Release Notes

ERDAS IMAGINE® V9.0

IMAGINE AutoSync® V9.0
Microsoft Windows XP and 2000

Introduction This document provides important information about ERDAS IMAGINE V9.0 and IMAGINE
AutoSync V9.0.

• Essential updates to installation and configuration instructions

• Facts to know, workarounds, helpful hints, and last-minute information we could

not include in the documentation

The Installation/Configuration section that follows contains important updated

information that is crucial to the successful installation and operation of your software.
Please read this section before trying to install or run ERDAS IMAGINE or IMAGINE
AutoSync.

See the ERDAS IMAGINE Windows Configuration Guide for complete installation and
configuration instructions. Do NOT attempt to install ERDAS IMAGINE or IMAGINE
AutoSync without reading this manual.

More Information For more information regarding ERDAS IMAGINE and IMAGINE AutoSync, see the Leica
Geosystems Goegraphic Imaging web site at http://gi.leica-geosystems.com.

A preliminary edition of a white paper on the use of AutoSync is included in the

<IMAGINE_HOME>\help\hardcopy folder. The most up-to-date version may be found on
our web site at http://gi.leica-geosystems.com/products/.

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Release Notes

Hardware
Requirements

Virtual Memory /
System Disk Space a Memory Operating System
Swap Space

Intel Pentium II and up 2.8 GBb 1 GB 512 MBc MS Windows XP &2000

a
This is the hard disk space requirement for installation of all modules.

b
This number includes the installation of IMAGINE Geodatabase Support. The Geodatabase Support requires 50 MB
on the system drive (the drive on which Microsoft Windows is installed) and 335 MB on the drive where ERDAS
IMAGINE is installed.

c
The minimum memory requirement for ERDAS IMAGINE alone is 256 MB.

These requirements are subject to change. Please visit our web site at
http://gi.leica-geosystems.com for the latest specifications.

IMAGINE 1• At the end of installation, both ERDAS IMAGINE and Leica Photogrammetry Suite
Release Notes reconfigure the raster formats, vector formats, resample methods, geometric models, and
blockmodel interfaces.
This reconfiguration process may sometimes terminate abnormally and display an error
message. It is safe to ignore this error message - it will not affect ERDAS IMAGINE and
Leica Photogrammetry Suite functionality in any way.

2• The NITF standard defines a native subsampled (pyramid) layer format, `rset`. ERDAS
IMAGINE currently produces subsample (pyramid) layers for all file types in `rrd`
format only. ERDAS IMAGINE will work correctly with either rset-formatted or rrd-
formatted pyramid layers for NITF files. If you want to exchange your NITF files with
other systems, however, you should always provide your pyramid layers in `rset` format.
There is a mechanism built into the NITF libraries to automatically create `rset`
pyramids upon opening the image. To turn this feature on, set Preferences -> NITF ->
RSET Generation to "Always".
Even with this preference set, the Viewer may prompt you to create pyramid layers. You
can turn off this prompt by setting Preferences - > Viewer -> Compute Pyramids Layers
Upon Image Open to "No".
If rrd-formatted layers already exist, the NITF library will recognize these layers as
subsample layers (even though they are in `rrd` format) and it will not automatically
create the rset-formatted layers. If you have rrd-formatted layers, you must delete them
before `rset` layers can be created. Go to the directory with your image and delete the
file with the same base name as your image, but with a ".rrd" extension. For instance, if
your image is named "colors.ntf", delete the subsample layer file "colors.rrd".

3• If you wish to change the zoom in a Viewer pane that is currently roaming, be sure to
pause the roaming first. If the motion is not paused before you change the zoom, the
roaming direction may change or stop.

2 ERDAS IMAGINE & IMAGINE AutoSync V9.0

 IMAGINE Release Notes

4• This release note is intended for users of the print feature and the Map Composer feature
of ERDAS IMAGINE. Recent changes in behavior of these features may cause problems
when printing older maps generated using Map Composer.
In printing some maps generated using older versions of Map Composer or printing
some multi-layered image stacks from within the ERDAS IMAGINE Viewer, lower-
layer images may not print. These images may seem to have simply disappeared in the
printed output.
Should this behavior occur, the "Background Transparent" setting of the higher image
layers should be checked. Layers with "Background Transparent" not set will block out
images below them, making it appear as if the images below have disappeared.
Previously, regardless of this setting, the background raster images would show through
in printed output. This was a result of ERDAS IMAGINE implicitly assuming a
transparent background for each layer. In this recent release of ERDAS IMAGINE, this
behavior has been fixed. Now, only raster images with the Background Transparent
option set will allow image layers below to be visible.
Should some unlikely set of circumstances continue to present transparency-related
problems in multi-layer image stacks, it should be remembered that images may always
be merged into a single layer using the Mosaic feature of ERDAS IMAGINE.

