Dips v7 Manual

DIPS V7 - MANUAL
Dips 7.0 introduces many new features, including 3D stereosphere, curved boreholes, joint spacing
/ RQD analysis, contour arbitrary data on stereonet, and many more.
Dips is designed for the interactive analysis of orientation based geological data. The program is
capable of many applications and is designed for the novice or occasional user, and for the
accomplished user of stereographic projection who wishes to utilize more advanced tools in the
analysis of geological data.
Dips allows the user to analyze and visualize structural data following the same techniques used in
manual stereonets. In addition, it has many computational features, such as statistical contouring
of orientation clustering, mean orientation and confidence calculation, cluster variability, kinematic
analysis, and qualitative and quantitative feature attribute analysis.
Dips is designed for the analysis of features related to the engineering analysis of rock structures,
however, the free format of the Dips data file permits the analysis of any orientation-based data.
DIPS v7 -MANUAL
CONTENTS
I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 INTRODUCING DIPS .................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 WHAT'S NEW IN DIPS VERSION 7.0 .......................................................................................... 1
II. GENERAL FEATURES ....................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 DIPS FILE FORMAT .................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 STARTING A NEW FILE .............................................................................................................. 3
2.3 UNDO / REDO ........................................................................................................................... 4
2.4 SIDEBAR .................................................................................................................................... 5
2.5 SAVE FILE .................................................................................................................................. 6
2.6 INFO VIEWER ............................................................................................................................ 6
2.7 PREFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.8 CUSTOM KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS ............................................................................................ 8
2.9 IMPORT DATA FROM EXCEL ..................................................................................................... 8
2.9.1 Import from Clipboard ...................................................................................................... 8
2.9.2 Import Planes / Tools File .................................................................................................. 9
III. DATA INPUT ................................................................................................................................. 11
3.1 DATA INPUT OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................... 11
3.2 PROJECT SETTINGS ................................................................................................................. 11
3.2.1 Global Orientation Format .............................................................................................. 12
3.2.2 Declination ...................................................................................................................... 12
3.2.3 Columns ........................................................................................................................... 14
3.2.4 Units ................................................................................................................................ 14
3.2.5 Project Summary ............................................................................................................. 15
3.3 TRAVERSES ............................................................................................................................. 15
3.3.1 Traverse Information Dialog ........................................................................................... 16
3.3.2 Traverse ID ...................................................................................................................... 17
3.3.3 Data Format / Traverse Format....................................................................................... 18
3.3.4 Traverse Type .................................................................................................................. 19
3.4 GRID DATA.............................................................................................................................. 32
3.4.1 Data Column .................................................................................................................... 33
3.4.2 Edit Grid........................................................................................................................... 42
IV. STEREONET PLOT ........................................................................................................................ 46
4.1 POLE / DIP VECTOR MODE ..................................................................................................... 46
4.2 VECTOR PLOT ......................................................................................................................... 47
4.2.1 Pole Plot .......................................................................................................................... 47
4.2.2 Dip Vector Plot ................................................................................................................ 48
4.3 SYMBOLIC PLOT ...................................................................................................................... 49
4.3.1 Qualitative Symbolic Plot ................................................................................................ 49
4.3.2 Quantitative Symbolic Plot .............................................................................................. 50
4.3.3 Processed Orientation Data ............................................................................................ 50
4.4 EDIT SYMBOLS ........................................................................................................................ 51
4.4.1 Edit Symbols .................................................................................................................... 51
4.4.2 Lock Symbols ................................................................................................................... 53
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4.5 SCATTER PLOT ........................................................................................................................ 54
4.6 CONTOUR PLOT ...................................................................................................................... 55
4.6.1 Vector Contour Plot......................................................................................................... 55
4.6.2 Intersection Contours...................................................................................................... 56
4.6.3 General Data Contours .................................................................................................... 56
4.7 TERZAGHI WEIGHTING ........................................................................................................... 57
4.8 MAJOR PLANES PLOT ............................................................................................................. 59
4.9 INTERSECTION PLOT ............................................................................................................... 60
4.10 OVERLAY PLOT OPTIONS ...................................................................................................... 61
4.11 PLOT (STEREONET) LEGENDS ............................................................................................... 61
V. PLANES AND INTERSECTIONS ...................................................................................................... 63
5.1 PLANES ................................................................................................................................... 63
5.1.1 Planes Overview .............................................................................................................. 63
5.1.2 Add Plane ........................................................................................................................ 64
5.1.3 Edit Planes ....................................................................................................................... 65
5.1.4 Daylight Envelope ............................................................................................................ 67
5.1.5 Lineations on a Plane ...................................................................................................... 68
5.1.6 Show Grid Data Planes .................................................................................................... 68
5.1.7 Show Major Planes .......................................................................................................... 69
2.1.8 Delete All Planes .............................................................................................................. 70
5.2 INTERSECTIONS OVERVIEW.................................................................................................... 70
VI. 3D STEREOSPHERE ...................................................................................................................... 72
VII. ROSETTE PLOT ............................................................................................................................ 75
7.1 ROSETTE APPLICATIONS ......................................................................................................... 76
7.2 WEIGHTED ROSETTE PLOT ..................................................................................................... 76
7.3 ROSETTE OPTIONS .................................................................................................................. 76
7.3.1 Sightline Normal to Rosette ............................................................................................ 77
7.3.2 Rosette Angular Limits .................................................................................................... 77
7.3.3 Rosette Starting Orientation ........................................................................................... 77
7.3.4 Rosette Scaling ................................................................................................................ 77
7.3.5 Rosette Bin Size ............................................................................................................... 78
VIII. CHARTS ...................................................................................................................................... 79
8.1 CHART ..................................................................................................................................... 79
8.2 CHART SETTINGS .................................................................................................................... 79
IX. SETS ............................................................................................................................................. 80
9.1 OVERVIEW OF SETS ................................................................................................................ 80
9.2 ADD SETS ................................................................................................................................ 81
9.2.1 Add Set Window .............................................................................................................. 81
9.2.2 Add Set Window (Freehand) ........................................................................................... 83
9.2.3 Add Set Window (Circular) .............................................................................................. 84
9.2.4 Multiple Windows for a Single Set .................................................................................. 84
9.2.5 Wrapped Set Windows.................................................................................................... 84
9.2.6 Overlapping Set Windows ............................................................................................... 85
9.2.7 Global Mean Vector ........................................................................................................ 86
9.3 SETS FROM CLUSTER ANALYSIS .............................................................................................. 86
9.4 EDIT SETS ................................................................................................................................ 88
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9.4.1 Set Statistics .................................................................................................................... 90
9.4.2 Delete All Sets ................................................................................................................. 90
9.4.3 Show Set Windows .......................................................................................................... 90
9.4.4 Saving Sets ....................................................................................................................... 91
X. KINEMATIC ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................... 92
10.1 PLANAR SLIDING ................................................................................................................... 93
10.2 PLANAR SLIDING (NO LIMITS) .............................................................................................. 98
10.3 WEDGE SLIDING ................................................................................................................. 100
10.4 FLEXURAL TOPPLING .......................................................................................................... 104
10.5 DIRECT TOPPLING ............................................................................................................... 108
10.6 KINEMATIC SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ..................................................................................... 113
XI. DATA PROCESSING .................................................................................................................... 114
11.1 PROCESS DATA AND SAVE PROCESSED FILE ...................................................................... 114
11.2 QUERY DATA....................................................................................................................... 115
11.2.1 Creating an Expression ................................................................................................ 115
11.2.2 Creating a Query ......................................................................................................... 118
11.2.3 Query Examples........................................................................................................... 119
11.2.4 Load / Save Query ....................................................................................................... 119
11.3 ROTATE DATA ..................................................................................................................... 120
11.4 JOITING ANALYSIS .............................................................................................................. 121
11.4.1 Joint Spacing ................................................................................................................ 121
11.4.2 RQD Analysis ............................................................................................................... 123
11.4.3 Joint Frequency ........................................................................................................... 123
XII. DRAWING TOOLS...................................................................................................................... 125
12.1 TOOLS OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................. 125
12.2 DRAWING TOOLS................................................................................................................ 126
12.2.1 Drawing Tools: Text ..................................................................................................... 126
12.2.2 Drawing Tools: Arrow .................................................................................................. 127
12.2.3 Drawing Tools: Line Segment ...................................................................................... 127
12.2.4 Drawing Tools: Ellipse ................................................................................................. 128
12.2.5 Drawing Tools: Rectangle ............................................................................................ 128
12.2.6 Drawing Tools: Polyline ............................................................................................... 128
12.2.7 Drawing Tools: Polygon ............................................................................................... 129
12.3 ANALYSIS TOOLS................................................................................................................. 129
12.3.1 Analysis Tools: Trend Line ........................................................................................... 129
12.3.2 Analysis Tools: Cone .................................................................................................... 130
12.3.3 Analysis Tools: Pitch Grid ............................................................................................ 131
12.3.4 Analysis Tools: Fold Analysis ....................................................................................... 132
12.3.5 Analysis Tools: Measure Angle .................................................................................... 133
12.3.6 Intersection Calculator ................................................................................................ 134
12.3.7 Analysis Tools: Select Poles ......................................................................................... 134
12.4 EDIT TOOLS ......................................................................................................................... 135
12.4.1 Edit Tools Overview ..................................................................................................... 135
12.4.2 Tool Properties ............................................................................................................ 136
12.4.3 Tool Visibility ............................................................................................................... 137
12.4.4 Move / Re-size Tools ................................................................................................... 138
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
12.4.5 Copy Tool..................................................................................................................... 138
12.4.6 Delete Tool .................................................................................................................. 139
XIII. VIEWING AND DISPLAY OPTIONS ............................................................................................ 140
13.1 DISPLAY OPTIONS ............................................................................................................... 140
13.2 REPORTING CONVENTION.................................................................................................. 142
13.3 ZOOM OPTIONS.................................................................................................................. 143
13.4 PAN ..................................................................................................................................... 143
13.5 DATA TIPS ........................................................................................................................... 144
13.6 STEREONET OPTIONS ......................................................................................................... 144
13.6.1 Projection .................................................................................................................... 144
13.6.2 Equal Angle Projection ................................................................................................ 145
13.6.3 Equal Area Projection .................................................................................................. 146
13.6.4 Equal Angle / Equal Area Comparison......................................................................... 146
13.6.5 Hemisphere ................................................................................................................. 148
13.6.6 Stereonet Overlay ....................................................................................................... 148
13.7 CONTOUR OPTIONS ........................................................................................................... 150
13.7.1 Contour Data ............................................................................................................... 150
13.7.2 Contour Range............................................................................................................. 151
13.7.3 Contour Mode ............................................................................................................. 151
13.7.4 Min/Max Contour Colors ............................................................................................ 151
13.7.5 Contour Color Method ................................................................................................ 152
13.7.6 Density Calculation ...................................................................................................... 152
13.7.7 Interpolation Method.................................................................................................. 155
13.7.8 Contour Presets ........................................................................................................... 155
XIV. UTILITIES.................................................................................................................................. 157
14.1 JTDist .................................................................................................................................. 157
XV. DIPS TUTORIALS ....................................................................................................................... 158
IV
DIPS v7 -MANUAL
I. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
1.1 INTRODUCING DIPS
Dips is a program designed for the interactive analysis of orientation based geological
data. The program is a tool kit capable of many different applications and is designed both for
the novice or occasional user, and for the accomplished user of stereographic projection who
wishes to utilize more advanced tools in the analysis of geological data.
Dips allows the user to analyze and visualize structural data following the same
techniques used in manual stereonets. In addition, many computational features are available,
such as statistical contouring of orientation clustering, mean orientation calculation and
qualitative and quantitative feature attribute analysis.
Dips has been designed for the analysis of features related to the engineering analysis
of rock structures, however, the free format of the Dips data file permits the analysis of any
orientation based data.
1.2 WHAT'S NEW IN DIPS VERSION 7.0
The following is a listing of the major additions, changes and enhancements which have
been made in the upgrade of Dips from version 6 to version 7.
Note: for a list of changes and bug fixes since the initial release of Dips version 7, see the
Dips version 7 Update History page.
 3D Stereosphere
o 3D hemisphere view of planes, poles, contours, stereonet
o Rotate for viewing at any angle
o Show 2D stereonet in 3D view
o Show Projection Lines (equal angle or equal area)
 Curved Borehole Analysis
o Input Collar and Survey files
o Automatically calculate traverses / terzaghi weighting
o Process oriented core or televiewer data
o Distance column
 Traverses
o New improved traverse information input dialog
o New traverse types: linear borehole (televiewer), curved borehole (oriented core),
curved borehole (televiewer)
o Alpha-numeric traverse ID, can now use actual borehole IDs instead of integer
values
o Plot traverse orientations on stereonet
 Kinematic Sensitivity Analysis
o Sensitivity plots of slope dip, dip direction, friction angle, lateral limits, for planar
sliding, wedge sliding, toppling analysis
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
o Plot single variable or multiple variables on one graph
o User defined variable ranges
o Interactive plots, click on point to view corresponding input on stereonet
 Contour General Data on Stereonet
o Choose any quantitative data column and contour the values on stereonet (e.g.
principal stress data)
o Interpolation is done on sphere not projection
 Jointing Analysis
o Joint Set Spacing (true spacing or apparent spacing)
o RQD Analysis (discrete or moving interval)
o Joint Frequency (unweighted or weighted)
o Plot selected traverses or all traverses
o Metric or Imperial units
 Data Input
o Distance column (used for processing curved boreholes, joint spacing, RQD,
frequency)
o Metric or imperial units for jointing analysis and curved boreholes
 Spreadsheet
o Improved paste / autofill functionality
o New preferences for Enter key behavior
o Improved error checking and messaging
 Kinematic Analysis
o Apply Terzaghi weighting to pole count for kinematic analysis
o Apply declination to kinematic analysis slope dip direction
o Highlight slope plane on stereonet
 Analysis Tools
o Intersection Calculator (Line from two planes or Plane from two lines)
 64 Bit Support
o 64-bit version, allowing for full memory usage and processing of larger file sizes on
64 bit machines
 Miscellaneous
o New file extension *.dips7 is a zip archive which contains the Dips file and the
*.dipsvs (View State) file
o User-defined keyboard shortcuts (File > Keyboard Shortcuts)
o User-defined custom colors for contour intervals on contour plots (Contour
Options > Fill Method > Custom Interval Colors)
o Interface and dialog improvements
o Global mean orientation can now be displayed in Legend when Major Planes is
toggled on
o Set labels now included with all output
o Set label column in Edit Sets dialog, easier to view / edit labels
o Pole count now adjusted for Terzaghi Weighting in Legend
o Export Image File - PNG and GIF formats now supported
 Documentation
o updated help system
o new tutorials and example files
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
II. GENERAL FEATURES
2.1 DIPS FILE FORMAT
There is a new file format for Dips version 7.0.
The main Dips file now has a *.dips7 filename extension. This is actually a zip file which
contains the Dips input file and the view state file which saves the view state and display setting
information and has a *.dipsvs filename extension.
Dips 7.0 can still read version 6.0 and 5.0 files.
2.2 STARTING A NEW FILE
To begin creating a new Dips file, select New from the toolbar or the File menu.
This will create a new Grid View with:
 The two mandatory Orientation Columns (this is the minimum Dips file configuration)
and
 100 rows.
The default Global Orientation Format for a New file is DIP/DIPDIRECTION. You can
immediately begin entering data in the Orientation Columns if this is the correct format for
your data. However, in general, before you start entering data, you will need to set up your
Dips file according to your requirements, as described below.
 Project Settings
After creating the new Grid View, the first thing you will generally need to do is configure
the Project Settings parameters.
 Global Orientation Format

 Declination
 Quantity Column
 Distance Column
 Project Summary
 Traverses
The default Global Orientation Format for a New file is DIP/DIPDIRECTION. If your data
is STRIKE/DIP or TREND/PLUNGE format, you will have to change this in the Project Settings
dialog.
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
 Additional Columns
 If your file requires a Quantity Column, to record multiple identical data units in a single
measurement, this is added through the Project Settings dialog.
 If you are recording data on Traverses, the Traverse Information is entered in the
Traverses dialog in the Analysis menu (also available through the Project Settings dialog).
A Traverse Column will automatically be added to the spreadsheet once you have
defined your Traverses.
 Any other information you wish to record in your Dips file is entered in Extra Columns,
which are added with the Add Column option in the Edit menu.
 Additional Rows
 If more than 100 rows are required, any number of additional rows can be appended to
the end of the spreadsheet with the Append Row(s) option.

 Rows can be added or deleted anywhere in the spreadsheet with the Insert
Row(s) and Remove Row(s) options.
 Plotting Data
Data can be plotted immediately as it is being entered, if you wish.
 For example, after creating the new Grid View, generate a Pole Plot.
 Tile the views with the Tile Vertically option.

 Start entering orientation data in the FIRST row of the Grid. As soon as the first data pair
has been entered, a pole will appear on the Pole Plot.
 Data will be plotted as it is entered, however, note that data must be entered
continuously FROM THE FIRST ROW OF THE GRID. Dips will only plot data up to the FIRST
BLANK ROW OF THE GRID.
NOTE THAT PLOTTING DATA AS IT IS BEING ENTERED IS NOT NECESSARILY

RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE, IT IS SIMPLY MENTIONED HERE AS A CAPABILITY OF THE DIPS
PROGRAM. In most cases, you will probably want to enter data in a maximized Grid View, and
create plots after all data has been entered.
2.3 UNDO / REDO
Dips provides a very handy Undo / Redo functionality, which allows you to easily undo
or redo any changes to your Dips file, plotting options or drawing tools with a single mouse
click. Undo and Redo are available in the Edit menu and as toolbar buttons. Note:
 From the Edit menu, only 1 action can be undone / redone at a time.
 From the toolbar, if you select the drop-down arrow beside the Undo or Redo buttons,
a list of all changes will appear, from which you can select multiple (sequential) actions
to undo or redo.
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
 Undo
The Undo option allows you to undo changes to your Dips file (e.g. changes to
the spreadsheet, plotting options or drawing tools). Any number of changes can be reversed
with Undo, starting with the most recent change and progressing backwards.
 Redo
The Redo option allows you to restore changes that you have undone with
the Undo option. Redo will restore each use of the Undo option, starting with the most recent
Undo and progressing backwards. Redo is only enabled if at least one Undo action has been
performed.
2.4 SIDEBAR
The Sidebar in Dips is the vertical control panel at the left (or right) of the application
window. The Sidebar displays context sensitive controls which may vary according to the plot
type, view type or current action being performed. The majority of the viewing and display
options in Dips are found in the Sidebar, as summarized below.
 Stereonet Plots
For stereonet plots, all major plotting options are available in the Sidebar (e.g. vector
plot, contour plot, intersections, etc.). Using the checkboxes and radio buttons you can quickly
and easily customize a stereonet view to display any combination of data presentations. In
addition, stereonet display options (e.g. equal angle / equal area, upper / lower hemisphere)
and colors can be customized in the Sidebar.
 Rosette Plots
For rosette plots, all plotting and display options applicable to the rosette plot can be
customized in the Sidebar.
 Info Viewer
When the Info Viewer is the active view, the Sidebar allows you to customize the display
and presentation of information in the Info Viewer.
 Chart Views
For Chart Views, the Sidebar allows you to customize the display options for the chart.
While in Kinematic Analysis mode, the Sidebar will display shortcuts to the Kinematic
Analysis options. Additional options (e.g. visibility and color settings) are found in the
Kinematic Analysis dialog which can be accessed by selecting the kinematic analysis icon
(button) in the sidebar.
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
 3D Stereosphere
For the 3D Stereosphere view, various 3D display options can be selected.
 Edit Object Properties
The Sidebar also allows you to interactively edit the properties of stereonet objects
(e.g. user planes) and drawing tools (e.g. cones, arrows, text etc.). For example, when you click
on an object in the stereonet view, the object will become selected (highlighted) and the object
properties will appear in the Sidebar. You can then edit the object properties in the Sidebar
(e.g. color, orientation etc.) as required. When finished press Enter or click the mouse
anywhere in the view and the new object properties will be saved.
 Display Sidebar on Left or Right
By default, the Sidebar appears at the left side of the Dips application window. The
Sidebar can be displayed either on the left or right side by choosing the desired option in the
Preferences dialog. When you change the Preferences this will take effect the next time you
start the program.
2.5 SAVE FILE
The Save option in the toolbar or the File menu, is used to save your Dips file. This
will save all of the data which you see in the Grid view, and also the information in the Project
Settings and Traverse Information dialogs. A Dips version 7 file has a .dips7 filename
extension.
In addition, all Sets, Planes, Tools, Plotting and Display Options are automatically saved
for all open stereonet views. This information is saved in a file with a *.dipsvs filename
extension (the view state file) which is saved within the *.dips7 zip file.
2.6 INFO VIEWER
The Info Viewer option provides a convenient summary of your Dips file in its
own view.
The Info Viewer will always list:
 The Project Settings and Traverse information.

 The Global Mean Vector orientation.
In addition:
 If you have created any planes with the Add Plane option, these will be listed.
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
 If you have created Sets with the Add Set Window option, a summary of all Set
information is provided in the Info Viewer, including mean planes, Set statistics and
window limits.
The Info Viewer is available in the toolbar or the Analysis menu.
 Copy to Clipboard
The Info Viewer listing can be copied to the Windows clipboard, for pasting into a
document or report. The Copy option is available in the toolbar, the Edit menu, or by
right-clicking in the Info Viewer view.
 Printing
The Info Viewer listing can also be sent to a printer, with the Print option in the File
menu.
2.7 PREFERENCES
The Preferences option in the File menu allows you to select various program
preferences for Dips. The following options are available.
 Show Tabs for Multiple Windows

If this option is selected, tabs for selecting the views will appear at the bottom of the
application window, when multiple views are open. You may find this convenient for switching
views when the view size is maximized within the application window.
 Open Stereonet View for v5 files

When you open a Dips (version 5.0) file, a Grid View of the data is displayed by default.
If this checkbox is selected, then a Grid View AND a Stereonet view will automatically be
displayed when you open a Dips version 5 file. You may choose to open either a Pole Plot or a
Contour Plot. If this checkbox is NOT selected, then only the Grid View will appear when you
open a Dips version 5 file.
 Sidebar Position
By default, the Sidebar appears on the left side of the Dips application window. This
preference allows you to choose the default sidebar location (left or right). This setting takes
effect the next time you start Dips, not during the current session.
 Enter Key Navigation

In Standard mode, when you enter a value in the spreadsheet and press Enter, the focus
will move down the current column. In As Tab mode, when you press the Enter key, the focus
will move across the current row, and at the end of a row will jump to the first column in the
next row.
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 Maximum Number of Intersections to Display
The Intersection > Grid Data Planes option will plot the intersections of ALL of the
planes in the main Dips spreadsheet or Grid View. That is, each plane in the file will be
intersected against every other plane in the file. In general, this leads to a large (or very large)
number of intersections. Depending on the number of planes in your Dips file, the display of
all grid data plane intersections may cover most of the stereonet, obscuring other plot data.
The maximum number of grid data plane intersections which get displayed can be limited with
the Maximum Number of Intersections to Display option in the Preferences dialog.
2.8 CUSTOM KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
User-defined keyboard shortcuts (using the Ctrl/Shift/Alt keys) can be defined for most
program options with the Keyboard Shortcuts option.
1. Select Keyboard Shortcuts from the File menu.

