Tools > Options > General affects this application’s interaction with the operating system.
Tools > Options > General > Applications - specifies the location of external executable applications for report generation.
Tools > Options > General > Directories - specifies default directory locations for various kinds of disk files.
Tools > Options > General > Themes - specifies color schemes and the significance of special keys on the keyboard.
Tools > Options > General > File I/O - specifies the behavior of the application when loading specific file types or object types from files.
Tools > Options > General > Language and Fonts - specifies the operational language of the application and the default font family of the user interface.
Tools > Options > General > Memory - specifies behaviors that conserve system memory or affect application performance.
Tools > Options > General > Miscellaneous - miscellaneous settings.
Tools > Options > General > Applications specifies the location of external executable applications for report generation.
Word button - points to the Microsoft Word executable file, such as c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\winword.exe.
Excel button - points to the Microsoft Excel executable file.
Acrobat button - points to the Adobe Acrobat executable file.
Browser button - points to the Microsoft Internet Explorer executable file.
Tools > Options > General > Directories specifies default directory locations for various kinds of disk files.
File Open field - the default directory accessed by File > Open.
File Save field - the default directory accessed by File > Save.
Screen Captures field - specifies the directory in which images (from File > Screen Capture > Application and Rendered Views) are stored.
Snapshots field - specifies the directory in which images (from File > Screen Capture > Advanced and Take Snapshot) are stored.
Logs field - the default directory utilized by the Logging feature (further configured at Tools > Options > General > Miscellaneous > Logging).
Macros field - the default directory utilized by the Load button at Macro Manager > Manage Macros.
External Application field - points to the executable that is launched by Tools > Launch External.
Working Directory field - points to the directory in which temporary files are stored. The file system must have sufficient space for the contents of this directory to get large.
Tools > Options > General > Themes affects mouse and keyboard behavior, colors, icon size, and the recently used file list.
Keyboard dropdown and View button - The dropdown allows you to select a standard set of keyboard hotkeys. The standards are Win32Default which is a Windows-based standard, 4DWMDefault which is a Unix-based behavior, and CDEDefault which is another choice. Click the View button to see details of the selected standard OR to create your own.
Mouse dropdown and View button - The dropdown allows you to select a standard set of mouse action modifier keys. The standards are Win32Default which is a Windows-based standard, 4DWMDefault which is a Unix-based behavior, and CDEDefault which is another choice. Click the View button to see details of the selected standard OR to create your own.
Color dropdown and Edit button - allows customization of the display color of hundreds of individual aspects of the user interface. Color customizations must be saved in a file such as MyColors.col.
Recent Files group - controls behavior of the recently used file list on the File menu.
Number of Recent Files integer field - the number recently used files to be maintained at the bottom of the File menu.
Menu Name Length integer field - controls the truncation of names in the recently used file list (and replacement with the “...” symbol).
Toolbars group - controls the size of icons on various toolbars.
Toolbar Icon Size V1 dropdown - specifies the size of icons on the main toolbar.
Phase Toolbar Icon Size V1 checkbox - specifies the size of icons on the Phase-specific toolbar.
Dialog Visualization group -
Dialog buttons on ... radio button set - specifies the location of the standard OK and Cancel (and possibly other) buttons on dialogs that appear in the Dialog Manager.
Top radio button - The standard buttons appear at the top of the dialog panel.
Bottom radio button - The standard buttons appear at the bottom of the dialog panel.
Dialog Contents Scrollable checkbox - causes scroll controls to appear on the right-hand side of any dialog that is larger than the panel in which it is displayed. Leave this checked.
Tools > Options > General > File I/O
General -
Default Units dropdown - Not all file types contain units of measurement. This dropdown set units to use when a file is loaded with an unknown units type. If you pick Query User, the user is prompted for units of measure when a file of unknown units is loaded.
Default Precision dropdown - specifies the accuracy of the floating-point data in the file. Single-precision numbers have 7 digits of accuracy and double-precision numbers have 15. You may also accept the precision that is set in the file.