5• Color correction settings files for images with spaces in the file name cannot be loaded
by Mosaic. You may open the .txt file in a text editor and add double quotation marks
around the image name to allow the file to be used (e.g. "image name.ext").

6• If attempting to mosaic many files all at once fails because of insufficient memory, you
can divide the files into several groups and mosaic each group one at a time to get
intermediate files. Then, you can mosaic those intermediate files to get your final result.

7• When draped vector layers are exported through IMAGINE Virtual Delivery the
resulting scene will sometimes have faint grid lines across the terrain. This depends on
which video hardware and drivers are used. In some cases choosing a different rendering
engine in the Virtual Delivery client can minimize the appearance of the lines.

8• Clicking in the IMAGINE VirtualGIS display while the IMAGINE Virtual Delivery
dialog is shown or while the IMAGINE Virtual Delivery process is running can leave
the IMAGINE VirtualGIS display stuck in a roaming mode that conflicts with the
IMAGINE Virtual Delivery process and may slow down or hang that process. If this
happens, the IMAGINE VirtualGIS program must be stopped and restarted.

9• When publishing an IMAGINE Virtual Delivery scene containing 2D draped vectors

and a 3D vector layer with an associated TVS texture file, IMAGINE VirtualGIS may
sometimes shut down during the process.
If this occurs, remove the 3D vector layer and TVS file from the IMAGINE VirtualGIS
scene, open it in IMAGINE Texel Mapper and save it as a Multigen OpenFlight
Database (.flt). Create a new model layer in IMAGINE VirtualGIS and import the newly
created Multigen OpenFlight Database file and select to position the model using the
"Model`s Geographic Coordinates" option in Model Options. Complete any other
editing of the IMAGINE VirtualGIS scene and re-export using IMAGINE Virtual
Delivery.

10• The default Render Engine chosen is the OpenGL Hardware engine. If a different render
engine is selected it is best to close the browser afterwards and reopen the scene.

Release Notes 3
Release Notes

11• If the results of a previous Virtual Delivery scene are not deleted and a new scene is
copied over it into the same directory, then image blocks from the previous scene can
appear in the scene when it is viewed with the Virtual Delivery client. To avoid this,
clean out all old data from a Virtual Delivery target directory before copying new data
into it. Also force a refresh in the web browser to flush any old data blocks from the
cache.

12• In some situations if an error dialog is generated from the file selection dialog in
IMAGINE Virtual Delivery and some other window is brought to the front before
dismissing the error dialog the user interface for IMAGINE VirtualGIS can hang. In this
case the only option is to use the Task Manager to kill the virtualgis.exe process.

13• In some cases when a UNC pathname is used as the IMAGINE Virtual Delivery default
output path preference, an error will be generated by the IMAGINE Virtual Delivery file
chooser dialog.
In these cases you are able to dismiss the error/close in the file chooser dialog, click the
file chooser button again and it will work the second time.

14• This release of the IMAGINE Viewer can display no more than one ADS L1 RGB image
with different Anchor Points at the same time. This capability will be extended in a
future release.

15• Whenever an image, having no pyramid layers, is opened in the Viewer and zoomed out
beyond 1:2 pixel ratio, a message pops up asking whether to draw only the footprint of
the image. When you try to click on one of the two options of the message box, it appears
as if the message box is not responding. If this happens, click on your desktop and then
click on the message box again.

16• When using the counter tool in the IMAGINE GLT Viewer, if you have multiple view
panes open, clicking "Cancel" on the counter tool`s Save dialog causes the counter tool
pane to grow and cover the first image view. Further, it is sometimes not possible to
shrink the counter tool pane after this happens.
As a workaround, try the following:
1. Click the "Display One Viewer" button in the GTL toolbar. This will not remove your
other image pane(s), but it will hide them.
2. Now the counting tool pane is draggable. Drag it back to a reasonable size. Your first
pane should show.
3. Bring back your other pane(s) by clicking the appropriate button in the GLT toolbar
(such as "Display Two Viewers").

17• SOCET TIN format files are not generally accessible in IMAGINE. Attempts to access
SOCET TIN format files may result in the following:
"SOCET Grid Format is missing necessary pixel file (.dte file)".
and other error messages.

AutoSync 1• In the Create New AutoSync Project dialog box, please leave the Delete Input on
Release Notes Success checkbox unchecked. Otherwise, strange behavior might occur.

2• Sometimes if you select all the tie points in the workstation, IMAGINE AutoSync may
become unresponsive. To avoid this, do not select a large number of points (> 1000)
simultaneously.