2. You will see the Customize Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.
3. At the left of the dialog you will see a list of all program options for which a shortcut can be
assigned. Choose an option. If a shortcut already exists for the option it will be listed in
the Current Keys window.
4. To create a new shortcut or modify an existing shortcut, click the mouse in the Shortcut
Key edit box. To define a shortcut, press the Ctrl and/or Shift and/or Alt keys, and a
number or letter. Select the Assign button to assign the shortcut to the command. If the
shortcut is already in use a message will be displayed.
5. Select OK to save your input.
 Reset Shortcuts
To reset all shortcuts to the program defaults, select the Reset All button in the
Customize Keyboard Shortcuts dialog.
2.9 IMPORT DATA FROM EXCEL
Many Dips users use the Microsoft Excel program for storing and organizing their data.
They then transfer this data into Dips for plotting and analysis.
Dips cannot directly read data from an Excel file. However, a suggested method of
transferring data from Microsoft Excel into Dips, is outlined below.
2.9.1 Import from Clipboard
The simplest way of transferring data from Excel into Dips, is to use the Windows
clipboard to copy and paste columns of data from Excel into Dips. This can be done as follows:
1. In Dips, select File > New to create a new Dips file.

2. Select Analysis > Project Settings to configure the main setup parameters defining your
Dips file. This includes:
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 Declination
 Quantity Column
 Traverses
See these topics for detailed information about each of the Project Settings options.
3. In Excel, select all of the data that you would like to transfer to Dips. Note:
 Only the data beneath the column titles is required. However, if you do include the row
containing column titles, you may find this useful as a guide for naming the column
titles in Dips (see step 5). This row can then be deleted afterwards.
When the desired data has been selected in Excel, select Copy.
4. In Dips, place the cursor at the desired position in the grid (for example, the Row 1 Column
1 grid cell), and select Paste. All the data selected in Excel should now appear in
the Dips grid. Note:
 Any data columns AFTER the Orientation1, Orientation2, Quantity column (if present),
and Traverse column (if present), will be automatically created in Dips, if they did not
previously exist.
5. If you selected the row containing the column titles (as suggested in Step 3 above), and
columns were automatically created (as mentioned in Step 4), then you can use this row as
a guide, to name the columns in the Dips file:
 Right-click the mouse on the header button of a column and select Edit Name from the
popup menu.
 Enter the required name. Repeat this procedure for each column, as necessary.
 When all columns have the correct name, you must now DELETE the row of the file
(in Dips) containing the column titles. To do this, you can right-click the mouse on the
left-most button of the row, and select Remove Row from the popup menu.
6. Your Dips file should now be ready for plotting and analysis. Before you start working with
the file, it is a good idea to save the file.
2.9.2 Import Planes / Tools File
The Import Planes / Tools File option in the File menu allows you to read in planes,
sets and tools from any of the following Dips file types:
 *.dips7 file (dips version 7 zip file which contains a *.dipsvs file)
 *.dipsvs file (dips view settings file from dips version 6)
 *.dwp file (dips windows and planes file from dips version 5)
The *.dipsvs and *.dwp files may contain:
 ADDED planes (created with the Add Plane option)

 Set Windows and MEAN planes (created with the Add Set Window option)
 Drawing Tools added with the options in the Tools menu (e.g. Lines, Cones, Text etc.).
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
When a planes / tools file is read back into Dips:
 Any ADDED planes in the file will be added to the current document, as if they had been
added with the Add Plane option.
 Any Set Windows in the file will be read in, and new Sets will be created, as if they had
been added with the Add Set Window option (i.e. MEAN PLANES WILL BE CALCULATED,
BASED ON THE DATA IN THE CURRENT DOCUMENT WHICH FALLS WITHIN THE WINDOW
LIMITS.)
 Any drawing Tools in the file will be displayed on the stereonet.
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III. DATA INPUT
3.1 DATA INPUT OVERVIEW
The primary input data options for Dips are the Project Settings dialog,
the Traverses dialog and the main spreadsheet referred to as the Grid view.
 Project Settings
The Project Settings dialog allows you to set up the main parameters of your Dips file
such as the Global.
 Traverses
The Traverses dialog allows you to enter traverse orientation and type. Traverses can be
used for bias correction and data processing (e.g. oriented core).
 Grid View
The Grid View is the main Dips data entry spreadsheet. Raw orientation data is entered
in the first two columns of the Grid View. Other input data columns can be created as required.
These are the main options for setting up your Dips file and inputting of raw data.
3.2 PROJECT SETTINGS
The Project Settings dialog allows you to configure the following settings defining
your Dips file:

 Declination
 Traverses
 Quantity Column
 Distance Column
 Units
 Project Summary
In most cases you will need to use the Project Settings option before you begin entering
data for anew file.
Note: The Traverses option in the Project Settings dialog is also available directly in
the Analysis menu.
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3.2.1 Global Orientation Format
The Global Orientation Format in the Project Settings dialog determines how Dips will
interpret the two orientation columns in the data file (i.e. the first two mandatory columns
of your file). There are four possible choices:
 DIP / DIP DIRECTION 00;000 (planar feature)

 STRIKE (Right) / DIP 000;00 (planar feature, right hand rule for strike)
 STRIKE (Left) / DIP 000;00 (planar feature, left hand rule for strike)
 TREND / PLUNGE 000;00 (use this for linear measurements or for pole vectors of planes)
The Global Orientation Format determines the format of all data units in the file, with
the following important exceptions:
1. If the data is assigned to a Traverse which uses oriented core (i.e. Linear BH Oriented
Core or Curved) OR ...
2. If the traverse Data Format option has been used to indicate a different orientation format
for a given Traverse.
NOTE:
 For STRIKE and DIP, the "handedness" (right hand rule or left hand rule) can be
interpreted as follows: hold the specified hand flat, with the palm down and the thumb
extended at 90 degrees to your fingers. When your fingers point down dip, your thumb
will indicate the direction of strike.
 Changing the Global Orientation Format AFTER data has been entered in the
spreadsheet, will NOT convert the data in the orientation columns. If you wish to save
data in a different orientation format, use the Save Processed file option.
3.2.2 Declination
The Declination in the Project Settings dialog can be used for azimuth correction. This
is typically used to correct for magnetic declination, but can be used to adjust to grid north.
If you have already adjusted your measurements with your compass, then leave the
default value of 0 (zero) declination, since additional correction is not required.
NOTE: The declination is ADDED to all azimuth values, so use:
 a POSITIVE value to correct for EAST declination

 a NEGATIVE value to correct for WEST declination
e.g. a Declination of –7 indicates a declination of 7 degrees WEST
The figures below illustrate the definition of east and west declination. Note that the
east/west terminology refers to the offset of the original (unadjusted) azimuth, WITH
RESPECT TO the final (adjusted) azimuth (i.e. either true north or grid north).
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Example of EAST declination (enter declination as POSITIVE value)
Example of WEST declination (enter declination as NEGATIVE value)
In any case, always remember that the declination value you enter in Project Settings
is ADDED to all azimuth values. So enter the declination value accordingly (positive or
negative) to achieve the desired correction to true north or grid north.
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 Declination for Borehole Traverse Type
If you are using Borehole Traverses, and if borehole trends (azimuths) are taken from
grid north, you must use ZERO Declination. The Declination, if non-zero, will be applied to
the borehole trends (azimuths). This is the Orient 3 value in the Traverse Information dialog.
 Declination for Clinorule Traverse Type
If you are using Clinorule Traverses, and if clinorule drift orientations (reference lines)
are taken from grid north, you must use ZERO Declination.
 Declination for Kinematic Analysis Slope Direction
When you define the Slope Dip Direction for a Kinematic Analysis, by default the
Declination (entered in Project Settings) is NOT applied to the Slope Dip Direction (entered
for the Kinematic Analysis). If you wish to enter uncorrected values of Slope Dip Direction,
then you must select the Declination button beside the Slope Dip Direction edit box to
apply the azimuth correction. If the Declination button is toggled on, then the Declination
value (entered in Project Settings) will be applied to the Slope Dip Direction used for
Kinematic Analysis. If you have already manually applied the azimuth correction for Slope Dip
Direction, then do not select the Declination button.
NOTE: when you apply the Declination , the value of Slope Dip Direction you enter
in the edit box, will NOT change. The correction will be applied to the kinematic analysis
results, but the input value will remain the same.
3.2.3 Columns
If your file requires a Quantity or Distance column, these are enabled by selecting the
corresponding checkbox in the Project Settings dialog.
See the Quantity Column and Distance Column topics for details.
3.2.4 Units
The Units option in Project Settings allows you to

choose Metric or Imperial units. The Units option is only applicable when
recording distance measurements along linear or borehole traverses, and Distance
is recorded in the Distance Column.
 If Units = Metric, then Distance measurements must be entered in meters.

 If Units = Imperial, then Distance measurements must be entered in feet.
The selected Units are applicable for the following options which require a
Distance column:
 Joint Spacing
 RQD Analysis
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 Joint Frequency
 Curved boreholes (collar / survey file)
The Units do not affect orientation data input.
3.2.5 Project Summary
The Project Summary page in the Project Settings dialog allows you to input some
basic information about your project, including:
 Project Title
 Analysis Info
 Author
 Company
 Date
 Comments
This information can be displayed as follows.
 Info Viewer
The Project Summary information will be listed in the Info Viewer listing.
 Added Text
The Project Summary information can easily be added to plots (e.g. when generating
screen captures for reports etc.) with the Add Text option. The information can be added as
dynamic text which will automatically update to reflect the information in the current file
you are viewing.
NOTE: the current Author and Company can be saved as the default for all new files by selecting
the Defaults button in Project Settings.
3.3 TRAVERSES
Traverses are lines or surfaces of known orientation on which joint / discontinuity data
has been collected. Traverses are defined in the Traverse Information Dialog and assigned to
joint measurements using a Traverse ID. See the following topics for details.
 Traverse Information Dialog

 Traverse Type
 Traverse ID
 Data Format / Traverse Format
 Traverse Column
Traverses are used for the following purposes in Dips:
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 To group data units according to the traverses on which the data was collected (e.g.
linear scan lines, planar traverses, borehole traverses), using the Traverse ID.
 To weight the data to correct for measurement bias. Weighting is used when
the Terzaghi Weighting option is applied to contour or rosette plots. It is also used in the
calculation of weighted mean vectors, when Sets are created, and for kinematic analysis
when the weighting is applied.
 Traverses can be used to combine data with different orientation formats (e.g. dip / dip
direction and strike / dip data) within the same Dips data file using the Data
Format option.
 Traverses are essential for defining and processing oriented core data using either Linear
BH Oriented Core or Curved BH Oriented Core traverse types.
To enter traverse information, select Traverses in the Analysis menu, and enter data in
the Traverse Information dialog.
3.3.1 Traverse Information Dialog
Traverses are defined in the Traverse Information dialog, which can be accessed by
selecting:
 The Traverses option in the Analysis menu or

 the Traverses button in the Project Settings dialog or
 the Traverses button in the toolbar
To define traverses:
1. In the Traverse Information dialog, the Traverse Types are listed at the left of the dialog.
2. Select a Traverse Type (e.g. Linear). Note: the number of currently defined traverses for
each Traverse Type is listed in brackets beside each traverse type. For example, if there are
5 Linear traverses currently defined, you will see Linear (5) displayed in the Traverse Type
list.
3. Select the Add button to add the number of rows corresponding to the number
of new traverses you would like to define for the currently selected Traverse Type. Enter
the number of rows and select OK.
4. For each traverse, enter the Traverse ID and other data required for the selected Traverse
Type.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 as necessary to define all required traverses.
You may define any number of traverses and use any combination of different traverse
types in the same Dips file.
 Traverse Type
The following Traverse Types can be defined:
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 Linear Traverse
 Planar Traverse
 Linear BH Oriented Core
 Linear BH Televiewer
 Curved BH Oriented Core
 Curved BH Televiewer
 Clinorule
 Traverse ID
Traverse ID can be any alpha-numeric code, and is used to associate joint

measurements entered in the main Dips spreadsheet, with the traverses on which they were
measured.
 Data Format
The Data Format in the Traverse Information dialog, refers to the format of
the orientation data collected on the traverse. This is the data format which is expected to
be entered in the main spreadsheet.
 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format in the Traverse Information dialog, refers to the format used to
record the orientation of the traverse. This is the format which is expected to be entered in
the traverse dialog, to define the orientation of each traverse.
3.3.2 Traverse ID
A Traverse ID is used to identify traverses, and must be entered in:
 the Traverse Information dialog

 the Traverse Column in the main Dips spreadsheet.
The Traverse ID is used to associate joint measurements in the main spreadsheet, with
the respective traverses on which the data was measured.
In Dips version 7, the Traverse ID can be any alpha-numeric code.
NOTE: in earlier versions of Dips, the Traverse ID was restricted to integer values.
When you initially Add traverses in the Traverse Information dialog, the Traverse ID
values are automatically assigned default ID values, according to the Traverse Type (e.g.
Linear traverses are initially assigned L1, L2, L3, etc.) However, you may enter any numeric
or alpha-numeric value for a Traverse ID.
Each Traverse ID must be unique; you cannot use the same ID for different Traverses.
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For curved borehole traverses, the Traverse ID is also required when you input the
collar and survey data in the Traverse dialog.
Every Traverse ID entered in the Traverse Column in the main spreadsheet, must have
a corresponding Traverse defined in the Traverse dialog, or else an error message will be
displayed in the sidebar.
3.3.3 Data Format / Traverse Format
For each Traverse Type in the Traverse Information dialog, you will notice that there is
a Data Format and a Traverse Format.
 The Data Format in the Traverse Information dialog, refers to the format of the orientation
data collected on the traverse. This is the data format which is expected to be entered in
the main spreadsheet.
 The Traverse Format in the Traverse Information dialog, refers to the format used to record
the orientation of the traverse. This is the format which is expected to be entered in the
traverse dialog, to define the orientation of a traverse.
Summary of possible Data Formats and Traverse Formats for each Traverse Type.
Traverse Type Data Format Traverse Format

Dip/Dip Direction, Strike(Right)/Dip, Strike(Left)/Dip,
Linear Trend/Plunge
Trend/Plunge
Dip/Dip Direction, Strike(Right)/Dip, Strike(Left)/Dip, (Same as Data
Planar
Trend/Plunge Format)
Linear BH Oriented
Alpha/Beta (oriented core) Orient 1/2/3
Core
Linear BH Televiewer Trend/Plunge
Trend/Plunge
Curved BH Oriented Survey File + Orient
Alpha/Beta (oriented core)
Core 1
Curved BH Dip/Dip Direction, Strike(Right)/Dip, Strike(Left)/Dip,
Survey File
Televiewer Trend/Plunge
Clinorule Trend/Plunge
Trend/Plunge
 Data Format
The Data Format allows you to specify the orientation format of data collected on
traverses, for the following traverse types - Linear, Planar, Linear BH Televiewer, Curved BH
Televiewer, Clinorule. The following Data Formats are available: Dip/Dip Direction,
Strike(Right)/Dip (right hand rule for strike), Strike(Left)/Dip (left hand rule for strike),
Trend/Plunge (use this for linear measurements or poles to planes).
 By default, the Data Format for these traverse types is the same as the Global
Orientation Format (entered in Project Settings).
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 However, the Data Format allows you to specify a different orientation format for a
traverse. This is useful when combining data from different sources or when combining
measurements of LINEAR features with measurements of PLANAR structures. For
example, you could record Dip/Dip Direction data on one traverse, and Strike/Dip data
on another traverse, and use the Data Format option to specify the formats.
 NOTE: if the Data Format (for a traverse) is different from the Global Orientation
Format (entered in Project Settings), the DATA FORMAT IN THE TRAVERSE DIALOG WILL
OVERRIDE THE GLOBAL ORIENTATION FORMAT.
For the Oriented Core traverse types (i.e. Linear BH Oriented Core, Curved BH
Oriented Core) the Data Format is always Alpha/Beta (i.e. oriented core measurements). This
is indicated in the Data Format column, and cannot be changed by the user for oriented core
traverse types.
 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format indicates the orientation format you must use for a given
traverse type. The Traverse Format cannot be changed by the user; it is determined by the
traverse type. The Traverse Format display is for information purposes and cannot be edited
by the user.
 For Linear, Linear BH Televiewer and Clinorule traverse types, the Traverse Format is
always Trend / Plunge.
 For Planar Traverses, the Traverse Format is determined by the selection of the Data
Format (i.e. Traverse Format = Data Format). For example, if the Data Format = Strike
(Right)/Dip, then you must also use Strike(Right)/Dip to define the Traverse Orientation.
 For Linear BH Oriented Core, the Traverse orientation requires three values - Orient
1/2/3 - see the Linear BH Oriented Core topic for a definition of these values.
 For the Curved Borehole traverse types (Curved BH Oriented Core and Curved BH
Televiewer), the Traverse Orientation is defined by entering data from a survey file
under the Survey Data tab in the Traverse dialog. Additionally, for Curved BH Oriented
Core, a value of Orient 1 must be entered. The definition of this value is the same as
required for the Linear BH Oriented Core traverse, see that topic for details.
3.3.4 Traverse Type
In the Traverse Information dialog, there are seven different Traverse Types that can
be defined in Dips.
 Linear - a linear traverse can be any type of linear scanline on which orientation data is
collected along a straight line with constant trend / plunge (e.g. scanline, tunnel wall
mapping or processed borehole)
 Planar - a planar traverse where joint measurements are collected on a 2D surface (e.g.
wall mapping)
 Linear Borehole (Oriented Core) - oriented core taken from a borehole which is assumed
to have a constant orientation (trend / plunge)
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NOTE: in Dips version 6 this was simply referred to as the Borehole traverse type.
In Dips version 7 the name has been changed to Linear BH Oriented Core, but the
functionality is identical to the Dips version 6 Borehole traverse type.
 Linear Borehole (Televiewer) - a linear borehole in which the true joint orientations have
been obtained from televiewer processing or other method (e.g. processed oriented
core)
NOTE: A Linear BH Televiewer traverse is exactly equivalent to a Linear traverse, and is
included for consistency with the naming conventions of the other borehole traverse types.
 Curved Borehole (Oriented Core) - oriented core taken from a non-linear borehole, with
borehole curvature defined by a survey file
 Curved Borehole (Televiewer) - a non-linear borehole in which the true joint
orientations have been obtained from televiewer processing or other method, and the
borehole curvature is defined by a survey file
 Clinorule - a linear traverse on which the joint measurements are recorded using
a Clinorule
3.3.4.1 Linear Traverse
A Linear traverse can be any type of linear scanline on which planar orientation data
is collected along a straight line with constant trend / plunge (e.g. scanline, tunnel wall
mapping or processed borehole).
 Traverse ID
For a Linear traverse, the default Traverse ID will have an "L" prefix (e.g. L1, L2 ...)
when you initially add/create traverses. After adding traverses, you can change the default
ID values to any numeric or alpha-numeric values.
 Data Format
The Data Format refers to the orientation format of the data collected on a traverse.
For each linear traverse, the orientation format of the data you enter in the first two
columns of the main Dips spreadsheet, must correspond to the Data Format selected in the
Traverse dialog. The following Data Formats are available:
 Dip/Dip Direction
 Strike(Right)/Dip
 Strike(Left)/Dip
 Trend/Plunge
The Data Format option allows you to specify the orientation format for individual
traverses. This allows you to combine different data formats within the same Dips file. By
default, the Data Format for a Linear traverse is the same as the Global Orientation
Format (entered in Project Settings). If the Data Format (for a traverse) is different from
the Global Orientation Format (entered in Project Settings), the DATA FORMAT IN THE
TRAVERSE DIALOG WILL OVERRIDE THE GLOBAL ORIENTATION FORMAT. See the Data
Format / Traverse Format topic for more information.
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 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format refers to the orientation format used to define the orientation
of the traverse itself. For a Linear traverse, the Traverse Format is ALWAYS Trend / Plunge,
regardless of the Data Format.
In the above example, the traverses L1 and L2 are horizontal scanlines with different Trend values.
 For Traverse L1: Trend = 210 / Plunge = 0

 For Traverse L2: Trend = 190 / Plunge = 0
Remember, a Linear traverse is ALWAYS defined by its Trend and Plunge, even if
the Data Format specifies a plane vector format (e.g. Dip/Dip Direction or Strike/Dip) for
the orientation data recorded on the Linear traverse.
3.3.4.2 Planar Traverse
A Planar traverse is a planar surface on which joint orientation measurements have

been collected over a 2D area (e.g. wall mapping).
 Traverse ID
For a Planar traverse, the default Traverse ID will have a "P" prefix (e.g. P1, P2 ...)
when you initially add/create traverses. After adding traverses, you can change the default
ID values to any numeric or alpha-numeric values.
 Data Format
The Data Format refers to the orientation format of the data collected on a traverse.
For each planar traverse, the orientation format of the data you enter in the first two
columns of the main Dips spreadsheet, must correspond to the Data Format selected in the
Traverse dialog. The following Data Formats are available:
 Trend/Plunge
The Data Format option allows you to specify the orientation format for individual
traverses. This allows you to combine different data formats within the same Dips file. By
default, the Data Format for a Planar traverse is the same as the Global Orientation
Format (entered in Project Settings). If the Data Format (for a traverse) is different from
the Global Orientation Format (entered in Project Settings), the DATA FORMAT IN THE
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TRAVERSE DIALOG WILL OVERRIDE THE GLOBAL ORIENTATION FORMAT. See the Data
Format / Traverse Format topic for more information.
 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format refers to the orientation format used to define the orientation
of the traverse itself. For a Planar traverse, the Traverse Format is always the same as the
Data Format.
For a Planar traverse the format of Orient 1 and Orient 2 entered in the Traverse
dialog must correspond to the Traverse Format. In the above example:
 For Traverse P1: Dip = 45 / Dip Direction = 100