Working Units dropdown - specifies the units presented in the user interface after the file has been loaded. You may choose to accept the units that are read from the file, or set the units to another measurement system.
Texture Format dropdown (BMP, JPG, PNG, TIFF) - specifies the default format for reading and writing files with "texture color" (such as Tools > Color > Manage Textures).
Check for transformations file (*.tfm) checkbox - If a model and a transformation file with the same name but different extensions is found in a directory when a model is opened, the transformation will be automatically applied.
Disable Object Validation (Always Prompt on Save) checkbox - When checked, the software always prompts to save a file before loading a new file, rather than checking to see if the currently loaded object had been modified.
Prompt before Overwriting Files checkbox - causes a prompt to confirm your intention to overwrite a file.
Autosave: Create a recovery file every checkbox and (mins) (integer field) - causes automatic periodic saving of your work in the working folder.
Unordered Points Load Options - settings that affect the loading of an ordered point object from a file
Always Prompt User checkbox - whether to prompt the user upon loading an unordered point object about whether to override defaults.
Keep Full Data on sampling checkbox - causes the full set of data to be loaded but a sampled object to be subject to manipulation in the Viewing Area.
Sample Ratio dropdown - specifies the percentage of data to be maintained during the data reduction process. 1/1 means no sampling.
Max. Points integer field - Limits the maximum number of points that will be loaded from a vertex file.
Vertex Format text field - allows the user to specify a general format for the import of points from an ASCII text file. The general assumption is that vertex files provide one point per line. Each line must contain the coordinates, and may optionally deliver a normal vector, a color or intensity, and grid coordinates. All values are separated by spaces or commas. The “Vertex Format” string specifies how these values are interpreted. Each field is described by a single character. X, Y, Z define the coordinates; I, J, K define a normal vector; R, G, B define a color; U, V define grid coordinates.
Ordered Points Load Options - settings that affect the loading of an ordered point object from a file
Always Prompt User checkbox - whether to prompt the user upon loading an unordered point object about whether to override defaults.
Fill Small Holes checkbox - specifies whether to fill small holes automatically upon loading the object.
Keep Full Data on sampling checkbox - Check this box if you want to retain the full data, but only load a sample. It will not appear in the Model Manager or Viewing Area; only the points resulting from the sampling will. However, the entire data set will be re-loaded during the Merge operation.
Sample Ratio dropdown - specifies the percentage of data to be maintained during the data reduction process. 1/1 means no sampling.
Filter Angle decimal field - Low values filter out more points, maintaining points only from surfaces that are more perpendicular to the scan direction. High values are analogous to wide vision, maintaining points from surfaces that are more parallel to the scan direction.
Polygon Load Options -
Color STL files checkbox - specifies whether to look for color vertex information in STL files (which is not common).
Merge Vertices checkbox - reduces redundancy in polygon objects by combining vertex locations that are in a file more than once if within a certain distance. This distance is controlled by the Epsilon value. An epsilon value of 0.0, the default, indicates that only locations that are exactly the same will be merged.
Epsilon field - In conjunction with the Merge Vertices checkbox, an epsilon value of 0.0, the default, indicates that only locations that are exactly the same will be considered as identical.
Keep Triangle Orientation checkbox - If checked, the orientation of the triangles will be kept as read. If not checked, then the application will attempt to orient the triangles to form a surface.
Auto reset view - If checked, the views will be reset to their defaults when an object is added or removed.
Large Data Conditioning Options - defines the size of a large polygon file and affects the automatic thinning of large files by File > Open, File > Open Directory, File > Import, Polygons > Decimate, and Points > Merge.
File Size (Mbytes) integer field (default 256) - specifies the number of megabytes over which a .obj or .stl file is considered to be large.
Target Triangles integer field - specifies the number of triangles to which to reduce a large polygon file.
Segment Triangles integer field - During the reduction process, the object is broken into several chunks. This parameter specifies the ideal number of triangles per chunk (a fraction of the Target Triangles value). This value is memory-sensitive. Typically, use the default.