4 ERDAS IMAGINE & IMAGINE AutoSync V9.0

 AutoSync Release Notes

3• When edge matching images, if the edges of the overlapping area do not match well,
select the Linear Rubber Sheeting refinement method in the Edge Match Strategy tab.
Then use the Create GCP tool in the workstation to collect manual tie points in those
areas.

4• Although a second-order polynomial model can be created using as few as six points,
and a third-order polynomial model with as few as ten points, such models may
terminate the workstation abnormally (especially when the images being matched are
very dissimilar in size). If this occurs, reduce the Maximum Polynomial Order or
increase the number of points used to solve the model.

5• In the Contrast Adjustment dialog, the Apply to AOI and Apply to Image File options
are not supported by IMAGINE AutoSync. To use these options, load the image into an
IMAGINE Viewer.

6• Sometimes APM does not generate tie points close to the edges of images, even when
you set the Starting Column and Starting Line to 1 in the APM Strategy tab. If you need
tie points around the edges (for example, if you are using the Linear Rubber Sheeting
model), use the Create GCP tool in the workstation to collect manual tie points close to
the edges.

7• If an Unknown function: Unknown exception thrown error displays while attempting to

run APM on two images with a large overlapping area, and no tie points are found,
increase the numbers in the Column Increment and Line Increment fields on the APM
Strategy tab and run APM again.

8• If the resolution between two images is too different (for example, 1 meter to 28 meters),
and the overlapping area is small, APM may not find enough tie points, or the tie points
may be incorrect.

9• Importing points in Autosync will overwrite any points starting from the top of the cell
array. It is not recommended to import points if you have existing point data, such as
APM generated points.

10• If the overlapping area between two images is small (less than 2000 x 2000 pixels), APM
may not find enough tie points (or any tie points) using the default APM parameters. If
this occurs, decrease the numbers in the Column Increment and Line Increment fields on
the APM Strategy tab. If using the defaults, lower them from 256 to 128. You can also
decrease the number in the Starting Line and Starting Column fields to 64 or lower. Then
run APM again.

11• Some TIFF imagery contain tags that cause them to appear to have proper
georeferencing information. To ignore this information when processing the imagery in
IMAGINE AutoSync, turn off the Georeferencing fallbacks preference within the TIFF
Image Files preferences. IMAGINE AutoSync will then treat the images as raw imagery.

12• In the Georeference workflow, when you select the Clip to Reference Image Boundary
option in the Resample Settings dialog, the output extents produced may be larger than
the reference image extents if the input and output images are in different projections.

13• In the workstation, if you preview the output image and change the band combination,
the output image may be distorted. In this case, when you change the band combination
in the Preview Output view, IMAGINE AutoSync displays the images using their
original geometric models. If this occurs, calibrate/resample the input images, view the
output in the View Output view, and change the band combination there.

Release Notes 5
Release Notes

14• In the workstation, if you click the Set Same Scale button on the toolbar, and some of
the viewers display black panels, it is usually because the images have different scales.
To manually zoom or change the panels to have similar scales, right-click on a black
panel and select Default Zoom from the menu.

15• In the edge matching workflow, if you are using the Linear or Non- Linear Rubber
Sheeting model with Apply Refinement to Whole Image, and sections of the output
image are cut off, turn off the GCP Editor/Rectify Outside Convex Hull preference in
the GCPs preferences.

16• In the Projection tab, the Same as Input Image option is available even if none of the
input images have projection information.

17• When specifying the Cell Size in the Resample Settings tab, ensure that the cell size is
appropriate for the selected projection and input image resolution.

18• IMAGINE AutoSync requires the first pyramid layer (layer 1) of an image. You must
set the Image Files (General)/Initial Pyramid Layer Number preference in the IMAGINE
preferences to 1 in order to generate pyramid layers that IMAGINE AutoSync can use.
If no pyramid layers are present, or if the existing pyramid layers are not usable,
IMAGINE AutoSync will delete the existing pyramid layers and generate new pyramid
layers to perform APM.

19• If a message dialog displays while running APM in the IMAGINE AutoSync
Workstation, sometimes clicking the left mouse button or the OK button does not close
the dialog. If this occurs, press the space bar on the keyboard instead.

Copyright © 2005 Leica Geosystems. All rights reserved. ERDAS IMAGINE, IMAGINE VirtualGIS and Stereo Analyst are registered trademarks; IMAGINE
Geospatial Light Table and IMAGINE GLT are trademarks. SOCET SET is a registered trademark of BAE SYSTEMS Mission Solutions. Other brand and
product names are the properties of their respective owners.