 For Traverse P2: Strike(Right) = 180 / Dip = 25
3.3.4.3 Linear Borehole (Oriented Core)
NOTE: The Linear Borehole Oriented Core traverse type in Dips version 7 is exactly
equivalent to the Borehole traverse type in Dips version 6 and earlier versions. Only the
name has been changed for consistency with the new curved borehole traverse type names
in Dips version 7.
The Linear BH Oriented Core Traverse Type should be used when you have oriented
core taken from a linear borehole (i.e. a borehole which is assumed to have a constant
Trend / Plunge orientation for the length of the borehole). If the mapping has been
conducted on core recovered from a linear borehole, then THREE orientations are required
in the dialog to define the Linear BH Oriented Core traverse:
000; 000; 000 (Orient 1 / Orient 2 / Orient 3)
If you have oriented core from a non-linear (curved) borehole which has curvature
defined by a survey file, then you should use the Curved BH Oriented Core traverse type
rather than the Linear BH Oriented Core option.
 Traverse ID
For a Linear BH Oriented Core traverse, the default Traverse ID will have an "LBH-
OC" prefix (e.g. LBH-OC1, LBH-OC2 ...) when you initially add/create traverses. After adding
traverses, you can change the default ID values to any numeric or alpha-numeric values.
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 Data Format
For a Linear Borehole Oriented Core traverse, the Data Format is always Alpha /
Beta, which refers to the local angles alpha and beta for discontinuities logged on oriented
core. In the main Dips spreadsheet, you must enter Alpha / Beta values in the Orientation
Columns for Linear BH Oriented Core traverses. This overrides the Global Orientation
Format, which is not applicable for traverses which use oriented core. See the oriented core
data topic for the definitions of alpha / beta.
 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format for a Linear BH Oriented Core traverse requires THREE
values: Orient 1/2/3 as described below.
 ORIENTATION 1
The angle from the top of core to the reference line (measured clockwise looking in the down core
direction). Use 0 if the borehole is vertical.
 ORIENTATION 2
The inclination of the borehole axis from the zenith. Use 0 for a borehole oriented
vertically upwards, and 180 if the borehole is oriented vertically downwards.
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 ORIENTATION 3
The azimuth of the borehole measured from true north. For a vertical borehole, use
the clockwise angle from true north to the reference line, looking along the direction of
borehole advance.
3.3.4.4 Linear Borehole (Televiewer)
A Linear Borehole Televiewer traverse is a linear borehole in which the true joint
orientations have been obtained from televiewer processing or other method (e.g. oriented
core data which has already been processed into true Dip/Dip Direction).
The Linear Borehole Televiewer traverse type is exactly equivalent to

the Linear traverse type. You can use either one. It is included for consistency with the
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naming conventions of the new Curved Borehole traverse types; and also to make a clear
distinction between boreholes which use unprocessed oriented core data.
 Traverse ID
For a Linear BH Televiewer traverse, the default Traverse ID will have an "LBH-T"
prefix (e.g. LBH-T1, LBH-T2 ...) when you initially add/create traverses. After adding
 Data Format
The Data Format options for a Linear Borehole Televiewer traverse are the same as
for a Linear traverse.
 Trend/Plunge
See the Linear Traverse topic for details.
 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format for a Linear Borehole Televiewer traverse is always Trend /
Plunge of the Linear borehole, regardless of the Data Format. See the Linear Traverse topic
for details.
3.3.4.5 Curved Borehole (Oriented Core)
The Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse type should be used when you have:
 a non-linear borehole with curvature defined by a survey file

 unprocessed oriented core with joint orientations recorded as local alpha / beta angles
on the core
The Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse option allows you to process the
oriented core data into true dip/dip direction or strike/dip; and to apply the Terzaghi
Weighting to the joints, by determining the orientation of the borehole for each joint
measurement and applying the appropriate weighting factor based on the relative
orientation of the borehole and the joint plane.
If you have processed oriented core taken from a curved borehole (e.g. already
processed using Dips or other application), or if measurements are processed from
Televiewer, then you can use the Curved Borehole Televiewer option rather than
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the Curved Borehole Oriented Core option, to apply the Terzaghi weighting to the
measurements.
 Traverse ID
For a Curved BH Oriented Core traverse, the default Traverse ID will have a "CBH-
OC" prefix (e.g. CBH-OC1, CBH-OC2 ...) when you initially add/create traverses. After adding
 Data Format
For a Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse, the Data Format is always Alpha /
Beta, which refers to the local angles alpha and beta for discontinuities logged on oriented
core. In the main Dips spreadsheet, you must enter Alpha / Beta values in the Orientation
Columns for Curved BH Oriented Core traverses. This overrides the Global Orientation
Format, which is not applicable for traverses which use oriented core. See the oriented core
data topic for the definitions of alpha / beta.
 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format for a Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse is Orient 1
+ Survey File.
 The Survey File data is entered in the Survey Data tab in the Traverse Information dialog.
 Orient 1 has the same definition as for a Linear Borehole Oriented Core traverse. See
below for details.
 Orient 1
For a Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse, the Orient 1 value has the same
definition as for a Linear Borehole Oriented Core traverse. It is the angle from the top of
core to the reference line, measured clockwise looking in the down core direction. See
the Core topic for details.
NOTE: for a Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse, it is assumed that the value
of Orient 1 is constant for the entire length of the curved borehole traverse. If this is not
the case, then you will have to define a separate traverse for each change in the value of
Orient 1 along a curved borehole.
 Collar Data
For Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverses, the collar data is entered in the Collar
Data tab in the Traverse dialog.
1. Select the Collar Data tab.
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2. Select the Add button to add the required number of rows. This should correspond to the
number of Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverses defined under the Traverses tab.
3. Enter the Traverse ID for each traverse. The Traverse IDs should be the same as entered
under the Traverses tab. You can use Copy/Paste to transfer the traverse IDs.
4. Enter the XYZ values of the collar locations (XYZ = Easting, Northing, Up).
5. Enter the Total Depth (length) of each Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse.
NOTE: The Collar Data is not currently used in the Dips analysis, however it will be
used for filtering and viewing purposes in a future update.
 Survey Data
For Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverses, the survey data is entered in
the Survey Data tab in the Traverse dialog.
1. Select the Survey Data tab.

2. Select the Add button to add the required number of rows. This should equal the total
number of survey readings for ALL Curved Borehole Traverses that you are defining.
3. Enter the Traverse ID for each survey point. Traverse IDs entered in the Survey tab should
correspond to those entered in the Traverse tab and Collar tab.
4. Enter the Distance readings for the survey points.
5. Enter the Trend / Plunge readings for the survey points.
NOTE:
 The orientation format convention for survey file data is always Trend / Plunge. This is
equivalent to the standard Azimuth / Dip terminology commonly used to record
borehole survey orientations.
 The conventions used for Plunge (e.g. positive or negative) are determined in
the Settings dialog, see below for details.

 For multiple traverses, data is entered consecutively in the ID, Distance, and Trend /
Plunge columns for ALL traverses.
 Curved Borehole Options
For Curved Borehole traverses, if you select the Settings button at the
bottom of the Traverses dialog, the following options are available.
Plunge Options (Survey Data)
There are two options for defining the Plunge convention for Survey Data:
 Negative = Down, Positive = Up

 Positive = Down, Negative = Up
If you choose the Negative = Down option, then negative plunge values will
represent the downward direction for the survey data.
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If you choose the Positive = Down option, then positive plunge values will represent
the downward direction for the survey data.
NOTE: this option ONLY applies to Survey Data plunge values entered for curved
traverses in the Traverse dialog. It does NOT affect the data conventions used in the
main Dips spreadsheet.
De-survey options
For analysis purposes, curved borehole surveys in Dips are represented by a series of
linear segments. There are two possible de-survey options. The Linear, at segment
ends option, will directly connect the survey points with linear segments. The Linear, at
mid-points option, will assume each survey point is the mid-point of a linear segment, and
generate the segments accordingly.
3.3.4.6 Curved Borehole (Televiewer)
The Curved Borehole Televiewer traverse type should be used when you have:
 a non-linear borehole with curvature defined by a survey file

 joint orientations processed into true dip/dip direction or strike/dip readings using
televiewer or other method (e.g. processed oriented core)
The Curved Borehole Televiewer traverse option allows you to apply the Terzaghi
Weighting to joints measured on a curved borehole, by determining the orientation of the
borehole for each joint measurement and applying the appropriate weighting factor based
on the relative orientation of the borehole and the joint plane.
If you have unprocessed oriented core taken from a curved borehole (i.e. alpha/beta
angles) then you should use the Curved Borehole Oriented core option rather than
the Curved Borehole Televiewer option.
 Traverse ID
For a Curved BH Televiewer traverse, the default Traverse ID will have a "CBH-T"
prefix (e.g. CBH-T1, CBH-T2 ...) when you initially add/create traverses. After adding
 Data Format
The Data Format options for a Curved Borehole Televiewer traverse are the same as
for a Linear traverse.
 Trend/Plunge
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 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format for a Curved Borehole Televiewer traverse is Survey File. The
Survey File data is entered in the Survey Data tab in the Traverse Information dialog. See
below for details.
 Collar Data
For Curved Borehole Televiewer traverses, the collar data is entered in the Collar
1. Select the Collar Data tab.

2. Select the Add button to add the required number of rows. This should correspond to the
number of Curved Borehole Televiewer traverses defined under the Traverses tab.
3. Enter the Traverse ID for each traverse. The Traverse IDs should be the same as entered
under the Traverses tab. You can use Copy/Paste to transfer the traverse IDs.
4. Enter the XYZ values of the collar locations (XYZ = Easting, Northing, Up).
5. Enter the Total Depth (length) of each Curved Borehole Televiewer traverse.
NOTE: The Collar Data is not currently used in the Dips analysis, however it will be
used for filtering and viewing purposes in a future update.
 Survey Data
For Curved Borehole Televiewer traverses, the survey data is entered in the Survey
1. Select the Survey Data tab.

2. Select the Add button to add the required number of rows. This should equal the total
number of survey readings for ALL Curved Borehole Traverses that you are defining.
3. Enter the Traverse ID for each survey point. Traverse IDs entered in the Survey tab should
correspond to those entered in the Traverse tab and Collar tab.
4. Enter the Distance readings for the survey points.
5. Enter the Trend / Plunge readings for the survey points.
NOTE:
 The orientation format convention for survey file data is always Trend / Plunge. This is
equivalent to the standard Azimuth / Dip terminology commonly used to record
borehole survey orientations.
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 The conventions used for Plunge (e.g. positive or negative) are determined in
the Settings dialog, see below for details.

 For multiple traverses, data is entered consecutively in the ID, Distance, and Trend /
Plunge columns for ALL traverses.
 Curved Borehole Options
For Curved Borehole traverses, if you select the Settings button at the
bottom of the Traverses dialog, the following options are available.
Plunge Options (Survey Data)
There are two options for defining the Plunge convention for Survey Data:
 Negative = Down, Positive = Up

 Positive = Down, Negative = Up
If you choose the Negative = Down option, then negative plunge values will
represent the downward direction for the survey data.
If you choose the Positive = Down option, then positive plunge values will represent
the downward direction for the survey data.
NOTE: this option ONLY applies to Survey Data plunge values entered for curved
traverses in the Traverse dialog. It does NOT affect the data conventions used in the
main Dips spreadsheet.
De-survey options
For analysis purposes, curved borehole surveys in Dips are represented by a series of
linear segments. There are two possible de-survey options. The Linear, at segment
ends option, will directly connect the survey points with linear segments. The Linear, at
mid-points option, will assume each survey point is the mid-point of a linear segment, and
generate the segments accordingly.
3.3.4.7 Clinorule Traverse
Mapping in magnetic orebodies (sulphides, disseminated base metals) is normally

impossible using a magnetic compass. Difficulties may also arise where rockbolts and
screen are present as ground support in underground excavations.
In these environments, it is necessary to measure joint orientations using a device

called the CLINORULE.
 Clinorule Description
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This is a simple device (normally used in carpentry or by underground drillers)
consisting of two arms connected at one end by a pivot hinge. On this hinge, there is an
angle measure (ranging from 0 to 180 or from 0 to 360 degrees) to record the angle formed
by the two hinged arms. It is handy, as well, if one of the arms is fitted with a bubble level
along its EDGE. This is to allow accurate measurement of DIP.
 Data Measurement
DIP is measured by holding the arm with the level in a horizontal position such that
the other arm moves in a vertical plane about the hinge. Move the second arm until it is
parallel with the DIP (line of maximum slope) in the joint plane. Read off the (acute) angle
as the DIP.
The azimuth direction is taken as a relative angle with respect to a REFERENCE LINE.
This line is usually the axis of a drift of tunnel but can be any reference direction which is
known (accurate measure of this reference azimuth should be taken from level plans).
For example, if the CLINORULE is used to measure relative STRIKE, hold one arm of
the clinorule so that it is parallel to the REFERENCE LINE. Treat this as local "NORTH". Move
the other arm (in a horizontal plane) so that it is parallel to the strike line (line in the plane
which is horizontal) obeying the RIGHT or LEFT HAND RULE as appropriate (be consistent).
Read this angle as the apparent STRIKE.
 Traverse ID
For a Clinorule traverse, the default Traverse ID will have a "CL" prefix (e.g. CL1, CL2
...) when you initially add/create traverses. After adding traverses, you can change the
default ID values to any numeric or alpha-numeric values.
 Data Format
The Data Format options for a Clinorule traverse are the same as for
a Linear traverse.
 Trend/Plunge
 Traverse Format
The Traverse Format for a Clinorule traverse is always Trend / Plunge, and is applied
as follows.
 The azimuth of the CLINORULE REFERENCE LINE (see above) is input in the Traverse
Information dialog as the Trend of the traverse.
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 This value is ADDED to the DIPDIRECTION or STRIKE data measured on the traverse and
recorded in the Orientation Columns .
 The CLINORULE traverse acts as a LINEAR traverse for bias correction.
 Declination
Ensure that the Declination in the Project Settings dialog is ZERO if clinorule drift
orientations are taken from grid north.
 Examples
An example traverse information line (in the Dips data file) for a horizontal clinorule
reference line with an azimuth of 250 degrees is shown below:
1;CLINORULE;250;00;Main Access Drift
An example Dips file which uses the CLINORULE Traverse Type is the
EXAMCLIN.DIPS7 file, which you should find in the Examples folder in your Dips installation
folder.
3.4 GRID DATA
It is assumed that the user is familiar with standard spreadsheet operations, and these
will not be described here. However, a few noteworthy features of the Dips Grid are described
below:
 Grid View
The Dips data entry grid or spreadsheet is referred to as the Grid View. Only one Grid
View may be displayed per document. If the Grid View has been closed (and other views of the
document are still open), you can generate a new Grid View with the New Grid View option in
the Window menu.
 Last Row
A valid row is a row which contains a valid orientation data pair in the two Orientation
Columns. If non-numeric, or blank data is encountered in the Orientation Columns, Dips will
ignore ALL rows in the spreadsheet including and AFTER the first such row, for the purposes of
plotting, etc. Therefore, you MAY NOT leave blanks or write comments in the Orientation
Columns, all rows must contain valid numeric orientation data pairs, in order for data to be
plotted. In this way, Dips makes no assumptions about the data plotted (i.e. a blank is NOT
interpreted as equal to zero, etc.).
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 Data Columns
The Dips data columns are described in detail in the following topics:
 Overview of Data Columns

 Orientation Columns
 Quantity Column
 Traverse Column
 Set Column
 Distance Column
 Extra Columns
 Column Titles
 The titles of the Orientation, Quantity, Traverse, Set and Distance Columns are displayed
in Title Case.
 The titles of Extra Columns are displayed in UPPERCASE.
 However, the Quantity, Traverse and Set columns may appear in UPPERCASE, if they
have been saved as Extra Columns using the Save Processed File or Rotate Data options.
3.4.1 Data Column
The Dips data columns are summarized below, in order of appearance in the
spreadsheet. For detailed information, see the individual topics.
Only the two orientation columns are mandatory; all other columns are optional, and
may be included as required by the user.
 Orientation Columns
The Orientation Columns are always the first two columns in the spreadsheet, and are
required for all Dips files.
 Quantity Column
The Quantity Column is toggled on/off in Project Settings and allows you to record the
number of identical features represented by a particular measurement.
 Traverse Column
A Traverse Column is automatically created if Traverses are defined, and allows you to
assign the data units to the traverse from which they were measured using a Traverse ID.
 Set Column
A Set Column is automatically created if Sets are defined, and records the Set ID of
data belonging to sets.
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 Distance Column
A Distance Column is required in order to use the Curved Borehole options, Joint
Spacing, RQD or Joint Frequency Options.
 Extra Columns
Extra Columns are created with Add Column option. Any data columns after the above
columns are considered "Extra Columns", and can be used to store any other quantitative or
qualitative data that you wish to record. Extra Columns are added / removed with the options
in the Edit menu.
3.4.1.1 Orientation Columns
The first two columns of the Dips spreadsheet are for entering the raw orientation
data pairs that you wish to analyze. The two Orientation Columns are present in
all Dips files, and represent the minimum data file configuration, i.e.:
 YOU MAY NOT DELETE, MOVE OR RENAME THE ORIENTATION COLUMNS!!!
The format of the orientation pairs in the Orientation Columns is determined by

the Global Orientation Format in the Project Settings dialog. For example:
 if the Global Orientation Format is STRIKE/DIPR, then Dips will interpret the numbers in
the first orientation column as STRIKE (right hand rule) and the numbers in the second
orientation column as DIP.
There are two important exceptions to this, however:
1. If data has been collected on Traverses, then the Data Format in the Traverse dialog can be
used to specify a different orientation format for any given traverse. This allows the user to
combine mixed data formats in the same file.
2. If data has been recorded from borehole oriented core logging (i.e. Traverse Type = Linear
BH Oriented Core or Curved BH Oriented Core). In this case, the data pairs in the
Orientation Columns will represent alpha and beta angles measured on the oriented core.
See the Borehole Orientation Data Pairs topic for details.
 Valid Orientation Data Input

 All values are in degrees.
 Only INTEGER data is allowed in the Orientation Columns. Decimal places are ignored by
Dips, and will not be saved when you save the file.
 NEGATIVE ORIENTATION VALUES – Negative values ARE allowed in the Orientation
Columns. Where negative values, or values which exceed 90 or 360 degrees (for dip and
dip direction, for example) are present, an attempt will be made to convert to a
corresponding orientation in the lower hemisphere. For example, if dip/dip direction is
input as –35 400, Dips will convert this measurement to 35 220. To ensure correct
plotting, it is best to record all measurements so that they fall in the lower hemisphere
and are within standard limits.
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
 If non-numeric, or blank data is encountered in the Orientation Columns, Dips will
ignore ALL rows in the spreadsheet including and AFTER the first such row, for the
purposes of plotting, etc. Therefore, you MAY NOT leave blanks or write comments in
the Orientation Columns, all rows must contain valid numeric orientation data pairs, in
order for data to be plotted. In this way, Dips makes no assumptions about the data
plotted (i.e. a blank is NOT interpreted as equal to zero, etc.).
 Orientation Column Titles
The titles of the two Orientation Columns will correspond to the Global Orientation
Format except when:
1. Mixed data formats are used (at least one Traverse has a Data Format which is different
from the Global Orientation Format), or
2. Borehole Oriented Core traverses have been used.
 In these cases, the titles of the two Orientation Columns will simply be Orient
1 and Orient 2, to reflect the fact that mixed data formats, or oriented core alpha/beta
values, are present in the Orientation Columns.
3.4.1.2 Oriented Core Alpha/Beta Angles
 If orientation data was measured from the logging of core from a borehole, then
the Orientation Columns must contain the measurements of the "Alpha" and "Beta"
angles, as defined below. This applies to both Linear Borehole Oriented
Core and Curved Borehole Oriented Core traverse types.
 Alpha (entered in Orientation Column 1)
The minimum angle between the maximum dip vector of the plane of the
discontinuity, and the core axis.
 Beta (entered in Orientation Column 2)
The clockwise angle from the reference line to the direction of the maximum dip
vector, looking along the direction of borehole advance.
See the figures below for illustration.
****************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
Also see the Borehole Traverse Orientation topic for ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
concerning the orientation data required (orientations 1, 2 and 3) to set up a borehole
logging traverse.
****************************************************************
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
If your data set was entirely recorded from borehole core logging, you will have to
specify a traverse for each borehole, in the Traverse Information dialog, and set up the data
accordingly.
 ORIENTATION PARAMETERS FOR BOREHOLE DATA
 DEFINITION OF ALPHA ANGLE
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 DEFINITION OF BETA ANGLE
3.4.1.3 Quantity Column
If you are measuring a large number of features, you may wish to record single data
entries which refer to several identical features having the same orientation. For this
purpose, you may include a Quantity Column in your Dips file, by selecting the Quantity
Column checkbox in the Project Settings dialog.
The Quantity Column allows you to enter values corresponding to the number of
identical features represented by a particular measurement. The Quantity Column values
are used in the generation of scatter , contour and rosette plots in Dips, and also in mean
vector calculations for sets.
 Quantity Column Values

 For convenience, the values in the Quantity Column are initially set to 1 when the
column is created. The user can then enter higher values as necessary (e.g. 2, 3, 4…)
 Although the values in the Quantity Column are generally 1 or greater, the value may be
set to zero if you wish to plot a feature on a pole plot, but NOT use it in the computation
of the scatter or contour plots.
 It is possible for the Quantity Column to contain non-integer values (for example, when
a processed data file is saved, the user has the option of multiplying the values in the
Quantity Column by the Terzaghi Weighting, in order to preserve the bias correction
information in the processed file).
 Quantity Column Position
The position of the Quantity Column, if it exists, is always the THIRD column in the
spreadsheet (i.e. the first column AFTER the two orientation columns).
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 Adding / Removing the Quantity Column

 The Quantity Column can only be added or removed from the spreadsheet through
the Project Settings dialog.
 The Add Column / Remove Column options in the Edit menu CANNOT be used to create
or remove the Quantity Column.
3.4.1.4 Traverse Column
A Traverse Column is automatically added to the spreadsheet, if at least

one Traverse has been defined in the Traverse Information dialog.
The Traverse Column is used to assign the data units to the traverse from which they
were measured, by entering the appropriate Traverse ID number. This allows the user to
identify data from different traverses, and also to apply the correct Terzaghi Weighting to
the data.
 Traverse Column Values
The numbers in the Traverse Column should normally correspond to the Traverse ID
numbers in the Traverse Information dialog.
However, Dips will allow Traverse Column entries which are blank, or do NOT
correspond to defined Traverse ID numbers in the Traverse Information dialog. In this case,
when the Terzaghi Weighting is applied to contour or rosette plots, these data units will be
assigned a weighting of ONE (1.000), since no traverse orientation information is available.
 Traverse Column Position
The Traverse Column will always be either the THIRD or the FOURTH column in the
spreadsheet, depending on whether or not a Quantity Column exists.
 If the Quantity Column does NOT exist, then the Traverse Column will be the THIRD
column, immediately following the Orientation Columns.
 If the Quantity Column exists, then the Traverse Column will be the FOURTH column,
immediately after the Quantity Column.
 Adding / Removing the Traverse Column

