KMLTourBuilder

Categories

Cartography and Reports

Format Specific

Generates a KML Tour from input features. The tour consists of tour stops that correspond to each input feature.

The location of the tour stop corresponds to the center point of the input feature. For features where the geometry is a line geometry, a series of tour stops will be generated, where each vertex in the line becomes a tour stop.

Usage Notes

For more information regarding KML Touring and View parameters, see the documentation for KML Tours:

http://developers.google.com/kml/documentation/touring

 

Configuration

Parameters

Name

The name of the Tour object that will be displayed in the navigation tree of a KML Viewer such as Google Earth. If the value of the Tour Name comes from an attribute, all features sharing a common attribute value will be grouped into the same tour. It is possible for the KMLTourBuilder to build several tours if there are different attribute values.

Duration

The time, in seconds, for the entire tour. The duration of a tour has two components: flying time and waiting time (if wait delays are used). The flying time is calculated as the specified tour duration less the total wait times. The flying time between each tour stop will be calculated such that the velocity of the tour is approximately constant.

Type

Smooth: The flying velocity will remain constant for the entire tour.

Bounce: The flying velocity will be gradually reduced to zero as the tour reaches each stop.

Display

This parameter specifies whether the feature's balloon should be popped up as the tour reaches the tour stop, and then hidden when the tour departs the tour stop.

The balloon will only display when the flight velocity has reached zero, so this option is best used with either a Wait or Pause delay.

Type

Specifies the type of delay at each tour stop.

If the Type is set to Wait, the tour will briefly stop at each tour stop for the number of seconds specified in the delay duration. If the Type is set to Pause, the tour will stop at each tour stop until the user presses the play button on the tour control of a KML Viewer such as Google Earth.

Duration

The number of seconds to stop if the Type parameter is set to Wait.

Perspective

Specifies the user's perspective for the entire tour:

  • Third Person: the view will be from a point that orbits the tour stop.
  • First Person: the view will be from the exact location of the tour stop.

Range

Specifies the distance, in meters, from the view point to the tour stop location in the Third Person perspective.

If the value is <calculate>, the range value will be calculated such that user's view includes the tour stop, as well as a portion of the remaining tour. The calculated range is constant for every tour stop.

Heading

Specifies the direction (azimuth) of the view, in degrees, relative to North. If the value is <calculate>, the heading value will be calculated such the heading for the current tour stop is in the direction of the next tour stop.

Tilt

Specifies the rotation, in degrees, of the view around the X axis. A value of 0 indicates that the view is aimed straight down, and a value of 90 indicates that the view is aimed toward the horizon. Values greater than 90 only apply if the View Perspective is First Person, and indicate that the view is pointed towards the sky. If the value is <calculate>, the tilt value will be calculated such the tilt for the current stop is in the direction of the next stop.

Editing Transformer Parameters

Using a set of menu options, transformer parameters can be assigned by referencing other elements in the workspace. More advanced functions, such as an advanced editor and an arithmetic editor, are also available in some transformers. To access a menu of these options, click beside the applicable parameter. For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.

Defining Values

There are several ways to define a value for use in a Transformer. The simplest is to simply type in a value or string, which can include functions of various types such as attribute references, math and string functions, and workspace parameters. There are a number of tools and shortcuts that can assist in constructing values, generally available from the drop-down context menu adjacent to the value field.

Using the Text Editor

The Text Editor provides a convenient way to construct text strings (including regular expressions) from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and constants, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Text Editor

Using the Arithmetic Editor

The Arithmetic Editor provides a convenient way to construct math expressions from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and feature functions, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Arithmetic Editor

Conditional Values

Set values depending on one or more test conditions that either pass or fail.

Parameter Condition Definition Dialog

Content

Expressions and strings can include a number of functions, characters, parameters, and more.

When setting values - whether entered directly in a parameter or constructed using one of the editors - strings and expressions containing String, Math, Date/Time or FME Feature Functions will have those functions evaluated. Therefore, the names of these functions (in the form @<function_name>) should not be used as literal string values.

String Functions

These functions manipulate and format strings.

Special Characters

 A set of control characters is available in the Text Editor.

Math Functions

Math functions are available in both editors.
Date/Time Functions Date and time functions are available in the Text Editor.

Math Operators

These operators are available in the Arithmetic Editor.

FME Feature Functions

These return primarily feature-specific values.

FME Parameters

FME and workspace-specific parameters may be used.
Creating and Modifying User Parameters Create your own editable parameters.

Dialog Options - Tables

Transformers with table-style parameters have additional tools for populating and manipulating values.

Row Reordering

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

  • Add a row
  • Remove a row
  • Move current row up one
  • Move current row down one
  • Move current row to top
  • Move current row to bottom

Cut, Copy, and Paste

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

  • Cut a row - delete and copy to clipboard
  • Copy a row to the clipboard
  • Paste a row from the clipboard

Cut, copy, and paste may be used within a transformer, or between transformers.

Filter

Start typing a string, and the matrix will only display rows matching those characters. Searches all columns. This only affects the display of attributes within the transformer - it does not alter which attributes are output.

Import

Import populates the table with a set of new attributes read from a dataset. Specific application varies between transformers.

Reset/Refresh

Generally resets the table to its initial state, and may provide additional options to remove invalid entries. Behavior varies between transformers.

Note: Not all tools are available in all transformers.

FME Community

The FME Community is the place for demos, how-tos, articles, FAQs, and more. Get answers to your questions, learn from other users, and suggest, vote, and comment on new features.

Search for samples and information about this transformer on the FME Community.

Keywords: "Google Earth" KML