoom To (Zoom To button) in the Globe Manager toolbar. The image of Mount St. Helens displays in the 3D Graphics window.
  4. Clear the check box next to St Helens.jp2 to turn its visibility off.
  5. Select the check box to show the image again.

Toggle Extents of the Imagery File

Toggle Extents displays the range and borders of the selected item on a central body.

  1. Ensure St Helens.jp2 (Add Set button) is selected in the Globe Manager.
  2. Click Toggle Extents (Toggle Extents button) in the Globe Manager toolbar. The image of Mount St. Helens is highlighted in green, showing the extent of the image.
  3. Click Toggle Extents (Toggle Extents button) to remove the highlight.

Add a PDTT to Globe Manager

An STK Terrain File (pdtt) is a terrain file converted from a local terrain file such as a USGS Digital Elevation Model (DEM) or NIMA/NGA DTED. A PDTT can be used both analytically and visually in STK.

  1. Right-click on the St Helens (Add Set button) set in the Globe Manager.
  2. Select Add Terrain/Imagery to Set.
  3. Set Path: to <STK install folder>\STKData\VO\Textures in the Globe Manager: Add Terrain and Imagery Data window.
  4. Select St Helens.pdtt.
  5. Click Add .
  6. Click Yes on the Use Terrain for Analysis dialog box. This adds St Helens.pdtt to the Scenario () object's Basic - Terrain page as analytical terrain.
  7. In the 3D Graphics window, use your mouse to view Mount St. Helens. Note that outside of the St Helens.pdtt the surface is flat, and you are viewing the surface of the WGS84 Ellipsoid.

    8. Mount St. Helens 3D Graphics Window View

  8. In the Globe Manager, clear St Helens.pdtt (Add Set button) and St Helens.jp2 (Add Set button) to turn off visualization in the 3D Graphics window.
  9. Select St Helens.pdtt (Add Set button) and St Helens.jp2 (Add Set button) to turn on visualization in the 3D Graphics window.

Toggle Extents of the PDTT

  1. Select St Helens.pdtt (Add Set button) in the Globe Manager.
  2. Click Toggle Extents (Toggle Extents button) in the Globe Manager toolbar.St Helens.pdtt (Add Set button) will be highlighted in green, showing the extent of the pdtt.

    3. More information on the importation, conversion, and utilization of terrain and imagery files in STK can be found here.

  3. Click Toggle Extents (Toggle Extents button) to remove the extents.

Controlling Render Order and Transparency

  1. Select Earth () in the Globe Manager.
  2. Click Add Terrain/Imagery () on the Globe Manager toolbar.
  3. Select Add Terrain/Imagery (Add Terrain/Imagery button).
  4. In the Globe Manager: Open Terrain and Imagery Data window, click the ellipsis button (()) beside the Path: field.
  5. Browse to <STK install folder>\Data\Resources\stktraining\imagery .
  6. Click OK ..
  7. Select NPS_OrganPipeCactus_Map.pdttx and OrganPipeCactusNM_TerraColor_25m.jp2.
  8. Click Add .

Zoom To Organ Pipe

  1. SelectOrganPipeCactusNM_TerraColor_25m.jp2 (Add Set button) in the Globe Manager.
  2. Click Zoom To (Zoom To button) on the Globe Manager toolbar.

    3. You should notice that only a small part of the NPS_OrganPipeCactus_Map image is visible under the desert image.

Render Order

The Render Order window is used to prioritize the rendering order of images and terrain on the globe. This is useful when items overlap or are placed on top of other items.

  1. Select the Render Order tab in the Globe Manager.

    2. The OrganPipeCactusNM_TerraColor_25m.jp2 file appears at the top of the Render Order list. Imagery and Terrain are rendered on the globe in the order they are added to the Globe Manager. Since OrganPipeCactusNM_TerraColor_25m.jp2 was the last image added, it is displayed as the top most item on the globe.

  2. To bring the map image in front of the desert image, select OrganPipeCactusNM_TerraColor_25m.jp2 and drag it down over the top of NPS_OrganPipeCactus_Map.pdttx until a box appears around the NPS_OrganPipeCactus_Map file name.

    3. Render Order Box

  3. Release the file and you will see that in the 3D Graphics window it is now behind the map image.

Organ Pipe Cactus Map

Set the Translucency

  1. Select the Hierarchy tab in the Globe Manager.
  2. Right-click on NPS_OrganPipeCactus_Map.pdttx (Add Set button).
  3. Select Properties ().
  4. Set Translucency: value to 35 in the Globe Manager: Item Properties window Translucency Settings section.
  5. Click OK . The map graphic is now translucent and the desert imagery below it shows through.