 The Traverse Column is automatically added if at least one Traverse is defined in the
Traverse Information dialog.
 It is automatically removed if ALL traverses are deleted in the Traverse Information
dialog.
 The Traverse Column CANNOT be added / removed with the Add Column / Remove
Column options.
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3.4.1.5 Set Column
A Set Column is automatically added to the spreadsheet when the first Set is created
by the user with the Add Set Window option.
 Set Column Values
The Set Column records the Set ID number of data belonging to Sets. The Set ID is
always an integer, and is defined by the user in the Add Set Window dialog, when a Set is
created.
NOTE: The Set Column CANNOT be directly edited by the user. The creation of Sets
is based on the graphic selection of data with the Add Set Window option. This is the only
method currently allowed in Dips for the creation of Sets.
 Set Column Position
The Set Column is always added AFTER

the Orientation, Quantity and Traverse Columns, and BEFORE any Extra Columns.
Therefore, the Set Column may be either the third, fourth or fifth column in the
spreadsheet, depending on whether Quantity and / or Traverse columns exist.
 Adding / Removing the Set Column

 The Set Column is automatically added as soon as the first Set has been created.
 The Set Column is automatically removed only if ALL Sets are deleted.
 The Add Column / Remove Column options CANNOT be used to create or remove the
Set Column.
 Saving the Set Column
There are two ways of saving Set information in Dips:
1. To re-create the Set Windows and mean plane calculations, you must save the Set Windows
to a DWP file. If you save the Set Windows to a DWP file, then the Set Windows, mean
planes and Set Column will be re-created each time you open the DWP file for a Dips file.
This is the recommended, and only way to preserve ALL Set information for a Dips file. See
the Save Planes / Tools File topic for more information.
2. You may also save the Set Column as an Extra Column. In this case, only the Set ID numbers
in the Set Column are preserved. Whenever a Dips file is saved or created, through ANY of
the following options:
 Save
 Save As
 Save Processed
 Rotate Data
 Query Data
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
the active Set Column can be saved as an Extra Column. After saving, the title of the
column will be "SETID" (rather than "Set”), to indicate that it is an Extra Column, and is no
longer an active Set Column. Furthermore, NOTE:
 For the Query Data and Rotate Data options, the Set Column will ONLY be saved if the
"Save Set Column as an Extra Column" checkbox is selected in the Preferences dialog. If
this checkbox is NOT selected, then the Set ID column will NOT be saved to the new file
which is created after using Query Data or Rotate Data.
 If a Set Column has been saved as an Extra Column in a Dips file, it will only be read back
into Dips, if the "Read Set Column as an Extra Column" checkbox is selected in
the Preferences dialog. If this checkbox is NOT selected, then Dips will ignore any Set
Columns which have been saved as Extra Columns in a Dips file.
 Versions of Dips prior to version 5.1, used the UPPERCASE column title "SET", when the
Set Column was saved as an Extra Column. As of version 5.1, the title "SETID" is now
used to distinguish a Set Column which has been saved as an Extra Column.
 Multiple Set Columns
Finally, a word of caution – if you are saving the Set Column as an Extra Column, as
described above, it is possible that you can create Dips files with multiple Set columns.
NOTE:
 Your Dips file will NEVER contain more than one active Set Column (corresponding to
the Set Windows currently defined on the stereonet).
 However, your Dips file may contain one (or more) "Extra" Set Columns (depending on
how many times you have re-saved a Dips file after creating Sets).
If you see multiple Set columns in a Dips file, just remember that all Set Columns
which have an UPPERCASE TITLE – "SET" or "SETID" – have been saved as Extra Columns,
and are no longer active Set columns. The active Set Column, corresponding to your
currently defined Set Windows on the stereonet, will always have the title "Set", and will
always be positioned to the left of any "extra" Set Columns.
To avoid confusion, you may wish to delete any "extra" Set Columns. Or make sure
that the "Read Set Column as an Extra Column" checkbox is cleared, in
the Preferences dialog, so that Dips ignores these columns when reading the file.
3.4.1.6 Distance Column
A Distance Column is required if you wish to use any of the following options:
 Curved Boreholes (Oriented Core or Televiewer)

 Joint Spacing
 RQD Analysis
 Joint Frequency
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
The values in the Distance Column should correspond to measurements recorded
along a linear or borehole traverse. For curved boreholes, the Distance values should
correspond to the distance values entered in the Survey file for the curved traverses (i.e.
should be within the range of distance measurements in the survey file).
The Distance Column can be enabled manually by selecting

the Distance Column checkbox in the Project Settings dialog. It may also be added
automatically, for example when you define Curved Borehole traverses in the Traverse
Information dialog.
NOTE: if you have Distance values recorded in an Extra Column, this will NOT be
recognized as a Distance column for the purposes of using the above analysis options (e.g.
Joint Spacing or RQD). If this is the case, then you must enable the Distance Column option
in Project Settings, and copy the data from the extra column into the Distance column,
before you can use any applicable options which require a Distance Column.
 Distance Column Values

 For a given traverse, the Distance values should be entered in order of increasing
distance.
 Distance Units should correspond to the Units selected in Project Settings (meters or
feet).
 Distance Column Position
The Distance Column is always added AFTER

the Orientation, Quantity , Traverse and Set Columns, and BEFORE any Extra Columns.
Therefore, the Distance Column may be either the fourth, fifth or sixth column in the
spreadsheet, depending on whether Quantity and / or Set columns exist. A Traverse Column
should exist since the Distance Column requires traverses in order to use the relevant
analysis options.
 Adding / Removing the Distance Column

 The Distance Column can be added or removed from the spreadsheet through
the Project Settings dialog.
 It may be automatically created when you define Curved Borehole traverses in the
Traverse Information dialog.
 The Add Column / Remove Column options in the Edit menu CANNOT be used to create
or remove the Distance Column.
3.4.1.7 Extra Columns
Any columns in the spreadsheet AFTER the Orientation, Quantity, Traverse, Set and
Distance columns, are referred to as Extra Columns, and can be used to store any other
quantitative or qualitative data that the user wishes to record.
 Adding / Removing Extra Columns

 Extra Columns are added with the Add Column option in the Edit menu.
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
 Extra Columns are deleted with the Remove Column option.
 Extra Column Data
The data in Extra Columns may be either:
 Quantitative (numeric measurements) or

 Qualitative (alphanumeric labels or mnemonics)
The data in a single column should be of a consistent type (i.e. Quantitative or

Qualitative), to ensure correct interpretation of data when using the Symbolic
Plot, Chart and Query Data options.
 Number of Extra Columns
Any number of Extra Columns may be added to the spreadsheet.
 Extra Column Titles
Extra Column Titles are displayed in UPPERCASE, to help differentiate them from the
Orientation, Quantity, Traverse, Set and Distance columns.
However, the Quantity, Traverse and Set columns may appear in UPPERCASE, if they
have been saved as Extra Columns while using the Save Processed File or Rotate
Data options. The Set Column is ALWAYS saved as an Extra Column whenever a processed
file is saved, since all other Set information (i.e. window limits, mean planes) is NOT saved
in the main Dips. dip files.
3.4.2 Edit Grid
3.4.2.1 Add Column
The Add Column option is used to add Extra Columns to

the Dips spreadsheet. Add Column is available in the toolbar or the Edit menu when
the Grid View is the active view.
Extra Columns can only be added AFTER

the Orientation, Quantity, Traverse and Set columns, therefore the Add Column option is
only enabled when:
1. The current highlighted grid cell is in an existing Extra Column, OR

2. The current highlighted grid cell is in the LAST of the Orientation, Quantity, Traverse or Set
columns, as applicable.
NOTE:
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
 Add Column is also available by right-clicking on the header of an existing Extra Column,
or the header of the LAST of the Orientation, Quantity, Traverse or Set columns.
 Add Column adds columns to the RIGHT of the current column.
 Extra Columns are removed with the Remove Column option.
3.4.2.2 Remove Column
The Remove Column option is used to remove Extra Columns from the
spreadsheet. Remove Column is available in the toolbar or the Edit menu when the Grid
View is the active view.
To remove Extra Columns:
1. Click the mouse on the title (header) of the Extra Column that you wish to remove.
2. Select Remove Column from the toolbar or the Edit menu.

3. A warning dialog will appear. Select Yes to remove the column.
To remove multiple Extra Columns at once, you can select multiple column titles with
the mouse and select Remove Column.
NOTE:
 The Remove Column option is ONLY enabled when you click on the title of an Extra
Column.
 Remove Column CANNOT be used to delete
the Orientation, Quantity, Traverse or Set columns.
 Remove Column is also available by right-clicking on the header of any Extra Column.
3.4.2.3 Edit Column Name
Edit Column Name can be used to re-name the header of any Extra Column.
1. To re-name Extra Columns:

2. Click the mouse in the Extra Column that you want to re-name.
3. Select Rename Header from the Edit menu.
A dialog will appear. Enter the new name, and select OK.
NOTE:
 Edit Column Name is also available by right-clicking on the header of any Extra Column.
 Edit Column Name CANNOT be used to re-name the Orientation, Quantity, Traverse
or Set columns. Furthermore, the names "Quantity", "Traverse" and "Set" are reserved,
and may NOT be used as the name of any Extra Column.
 Extra Column names always use UPPERCASE LETTERS to distinguish them from the
Orientation, Traverse, Quantity and Set columns.
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3.4.2.4 Insert Rows
The Insert Rows option is used to add additional rows anywhere in the Dip
Spreadsheet Insert Rows is available in the toolbar or the Edit menu when the Grid View is
the active view.
To insert rows:
1. Click the mouse at the desired row of the spreadsheet and select Insert Row for each
row you would like to add.
2. Alternatively, to add multiple rows at once you can select a block of rows with the mouse
and select Insert Row. This will add a number of new rows equal to the number of selected
rows.
NOTE:
 Insert Rows is also available in the right-click menu if you click on the row ID numbers at
the left of the spreadsheet.
 Insert Rows adds new rows ABOVE the currently selected row(s).
 To add rows to the end of the spreadsheet use the Append Rows option.
3.4.2.5 Remove Rows
The Remove Rows option is used to remove rows anywhere in

the Dips spreadsheet. Remove Rows is available in the toolbar or the Edit menu when
To remove rows:
1. Select the desired row(s) by clicking on the row ID buttons at the left of the spreadsheet.
2. Remove Rows will become enabled. Select Remove Rows from the toolbar, the Edit
menu or the right-click menu to delete the selected row(s).
3.4.2.6 Append Rows
The Append Rows option is used to add new rows to the end of
the Dips spreadsheet. Append Rows is available in the toolbar or the Edit menu when
To append rows:
1. Select Append Rows from the toolbar or the Edit menu.
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DIPS v7 -MANUAL
2. A dialog will appear. Enter the number of rows to add (default is 10). Select OK and the
specified number of new rows will be added to the end of the spreadsheet.
NOTE:
 Append Rows is also available in the right-click menu if you click on the row ID numbers
at the left of the spreadsheet.
 To add new rows anywhere within the spreadsheet, use the Insert Rows option.
 There is no limit to the number of rows in a Dips file, other than the maximum file size
determined by your computer capacity. The default number of rows for a new file is 100.
 When you copy and paste data into the Dips spreadsheet, new rows will be
automatically created if necessary. Append Rows is only required if you wish to create
new blank rows at the end of the spreadsheet in which to enter data.
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IV. STEREONET PLOT
The main forms of data visualization in Dips are the various stereonet plot options available
in the sidebar, View menu and toolbar:
 Pole / Dip Vector Mode

 Pole Plot
 Dip Vector Plot
 Symbolic Plot
 Scatter Plot
 Contour Plot
 Major Planes Plot
 Intersection Plot
 3D Stereosphere
 Plot Legends
 Toolbar and View Menu Plot Options
The stereonet plot options in the toolbar and View menu act as pre-sets or shortcuts, to
quickly set up commonly used plot types (e.g. Pole Plot, Contour Plot, Major Planes etc.).
 Sidebar Plot Options
The stereonet plot options in the sidebar give you the maximum flexibility. By selecting the
desired checkboxes and radio buttons, you can customize the plot display, overlay various plot
types and choose the desired Legends which are displayed.
 New Plot View
A new stereonet plot view can be generated at any time by selecting the New Pole Vector
Plot option in the Window menu. This will always generate a basic Pole Plot.
4.1 POLE / DIP VECTOR MODE
The planar data entered in the main Dips spreadsheet (Grid Data) can be plotted on the
stereonet as either:
 Pole Vectors
 Dip Vectors
This is determined by the setting of the Pole / Dip Vector Mode option which is available
in the View menu or the toolbar.
 To plot Pole Vectors, select the Pole Vector Mode option.
 To plot Dip Vectors, select the Dip Vector Mode option.
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Pole / Dip Vector mode can also be changed in the Kinematic Analysis dialog (e.g. for
Planar Sliding analysis you can use either pole or dip vectors).
 Vector Plots
The Pole / Dip Vector mode affects the Vector plot options in the sidebar:
 Basic vector plot (Pole Plot or Dip Vector)

 Symbolic Plot
 Scatter Plot
 3D Plot
Each of these options will plot either pole or dip vectors according to the mode setting.
 Contour Plot
The contouring of vectors is also dependent on the mode setting. The contours will
correspond to either pole or dip vectors according to the mode setting.
 Pole / Dip Vector Mode and Sets
It is important to note that joint sets (created with the options in the Sets menu) can
ONLY be defined in Pole Vector Mode. Creation of sets from dip vectors is not valid, and
therefore all Set options are disabled in Dip Vector Mode. If you wish to define joint sets and
the Set options are disabled, then you must switch to Pole Vector Mode first, you will then be
able to define sets.
4.2 VECTOR PLOT
4.2.1 Pole Plot
A Pole Plot is the most basic representation of your orientation data (i.e. the
orientation data pairs in the first two columns of your Dips file). To generate a Pole Plot:
 The Pole / Dip Vector Mode must be set to Pole Vector mode
 Choose the Vector Plot option from the toolbar or the View menu, OR
 In the Sidebar choose the Pole Vector Display checkbox and the Pole radio button.
On a pole plot, points are plotted on a stereonet which correspond to the orientation
of either (1) linear features or (2) poles representing planes, i.e.:
1. If the data is linear in nature (e.g. stress trajectories), then the corresponding point on the
stereonet represents this orientation directly.
2. If the data is planar (e.g. rock structure survey), the points on the plot represent the poles
(normal vectors) to the planes in question.
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The default projection is a lower hemisphere, equal angle projection. Upper
hemisphere and equal area projection options can also be used – see the Stereonet
Options topic for details.
The Pole Plot is also capable of displaying feature attribute information, in the form of
color coded / symbolic plots – see the Symbolic Plot option for details.
 Overlay Plot Types
The Sidebar plotting options allow you to overlay poles, contours, planes, intersections
etc. See the Overlay Plots topic for details.
4.2.2 Dip Vector Plot
A Dip Vector directly represents the maximum dip of a plane and is orthogonal (90
degrees) to the pole vector of a plane. A Dip Vector is located at the midpoint of the great
circle projection of a given plane. To view a Dip Vector plot:
 The Pole / Dip Vector Mode must be set to Dip Vector mode
 Choose the Vector Plot option from the toolbar or the View menu, OR
 In the Sidebar choose the Dip Vector Display checkbox and the Dip radio button.
A Dip Vector plot is an alternative to the Pole Plot representation of planar data on a
stereonet. Dip vectors have a one-to-one correspondence with pole vectors (i.e. for each
plane there is one pole vector and one dip vector so the number of pole vectors or dip vectors
are equal for a given file).
Either pole vectors or dip vectors can be used for kinematic analysis. Dip vectors are
preferred by some users for various kinematic analysis methods, and so dip vector plotting is
available for applicable kinematic analysis options (planar sliding and flexural toppling).
 Sets and Dip Vectors
It is important to note that in general the creation of joint sets from Dip Vectors is not
valid, and therefore all Set options are disabled in Dip Vector Mode. If you wish to define
joint sets and the Set options are disabled, then you must switch to Pole Vector Mode first,
you will then be able to define sets.
 Contouring Dip Vectors
Dip vector plots can be contoured just like pole plots. If you are in Dip Vector mode,
the Contour Plot (vector option) will automatically contour the dip vectors.
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 Overlay Plot Types
The Sidebar plotting options allow you to overlay dip vectors, contours, planes,
intersections etc. See the Overlay Plots topic for details.
4.3 SYMBOLIC PLOT
A Pole Plot or Dip Vector Plot is capable of displaying feature attribute information, in
the form of color coded / symbolic plots, using the Symbolic Plot option.
To create a Symbolic Plot:
1. Select Symbolic Plot from the toolbar, the View menu, right-click menu or sidebar.
2. Select the Data Type that you wish to plot from the drop-list.
3. Select the appropriate Data Type -- Qualitative or Quantitative data.
4. Select OK to generate the Symbolic Plot.
The above steps will create a default plot of the data.
NOTE:
 If your Data Type is QUALITATIVE, you may use the Allocated and Others list boxes to
focus on data of interest. See the Qualitative Symbolic Plot topic for more information.
 If your Data Type is QUANTITATIVE, you may customize the range, number of intervals,
or use a normal or log scale for the data. See the Quantitative Symbolic Plot topic for
more information.
 To customize the actual symbols used in the plots, use the Edit Symbols option.
 Symbol / Column / Data combinations can be "locked" for all Dips files, with the Lock
Symbols option.
 If you are plotting orientations, you may need to plot the Processed orientations rather
than the raw data in the Orientation columns. See the Processed Orientation Data topic
for details.
 Create Corresponding Chart
To create a corresponding chart from a Symbolic Plot, simply right click on the Symbolic
Plot and select Create Corresponding Chart from the Symbolic sub-menu in the right-click
menu. A new chart view will be automatically generated, using the same data and settings
selected for the Symbolic Plot.
4.3.1 Qualitative Symbolic Plot
If your Symbolic Plot Data Type is QUALITATIVE, you may use the Allocated and Others
list boxes to focus on data of interest. The following rules apply:
 Data in the Allocated list will appear on the Symbolic Plot and in the Legend as
individually labelled symbols.
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 Data in the Others list will be plotted with the SAME symbol on the Pole Plot, and will
appear as "Others" in the Legend.
 A maximum of 10 labels can appear in the Allocated list.
 There is no limit to the number of labels that can be appear in the Others list.
 The total number of symbols that can appear on a Symbolic Plot is therefore 11 (10
Allocated + 1 Others).
 To move data between the Allocated and Others lists, first highlight the labels you wish
to move with the mouse, and then use the left or right arrow buttons to move labels
between lists.
 If your column contains more than 10 unique labels, the overflow will automatically be
placed in the Others list. If you wish to Allocate data from the Others list, and the
Allocated list is full, you will first have to REMOVE labels from the Allocated list, to make
room for the labels you wish to Allocate.
 Note that the Allocated / Others lists are sorted alphabetically. Numeric data will NOT
necessarily appear in numeric order (e.g. the numbers 2, 3, 200 would appear in the
order 2, 200, 3).
 If there are blank entries in a column, these will be represented by the label "[no data]".
4.3.2 Quantitative Symbolic Plot
If your Symbolic Plot Data Type is QUANTITATIVE, you may customize the range,
number of intervals, or use a normal or log scale for the data.
The maximum default number of intervals is 10. However, if you are using a custom
range, the maximum number of intervals is 8, since 2 symbols are reserved for data which
may be above or below the custom range which you enter.
 Plotting Processed Orientations
Processed orientations can be plotted on a Symbolic Plot. The processed orientations

(e.g. Processed Trend, Processed Plunge) always appear at the END of the list of data
columns, when you are selecting the data to plot from the drop-down list in the Symbolic
Plot dialog.
If your file uses Traverses with different orientation formats, or if the Declination is
non-zero, you should plot Processed orientations rather than the raw data in the Orientation
Columns.
4.3.3 Processed Orientation Data
In the Symbolic Plot, Chart and Query Data dialogs, you will find Processed Orientation
Data listed AFTER the columns of your Dips file, i.e.:
 …
 …
 Processed Trend
 Processed Plunge
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 Processed Dip
 Processed Dip Direction
 Processed Strike (Right)
 Processed Strike (Left)
Processed Orientation Data can be used as the basis for creating Symbolic Plots, Charts
and Queries, in the same manner as any column of a Dips file.
If a Dips file has ANY of the following:
1. A non-zero Declination
2. Mixed orientation formats on different Traverses
3. Borehole traverses
Then you should be using Processed Orientation data for plotting and querying
purposes. PLOTS OR QUERIES WHICH USE THE RAW DATA IN THE ORIENTATION COLUMNS
OF YOUR DIPS FILE MAY BE INCORRECT OR MISLEADING IN THESE CASES.
4.4 EDIT SYMBOLS
4.4.1 Edit Symbols
The Edit Symbols option allows you to customize the symbols used for plotting poles,
dip vectors, and intersections on the various stereonet plots including:
 Pole Plot
 Dip Vector Plot
 Intersection Plot
 Symbolic Plot
 Scatter Plot
 Kinematic Analysis
To Edit Symbols:
1. First display the stereonet plot you would like to customize (e.g. pole plot, symbolic plot,
etc.)
2. Select Edit Symbols from the Edit menu, or you can right-click in the plot view and
select Edit Symbols from the popup menu.
3. In the Symbol Editor dialog, choose General, Symbolic Plot or Scatter, and use the
available options to customize the desired symbols.
4. Select OK to save changes and exit the dialog.
For further information, see below.
 General Symbols
The General tab in the Symbol Editor dialog allows you to edit the following plot
symbols.
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 Pole Vector - the symbol used for all pole vectors on a basic pole plot
 Dip Vector - the symbol used for all dip vectors on a basic dip vector plot
 Critical Pole/Dip - the symbol used for all critical pole or dip vectors in a kinematic
analysis failure zone (e.g. planar sliding or flexural toppling)
 Intersection (Grid) - the symbol used for the intersection vectors of all grid data
planes on an intersection plot
 Critical Intersection (Grid) - the symbol used for all critical intersection vectors in a
kinematic analysis failure zone (e.g. wedge sliding or direct toppling)
 Intersection (Other) - the symbol used for all intersections of user defined planes and /
or mean set planes
 Critical Intersection (Other) - the symbol used for all critical intersection vectors of user
defined planes and / or mean set planes in a kinematic analysis failure zone (e.g. wedge
sliding or direct toppling)
To edit a symbol:
1. Select a symbol from the Symbols list (e.g. Pole Vector)

2. Select the Style, Border Color, Fill Color and Scale
NOTE: to simultaneously edit multiple symbols, you can hold down the Ctrl and/or Shift
keys while selecting from the list
 Symbolic Plot
The Symbolic Plot tab in the Symbol Editor dialog allows you to edit the symbols used
for symbolic pole or dip vector plots.
To edit a symbol:
1. Select a symbol from the Symbols list

2. Select the Style, Border Color, Fill Color and Scale
NOTE: to simultaneously edit multiple symbols, you can hold down the Ctrl and/or Shift
keys while selecting from the list
Auto-Format
The Auto-Format option can be used to quickly apply various symbol formats to the
plot, including:
 Dips 6.0 default

 Dips 5.0 default
 Quantitative
 Filled Squares (changes the Symbol Style of all symbols to Squares with the same Border
and Fill color. This is useful if the number of data points is very high, and will make the
plot easier to interpret)
 Gray Scale
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NOTE: for Symbolic Plots, if you wish to maintain symbol consistency for the same data
in different files, use the Lock Symbols option. This allows you to create a master list of
Symbol / Column / Data combinations, which will apply to all Dips files. Symbols that are
locked will NOT be editable in the Symbol Editor dialog, they must first be unlocked in the
Symbol Locker dialog, if you wish to edit them.
 Scatter Plot
The Scatter tab in the Symbol Editor dialog allows you to edit the symbols used
for Scatter Plots.
On a Scatter plot, a circle is used for all symbols, and the circle size indicates the
number of poles. To customize the Scatter plot symbols, you can edit the Border, Fill Color
and Size of the smallest and largest symbols (intermediate symbol sizes will be interpolated
between the smallest and largest).
 Scale Symbol Size
The size of symbols can be customized in two different ways:
 The Scale All Symbols option at the top of the dialog, allows you to simultaneously scale
the size of ALL symbols on the plots.
 You can also independently scale the size of individual symbols with the Symbol Scale
option for each symbol.
 Save Default Settings
The Defaults button allows you to:
 Restore the original default symbols

 Save the currently selected symbols as the new program default symbols
You can do this independently for the General symbols, Symbolic plot symbols and
Scatter plot symbols.
4.4.2 Lock Symbols
The Lock Symbols option allows the user to automatically ensure that the same
symbols are used for the same data on QUALITATIVE Symbolic Pole Plots, across all Dips files.
To use Lock Symbols:
1. Select Lock Symbols from the Edit menu.

