FaceReplacer

Replaces the geometry of a feature from donut, raster, or polygon to face. If the donut or polygon is not already three-dimensional, a 0.0 value for Z coordinates is assumed.

A face is a planar area in 3D space. The planar structure can be a raster, polygon or a donut.

For a raster, the transformer will replace the geometry with a face with the same bounding box as the original raster with a textured appearance using the original raster, as applied from the top view.

The planar area has a concept of a surface normal, a vector that points outwards perpendicular from the area. The direction of the surface normal in a face is determined by using the right-hand rule: if the fingers of your right hand curl along the order of the vertices, the direction that the thumb points to is the direction of the surface normal.

Usage Notes

This transformer has no effect on features that have geometries other than raster, donut, and polygon.
You can use the 3DForcer to turn 2D geometry into 3D geometry.

Configuration

Output Ports

Parameters

Tolerance

Thickness Mode	Select an option or choose an attribute. Automatic estimates a valid thickness for the geometry. Custom allows you to input your own thickness. Ignore ignores the thickness check entirely.
Thickness	Enter a value or choose an attribute. The thickness tolerance is specified in ground units, and describes the maximum “thickness” a plane can have before it is considered non-planar. A planar polygon has a thickness of 0. A non-planar polygon will have its average surface normal computed using Newell’s method, and its thickness will be determined in the direction of the normalized surface normal. For example, consider a single, non-planar polygon. Imagine a plane that passes through the world origin, with its normal set to the average normal of the polygon. Then, every point along the polygon boundary would be a distance D to the world plane. Relative to the world plane, we find the closest point and the farthest point along the polygon boundary. The difference between the farthest and nearest distances give us the desired thickness.
Angular Mode	Select an option or choose an attribute. Automatic estimates a valid surface normal deviation for the geometry. Custom allows you to input your own surface normal deviation (in degrees). Ignore ignores the surface normal check entirely.
Surface Normal Deviation (degrees)	Enter a value or choose an attribute. The surface normal deviation tolerance is specified in degrees, and describes the maximum deviation from the average surface normal that a component can have before it is considered non-planar. A planar polygon has a surface normal deviation of 0. A non-planar polygon will have its average surface normal computed using Newell’s method, and the surface normal deviation of each part from the average surface normal will be computed with the cosine law. For example, consider a single, non-planar polygon. Imagine a unit normal representing the average normal of the polygon. Now imagine a unit normal for each component of the polygon. The largest different between the average surface normal, and any other surface normal is the surface normal deviation.

Editing Transformer Parameters

Transformer parameters can be set by directly entering values, using expressions, or referencing other elements in the workspace such as attribute values or user parameters. Various editors and context menus are available to assist. To see what is available, click beside the applicable parameter.

How to Set Parameter Values

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.

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.

Content Types

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

Table Tools

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.

For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.

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Keywords: 3DFaceCreator