Add a New Set

  1. Right-click on Earth () in the Globe Manager.
  2. Select Create Terrain/Imagery Set (Add Set button).
  3. Change Name: to Organ Pipe in Globe Manager: Set Properties window.
  4. Click OK .
  5. Select NPS_OrganPipeCactus_Map.pdttx and OrganPipeCactusNM_TerraColor_25m.jp2 and drag them to the Organ Pipe (Add Set button) set in the Globe Manager.

    6. You may notice in the 3D Graphics window that the map image has again fallen below the desert image. This can occur when moving imagery around in Globe Manager. To correct this, follow the Render Order procedure again to get the desired effect.

Export the Globe

Globe Manager allows you to save a globe as a .glb file that can be shared with other STK users and imported into other STK scenarios.

  1. Select Earth () in the Globe Manager.
  2. Click Export Globe (Export Globe button) in the Globe Manager toolbar to save the current globe.
  3. Browse to the scenario location (e.g. C:\Users\username\Documents\STK 12\STK_Globe_Manager) in the Export Globe window.
  4. Change File name: to OrganPipe.glb.
  5. Click Save .

    6. The .glb file can now be shared with other STK users and imported into other STK scenarios.

Change the Base Globe

To change the base globe, select the Location Type, the Location Path, and the desired file from the Pick Base Texture window.

  1. Click Home View () in the 3D Graphics window toolbar.

    2. For Earth, the default base image is the Earth_PE_b.jp2 file.

  2. To change the base image, right-click on Earth () in Globe Manager.
  3. Select Change Base.
  4. Ensure Path: is set to <STK install folder>\STKData\VO\Textures in the Globe Manager: Pick Base Texture window.
  5. Select TerraMetrics_Earth_8km.jp2 from the list of available base images.
  6. Click Add .
  7. Observe the change in the globe image in the 3D Graphics window.

Import a Globe

Import Globe imports an STK globe file (.glb) into Globe Manager, replacing the current globe. Globe files (.glb) can be used to share globes.

Importing a globe removes any changes, sets, and items in the current globe and cannot be undone.

  1. In Globe Manager, select Earth ().
  2. Click Import Globe (Import Globe button) in the Globe Manager toolbar.
  3. Select Yes in the dialog box to confirm proceeding.
  4. Browse to the directory where you exported OrganPipe.glb earlier (e.g. scenario location: C:\Users\username\Documents\STK 12\STK_Globe_Manager).
  5. Select OrganPipe.glb.
  6. Click Open .

Managing KML Files in Globe Manager

The KML window is used to add Keyhole Markup Language (KML) files (.kml/.kmz) to a 3D Graphics window.

  1. Select the 3D Graphics window to make it active
  2. ClickHome View (Home View button) in the 3D Graphics Window Toolbar.
  3. Select the KML tab in the Globe Manager.
  4. Click Open KML Content (Open KML Content button) in the KML toolbar.
  5. Browse to <STK install folder>\Data\Resources\stktraining\KML
  6. Select the West_Rim_Trail.kmz file.
  7. Click Open .

    8. After the KML file is loaded, you will see it has populated the KML window with a table of contents.

View the West Rim Trail

The Tioga West Rim Trail is a hiking trail located in Pennsylvania. Let's visualize it in the 3D Graphics window.

  1. Right-click on West Rim Trail.kmz in the table of contents.
  2. Select Zoom To (Export Globe button).

    3. West Rim Trail

  3. Double-click on any part of the trail in the 3D Graphics window to bring up a balloon containing information about the item from the KMZ file.

    4. KMZ Information

  4. When finished, close () the information balloon.

Get Info Tool

The Get Info Tool allows you to select an area on the 3D globe and get information on any KML items within the selected area.

  1. Click Get Info Tool (Get Info button) on the KML toolbar.
  2. When the Get Info Tool window appears, click Enable object selection pick in 3D window (Pick Button).
  3. Click and drag a selection box over the West Rim Trail in the 3D Graphics Window.

    4. Get Info Tool and Drawn Box

    The Get Info Tool window will display information about the KML items within the selected area.

  4. In the Get Info Tool, click West Rim Trail to view the properties and values associated with each item.
  5. Close the window when you have finished exploring the Get Info Tool window.

Import As...

Import the KMZ into STK as an analytical object.