2. In the Symbol Locker dialog, select the Column name and the Data for which you would like
to lock the symbol type. See Notes 1 and 2 below for additional important information.
3. Select the Symbol Style, Border Color and Fill Color that you would like to use.
4. Select the Add button, and you will see the Symbol, Column and Data that you have
selected, in the list area at the left of the dialog.
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5. Repeat steps 2 to 4, for each Column / Data combination that you would like "locked".
6. NOTE: Once you have locked a Symbol / Column / Data combination, it CANNOT be edited.
If you would like to modify an existing locked symbol, you must first delete the existing
locked symbol (select from the list at the left of the dialog and select the Delete button),
and then repeat steps 2 to 4 to add the desired symbol.
7. When you have entered all of the desired Symbol / Column / Data combinations, select OK.
8. Dips will then create a file called locked symbols.ini in your Dips settings folder. This file
records all of the locked symbol information you have created in the Symbol Locker dialog.
 How Lock Symbols Works
When a QUALITATIVE Symbolic Plot is generated, Dips will check the locked symbols.
In file. If any data in the column currently being plotted matches any of the locked data in
this file, the locked symbols will be used to plot the data. The information in the locked
symbols.ini file overrides all previous symbol assignments. You will notice that if you use
the Symbol Editor option, you will NOT be able to edit any symbols that correspond to locked
data.
The symbol locking in Dips is global, and applies to all files with the specified "locked"
data.
NOTE that symbol locking in Dips is ONLY applicable to QUALITATIVE Symbolic Pole
Plots. It does NOT apply to QUANTITATIVE Symbolic Plots or Scatter Plots.
 Unlocking Symbols
If you wish to unlock any previously locked symbols, then you will have to delete the
locked symbols in the Symbol Locker dialog. (Select the data that you would like to "unlock"
from the list at the left of the dialog, and select the Delete button).
 Column and Data Names – Note 1:
The contents of the Column and Data list boxes are based on the current file. However,
you may type any Column name or Data that you would like to lock. This allows you to create
a master list of locked symbols, even if the current Dips file does not contain all of the data
that you would like to lock.
 Column and Data Names – Note 2:
The symbol locking in Dips is case sensitive, so if you are typing in Column or Data
names, you must type them in exactly as they are recorded in the files you will be working
with. For example, "JOINT", "Joint" and "joint" would be considered three different data
labels.
4.5 SCATTER PLOT
A Scatter Plot is generated by selecting the Scatter Plot option from the sidebar or
the View menu.
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A Scatter Plot permits visual analysis of pole distribution by plotting symbols
representing the number of approximately coincident poles at a given orientation. The location
of the symbols in this plot actually correspond to grid locations, and the quantities represented
are the numbers of poles within a half grid spacing of the grid point. These grid locations, will
not, in general, correspond exactly to the locations of poles plotted in the Pole Plot.
For ease of interpretation, it is useful to think of the Scatter Plot quantities as the
number of coincident poles. The Scatter Plot is therefore a crude but informative presentation
of pole density. Of course for detailed interpretation of pole distributions, the Contour
Plot option is recommended.
The symbols used in the Scatter Plot can be customized by the user with the Edit
Symbols option.
If desired, a Contour Plot can be overlaid on a Scatter Plot, using the Overlay
Contours option.
4.6 CONTOUR PLOT
4.6.1 Vector Contour Plot
A Contour Plot is generated by selecting the Contour Plot option from the
toolbar or the View menu.
A Contour Plot is the main tool in Dips for analyzing mean and / or maximum pole
concentrations. It is used to visualize the clustering of orientation data not immediately
evident from a Pole Plot or a Scatter Plot. The contours represent statistical pole
concentrations, calculated using the distribution method (Fisher or Schmidt) specified in
the Contour Options dialog.
 Unweighted Contour Plot
If the Terzaghi Weighting is NOT applied to the Contour Plot, then the plot is a direct
contouring of the pole orientation data as measured and recorded. No bias corrections are
made to adjust for directional sampling bias.
 Weighted Contour Plot
The Terzaghi Weighting option can be applied to Contour Plots, to account for the
sampling bias introduced by orientation data collection along Traverses. The weighting
applied to each pole is governed by the orientation and type of traverse on which it was
recorded. For example, a plane sub-parallel to a traverse line or plane, will be more heavily
weighted than one perpendicular to the traverse. WARNING: If you use the Terzaghi
Weighting option, be sure you understand the physical significance of the correction, before
drawing critical conclusions based on its results – see the Terzaghi Weighting topic for details.
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Note that a Contour Plot can be overlaid on Pole, Scatter or Major Planes plots, using
the Overlay Contours option.
The Contour Plot range, style, etc., can be customized in the Contour Options dialog.
4.6.2 Intersection Contours
Dips can plot the intersections of planes on the stereonet. The intersection of two
planes is a line in 3-dimensional space with Trend / Plunge orientation. An intersection line
is represented as a point on the stereonet. Intersections can be plotted as points or contours
on the stereonet
To plot intersection contours:
1. In the Sidebar plot options select the Contours checkbox.

2. Select the Contours > Intersection option.
Intersection contours are based on the intersection of all Grid Data Planes.
Intersection contours may be helpful for kinematic analysis of wedge sliding and direct
toppling since you can easily see the maximum concentrations of intersections on the
stereonet.
Note: if you have selected Contours > Intersection in the Sidebar, the Contour
Plot button in the toolbar will plot intersection contours, rather than pole or dip vector
contours.
4.6.3 General Data Contours
In addition to contouring pole densities on the stereonet, Dips 7.0 allows you to
contour values of any quantitative data column on the stereonet. For example, values of
principal stress magnitudes measured at known orientations, or any directional data with an
associated magnitude.
1. This is done through the Contour Options dialog:

 Select Contour Options from the View menu, OR
 Select Contour Options from the right-click menu, OR
 In the Sidebar Plot Options select Contour > Column and select the button to
access Contour Options.
2. In the Contour Options dialog, select the Contour Data > Data Column option and select a
column containing quantitative data (i.e. numeric) that you wish to contour on the
stereonet.
3. Select OK and the stereonet will contour the selected data column and the Legend will
indicate the contour values.
This option is intended for use with directional data which has an associated
magnitude.
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 Example
Open the Exampstr.dips7 file in the Examples folder installed with the program (File >
Recent Folders > Examples Folder).
This file contains principal stress data obtained from 20 CSIRO cells in an underground
research cavern. This file is meant to illustrate alternative uses for Dips (other than joint data)
and to illustrate the variation in magnitude and direction of stress data. NOTE that the Global
Orientation Format = Trend / Plunge for this file.
If you use the Data Column option to contour the Magnitude column in this file, you
will actually be contouring principal stress magnitudes on the stereonet. This is a typical
example.
The Data Column contour option is only applicable for quantitative data columns,
which vary with orientation such that you can contour the data on the stereonet. It is NOT
applicable for qualitative data columns (i.e. non-numeric) or for columns which have
numeric data which is not is not intended for contouring (e.g. ID column, or random data
with no directional pattern).
4.7 TERZAGHI WEIGHTING
The Terzaghi Weighting option can be applied to Contour and Rosette plots to account
for the sampling bias introduced by orientation data collection along Traverses.
To apply or remove the Terzaghi weighting:
 Select the Terzaghi weighting checkbox in the sidebar plot options, OR

 You can also select the Terzaghi Weighting option in the View menu. This will display a
dialog which also allows you to specify the Minimum Bias Angle (see below for details).
When orientation measurements are made, a bias is introduced in favor of those

features which are perpendicular to the direction of surveying. To illustrate this concept, three
joints of identical spacing along a scanline are shown below.
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Measurements along the scanline

record many more joints in Set A than in
Set C, which will bias the density
contour plot heavily in favor of Set A. To
compensate for this bias, a geometrical
weighting factor is calculated and
applied to each feature measured. This
weighting, W, can be applied
to contour and rosette plots in Dips,
and is also used in the weighted mean
vector calculations. The bias correction
should only be used for planar features,
and will not account properly for
measurement bias in linear features
such as acicular crystal fabric.
The geometric weighting factor, W, is calculated as follows:
a = minimum angle between plane and

traverse
D’ = apparent spacing along traverse
D = D’ sine = D’ (1/W) = true spacing of

discontinuity set
R’ = 1/D = 1/D’ sine = D’ cosecant= true

density of joint population
W = (1) cosecant = weighting applied to

individual pole before density
calculation
Since the weighting function tends to infinity as alpha (a) approaches zero, a maximum
limit for this weighting must be set to prevent unreasonable results. This maximum limit
corresponds to a minimum angle, which can be between 1° and 89.9°. However, the
recommended range is limited to 5° to 25°, and the default is set to 15°. The user can change
this limit with the Minimum Bias Angle option (see below).
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The effect of applying the Terzaghi weighting to some data distributions can be quite
severe. If you use weighted data plots for design or interpretation, be sure you understand the
weighting procedure.
The results of applying the weighting procedure to a sample data file are shown in the
following figure. In this case, there is a very important subnormal group of joints, which is
masked by abundant structural data collected on horizontal scanlines. In this case, the heavy
bias introduced by the horizontal data can be removed by weighting the data.
Illustration of Terzaghi weighting – unweighted (left) and weighted (right) contours

of sample data.
Note that the Terzaghi Weighting option is only enabled if you have defined Traverses in
your Dips file (i.e. if at least one traverse has been defined in the Traverse Information dialog).
If no traverses exist, then the Terzaghi Weighting option is not applicable and will not be
available.
 Minimum Bias Angle
When you select the Terzaghi Weighting option from the View menu, you will see a
dialog which allows you to apply the Terzaghi Weighting, and also to specify a Minimum Bias
Angle. The Minimum Bias Angle is actually a limit used by the Terzaghi correction, to prevent
the weighting factor from becoming excessively large. It is set to a default value of 15 degrees.
The maximum possible weighting factor corresponds to the Minimum Bias Angle. Any planes
which intersect a traverse orientation at an angle less than the Minimum Bias Angle, will be
limited to the maximum weighting factor.
4.8 MAJOR PLANES PLOT
The Major Planes Plot option in the toolbar or the View menu, allows you to view
PLANES ONLY on a clean stereonet, without poles or contours. In addition, the plane
orientations are displayed in the Legend for the Major Planes Plot, in the format governed by
the current Convention.
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The following PLANES are displayed on a Major Planes Plot:
 All ADDED planes created with the Add Plane option

 All MEAN planes for Sets created with the Add Set Window option
Only planes / poles toggled for Visibility in the Edit Planes and Edit Sets dialogs, will be
displayed on the Major Planes Plot.
 Show Planes
The Show Planes option is automatically ON for the Major Planes Plot, and cannot be
toggled off. (Show Planes is normally used to overlay planes on Pole, Scatter, Contour and
Rosette plots).
 Overlay Contours
A Contour Plot can be overlaid on a Major Planes Plot, using the Overlay
Contours option. However, the same effect can be achieved by toggling the Show Planes
option on a Contour Plot.
 Major Planes Legend
The Legend for the Major Planes Plot displays the orientations of planes in the format
governed by the Convention in effect (Trend / Plunge or Plane Vector). The Convention can be
conveniently toggled in the Status Bar, and will automatically update the planes Legend.
NOTE:
 The letter "m" beside a plane ID indicates an UNWEIGHTED MEAN PLANE for a Set
 The letter "w" beside a plane ID indicates a WEIGHTED MEAN PLANE for a Set
 A Plane ID with NO letter indicates an ADDED plane created with the Add Plane option.
4.9 INTERSECTION PLOT
The intersection of two planes is a line in 3-dimensional space with Trend / Plunge
orientation. An intersection line is represented as a point on the stereonet.
Intersections can be plotted as points or contours on the stereonet.
 Intersection Points
To plot intersection points:
1. In the Sidebar plot options select the Intersections checkbox.

2. Select the type of Intersection you would like to plot (e.g. Grid Data Planes, Set Planes, etc.).
For detailed information about the Intersection plotting options see the Intersections
Overview topic.
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 Intersection Contours
To plot intersection contours:
1. In the Sidebar plot options select the Contours checkbox.

2. Select the Contours > Intersection option.
Intersection contours are based on the intersection of all Grid Data Planes.
Intersection plotting is required for the Wedge Sliding and Direct Toppling kinematic
analysis modes.
4.10 OVERLAY PLOT OPTIONS
Different plot types (e.g. pole, contour, intersection) can be easily overlaid by selecting
the desired Sidebar plot options, using the checkboxes and radio buttons.
For example, to overlay a pole plot and contour plot:
 Select Pole Vector Display > Pole

 Select Contours > Vector
and you will see both poles and pole contours on the same plot.
The desired Legends can be toggled on or off with the Legend checkboxes in the Sidebar.
Experiment with the Sidebar plot and display options to discover the many variations of
data display possibilities.
4.11 PLOT (STEREONET) LEGENDS
For stereonet plots various Legends can be displayed according to the data which is
currently being viewed.
 Legend Visibility
To show or hide all available legends select the main Legends checkbox in the Sidebar
plot options.
To show or hide individual legends (e.g. symbol, contour) use the individual checkboxes
underneath the main Legends checkbox.
The following Legends can be displayed.
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 Symbol
The Symbol Legend will display the legend for symbolic plots, basic pole or dip vector
plots intersection plots.
 Contour
The Contour Legend will display the legend for pole / dip vector contour plots, or
intersection contour plots.
 Major Planes
The Major Planes Legend will display the legend for user added planes and mean set
planes.
 Kinematic
The Kinematic Legend will display a summary of results for the current kinematic
analysis mode (e.g. planar sliding, wedge sliding, toppling).
 Properties
The Properties Legend displays the main file properties (e.g. number of poles) and
stereonet view settings (e.g. Projection, Hemisphere etc.).
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V. PLANES AND INTERSECTIONS
5.1 PLANES
5.1.1 Planes Overview
The primary use of Dips is for plotting and analyzing planar data on a stereonet. The
term "Planes" may refer to:
 Planar orientation data entered in the main Dips spreadsheet or Grid View (referred to
as Grid Data Planes).
 Planes added to the stereonet with the Add Plane option (referred to as User Planes or
Added Planes)
 Mean planes calculated from Sets
 Grid Data Planes
The Grid Data Planes are the planes defined by the planar orientation data in the first
two columns (Orientation Columns) of the main Dips spreadsheet or grid view. The data may
be entered in Dip/Dip Direction format, Strike/Dip format, or in the case of oriented core
(borehole traverse) alpha and beta angles measured on the core.
 User Planes
Additional planes can be added to the stereonet with the Add Plane option. These are
referred to as User Planes or Added Planes, and can represent any planar feature that you
wish to highlight on the stereonet (typically used to represent slope orientations or other
significant planar features). They can be added and edited graphically, and visibility settings
customized, independently of the Grid Data Planes in the main spreadsheet.
 Mean Planes
Mean Planes are the mean planar orientations calculated for Sets. Sets can be defined
using various Set Window options or from cluster analysis. Mean plane orientations cannot
be directly edited, since they are calculated from the poles contained in a set. The visibility
and display settings of mean planes can be customized independently of User Planes or Grid
Data planes.
 Major Planes
The term Major Planes refers to both Added Planes and Mean Planes from sets. Major
planes can be viewed on a clean stereonet with the Major Planes pre-set plot button in the
toolbar or the View menu.
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5.1.2 Add Plane
The Add Plane option allows you to graphically add a pole / plane to a stereonet plot
(Pole Scatter, Contour or Major Planes plots).
NOTE: planes created with the Add Plane option in Dips are referred to as USER
PLANES, to distinguish them from MEAN PLANES calculated from Sets.
To use Add Plane:
1. Select Add Plane from the toolbar or the Planes menu.

2. Move the cursor over the active view. When the cursor is INSIDE the stereonet, an arc or
"great circle" representing the plane corresponding to the cursor location (pole) will
appear. Note that various right-click options are available at this point (see below for
details).
3. The cursor coordinates are always visible in the status bar. When the plane / pole is at the
desired orientation, click the LEFT mouse button INSIDE the stereonet.
4. A dialog will appear, allowing you to modify the graphically entered orientation (if
necessary), and also provide ID, labeling and visibility information (see below for details).
5. Enter the necessary information, and select OK. The plane / pole will be displayed on the
plot, according to the visibility settings chosen.
 Plane ID
The Plane ID must be an integer greater than zero. Each Plane ID must be unique (i.e.
two USER PLANES cannot have the same ID).
 Plane Label
The Plane Label is an optional descriptive label, which can be made visible / invisible
with the checkbox provided.
 Plane Orientation
If the graphically entered orientation is not correct, then simply enter the correct
values in the dialog. NOTE: The format of the orientation coordinates in the Add Planes dialog
will depend on the current Convention in effect:
 If the Convention is Pole Vector, then you must enter Trend / Plunge coordinates of the
pole vector representing the plane.
 If the Convention is Plane Vector, then you must enter plane vector coordinates (e.g.
Dip / Dip Direction or Strike / Dip).
The Convention option can be quickly changed within the Add Plane dialog by
selecting the input convention button beside the orientation input edit boxes.
 Visibility
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With the Visibility checkboxes, you can display:
 Pole Vector only

 Plane only
 Pole Vector and Plane
 ID and / or text Label on pole / plane
 Daylight envelope corresponding to plane
NOTE: the visibility settings that you choose in the Add Plane dialog can be modified
AT ANY LATER TIME in the Edit Planes dialog.
 Right-click menu
While using Add Plane, the following interactive graphical options are available in the
right-click menu:
 Daylight Envelope – this will display a moving Daylight Envelope corresponding to the
moving plane.
 Pole Snap – this will "snap" the pole vector of the plane, to the pole nearest to the cursor
location. Only applicable on a Pole Plot.
 Line – this will display a moving line through the center of the stereonet, which follows
the cursor. Note that this line is NOT added to the plot when you add the plane, it is a
temporary graphical aid only. If you wish to add a line to the plot, use the Add Line
option.
 Cancel – this will escape from the Add Plane option. The Escape key can also be used.
5.1.3 Edit Planes
Planes which have been added with the Add Plane option can be edited with the Edit
Planes dialog. The plane orientation can also be edited graphically with the mouse, and in
the sidebar as described below.
 Edit Planes Dialog
The Edit Planes dialog allows you to modify the:
 visibility settings
 color
 labeling
 orientation
of planes added with the Add Plane option. You may also delete planes, and
display lineations on planes.
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To edit planes, first click on the desired plane(s) using the grid at the left of the dialog,
and edit the desired settings. Note that you can select multiple planes at once, by dragging
with the mouse, or by using the Shift and/or Control keys while selecting with the mouse.
NOTE: to edit MEAN planes from Sets, you must use the Edit Sets option, and NOT Edit
Planes.
 Edit Plane (Graphical Method)
You can graphically change the orientation of an added plane, or delete the plane, as
follows:
1. Click on a user plane with the mouse. The great circle will be highlighted with a dotted line,
and the pole will be highlighted by a "cross" symbol as shown below.
Cross icon displayed at pole location for interactive graphical orientation editing
2. If you hover the mouse pointer over the cross symbol at the pole, the mouse pointer will
change to a four-way arrow symbol, indicating that you may click and drag the pole to a
new location. NOTE:
 if you hover the mouse over the CENTER of the cross icon, you can drag the pole
anywhere on the stereonet (i.e. simultaneously adjust dip and/or dip direction of the
plane)
 if you hover the mouse over either of the two points of the cross aligned with the dip
vector of the plane, you can adjust the dip while keeping the dip direction constant
 if you hover the mouse over either of the two points of the cross aligned with the strike
of the plane, you can adjust the dip direction while keeping the dip constant
3. To exit the graphical editing mode, click the mouse anywhere in the stereonet or press
Escape.
To delete a user plane graphically:
1. Click on the plane with the mouse to select the plane.

2. Press the Delete key.
 Edit Plane (Sidebar)
You can also edit the properties of user planes in the sidebar:
1. Click on a user plane (or pole) with the mouse.

2. The properties of the selected plane will be displayed in the sidebar, allowing you to edit:
 color
 orientation
 plane visibility
 pole visibility
 line thickness
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 Lineations on Planes
Lines which occur on planes such as slickensides or fault striations, can be displayed
on User Planes as follows:
1. In the Edit Planes dialog, select a user plane.