Use Target Tolerance checkbox and Target Tolerance decimal field - specifies the greatest distance allowed between any original vertex and the position of the new polygon mesh. A given vertex might be eliminated, thus causing a shift in the polygon mesh. The vertex would not exist on the new mesh, but a distance from the original vertex to the new mesh is calculated.
CAD Load Options - controls the behavior of loading a CAD file:
Enable checkbox - generates a more refined underlying triangle mesh than the default, and activates the following settings:
Max Edge Length decimal field - specifies the maximum length of any edge of any triangle in the refined underlying mesh.
Max Triangles integer field - specifies the maximum number of triangles in a refined mesh. This number of triangles is not spent on CAD layers that are deselected during the load process.
Ignore Blanked Layers checkbox - specifies whether File > Open and File > Import will ignore (or include) a CAD file’s “blanked layers”, if any, in the popup listing of CAD layers. If this checkbox is checked, blanked layers do not appear in the list and cannot be loaded. If not checked, blanked layers appear in the list and may be loaded.
Tools > Options > General > Language and Fonts specifies the operational language of the application and the default font family of the user interface. These settings take effect the next time the application is started.
Current Language dropdown - specifies the language of the user interface.
Application Font - controls the font for most text strings in the user interface.
Family: (text) - font style
Point: (text) - height
Weight: (text) - regular or bold
Italics: (text) - italics or not
Change button - presents a dialog for modifying the other four parameters.
Display Font - no function
Family: (text) - font style
Point: (text) - height
Weight: (text) - regular or bold
Italics: (text) - italics or not
Change button - presents a dialog for modifying the other four parameters.
Tools > Options > General > Memory specifies behaviors that conserve system memory or affect application performance.
Disable Undo checkbox - conserves system memory by disabling Edit > Undo (Ctrl-Z).
Save State To Disk checkbox - specifies whether to use disk to save the "undo state" rather than memory.
Disable Fast Picking checkbox - specifies whether to disable the fast picking algorithm which uses memory-consuming structures.
Memory Usage Limit (MB) integer field - prevents this application from hogging system memory by setting a maximum number of megabytes of system memory that it may utilize without swapping.
Swap Memory (MB) integer field - specifies the maximum amount of disk space that can be allocated for swapping.
Tools > Options > General > Miscellaneous controls miscellaneous functions.
Options group - allows the export and import of these Option settings to and from a .dat file so that they can be exchanged between instances of the Geomagic product.
Import button - allows browsing of the file system for a file to import.
Export button - stores these Options in a .dat file in a user-specified location.
Macro Server group - controls interprocess communication for the Macro Server. See also Macro Server Manager.
Base Port Number field (in the range 15000 to 15004, default 15000) - specifies the IP port number at which the macro server establishes communications with an external client.
Max Connections field (0 to 5, default 5) - specifies the maximum number of simultaneous connections that the macro server may maintain with external clients.
Logging checkbox - controls the logging of events by this application.
Enable Logging at Startup checkbox - specifies whether menu functions are logged to c:\rgi-###.log. If a logged session crashes, you re-start the application, and the log is found, you are prompted whether to replay the session up to but not including the last one (that caused the crash). Geomagic Technical Support can diagnose failures by examining this log.
Save Log on Shutdown checkbox - specifies whether to save the log or to discard it when the application session ends. If a log is saved, the next log to be created will have a difference numerical suffix.
Check for Updates group - controls the automatic download of Geomagic product updates from the internet.
Enable checkbox - specifies whether to check for updates.
Recurrence integer field - if enabled, specifies the number of days between checks.
Default Floating Dialog Location group - controls the placement of popup prompts and dialogs (elements of the user interface that do not appear in the Dialog Manager).
Place Dialogs for Dual-Head (side-by-side) Display checkbox - specifies that popups shall be placed off center so that they will not be split down the middle when two side-by-side computer monitors (a "dual head") are configured on one computer.