  1. Expand (Add Set button) West Rim Trail.kmz (Add Set button) in Globe Manager.
  2. Right-click on West Rim Trail (Add Set button). Notice the objects that can be imported into STK.
  3. Select Import as Ground Vehicle.
  4. Notice in the Object Browser that a new Ground Vehicle () object named West_Rim_Trail was created.

Visualize the Ground Vehicle

Improve the view of the Ground Vehicle () object.

  1. Right-click on West_Rim_Trail () in the Object Browser.
  2. Select Zoom To.
  3. Use your mouse to zoom out until you see the location of West_Rim_Trail and its route.

    4. Ground Vehicle Route

  4. Open West_Rim_Trail's () Properties (). Be patient. There are a lot of points.
  5. On the Basic - Route page, click Set All.
  6. Select Altitude in the Set All Grid Values window.
  7. Set the Altitude: value to 3 ft.
  8. Click OK to close the Set All Grid Values window.
  9. Click OK to accept the changes and close the Properties Browser.

Turn on Streaming Terrain

If you have an Internet connection, turn on Terrain Server for improved situational awareness.

  1. Open STK_Globe_Manager's () Properties ().
  2. Select the Basic - Terrain page.
  3. Select Use terrain server for analysis in the Terrain Server section.
  4. Click OK to accept the changes and close the Properties Browser.
  5. Return to the 3D Graphics window.

Ground Vehicle on Terrain

The KML file is still located on the surface of the WGS84 Ellipsoid. The Ground Vehicle () route is three (3) feet above the terrain which allows you to see the route better when streaming terrain. This view provides excellent situational awareness of the route and terrain.

3D Tiles

Add 3D Tilesets enables you to add or remove 3D Tiles for display in the 3D Graphics window. 3D Tilesets can be used from your hard drive or imported from the AGI SEDS Geospatial Content Server. They work best if Terrain Server is on or if you have a local terrain file which has been converted into a PDTT that defines the area where the 3D Tileset is being used. Like a PDTT, 3D Tiles can be used both visually and analytically.

  1. Select the Hierarchy tab in Globe Manager.
  2. Select Earth ().
  3. Click Add Terrain/Imagery () on the Globe Manager toolbar.
  4. Select Add 3D Tilesets.
  5. Change the Path: to <STK install folder>\STKData\VO\3DTilesets in the Globe Manager: Add 3D Tilesets window.
  6. Select AGI_Headquarters.
  7. Click Add.
  8. Right-click on AGI_Headquarters in the Globe Manager.
  9. Select Zoom To (Zoom To button) .
  10. In the 3D Graphics window, use your mouse to explore the 3D Tileset.

3D Tileset

Save Your Work

  1. Save () your work.

Summary

You began the scenario by opening the Globe Manager. Inside the Globe Manager, you created a Terrain/Imagery set which contained both an image file and a terrain file of Mount St. Helens. Next, you loaded two imagery files of the Organ Pipe Cactus area: one file was a satellite image of the area and the other was a map overlay of the area. The satellite imagery sat on top of the map which wasn't visible in the 3D Graphics window. Using the Render Order tab, you learned how to place one image on top of another. After placing the map on top of the satellite imagery, you were able to adjust the transparency so that you could see both the map and the satellite imagery. You then learned how to import, export, and change the base globe. Next, you inserted a KMZ file into the scenario and imported that file as an analytical object into STK. And last, you inserted a 3D Tileset in the Globe Manager showing AGI headquarters in your scenario.

On Your Own

Earlier in the lesson you loaded the West_Rim_Trail.kmz file into your scenario. Another KMZ file that you will find interesting is the MtStHelens.kmz located in the same folder as the West_Rim_Trail.kmz file.

  1. Zoom to the St Helens.pdtt.
  2. Import the Mount Saint Helens Worm Flows Route as a Ground Vehicle object.
  3. The Ground Vehicle appears to float high over the terrain. Go into Mount_Saint_Helens_Worm_Flows_Route (STK Ground Vehicle object) and change all the point altitudes to 3 feet. You will be able to visualize a popular hiking trail located along the volcano.
  4. There are other KMZ and KML files in the AGI install area that you can look at. If you return to the Globe Manager: Open Terrain and Imagery Data window and set the Path: to C:\Program Files\AGI\STK 12\STKData\VO\Textures, there are a multitude of files that you can load. Try them out.
  5. Return to Add 3D Tilesets. When Globe Manager: Add 3D Tilesets opens, click Hosted and sign in to the GI SEDS Geospatial Content Server using your AGI user name and password.
  6. Import and add the 3D Tilesets to your scenario and explore.

Have fun!