2. Select the Lineations checkbox and select the Edit Lineations button.
3. You will see the Lineations dialog. Add a row for each desired Lineation you wish to define
4. Enter an angle which defines the angle of the lineation with respect to the dip vector of the
plane. The allowable range is -90 to +90 degrees.
5. You may also define an Up or Down direction to indicate a direction of slip movement.
6. Select OK in both dialogs, and the lineations will be displayed as a triangular symbol on the
great circle of the selected plane.
 Right Click Options
If you right-click the mouse on a user plane, the popup menu will display shortcuts to:
 Delete the plane

 Edit User Plane dialog
5.1.4 Daylight Envelope
Daylight envelopes corresponding to planes can be displayed using the checkboxes

provided in the Edit Planes or Edit Sets dialogs.
Daylight envelopes are used primarily in slope stability analysis work. It is kinematically
feasible for any poles that plot within a daylight envelope to slide. To determine the stability
of such poles, you must also consider the frictional strength of the planes. Friction cones can
be added to the stereonet using the Add Cone option.
 Interactive Daylight Envelope
A moving daylight envelope can be displayed while using the Add Plane option, by
selecting Daylight Envelope from the right-click menu.
 Derivation of the Daylight Envelope
The Daylight Envelope used in Dips is derived as follows:
 The area WITHIN the Daylight envelope contains the poles to planes which have dip
vectors OUTSIDE the slope (i.e. sliding is kinematically possible for these planes).
 The actual locus of the envelope represents the poles to all of the planes which have
their dip vectors exactly ON the slope plane (i.e. these planes have dip vectors parallel
to the slope plane).
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You can verify this graphically as follows:
1. Add a Plane representing a slope orientation, and display the daylight envelope.
2. Now select the Add Plane option again.
3. Place the cursor exactly ON the daylight envelope, at any location. Click the mouse and add
the plane.
4. Notice that the dip vector of the plane you have just added (i.e. the midpoint of the great
circle, marked by a "tick"), is exactly ON the original (slope) plane, for which the daylight
envelope is displayed.
5. Repeat step 3 and 4, for any number of planes, and you will see that the dip vectors of the
added planes, will all lie exactly on the great circle of the slope plane.
6. Also notice, if you add a plane with a pole INSIDE the daylight envelope, the dip vector of
the plane will be OUTSIDE of the slope great circle (i.e. the daylighting condition).
7. Conversely, any plane with a pole vector OUTSIDE of the daylight envelope, will have a dip
vector which is INSIDE of the slope great circle (i.e. plane does not daylight).
The daylight envelope in Dips represents a theoretical limiting boundary, within which
it is physically possible for planes to slide out of a slope.
5.1.5 Lineations on a Plane
Lines which occur on planes such as slickensides or fault striations, can be displayed
on User Planes as follows:
1. First add a user plane with the Add Plane option.

2. In the Edit Planes dialog, select a user plane.
3. Select the Lineations checkbox and select the Edit Lineations button.
4. You will see the Lineations dialog. Add a row for each desired Lineation you wish to define.
5. Enter an angle which defines the angle of the lineation with respect to the dip vector of the
plane. The allowable range is -90 to +90 degrees.
6. You may also define an Up or Down direction to indicate a direction of slip movement.
7. Select OK in both dialogs, and the lineations will be displayed as a triangular symbol on the
great circle of the selected plane.
8. Direction of movement is indicated by an up or down triangular symbol.
5.1.6 Show Grid Data Planes
To display ALL of the planes (great circles) corresponding to all of the data (poles) in
a Dips file:
 In the Sidebar Plot Options, select Planes > Grid Data Planes
Grid data planes displayed on pole plot
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On a Symbolic Plot the color of the planes displayed will correspond to the color of the
symbols used for the poles.
Grid data planes displayed on symbolic pole plot
5.1.7 Show Major Planes
To quickly show or hide all major planes (i.e. user planes and/or mean set planes):
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 In the Sidebar Plot Options, select Planes > Major Planes
This allows you to show or hide ALL planes / poles made VISIBLE with the Visibility
settings in the Edit Planes and Edit Sets dialogs. NOTE:
 The sidebar plot options DO NOT change the Visibility settings in the Edit Planes and Edit
Sets dialogs (i.e. hidden poles / planes will remain invisible).
 The Major Planes checkbox is automatically toggled on whenever planes (Add Plane) or
Sets (Add Set Window) are added, even if previously toggled off.
 Planes on a Rosette Plot

 On a Rosette Plot, planes are displayed as lines rather than arcs (i.e. only the Apparent
Strike of planes can be displayed on a Rosette Plot). Furthermore, only ADDED planes
within the Angular Limits will be plotted. MEAN planes are NOT shown on Rosette Plots.
2.1.8 Delete All Planes
Delete All Planes can be used to quickly delete ALL planes added with the Add
Plane option.
 Select Planes > Delete All Planes
To delete individual user planes, use the Edit Planes dialog or right-click on a user plane
and select Delete from the popup menu.
Delete All Planes will NOT delete MEAN planes from Sets. Sets (and their
corresponding mean planes) are deleted with the Edit Sets or Delete All Sets options.
5.2 INTERSECTIONS OVERVIEW
Dips can plot the intersections of planes on the stereonet. The intersection of two planes
is a line in 3-dimensional space with Trend / Plunge orientation. An intersection line is
represented as a point on the stereonet.
Intersections can be plotted as points or contours on the stereonet.
To plot intersection points:
1. In the Sidebar plot options select the Intersections checkbox.

2. Select the type of Intersection you would like to plot (e.g. Grid Data Planes, Set Planes,
etc.).
The intersection types are described below.
The term "grid data" refers to the planar data in the main Dips spreadsheet or Grid View.
The Intersection > Grid Data Planes option will plot the intersections of ALL of the planes in
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the main Dips spreadsheet or Grid View. That is, each plane in the file will be intersected
against every other plane in the file.
In general, this leads to a large (or very large) number of intersections. Depending on
the number of planes in your Dips file, the display of all grid data plane intersections may cover
most of the stereonet, obscuring other plot data. The maximum number of grid data plane
intersections which get displayed can be limited in the Preferences dialog, with the Maximum
Number of Intersections to Display option.
 All Set Planes
The Intersection > All Set Planes option will plot the intersections of ALL planes which
belong to sets. That is, each plane belonging to a joint set will be intersected against every
other plane belonging to a joint set. This option works for any number of sets (e.g. if you have
3 sets, the planes in all 3 sets will get intersected). Any planes not belonging to sets, are not
considered.
 Set vs Set Planes
The Intersection > Set vs Set Planes option allows you to plot the intersections of all
planes in any TWO sets. At least two sets must be defined. When you select the Set vs Set
Planes option, a small button will become enabled beside the option. If you select this
button, a dialog will appear, allowing you to select the two joint sets (A and B) to be
intersected.
 User and Mean Set Planes
The Intersection > User and Mean Set Planes option will plot all possible intersections
between all User Planes (Add User Plane option) and all mean set planes (computed from Sets).
User planes are also intersected with all other user planes, and mean set planes are intersected
with all other mean set planes.
 User Planes
The Intersection > User Planes option will plot all possible intersections of all User
Planes (Add User Plane option). That is, each User Plane will be intersected with all other User
Planes.
 Mean Set Planes
The Intersection > Mean Set Planes option will plot all possible intersections of all mean
set planes (computed from Sets). That is, each Mean Set Plane will be intersected with all other
Mean Set Planes. Note that weighted and unweighted mean set planes are considered
independently (i.e. weighted planes are NOT intersected with unweighted planes). The
applicable planes will depend on the selection of the Terzaghi weighting option. If Terzaghi
weighting is off, then only unweighted planes are considered. If Terzaghi weighting is applied,
then only weighted planes are considered.
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VI. 3D STEREOSPHERE
The 3D Stereosphere allows you to plot poles, planes and contours on a 3D hemisphere view,
which is the basis for generating a 2D stereonet. The 3D hemisphere can be rotated for viewing at
any angle. This allows you to see the raw orientation data, before projection onto 2D. This is a
valuable educational and analysis tool which provides an alternative to the traditional 2-
dimensional stereonet.
3D hemisphere showing contours, poles, mean planes, and 2D equal area projection
To view a 3D hemisphere plot:
1. Select the 3D Plot option from the toolbar or the View menu.
2. The 3D plot can be rotated for viewing at any angle by clicking and dragging with the left
mouse button. The North direction is indicated by an arrow on the circumference.
3. 3D plotting and display options are available in the sidebar as described below.
 Vector Display
The 3D sphere can display either pole vectors or dip vectors, according to the currently
selected Pole / Dip Vector Mode . The vector points are displayed as small spheres on the surface
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of the hemisphere. The display of the vector points can be toggled on or off by selecting the
checkbox for Pole Vector Display or Dip Vector Display in the sidebar Plot Options. The color of the
3D vector points can be customized with the Display Settings > Stereonet Colors > Pole Vectors
option in the sidebar.
 Contours
Contours can be displayed on the 3D hemisphere by selecting the Plot Options > Contours
checkbox and choosing a contour type: Vectors (pole vector or dip vector), Intersections, or
Column (quantitative data column, selected in the Contour Options dialog).
 Terzaghi Weighting
The Terzaghi Weighting checkbox will apply the bias correction weighting to vector contours,
and mean set planes on the 3D hemisphere.
 Planes
Planes are displayed inside the 3D hemisphere as semi-circular planes which intersect the
hemisphere at the plane orientation. You can plot Major Planes and / or Grid Data Planes.
 Major Planes
The Major Planes checkbox will display User Planes and/or Mean Set Planes on the 3D
hemisphere.
The Grid Data Planes checkbox will display the planes of ALL planar data in the main Dips
data grid. In general, the display of Grid Data Planes will fill the entire hemisphere with overlapping
planes. However, if you select Display Settings > 3D Display Options > 3D Stereonet > Hide, this will
hide the outer surface of the hemisphere, and the display of all planes viewed from outside the
sphere, gives an impression of the 3-dimensional rock mass jointing, as you rotate the sphere.
 Projection
In the 3D Plot View, the Stereonet > Projection option (Equal Angle or Equal Area)
determines the display of the 2D Stereonet which is displayed in the 3D Plot View. It also
determines the display of the Vector Projection and Plane Projection options. It does not affect the
display of data on the 3D hemisphere.
 3D Stereonet
The 3D Stereonet option has 3 settings: Wireframe, Fill, Hide. The Wireframe option is the
default, and will display the 3D hemisphere with a translucent surface which displays the contours
and poles, but allows you to see through the surface inside the hemisphere (e.g. to view planes,
vectors). The Fill option displays the 3D hemisphere with a solid outer surface which is not
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transparent. The Hide option will completely hide the 3D hemisphere surface, which is useful if you
only wish to view planes or other objects which are displayed inside the sphere.
 2D Stereonet
In the 3D Plot View, the 2D Stereonet option will display a 2D Stereonet within the 3D Plot
View. If the Projection = Equal Angle, the 2D Stereonet is displayed on top of the hemisphere. If the
Projection = Equal Area, the 2D Stereonet is displayed below the hemisphere. This is consistent with
the derivation of the Equal Angle and Equal Area projections, and the display of the projection
construction lines for each method. The 2D Stereonet will display contours, planes and vectors
according to the currently selected display options.
 Vector Lines
The Vector Lines option will display 3D vector lines from the center of the hemisphere,
corresponding to the currently displayed vectors (pole or dip) on the surface of the hemisphere.
 Vector Projection
The Vector Projection option will display the 3D projection lines used to project the vector
locations from the surface of the 3D hemisphere, onto the 2D stereonet. For Equal Angle Projection,
the vector projection lines are straight lines from the 3D surface to a point at the apex of the sphere.
For Equal Area Projection, the vector projection lines are circular arcs from the surface of the sphere
onto the 2D stereonet. This is a very useful option for demonstrating how 2D stereographic
projections are created.
 Plane Projection
The Plane Projection option will display the 3D projection lines used to create great circles
(planes) on the 2D stereonet from the 3D planes. The current Projection method (Equal Angle or
Equal Area) will apply.
 North Marker
The North Marker option allows you to choose the size of the arrow used to mark the
direction of north on the 3D Stereosphere.
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VII. ROSETTE PLOT
A Rosette Plot is generated by selecting the Rosette Plot option from the toolbar or
the View menu.
The conventional rosette plot begins with a horizontal plane (represented by the equatorial
(outer) circle of the stereonet). A radial histogram (with arc segments instead of bars) is overlain on
this circle, indicating the density of planes intersecting this horizontal surface. The radial orientation
limits (azimuth) of the arc segments correspond to the range of STRIKE of the plane or group of
planes being represented by the segment. In other words, the rosette diagram is a radial histogram
of strike density or frequency.
1. 3-D rock mass structure.

2. Equivalent pole density stereonet (contour plot).
3. Intersection of the joint planes with a horizontal section.
4. Radial histogram or rosette of the strike of the joint planes.
The rosette (figure 4) approximates the visual impression of the joint intersections with the
horizontal plane (figure 3).
NOTES:
1. Dips has removed the requirement that the base plane of the rosette be horizontal. The
plane can be oriented at any orientation in space – see the Sightline Normal to Rosette
topic for details. The ROSETTE then represents the apparent orientation of the lines of
intersection between the base plane of the ROSETTE and the planes in the data set.
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2. You will notice that each arc segment on a Rosette Plot has an equal and opposite
counterpart (180 degrees apart). The Rosette Plot in Dips does NOT differentiate between
LEFT and RIGHT handed strike and places planes with strikes 180 degrees apart in the same
"bin" (a "bin" = range defined by one arc segment). By default, in Dips, each bin is 10
degrees wide. The bin size can be changed in the Rosette Options dialog.
7.1 ROSETTE APPLICATIONS
The rosette conveys less information than a full stereonet since one dimension is
removed from the diagram. In cases where the planes being considered form essentially two-
dimensional geometry (prismatic wedges, for example) the third dimension may often
overcomplicate the problem. A horizontal rosette diagram may, for example, assist in blast
hole design for a vertical bench where vertical joint sets impact on fragmentation. A vertical
rosette oriented perpendicular to the axis of a long topsill or tunnel may simplify wedge
support design where the structure parallels the excavation. A vertical rosette which cuts a
section through a slope under investigation can be used to perform quick sliding or toppling
analysis where the structure strikes parallel to the slope face.
From a visualization point of view and for conveying structural data to individuals
unfamiliar with stereographic projection, rosettes may be more appropriate when the
structural nature of the rock is simple enough to warrant 2D treatment.
7.2 WEIGHTED ROSETTE PLOT
The Terzaghi Weighting option can be applied to Rosette Plots (as well as Contour
Plots), to account for the sampling bias introduced by orientation data collection
along Traverses.
 If the Terzaghi Weighting is NOT applied, the scale of the Rosette Plot corresponds to
the actual "number of planes" in each bin.
 If the Terzaghi Weighting IS applied, the scale of the Rosette Plot corresponds to the
WEIGHTED number of planes in each bin.
WARNING: If you use the Terzaghi Weighting option, be sure you understand the
physical significance of the correction, before drawing critical conclusions based on its results
– see the Terzaghi Weighting topic for details.
7.3 ROSETTE OPTIONS
A Rosette Plot is always initially generated using a horizontal (equatorial) base

plane. NORTH will appear at the top just as in the stereonet. The rosette arcs will have the
same apparent strike (= actual strike) as the great circles (planes) in the stereonet.
A Rosette Plot can be customized with the following options in the Rosette
Options dialog:
 Sightline Normal to Rosette
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 Angular Limits
 Starting Orientation
 Scaling
 Bin Size
Rosette Options is available in the View menu (when a Rosette Plot is displayed in the
active view), or by right-clicking on a Rosette Plot.
7.3.1 Sightline Normal to Rosette
The default rosette is horizontal. The default normal to the base plane is therefore
000,90 indicating a line of sight directed down from above the plane.
An arbitrary sight line normal can be specified in the Rosette Options dialog. The
orientation input is the direction of sight – the base plane is positioned normal to this line.
The top of the rosette will correspond to the top of the user's view.
A vertical base plane will have a normal orientation in the form of ###,00, where ###
is the azimuth of the sight line normal. A horizontal rosette will have NORTH positioned at
the top of the rosette. The sight line normal can be specified with a negative plunge if the
rosette is to be viewed from below, looking up.
7.3.2 Rosette Angular Limits
The default angular limits for a Rosette Plot are 45-90 degrees. The angular limits
indicate the allowable (small) angle between the base plane or face and the planes in the
data set. The default range ensures that only planes that are more perpendicular than
parallel to the base plane will be used.
In the Rosette Options dialog, the minimum and maximum angular limits can be set to
any pair of values from 0 to 90.
Only planes within these limits will be used to generate the plot.
7.3.3 Rosette Starting Orientation
On a Rosette Plot, the leftmost (counter-clockwise) boundary of the first bin is, by
default, at azimuth 000. This means that the bin ranges are defined at 10 degrees, 20 degrees,
30 degrees, etc. (for the default bin size of 10 degrees).
In the Rosette Options dialog, the starting point can be redefined using a value of 0 to
10 degrees. The rosette bins will define intervals starting from this new value. It is advisable
that data be viewed from two different starting points (e.g. 000 and 005) to filter the ranking
artefacts of the radial histogram procedure.
7.3.4 Rosette Scaling
A default scale is set automatically so that all of the rosette falls inside the circle.
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To enter a user-defined scaling for the Rosette Plot:
1. Clear the Automatic checkbox in the Rosette Options dialog.

2. Enter the desired number of planes per circle increment.
Note:
 If the interval selected by the user is too small and some segments of the rosette extend
past the outer circle, those rosette segments will be truncated.
 If you are applying the Terzaghi Weighting to the Rosette Plot, note that the WEIGHTED
and the UNWEIGHTED Rosette Plot can each have their own independently defined
scaling.
7.3.5 Rosette Bin Size
The Rosette Bin Size allows you to specify the angular range of each "bin" used to
generate the Rosette Plot. The default value is 10 degrees.
You may enter any integer value which divides evenly into 180 degrees. The allowable
bin sizes are therefore: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 30, 36, 45, 60, 90 degrees.
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VIII. CHARTS
8.1 CHART
Histograms, Line Charts or Pie Charts can be created based on the data in any column of
a Dips file, using the Chart option.
Creating a Chart is very similar to creating a Symbolic Plot – see the Symbolic Plot option
for more information.
 Set Filter
By default, ALL rows in a file are used to create a Chart. If Sets have been created with
the Add Set Window option, the Set Filter option in the Chart dialog allows you to create a
Chart based ONLY on the data in a given Set.
 Creating a Chart from a Symbolic Plot
A Chart can be created directly from a Symbolic Plot, by simply right-clicking on the
Symbolic Plot and selecting Symbolic > Create Corresponding Chart from the right-click menu.
A new Chart view will be automatically generated, using the same data and settings selected
for the Symbolic Plot.
 Chart Right-Click menu
Several options are available in the right-click menu on a Chart View, including:
 Custom Allocation
 Copy Chart Data to Clipboard
 Copy Raw Data to Clipboard
 Copy Picture to Clipboard
 Copy Metafile to Clipboard
 Grayscale
8.2 CHART SETTINGS
After a Chart is created, the Chart Settings options in the Sidebar can be used to
customize the Chart.
Chart Settings are similar to Symbolic Plot settings. See the following topics for
information:
 Symbolic Plot
 Qualitative Symbolic Plot
 Quantitative Symbolic Plot
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IX. SETS
9.1 OVERVIEW OF SETS
The various stereonet plots in Dips (Pole, Scatter and Contour) allow you to visually
identify clustering of orientation data.
 What is a Set?
A Set as defined in Dips, is a grouping of data created with one of the following options
in the Sets menu:
 Add Set Window

 Add Set Freehand
 Add Set Circular
 Sets from Cluster Analysis
These options allow you to create windows around data clusters on the stereonet, and
obtain mean orientations of data (poles) within the windows.
Curvilinear Set Window created with Add Set Window option
 If you use the Add Set Window option, the windows enclosing the Sets are curvilinear,
four-sided windows defined by two trend values and two plunge values, at opposite
corners.
 Multiple windows can be defined for the same Set, allowing you to enclose complex pole
distributions as a single Set.
 Windows can wrap around to the opposite side of the stereonet to group data near the
perimeter.
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 Circular Set windows can be drawn to facilitate the selection of Sets near the center of
the stereonet.
 Freehand Set Windows allow you to easily select irregular groupings of poles as a set.
The mean orientations can be plotted as poles and / or planes on the stereonet, and set
statistics (confidence and variability cones) can be plotted with the Edit Sets option, and are
also listed in the Info Viewer.
Set Windows will normally be drawn on Contour Plots of the data, since data clustering
is most evident on Contour Plots. However, set windows can be drawn on any of the stereonet
plots in Dips (Pole, Scatter, Contour, or Major Planes).
9.2 ADD SETS
9.2.1 Add Set Window
Sets can be created in Dips with the Add Set Window option.
Add Set Window allows you to draw windows around data clusters on the stereonet,
for the purpose of obtaining mean orientations of data (poles) within the windows. The mean
orientations can be plotted as poles and/or planes on the stereonet, and set statistics
(confidence and variability cones) can be plotted (Edit Sets option) or listed (Info Viewer
option).
 The Set Windows created with the Add Set Window option are curvilinear four-sided
windows, defined by two trend values and two plunge values at opposite corners.
 Circular set windows can also be created with the Add Set Window (Circular) option, to
facilitate the selection of data near the center of the stereonet.
The following instructions describe the basic procedure of adding a Set Window.
Further important information is found in the following topics:
 Multiple Windows for a Single Set

 Wrapped Set Windows
 Overlapping Set Windows
 Adding a Circular Set Window
To add a curvilinear four-sided Set window:
1. Select Add Set Window from the toolbar or the Sets menu.
2. In the active view (a Contour Plot is recommended), locate the cursor on one of the two
COUNTER-CLOCKWISE corners of the data set to be captured. The initial position of the
cursor is important, since the window is formed in a CLOCKWISE direction. Remember that
the cursor coordinates are always displayed in the Status Bar.
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3. Click the LEFT mouse button to enter the first corner. Now move the cursor CLOCKWISE
and you will see a window stretching from the selected corner to the current cursor
position.
4. NOTE – if the cursor moves beyond the stereonet perimeter, it will "wrap around" and re-
appear on the opposite side of the stereonet, with the window still attached. This allows
data near the perimeter, on opposite sides of the stereonet, to be selected as one Set. See
the Wrapped Set Windows topic for more information.
5. Once you have stretched the window to enclose all of the desired data, click the LEFT mouse
button again to enter the second window corner.
6. The Add Set Window dialog will appear, allowing you to enter the Set ID, modify the
graphically entered window limits (if necessary), and also provide labeling and visibility
information (see below for details).
7. Select OK, and the Set will be created and added to the document. The Set Window will be
displayed on the plot, and all poles within the window will be used to calculate the mean
orientation of the Set. The mean planes / poles will be displayed according to the visibility
settings chosen.
8. NOTE – A SET COLUMN IS AUTOMATICALLY ADDED TO THE SPREADSHEET WHEN THE FIRST
SET IS CREATED. The Set Column records the Set ID of data belonging to Sets. Each time a
Set Window is added, the Set Column is updated accordingly.
 Add Set Window dialog
The following options are available in the Add Set Window dialog.
 Set ID
 A default Set ID will always appear, which is ONE GREATER than the highest existing Set
ID used in the current document. You DO NOT have to use this number; it is simply
provided as a convenience.
 To create a new set, enter a new Set ID.
 Since Dips allows multiple WINDOWS to be used to define a single SET, you may enter
an EXISTING Set ID for a new window. In this case, the existing Set will be modified to
include the new data.
 Note that a list of the existing Set IDs appears as a drop-down list in the Set ID area. This
is a convenience if you wish to see the current ID numbers in use.
 The Set ID must be an integer greater than zero.
 Label
The Set Label is an optional descriptive label for the Set. By default, it is NOT displayed
when Sets are created.
 Window Limits
The graphically entered window limits ("First Corner" and "Second Corner") can be
modified if necessary, in the Add Set Windows dialog.
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NOTE: the orientation format of the window limits will depend on the
current Convention in effect.
 If the Convention is Pole Vector, then the window limits will appear in Trend / Plunge
format.
 If the Convention is Plane Vector, then the window limits will appear in the format
corresponding to the Global Orientation Format (e.g. Dip / Dip Direction or Strike / Dip).
 Visibility
With the Visibility checkboxes, you can display:
 Mean Pole Vector(s) only

 Mean Plane(s) only
 Mean Pole Vector(s) and Mean Plane(s)
You can also choose to plot UNWEIGHTED and / or WEIGHTED poles / planes. See the
Terzaghi Weighting topic for information on the Terzaghi / Traverses bias correction
(weighting) used in Dips.
For visible MEAN poles / planes displayed on the stereonet:
 The letter "m" beside the Set ID indicates the UNWEIGHTED mean pole/plane.
 The letter "w" beside the Set ID indicates the WEIGHTED mean pole/plane.
 By default, the Set ID is always shown when a Set is created. The optional Label (see
above) is NOT shown.
The visibility settings that you choose in the Add Set Window dialog can be modified
AT ANY LATER TIME in the Edit Sets dialog.
9.2.2 Add Set Window (Freehand)
The Add Set Window (Freehand) option allows you to create a set window by drawing
a freehand polygon or "lasso" around a grouping of poles.
Sets created with the Add Set Window (Freehand) option are equivalent in all respects,
to sets created with the other set window options (Add Set Window or Add Set Window
(Circular)). All of the same rules apply, and the mean plane calculations are exactly the same
regardless of the method of window selection.
To use this option:
1. Select Add Set Window (Freehand) from the toolbar or the Sets menu.
2. Click and hold the left mouse button and drag to form a freehand set window which
encloses a group.
3. The window will automatically close when the cursor reaches the starting point of the
window.
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4. You will see the Add Set Window (Freehand) dialog which allows you to choose a Set ID,
label and visibility options.
5. Select OK and the mean plane will be calculated for the set and displayed according to the
visibility settings.
9.2.3 Add Set Window (Circular)
To facilitate the selection of Sets near the center of the stereonet, the Add Set
Window (Circular) option can be used.
To add a circular Set window:
1. Select Add Set Circular from the Sets menu.

