QEP 322: Point layer edition from the profile tool #328
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| # Summary | ||
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| This proposal aims to enable the editing of point layers directly from the elevation profile. It will be possible to add new points, move existing ones, and delete them. Additionally, selecting points from the elevation profile will be possible. Editing directly within the elevation profile will make it easier to precisely adjust the elevation of 3D points. |
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How would deletion work? Would it work on selection, or be a "click on points to delete" tool? If the latter, is it click per individual point? or marquee based?
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It will be selection based. I have added some text to explain it.
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| The main challenge of this feature is ensuring that these new functionalities do not conflict with the existing editing options in the main canvas. To make the solution as clear as possible, we propose to: | ||
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| - Add a new editing section to the toolbar within the elevation profile panel. |
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For the same reasons as the pushback against the editing tools in the 3d window toolbar, can we avoid just dumping all these actions into the existing profile window toolbar? We need an alternative approach which doesn't add extra UI complexity (and minimum horizontal window size requirement).
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I agree that this is probably the most controversial part of this proposal.
However, we did some user testing and this is only approach that made sense for them. Indeed, when using this feature, they need to open to open several elevation profile widget. From their point of view, each widget is a standalone application. Thus, it needs their own buttons.
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However, we did some user testing and this is only approach that made sense for them. Indeed, when using this feature, they need to open to open several elevation profile widget. From their point of view, each widget is a standalone application. Thus, it needs their own buttons.
We still need some alternative vs just chucking them in the toolbar. It could be an additional (hidden by default) toolbar in the profile window, or a drop-down menu with edit actions, or some initially invisible panel. But I'm -1 to what you've described here.
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+1 for the "per-profile" toolbar ... profile "layer tree view" is NOT synced with the main one !
The main problem happens when you select the layer you wanna edit in the profile window, and the "toogle editing" button of the main window ... toogles the main window current layer (which is NOT the one you selected in your profile). This is really enoying at use, since whenever you want to edit something in your profile you have to go back to the main window (exit dual screen ergonomy).
The "feel good" behavior is edit what you select ... in your current/active widget
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@T4mmi that's not my issue though -- my issue is with adding 7 more icons to the elevation profile toolbar, and the associated UI complexity/bloat. I think at a minimum these should be hidden by default, and only shown if the user opts-in via eg a "Show Editing Tools" toggle in the profile settings drop-down menu.
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Hiding icons as default is fine when the setting can be toggled.
| - Display the editing icon for the layer currently selected in the elevation profile tree view. | ||
| - Synchronize edition state between the main canvas and the elevation profile: enabling edition on a layer from the elevation profile will activate it in the main canvas, and vice versa. | ||
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| Tolerance will not be handled when adding or moving points. This means that the points will always be placed on the profile line. |
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Can you clarify what you mean here? Do you tolerance when picking the point to move? Or tolerance in allowing a user to "tear away" a point from the profile?
If the latter, wouldn't that be a handy feature? The point would keep the same x/y location, but could be translated up or down in the z axis...
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I have tried to explain it in this new version. It will be possible to keep the same x/y location, but could be translated up or down in the z axis
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I'm guessing the attribute form will immediately open after adding points, just like it does for 2d maps? |
nyalldawson
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If you just want to snap points to the profile line, wouldn't it be simpler to just use the Drape (set Z value from raster) algorithm in Edit features in place mode? |
Yes. Added some text to explain it. |
Indeed. This is just a different workflow than what is proposed here. |
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This is an interesting one - when building point cloud editing tools, we were considering whether to have editing tools available in the elevation profile views as well. In the end we came to the conclusion that elevation profiles are probably best left as pure read-only views of data, and for any editing we should stick to 2d/3d canvas - for several reasons:
How do you plan to support snapping - would it respect snapping as set up for the 2d canvas, or would there be some special rules? How about multiple selection - would it be possible to select multiple points and move them at once? |
This proposal aims to give more flexibility to the user. It will be possible to fine tune the Z coordinate per point, snap it on a DEM or completely another layer. It will also be possible to move (slide) a point along the profile. And more importantly, create new points. |
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Sorry for trespassing this late in the Proposal. As a computing geologist I strongly favor the ideer of being able to add point to a vector table through the Elevation Profile window. When a geologist models geological layers in a profile you work with several elevation layers. These layers are raster interpolated from what we call interpretation point. Being able to add points for later interpolation is how you build your geological model. The points should be able to snapped to existing geometry, I make geometry generators for boreholes and geophysical data, for the point to be snapped to. Some of it descried at 10 min in the QGIS Bratislava 2024 recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7rEGLoD8cI&list=PLi6mvse6ZEOziPdfPuf1Bvc4xmx-aQDsv&index=54. When you add a point to the Elevation Profile it has to be placed on the profile line in the 2D map.
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| ### Delete features | ||
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| Deletion of features will work on selection. First, select features by clicking on them or using a rectangle selection. Then delete them by clicking the "Delete Features" button from the elevation profile toolbar. |
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Personally, I don't see any need for a special delete features tool in the elevation profile -- there's barely any difference vs doing the selection in the profile and then hitting delete on the main window toolbar.
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I think the elevation profile should have Toggle Editing, Add point, Move point and Delete point buttons. This might seem redundant to the main window, but nevertheless, this is a common design also between the the main window and a the Attribute window with several common buttons.
If working 2 screens with elevation profile in one window, there might be a long distance across multiple screens to the main window.
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+1 for the "per-profile" tools ... even if its a hidden by default one.
Working in a profile view is a specific work where we wanna manipulate points individually (contrary to drape for example) and without going back and forth to the main window.
Please see the comment the comment from @Jakob-Lanstorp #328 (comment)
This is why those tools would only be available for points. As you explain, this does not make sense for lines or polygons.
The profile tool already has its own snapping. This would use it.
Moving multiple points at once is not planned. I guess it could be added later on. |
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Agree only points should be editable in elevation profile, not line or polygon geometry. Also only one point, not multiple points, to be move at the same time, but multiple point should be able to be delete at once if they are selected. I think snapping could be ignored in this iteration. What I mean by snapping is that the new point added in the elevation profile, gets the real x,y coordinated (from an existing geometry), instead of being projected on the profile line x,y. If you have a large profile tolerance on the profile, then there might be a large distance from point to the perpendicular projection to the profile line. This could be handled by the user instead if they make sure that the profile goes directly through the "snapped" points. If this is not clear I will be happy to eleborate more on the subject. |
Here is a screenshot of what the solution could look like: