GPlates 2.0 released

GPlates 2.0 released

What's new in version 2.0:-

  • Projects and recent sessions:
    • Now saves and restores all layer information:
      • Including layer order, visibility and all settings within each layer (such as colour styles and colour palette filenames).
    • Open projects using File menu, drag'n'drop, double-clicking or command-line.
    • Project name displayed in window title.
    • Copy a project to another computer. For example:
      • Zip up a folder containing project file and associated data files (including colour palette files).
      • Unzip to another computer and open project file.
    • Option to locate missing data files (when loading project or recent session):
      • Useful when data files moved since project or session was saved.
    • Option to resolve ambiguous data filenames (when loading relocated project):
      • Useful when data files exist in both original and relocated locations.
    • GPlates 2.0 can open projects and recent sessions saved by all prior versions of GPlates:
      • However information saved by earlier versions is limited.
    • GPlates 1.5 can open projects and recent sessions saved by GPlates 2.0:
      • However restored information is limited (to what GPlates 1.5 can understand).
  • Deformation:
    • Topological networks:
      • Boundary is similar to a topological closed plate boundary, but also has:
        • A deforming interior region (due to individual deforming points).
        • Optional interior rigid blocks.
      • Build New Network Topology tool now publicly available (without requiring command-line switch to enable).
      • Export topological network boundaries in general Resolved Topologies export.
      • Query and visualise velocities and strain rates at arbitrary points in networks.
      • Optionally display total (accumulated) strain at arbitrary points:
        • Displays principal components and orientation.
        • Outward-facing red arrows for extension.
        • Inward-facing blue arrows for compression.
    • Reconstructing regular features using topologies:
      • Use both topological rigid plates and deforming networks to reconstruct regular features.
      • Incrementally reconstructs by plate ID in topological rigid plates.
      • Incrementally deforms in topological deforming networks.
      • Begin incremental reconstruction at a feature's time of appearance, digitisation time or present day.
      • Use specific topological layers or default to all loaded topologies.
      • Option to detect lifetime of each point in a geometry:
        • Oceanic points appear (mid-ocean ridges) and disappear (subduct).
        • Based on convergence velocity and distance to plate boundary during a plate/network transition.
    • Scalar coverages:
      • A new geometry type in a new layer type.
      • Each point in a multipoint/polyline/polygon has a scalar value associated with it.
      • For example, visualise mid-ocean ridge spreading rates and asymmetry calculated externally using pyGPlates.
    • Crustal thinning:
      • A specific type of scalar coverage containing crustal thickness values.
      • GPlates recognises this coverage type internally:
        • Uses deformation strain rates to evolve crustal thickness over time.
      • An input dialog generates initial crustal thickness points:
        • Uniform distribution of points within a topological rigid plate or deforming network boundary (with optional random offset).
        • Specify initial constant/flat crustal thickness at a past geological time.
      • Choose from a selection of built-in colour palettes to visualise crustal thickness variations over time.
      • Export crustal thickness values to GMT(xy) or GPML format.
      • Also added a separate export for deformation (strain rates).
  • New Hellinger tool:
    • GPlates has a new workflow to determine best-fitting poles by the method of Hellinger:
      • Import and export data files compatible with the FORTRAN programs of Chang and co-workers.
      • Edit and create magnetic pick data points, via the canvas or tabularly via the Hellinger dialog.
      • Adjust segmentation of magnetic picks.
      • Enable/disable magnetic picks from inclusion in the fitting algorithms.
      • Specify pole and angle estimates via the canvas or via the Hellinger dialog.
      • Perform fitting using a python implementation the FORTRAN programs.
      • Visualise resulting fit and uncertainty on the canvas.
      • Export fit and uncertainty data to text file.
  • Net rotation export:
    • GPlates now calculates and exports net rotation of the lithosphere (based on the method of Torsvik et al., 2010) using global coverages of dynamic plate polygons.
    • Net rotations are exported via the standard "Export…" tool, and by selecting the "Net rotation" export type.
    • Any dynamic plate-polygon data sets currently active in GPlates will be used as the basis for net rotation calculations.
  • Official public release of volume visualisation:
    • No longer require command-line switch to enable importing of 3D scalar fields.
    • Latest improvements:
      • Reads georeferencing and spatial reference system (SRS) from first depth layer during import.
      • Frees disk space after import (removes cached depth layer rasters).
      • Fixed flickering cross-sections.
      • Fixed SVG export of isosurfaces (on Mac OS X).
  • Improved OGR spatial reference system (SRS) support:
    • GPlates now has more complete support for OGR-supported files (e.g. ESRI shape file, OGR-GMT and others) which provide spatial reference system / projection information.
    • Any SRSs supported by the PROJ4 library should now be accepted by GPlates.
    • When saving to a file which had a non-WGS84 SRS associated with it, GPlates will prompt the user to export in either the original SRS, or in WGS84.
    • All other forms of file export in GPlates continue to use WGS84.
  • Donut polygons:
    • Contain interior holes.
    • Supported in file input/output, raster reconstruction, filled polygons, 3D scalar fields, etc.
  • Colour palette improvements:
    • Available in raster, 3D scalar field and scalar coverage layers.
    • Remap the range using mean and standard deviation of the layer data (raster, 3D scalar field or scalar coverage).
    • Added a variety of built-in colour palettes based on ColorBrewer sequential and diverging colour scales.
  • Raster reconstruction improvements:
    • Improved stability and speed when connecting raster layer to polygons layer.
    • Removed raster seams/cracks between adjacent polygons.
  • Toggle visibility of all layers:
    • Using the new visibility icons in the Layers dialog.
  • Combine multiple rotation layers into one layer.
  • Added velocity time interval options to velocity layers.
  • New half-stage reconstruction (version 3) for mid-ocean ridges:
    • Changes to spreading asymmetry, after digitisation, no longer incorrectly reposition ridge.
  • Improved handling of import / export directories:
    • GPlates now stores the last used directory for Project files.
    • In addition, there is more fine-grained support for both Feature Collection and Project folder preferences.
    • These can be adjust through the Preferences (Ctrl+,) dialog.
  • Added named ages with timescale information and uncertainty tracking:
    • Supported for various feature types in GPlates Geological Information Model (GPGIM).
    • Find-as-you-type named ages with timescale colouring.

...and other changes listed in the CHANGELOG file in the GPlates source-code releases.

GPlates 2.0 compiles and runs on Windows 7/8/8.1/10, Linux and MacOS X. Download GPlates 2.0 from the Download page.

GPlates-compatible data have been made available. For more information, see the Download page.