2. Move the cursor over the stereonet in the active view, and you will see a circular Set
Window appear, which follows the cursor.
3. When the circle encloses the desired data, click the left mouse button, and you will see the
Add Set Window (Circular) dialog.
The Add Set Window dialog for a circular Set Window is similar to the Add Set Window
dialog for the curvilinear Set Windows, except that only a single orientation is required, the
Plunge or Dip angle which defines the circle radius. The center of the window is always fixed
at the center of the stereonet (i.e. Trend / Plunge = 0 / 90) and cannot be edited by the user.
For the purpose of creating Sets in Dips, a circular set window is identical in all respects
to a curvilinear four-sided set window. All of the same rules regarding sets and set windows
apply. See the Add Set Window topic for more information.
9.2.4 Multiple Windows for a Single Set
Multiple windows can be used to capture the data for a single Set, by using the SAME
SET ID for each window in the Set, in the Add Set Window dialog. This allows the user to
enclose complex pole distributions as a single Set.
 Multiple Wrapped Set Windows for a Single Set
Care must be taken when using multiple windows for a data set that wraps around the
equatorial perimeter of the net. Because of the more complex logic used to calculate the
mean vector in this case (see the Wrapped Set Windows topic for details), all windows must
"wrap" in the same direction. This means that all wrapped windows representing a single set
must start on the same side of the net. Failure to do so will result in an incorrect mean
calculation for the data set.
9.2.5 Wrapped Set Windows
After you have selected the FIRST corner of a Set Window with the Add Set
Window option, you will notice that if the cursor moves beyond the stereonet perimeter, it
will "wrap around" and re-appear on the opposite side of the stereonet, with the window
still attached.
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This allows data near the perimeter, on opposite sides of the stereonet, to be selected
as one Set, as illustrated below.
Wrapped Set Window
 Mean Vector Calculation for Wrapped Set Windows
The mean vector calculation for Sets created with a regular (i.e. non-wrapping) Set
Window, is simply vector addition of all of the poles within a window, which is then
normalized to the sphere boundaries.
When pole vectors are clustered near the equator, and plot on opposite sides of the
stereonet, A MEAN ORIENTATION CALCULATED FROM THE LOWER HEMISPHERE ALONE WILL
BE INCORRECT!! The wrapping Set window capability of Dips automatically accounts for this
situation. The poles within a wrapped Set window that plot on the opposite side of the
stereonet, are incorporated into the vector addition AS NEGATIVE poles (i.e. plunge = –
plunge, trend = trend + 180), so that the mean will be correctly calculated.
NOTE: if you are using MULTIPLE WRAPPED WINDOWS FOR A SINGLE SET, all windows
must "wrap" in the same direction, so that the mean is correctly calculated.
9.2.6 Overlapping Set Windows
Set Windows are allowed to overlap in Dips.
If overlapping Set Windows have DIFFERENT Set ID:
 when Set Windows are overlapped and some poles fall within both windows, the
affected data will be removed from the initial window and Set, and will become part of
the latest window to be drawn.
 EACH DATA POINT CAN ONLY BELONG TO ONE SET AT A TIME!!!
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 This allows the user to effectively remove data from Set Windows, by assigning a new
Set ID to the overlapping window(s).
 All mean vectors are re-calculated each time a new window is drawn and any data
transfers will change the affected means.
If overlapping Set Windows have the SAME Set ID:
 then poles which fall within both windows will only be counted ONCE in the mean vector
calculation (i.e. this does not cause any problems).
 Deleting Overlapping Set Windows
When Sets are deleted, the poles within the deleted Set Windows WILL NOT BELONG
TO ANY SET. This is the case even if Set Windows overlap. Therefore it is possible to have
poles within Set Windows which do NOT belong to any Set, if overlapping windows are
deleted through the Edit Sets dialog. If this situation occurs, it is probably best to delete ALL
Sets (Delete All Sets option) and start creating the Sets again, to avoid possible confusion.
9.2.7 Global Mean Vector
The Global Mean Vector option in the sidebar can be used to display the
UNWEIGHTED or WEIGHTED Global Mean Plane and Pole Vector of ALL the data in a Dips file.
To display the Global Mean, select the Object Visibility > Global Mean checkbox from
the sidebar plot options.
The numerical listing of the Global Mean Vector orientation can be found in the Info
Viewer.
USE CAUTION WHEN USING THE GLOBAL MEAN VECTOR!
The color of the Global Mean Plane and Pole can be changed in the Display
Options dialog.
9.3 SETS FROM CLUSTER ANALYSIS
The Sets from Cluster Analysis option allows you to quickly determine data
clusters (joint sets) on the stereonet using an algorithm based on fuzzy cluster analysis. The
Sets from Cluster Analysis option requires the user to first manually pick the approximate
center of a data cluster and then the fuzzy cluster algorithm will automatically determine
which poles belong to the nearest corresponding joint set within a specified maximum radius.
Once the poles belonging to a set have been determined, the mean plane orientation
and set statistics are calculated in exactly the same way as for other methods of set creation
(e.g. set windows).
To create sets using cluster analysis:
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1. Select Sets from Cluster Analysis from the toolbar or the Sets menu.
2. You will see a dialog with instructions. In the dialog:
 You may enter a maximum cone angle, which limits the extent of a data cluster (i.e. all
poles in the set will fall within the specified cone angle, assuming that the cone axis is
located at the mean pole orientation). A default cone angle (30 degrees) is in effect, you
can change this as required.
 If you want to generate a symbolic plot of Set ID after the set(s) have been determined,
select the Show sets with symbolic plot when finished checkbox.
3. When you are ready to pick sets, choose the Select button in the dialog. The dialog will
close and you will be prompted to pick the approximate location of cluster centers. Note:
you should be viewing a contour plot of pole density so that you can easily identify data
clusters on the stereonet.
4. As you move the mouse cursor over the stereonet, you will notice that a cone of the
specified maximum radius follows the cursor. This cone gives you a visual estimate of the
maximum extent of the set(s) which will be created.
5. Using the pole density contours as a guide, choose the approximate center of a data cluster
for which you would like to create a set. A temporary cone will be displayed at the clicked
on location.
6. You may repeat the previous step for each data cluster that you wish to analyze. A
temporary cone will be added at each clicked on location.
7. When you have finished clicking on all desired set locations, press Enter or right-click and
select Done from the popup menu.
8. The fuzzy cluster algorithm will then automatically determine a set corresponding to each
selected location, and the cone angle.
9. Set windows are automatically drawn for each set determined by the cluster analysis.
10. A symbolic pole plot of Set ID will automatically be generated if the symbolic plot checkbox
was selected in step 2.
It is important to note the following regarding the Sets from Cluster Analysis option.
 Seed Point
When you select the approximate center of a data cluster (step 5), the point which you
select is used as a "seed" point for the fuzzy cluster algorithm. This point is NOT (necessarily)
the final center (mean) of the set, since this is determined by the fuzzy cluster algorithm. You
can verify this as follows:
1. When you select a set center location (step 5), select a point which is off center (i.e. not
exactly at the maximum pole concentration).
2. You will notice that the fuzzy cluster algorithm will locate the "true" center of the data
cluster, even if the initial seed point is some distance from the true center.
3. For any given set, experiment with how far the seed point can be from the true center,
before the fuzzy cluster algorithm chooses a different data cluster. This will also be a
function of the maximum cone angle entered in step 2.
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 Maximum Cone Radius
If you would like to use a different maximum cone radius for different sets, you will have
to repeat the above procedure for each different radius you would like to use.
 Set Statistics from Cluster Analysis
Once a data cluster has been determined by the fuzzy cluster algorithm, the mean plane
orientation and set statistics are calculated using exactly the same method as sets determined
by other methods available in Dips (i.e. the various Set Window options). In other words, for a
given grouping of poles, the mean orientation and set statistics will be exactly the same,
regardless of the method used to create the set in Dips.
 Set Windows from Cluster Analysis
After a cluster analysis, you will notice that, in general, the Set Windows which are
automatically created after the cluster analysis, are "stepped" (i.e. the windows are
automatically fitted to only encompass the poles which belong to the set, according to the
fuzzy cluster analysis).
Unlike the curvilinear 4-sided set windows created with the Add Set Window option, the
set windows determined from cluster analysis CANNOT be edited once they have been
created. They can be deleted like regular set windows, but they cannot be graphically edited
like the 4-sided set windows.
 References
The fuzzy cluster algorithm used in Dips is based on work presented in the following
paper. Click the link to view the paper.
1. Fuzzy Cluster Algorithm for the Automatic Identification of Joint Sets, R.E. Hammah, J.H.
Curran, International Journal of Rock Mechanics & Mining Sciences, Vol.35, No. 7, pp.889-
905, 1998.
In its implementation in Dips some modifications were made for the purpose of
incorporating the option into the Dips program, but the basic algorithm is based on this work.
Currently in Dips, cluster analysis is based solely on pole orientation. In future versions
of Dips other non-orientation information (e.g. joint type, roughness, surface etc.) may be
considered in the analysis in order to identify joint sets based on orientation and other
attributes.
9.4 EDIT SETS
The Edit Sets option allows you to:
 Customize the visibility of MEAN poles / planes belonging to SETS.

 Display Confidence and Variability cones for SETS.
 Delete SETS.
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NOTE!!!
To change the Visibility settings, display Confidence or Variability Cones, or to Delete

Sets:
 You must first select the plane(s) by selecting the row ID buttons at the left of the dialog.
You can select multiple planes at once, by dragging with the mouse, or by using the Shift
and/or Control keys while selecting with the mouse.
The color or labeling of planes can be edited directly (i.e. the row ID buttons do NOT
have to be selected). The Set ID and mean plane orientations CANNOT be edited. Note that
the format of the mean orientations will correspond to the current Convention.
 Visibility
The visibility of MEAN poles, planes, and associated Set ID and label can be customized.
Note that when MEAN poles/planes are displayed on the stereonet:
 The letter "m" beside the Set ID indicates the UNWEIGHTED mean pole/plane.
 The letter "w" beside the Set ID indicates the WEIGHTED mean pole/plane.
A Daylight Envelope can also be displayed for any MEAN plane.
NOTE: the Show Planes option must be toggled ON for a given view, in order for mean
planes to be displayed on that view. If Show Planes is toggled OFF, NO planes will be displayed,
regardless of the visibility settings in the Edit Sets dialog.
 Confidence and Variability Cones
Confidence and / or Variability Cones can be displayed for each Set, at one, two or three
standard deviations, or a custom percentage, for both WEIGHTED or UNWEIGHTED data, by
selecting the appropriate planes and checkboxes. See the Set Statistics topic for more
information.
NOTE: the Object Visibility > Sets option in the sidebar plot options, will show or hide
the Confidence and Variability cones, along with the Set Windows, on each view.
 Deleting Sets
Sets are deleted by selecting the corresponding MEAN plane(s) in the Edit Sets dialog,
and selecting the Delete button. NOTE:
 When you select Delete, you are deleting the SET, and not just the planes. ALL
information associated with a SET (i.e. mean planes, Set windows, etc.) will be deleted,
and the Set Column will be updated accordingly.
 You may select EITHER the UNWEIGHTED or WEIGHTED mean plane to Delete the
corresponding Set. It is NOT necessary to select both planes.
 To delete ALL Sets, you can use the Delete All Sets option in the Sets menu.
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9.4.1 Set Statistics
The calculation of mean vectors for Sets can be associated with:
 Confidence or Variability cone angles

 Fisher dispersion constants
Confidence and Variability cones are displayed with the Edit Sets dialog.
Confidence limits, Variability limits, and Fisher Coefficients for all Sets can be found
listed in the Dips Info Viewer.
 Confidence Limit
 This angular value reflects confidence in the MEAN within a specified degree of
certainty. For example, a 68% confidence cone indicates that the true MEAN lies within
the cone angle of the calculated mean, with a 68% confidence. This feature gives an
indication of the reliability of the sample, or if the sample is big enough.
 Variability Limit
This value reflects the natural variability of the data, assuming that the mean is correct.
A 68% variability indicates that any pole, selected from the population represented by the
mapped sample, has a 68% probability of falling within the variability cone. This feature can
be used for probabilistic stability studies (for example, see Tutorial 04 - Toppling, Planar and
Wedge Sliding).
 Fisher Dispersion Coefficient
A Fisher Dispersion Coefficient "K" is automatically calculated for each Set. A larger "K"
indicates a tighter cluster.
9.4.2 Delete All Sets
Delete All Sets can be used to quickly delete ALL Sets created with the Add Set
Window option.
 When Sets are deleted, ALL information associated with the deleted Set(s) is removed
from the document (i.e. Set windows, mean planes, Info Viewer statistics, etc.).
 When ALL Sets are deleted, the Set Column is automatically removed from the
spreadsheet.
 Sets can be deleted individually, if necessary, in the Edit Sets dialog.
9.4.3 Show Set Windows
To quickly show or hide ALL visible set windows in the current view:
 select Plot Options > Object Visibility > Sets
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This will show or hide, on a per view basis:
 ALL Set Windows

 Confidence and Variability Cones toggled for display in the Edit Sets dialog.
NOTE that the color of Set Windows, and Confidence and Variability Cones, can be
customized on each view, with the Display Options dialog.
9.4.4 Saving Sets
Sets are automatically saved when you save a Dips file, and will be recreated when you
open the file. The set information is saved in the *.dipsvs file which is saved within the *.dips7
file.
Set information can also be saved using the options below.
 Exporting Sets
The Set Windows that you have defined on the stereonet can be saved to a separate
*.dipsvs file.
1. Select File > Export > Export Sets/Planes/Tools

2. Enter a filename and save to a *.dipsvs file.
This allows you to later import the sets into another file with the Import Planes/Tools
file option. When a *.dipsvs file is opened, the Set Window limits which are saved in the file,
will be used to create new Sets for the current Dips file.
 Saving the Set ID Numbers
In some cases, only the Set ID numbers are saved in a Set ID column. This can occur
when any of the following options are used:
 Save Processed File

 Query Data
 Rotate Data
In this case the Set ID column is actually an "Extra" column, and only preserves the Set
ID numbers. If you only save the Set ID numbers then Sets as defined in Dips, will not exist
when you open the Dips file.
 Saving Set Statistics
The Set Statistics for the currently defined Sets on the stereonet, are recorded in
the Info Viewer. If you wish to save this information, use the Copy option to copy the
contents of the Info Viewer to the clipboard, and then paste the text into a word processor,
and save it as a file. Note that the Copy option is available in the Edit menu, or you can right-
click in the Info Viewer view and select Copy from the popup menu.
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X. KINEMATIC ANALYSIS
The Kinematic Analysis option in Dips allows you to easily and quickly check for various rock
slope stability failure modes on a stereonet plot. Simply input the slope orientation, friction angle
and lateral limits and choose one of the following failure modes:
 Planar Sliding
 Wedge Sliding
 Flexural Toppling
 Direct Toppling
To enable kinematic analysis:
1. Select the Kinematic Analysis toolbar button.

2. This will enable the Kinematic Analysis control panel in the sidebar as shown below.
3. The stereonet will display a kinematic analysis overlay for the currently selected failure
mode.
4. A summary of results is displayed in the Legend. Additional results are available in the Info
Viewer.
5. For complete details on each failure mode see the links above.
Kinematic analysis controls in sidebar
 Kinematic Analysis Dialog
The sidebar provides quick access to the most important kinematic analysis input options.
Alternatively, you can also use the Kinematic Analysis dialog, which provides access to all kinematic
analysis options, including various display options for customizing the appearance of the overlay.
To open the Kinematic Analysis dialog:
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1. Select the Kinematic Analysis option from the View menu (not the toolbar).
2. Or alternatively, you can select the Kinematic Analysis button in the sidebar (at the
bottom right of the kinematic analysis sidebar options).
Either of these methods will open the Kinematic Analysis dialog.
For complete details about each of the failure modes (planar, wedge, flexural toppling, direct
toppling) see the links above.
 Declination for Kinematic Analysis Slope Direction
When you define the Slope Dip Direction for a Kinematic Analysis, by default the Declination
(entered in Project Settings) is NOT applied to the Slope Dip Direction. If you wish to enter
uncorrected values of Slope Dip Direction, then you must select the Declination button beside
the Slope Dip Direction edit box to apply the azimuth correction. If the Declination button is toggled
on, then the Declination value (entered in Project Settings) will be applied to the Slope Dip Direction
used for Kinematic Analysis. If you have already manually applied the azimuth correction for Slope
Dip Direction, then do not select the Declination button.
NOTE: when you apply the Declination , the value of Slope Dip Direction you enter in the edit
box, will NOT change. The correction will be applied to the kinematic analysis results, but the input
value will remain the same in the input edit box.
10.1 PLANAR SLIDING
The Planar Sliding kinematic analysis failure mode is a test for sliding on a single plane.
The key elements of the planar sliding kinematic analysis are:
 Daylighting condition for planes

 Pole Friction cone (angle measured from center of stereonet)
 Lateral limits (optional)
For Planar Sliding you can use either Pole Vector Mode or Dip Vector Mode. The results
are equivalent regardless of the vector mode.
Planar sliding kinematic analysis, pole vector mode
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 Pole Vector Mode
To carry out Planar Sliding analysis using pole vectors, the pole vector
mode must be in effect. This can be selected from the toolbar, the View menu or
the Kinematic Analysis dialog (Options = Pole).
For Planar Sliding using pole vectors, the critical zone for planar sliding is defined by the
region:
 INSIDE the daylight envelope and

 OUTSIDE the POLE friction cone and
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 INSIDE the lateral limits (if lateral limits are in effect)
All poles that plot in this region represent a risk of planar sliding. This is illustrated in the
above figure. In this example, the friction angle = 30 degrees, slope dip = 60, slope dip direction
= 135, lateral limits = 30 (plus/minus).
 Dip Vector Mode
To carry out Planar Sliding analysis using dip vectors, the dip vector mode must
be in effect. This can be selected from the toolbar, the View menu or the Kinematic Analysis
dialog (Options = Dip).
For Planar Sliding using dip vectors, the critical zone for planar sliding is defined by the
region:
 OUTSIDE the slope plane (daylight condition)

 INSIDE the PLANE friction cone and
 INSIDE the lateral limits (if lateral limits are in effect)
All dip vectors that plot in this region represent a risk of planar sliding. This is illustrated
in the figure below. The input is the same as the pole vector example above.
Planar sliding kinematic analysis, dip vector mode
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 Daylight Envelope / Slope Plane
For planar sliding, the daylighting condition can be defined either by a daylight envelope
(when considering pole vectors) or by the plane itself (when considering dip vectors).
 When considering pole vectors, all pole vectors that fall within the Daylight Envelope (of
the slope plane) represent planes which can kinematically daylight from the slope (i.e.
the dip vectors of these planes all point "out" from the slope plane).
 When considering dip vectors, all dip vectors that fall outside the slope plane (great
circle) represent planes which can kinematically daylight from the slope.
These two criteria are exactly equivalent. All poles that fall within a daylight envelope,
are represented by corresponding dip vectors outside the slope plane. In fact, the Daylight
Envelope itself is defined by all possible pole vectors whose dip vectors lie exactly on the slope
plane (i.e. parallel to the slope plane).
 Friction Cone
A friction cone defines the limits of frictional stability on a stereonet. It is important to

note the following:
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 When considering pole vectors, we use a POLE friction cone, and the friction angle is
measured from the CENTER of the stereonet. All poles OUTSIDE of the POLE friction cone
represent planes which dip steeper than the friction angle, and can slide if kinematically
possible. The cone angle for a POLE friction cone = friction angle.
 When considering dip vectors (or intersections), we use a PLANE friction cone, and the
friction angle is measured from the EQUATOR (perimeter) of the stereonet. All dip
vectors INSIDE the PLANE friction cone represent planes which dip steeper than the
friction angle, and can slide if kinematically possible. The cone angle for a PLANE friction
cone = 90 - friction angle.
You can see the difference in the above figures. In both cases, the friction angle = 30
degrees. For the pole vector plot the 30 degrees is measured from the stereonet center; for
the dip vector plot the 30 degrees is measured from the stereonet perimeter (the cone angle
in this case = 90 - 30 = 60 degrees).
 Lateral Limits
The daylighting conditions described above for planar failure, represent theoretical
limits of all possible planes which can daylight from a slope face.
In practice it has been observed that planar failure tends to occur only if the dip direction
of a plane is within a certain angular range of the slope face dip direction. Typically a value of
20 to 30 degrees is used based on empirical observations (Goodman 1980, Hudson and
Harrison 1997).
You can define the lateral limits for planar failure in the sidebar or the kinematic analysis
dialog. The lateral limits define two straight lines through the center of the stereonet, at
plus/minus the specified angle from the slope dip direction. The lateral limits add a further
restriction to the critical zone for planar sliding (poles or dip vectors must be within the lateral
limits in order to slide).
Use Lateral Limits
In the Kinematic Analysis dialog for Planar Sliding you will notice a Use Lateral Limits
checkbox. If you do not want to use lateral limits, you can turn off this checkbox. In this
case, the lateral limits option will be disabled (you will not be able to input a value, and the
lateral limits will not be displayed or used for the planar sliding kinematic analysis).
If the lateral limits are turned off, then the entire daylight envelope will be considered
kinematically valid. All poles within the daylight envelope (or all dip vectors outside the
slope plane) will be considered for planar sliding. This represents a worst case and most
conservative scenario in which all theoretically possible planes are considered for planar
sliding.
Alternatively, you can select the Planar Sliding (No Limits) option from the sidebar. This is a
shortcut for disabling the lateral limits for planar sliding, and is equivalent to turning off
the Use Lateral Limits checkbox in the Kinematic Analysis dialog.
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 Planar Sliding Results
Planar Sliding analysis results are displayed in the Legend.
 The number of poles (or dip vectors) within the critical zone are counted.
 Results are expressed as a percentage of all poles in the file, and as a percentage of poles
within individual sets (if sets are defined).
These percentages give an estimate of "probability of failure" with respect to all planes
in the file, and with respect to all planes in individual sets. It does not matter whether you are
viewing poles or dip vectors, the results are identical since the critical zones are equivalent for
pole or dip vectors.
NOTE: a detailed summary of ALL kinematic analysis results for all failure modes is
available in the Info Viewer.
 Planar Sliding Assumptions
An important assumption regarding “pure” planar sliding on a single plane, is that

release planes are assumed to exist (e.g. lateral joints, tension cracks or other mechanism)
which allow a planar sliding failure to occur.
Such release planes are not explicitly modeled in the planar sliding kinematic analysis
but you should be aware that some release mechanism must exist to allow a block sliding on
one plane to be removed from the slope. Planar sliding can be considered a special case
of wedge sliding where sliding takes place on only one plane, and other planes act as release
planes.
10.2 PLANAR SLIDING (NO LIMITS)
The Planar Sliding (No Limits) kinematic analysis option in the sidebar is simply a
shortcut to the Planar Sliding option, with the Use Lateral Limits option automatically turned
off. See the Planar Sliding topic for complete details.
When the lateral limits are turned off, the entire daylight region is considered
kinematically valid, as shown below for pole vectors and dip vectors. The dip vector sliding
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analysis (with no lateral limits) is sometimes referred to as the Markland test and is also used
for wedge sliding analysis.
Planar sliding analysis (pole vectors) with no lateral limits
 Markland Test
The dip vector planar sliding analysis with no lateral limits is sometimes referred to as
the Markland test and is also used for wedge sliding analysis. The critical planar sliding zone
for dip vectors (with no lateral limit) is also the primary critical zone for intersections for wedge
sliding analysis. Intersections which fall in this critical zone represent wedges which can slide,
see the wedge sliding topic for details.
Planar sliding analysis (dip vectors) with no lateral limits
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10.3 WEDGE SLIDING
The Wedge Sliding kinematic analysis failure mode is a test for sliding of wedges formed
by the intersection of two planes. The key elements of the wedge sliding kinematic analysis
are:
 Slope Plane
 Intersection plotting
 Plane friction cone (angle measured from perimeter of stereonet)
Wedges can slide on two planes (along the line of intersection) or on one plane (if one
plane has a more favorable orientation for sliding than the line of intersection). Wedge sliding
is based on the analysis of intersections. Dip vectors of individual planes are also considered
to determine if wedges slide on two planes or one plane. Pole vectors are not used.
Wedge sliding kinematic analysis, intersection points and contours
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 Intersection Plotting
When two joint planes intersect, they can form a wedge which can slide out of the slope
(depending on kinematic and frictional considerations). The intersection of two planes forms
a line in 3-dimensional space. The trend/plunge of the line plots as a single point on a stereonet
which we refer to as an intersection.
Wedge sliding kinematic analysis is based on the analysis of intersections. If an

intersection point satisfies the frictional and kinematic conditions for sliding, then it represents
a risk of wedge sliding.
In Dips there are several different options for the display of intersections on the
stereonet. You can plot:
 the intersection of ALL planes in the file (Grid Data Planes)

 contours of all intersections (Grid Data Planes)
 intersections of major planes (i.e. mean set planes and/or user planes)
In the above figure, the critical intersections of all Grid Data Planes are highlighted in
the critical zone, and intersection contours are also displayed. Since the maximum contour
concentrations do not overlap the critical zone wedge sliding is not likely to be a problem for
this example.
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See the Intersections Overview topic for more information.
Wedge analysis using mean set plane intersections and contours
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 Primary Critical Zone for Wedge Sliding
The primary critical zone for wedge sliding is the crescent shaped area:
 INSIDE the plane friction cone and

 OUTSIDE the slope plane
Intersections which plot in this zone represent wedges which satisfy frictional and
kinematic conditions for sliding. This is highlighted in red in the above figure.
 Sliding on Two Planes or One Plane
Depending on the wedge geometry, a wedge may slide along the line of intersection (i.e.
on two planes) or on one plane. Sliding on one plane can occur when the dip vector of one of
the wedge planes has a more favorable orientation for sliding than the line of intersection.
(Note: other failure modes such as rotational sliding or toppling are not considered in this
analysis).
Sliding on two planes or one plane is not directly highlighted on the stereonet, however
a complete summary of wedge sliding results is available in the Info Viewer and can also be
exported to Excel.
NOTE:
 In the primary critical zone, wedges can slide on either two planes or one plane.
 In the secondary critical zone, wedges always slide on one plane.
For sliding on a single plane, the dip vector of the sliding plane must be in the primary
critical zone. This is the same criteria used for Planar Sliding (with no lateral limits). However,
note that critical dip vectors are not displayed on the stereonet for wedge analysis, only the
critical intersections are plotted.
 Secondary Critical Zone for Wedge Sliding
The secondary critical zone for wedge sliding is the area between the slope plane and a
plane (great circle) inclined at the friction angle (the two areas highlighted in yellow in the
above figure, on either side of the primary critical zone). Critical intersections which plot in
these two zones always represent wedges which slide on one joint plane. In this region, the
intersections are actually inclined at LESS THAN the friction angle, but sliding can take place on
a single joint plane which has a dip vector greater than the friction angle.
 Friction Cone
A friction cone defines the limits of frictional stability on a stereonet. For Wedge sliding
analysis we use a PLANE friction cone.
When considering intersections (or dip vectors) the friction angle is measured from the
EQUATOR (perimeter) of the stereonet. All intersections or dip vectors INSIDE the PLANE
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friction cone represent wedges or planes which dip steeper than the friction angle, and can
slide if kinematically possible. The cone angle for a PLANE friction cone = 90 - friction angle.
For kinematic wedge analysis it is assumed that both sliding planes have the same
friction angle.
 Lateral Limits
For wedge sliding analysis we do not consider lateral limits. Since the second joint plane
allows an extra degree of freedom of movement, it is possible for wedges to slide over the
entire lateral range. The second joint plane may act as a sliding plane or a release plane.
 Wedge Sliding Results
Wedge Sliding analysis results are displayed in the Legend for the currently displayed
intersection type (i.e. Grid Data Planes, mean set planes, user planes)
 The number of intersections within the critical zone is counted.

 Results are expressed as a percentage of all intersections.
This percentage gives an estimate of "probability of failure" with respect to the total
number of intersections for the currently displayed intersection type.
Note: currently the Legend and stereonet do not identify wedge sliding on two planes
or one plane. However, the Info Viewer provides a detailed breakdown of wedge sliding on
two planes or one for all intersection types. Furthermore, detailed kinematic analysis results
can be exported to Excel with the Export Data to Excel option in the File menu.
10.4 FLEXURAL TOPPLING
The Flexural Toppling kinematic analysis failure mode is a test for flexural toppling as
defined in Goodman (1980). The key elements of the flexural toppling analysis are:
 Slope plane
 Slip limit plane (based on slope angle and friction angle)
 Lateral limits
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For Flexural Toppling you can use either Pole Vector Mode or Dip Vector Mode. The
results are equivalent regardless of the vector mode.
Flexural toppling kinematic analysis, pole vector mode
 Pole Vector Mode
To carry out Flexural Toppling analysis using pole vectors, the pole vector mode
must be in effect. This can be selected from the toolbar, the View menu or the Kinematic
Analysis dialog (Options = Pole).
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For Flexural Toppling using pole vectors, the critical zone for toppling is defined by the
region:
 OUTSIDE the slip limit plane (see below for the definition of the slip limit plane)
 INSIDE the lateral limits
All poles that plot in this region represent a toppling risk. This is illustrated in the above
figure. In this example, the friction angle = 30 degrees, slope dip = 60, slope dip direction =
135, lateral limits = 30 (plus/minus).
 Dip Vector Mode
To carry out Flexural Toppling analysis using dip vectors, the dip vector
mode must be in effect. This can be selected from the toolbar, the View menu or
the Kinematic Analysis dialog (Options = Dip).
For Flexural Toppling using dip vectors, the critical zone for toppling is defined by the
region:
 INSIDE the daylight envelope of the slip limit plane (see below for the definition of the
slip limit plane)
 INSIDE the lateral limits
All dip vectors that plot in this region represent a toppling risk. This is illustrated in the
figure below. The input is the same as the pole vector example above.
NOTE1: the slip limit plane is not an actual physical plane although it is derived from the
slope angle and friction angle. Furthermore, the daylight envelope of the slip limit plane is also
not a physical construct, however it serves the purpose of defining a critical toppling zone for
dip vectors.
NOTE2: although the critical toppling region for dip vectors may appear to be much
smaller than the equivalent toppling region for pole vectors, they do in fact represent exactly
the same critical zones. Also remember that the Projection Type changes the apparent areas
on the stereonet. In these figures we have used Equal Angle projection. If you use Equal Area
projection, the pole and dip vector critical zones will be closer in apparent size, although the
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dip vector region will still appear smaller due to the inherent nature of the flexural toppling
analysis.
Flexural toppling kinematic analysis, dip vector mode
 Slip Limit
Planes cannot topple if they cannot slide with respect to one another. Goodman
(1980) states that for slip to occur, the bedding normal must be inclined less steeply than a
line inclined at an angle equivalent to the friction angle above the slope.
This results in a “slip limit” plane which defines the critical zone for flexural toppling. The
Dip angle of the slip limit plane is derived from the SLOPE ANGLE – FRICTION ANGLE (in this
example 60 – 30 = 30 degrees). The DIP DIRECTION of the slip limit plane is equal to that of the
slope face.
 Lateral Limits
The Lateral Limits for flexural toppling have the same purpose as described for planar
sliding. They define the lateral extents of the critical zone with respect to the dip direction of
the slope. See the Planar Sliding topic for more information.
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Note: for flexural toppling, the Lateral Limits must always be defined, they are not
optional.
 Flexural Toppling Results
Flexural Toppling results are displayed in the Legend.
 The number of poles (or dip vectors) within the critical zone are counted.
 Results are expressed as a percentage of all poles in the file, and as a percentage of poles
within individual sets (if sets are defined).
These percentages give an estimate of "probability of failure" with respect to all planes
in the file, and with respect to all planes in individual sets. It does not matter whether you are
viewing poles or dip vectors, the results are identical since the critical zones are equivalent for
pole or dip vectors.
10.5 DIRECT TOPPLING
The Direct Toppling kinematic analysis failure mode is a test for direct toppling as
defined in Hudson and Harrison (1997). The key elements of the direct toppling analysis are:
 Two joint sets intersect such that the intersection lines dip into the slope and can form
discrete toppling blocks
 A third joint set exists which act as release planes or sliding planes allowing the blocks
to topple
Direct toppling can be an issue when you have near vertical intersections dipping into
the slope and near horizontal base planes which undercut the blocks and form release planes.
Direct toppling analysis using intersections and pole vectors (base planes)
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Direct toppling kinematic analysis has several different criteria to simultaneously

consider. We will describe them with respect to the three zones labelled in the figure below.
Regions to consider for direct toppling analysis
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 Primary and Secondary Critical Zones
In the above figure, the highlighted red region containing zones 1 and 2 is the primary
critical zone for direct toppling (intersections and base plane poles). The highlighted yellow
region (zone 3) is the secondary critical zone where we consider oblique toppling (intersections
and base plane poles).
 Critical Intersections - Zones 1 and 2
Intersections which fall in the combined region of zones 1 and 2, represent the risk of
formation of toppling blocks. These are intersections which dip into the slope and are within
the lateral limits. This region is defined by the following:
 Straight line lateral limits (plus/minus specified angle from the slope dip direction).
 The outer curved limit of this region is given by a circle with cone angle equal to the
slope angle. The distance of this boundary from the stereonet perimeter = 90 - slope
angle (in the above figure = 90 - 70 = 20 degrees). This defines an upper limit for a
toppling type failure mode, and ensures that the angle between the slope face and the
toppling blocks is always less than or equal to 90 degrees. For a vertical slope zone 1
would extend to the stereonet perimeter.
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Note that intersections which fall in zone 2 are closer to vertical than intersections in
zone 1, so may be considered a greater toppling risk than zone 1 intersections which are flatter.
The boundary between zone 1 and zone 2 is the friction cone of the base planes. This is not
directly relevant to the critical intersections, but is used to delineate a sliding or non-sliding
release mode for the base planes.
 Critical Intersections - Zone 3
Intersections which fall in zone 3 are referred to as oblique toppling intersections.

Basically, as intersections approach vertical, toppling in a direction outside of the lateral limits
becomes more likely. To account for this, we consider oblique toppling for near vertical
intersections which are outside of the straight line lateral limits.
Again note that the outer circular limit for zone 3 is simply the friction cone of the base
planes. Since this is not directly relevant to the critical intersections, this is a somewhat
arbitrary boundary and is used for convenience in the analysis. You may adjust this boundary
as required for consideration of oblique toppling, by adjusting the value of friction angle.
 Critical Base Planes - Zones 2 and 3
Any poles which fall in the combined region of zones 2 and 3 represent base planes
which may act as potential release surfaces for the toppling blocks. Poles inside zones 2 and 3
are inside the friction cone, therefore they are not sliding planes but can still act as release
planes. Poles in zone 3 are oblique release planes (outside the lateral limits) and poles in zone
2 are within the lateral limits.
NOTE: although not considered in the direct toppling analysis, base planes which dip
INTO the slope, may still act as release planes for direct toppling blocks. This is the half-circle
region opposite zones 2 and 3, within the friction cone. If a sufficient quantity of poles plots in
this region, then these may also be considered as potential base planes even though the planes
dip into the slope. Dips does not currently report these poles in the direct toppling analysis
results, you must keep track of these manually.
 Critical Base Planes - Zone 1
Poles which plot in zone 1 represent release planes which are also sliding planes, since
the poles plot outside of the friction cone. So if poles plot in zone 1 you may have combined
sliding and toppling modes occurring simultaneously.
 Lateral Limits
The Lateral Limits for direct toppling have the same purpose as described for planar
sliding. They define the lateral extents of the primary critical zone with respect to the dip
direction of the slope. See the Planar Sliding topic for more information. For direct toppling
note:
 The Lateral Limits must always be defined; they are not optional.
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 We also consider the possibility of oblique toppling outside the lateral limits, as
described above.
 Friction Cone
The friction cone in direct toppling serves two purposes:
 delineates the zones of sliding or non-sliding release planes

 defines the limits of the oblique toppling zones
 Intersection Plotting
The intersection of two planes forms a line in 3-dimensional space. The trend/plunge of
the line plots as a single point on a stereonet which we refer to as an intersection. In Dips there
are several different options for the display of intersections on the stereonet. You can plot:
 the intersection of ALL planes in the file (Grid Data Planes)

 contours of all intersections (Grid Data Planes)
 intersections of major planes (i.e. mean set planes and/or user planes)
For direct toppling analysis you can use any of the above methods of intersection
plotting and results will be reported accordingly. See the Intersections Overview topic for more
information.
 Direct Toppling Results
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A summary of direct toppling results is displayed in the Legend (critical intersections and
base planes).
10.6 KINEMATIC SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
The Kinematic Sensitivity Analysis option allows you to define ranges of values for the
slope dip, slope dip direction, friction angle and lateral limits, and generate kinematic analysis
sensitivity plots for each variable.
To use this option:
1. Select the Kinematic Analysis option.

2. Enter the mean slope input parameters in the sidebar.
3. Select the Kinematic Sensitivity button in the sidebar,
and enter ranges of values for the desired variables, and select OK.
See the Dips 7 What's New Quick Start Guide for more information.
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XI. DATA PROCESSING
11.1 PROCESS DATA AND SAVE PROCESSED FILE
The Process Data option in the Analysis menu allows you to save a processed version of
the current Dips file. To save a processed Dips file:
1. Select Processed Data from the Analysis menu. You will see a dialog allowing you to
configure how the file is written. Make your selections and select OK.
2. You can then save the file with a standard Save As dialog.
The processed file will have the following properties, according to your selections in the
Processed Dips File dialog:
 Orientation Format
The user can save the processed data in any one of the four Orientation Formats
available in Dips (Trend / Plunge, Dip / Dip Direction, Strike / DipRight, Strike / DipLeft). This
will determine the format of ALL data in the two Orientation Columns of the processed file.
 Declination
The Declination in the processed file is ZERO. All of the data has been offset by the
declination (if any) recorded in the original file.
 Traverses
There are NO active Traverses in the processed file. If the original file contained Traverse
information, this will be saved in the processed file in comment form only. The Traverse
Column will automatically be saved as an Extra Column in the processed file. To preserve bias
correction information in the processed file, select the "Multiply quantity column by Terzaghi
weighting" checkbox in the Processed Dips File dialog (see below for details).
You may also save the Terzaghi weighting information in its own column, by selecting
the "Terzaghi weighting" checkbox. The Terzaghi weighting column will simply be an Extra
Column in the processed file.
 Quantity Column
If Traverses were present in the original file, the bias correction information can be
preserved by selecting the "Multiply quantity column by Terzaghi weighting" checkbox in the
Processed Dips File dialog. This will multiply the values in the Quantity Column by the weights
of each pole, so that UNWEIGHTED Contour and Rosette plots for the processed file will
actually reflect the WEIGHTED data concentrations. The Quantity Column title will be
Quantity*W in this case.
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This is the only way to preserve the bias correction information in the processed file.
NOTE: if a Quantity Column was not present in the original file, it will automatically be created
when you use this option.
If the "Multiply quantity column by Terzaghi weighting" checkbox is selected, then you
may preserve the original Quantity Column by selecting the "Original quantity column"
checkbox. This will save the original Quantity Column as an Extra Column in the processed file.
 Set Column
If Sets were defined in the original file, the Set Column can be saved in the processed
file as an Extra Column, by selecting the "Set ID" checkbox. This preserves the Set ID
information ONLY. All other Set information (i.e. window limits, mean planes) is NOT saved in
the processed file.
If you are saving the Set Column, a NEGATIVE Set ID can be used to identify "wrapped
data" in a given Set, by selecting the "Negative Set ID for wrapped data" checkbox. NOTE that
the pole orientation of data saved with a negative Set ID is the UNALTERED ORIENTATION!!!
This option is an aid for post-processing applications, and it is left to the user to convert the
data. For example, for mean orientation calculation outside of Dips, the user must calculate
the orientation of the upper (negative) pole when the Set ID is negative (i.e. plunge = – plunge,
trend = trend + 180).
 Extra Columns
All Extra Columns of the original file are automatically saved in the processed file, and
will appear AFTER the optional Extra Columns described above.
11.2 QUERY DATA
The Query Data option (available in the toolbar or the Analysis menu) allows you
to create a query to search for any subset of data in a Dips file. If the query is successful, a
newDips file will immediately be generated, and a new Grid View will display the selected data.
Note that the rows of the new subset file will be exactly as found in the original file, and
all of the Project Settings information will also be preserved (i.e. Global Orientation Format,
Declination, Traverse Information etc.) The new files created by Query Data are NOT processed
files. If you wish to save a processed Dips file, you must use the Process Data option in the
Analysis menu.
Also note: if Sets exist, the Set Column can only be saved as an Extra Column in the new
file created by the Query.
11.2.1 Creating an Expression
The first step in creating a query, is to create an Expression. As you can see at the top
of the Query Data dialog, an Expression consists of Data, Operator and Operand.
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For example, the following are valid Expressions:
TYPE == joint
SPACING < 1.5
Set != 2
 Data
The Data drop-down list will always contain:
 the names of the columns of the current file, in order of appearance in the spreadsheet,
followed by
 the Processed Orientation data (i.e. Processed Trend, Processed Plunge etc.)
Note: The user CANNOT type in the Data box; an item must be selected from the list.
This prevents errors due to incorrect typing.
 Operator
The Operator drop-down list will always contain the following operators:
 == (equals)
 != (not equals)
 < (less than)
 <= (less than or equals)
 > (greater than)
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 >= (greater than or equals)
 Includes (find data containing a given substring)
Note that the behavior of the < , <= , > and >= Operators depends on the nature of the
Operand. If the Operand is numeric, then the comparison will be numeric. If the Operand is
a text string, then a string comparison will be performed.
Note: The user CANNOT type in the Operator box, an operator must be selected from
the list. This prevents errors due to incorrect typing.
 Operand
The Operand drop-down list will contain a sorted list of the data in the Data column
you have selected (i.e. the Data box at the left of the Expression). Note that the sorting of the
Operand list is based on a string comparison, therefore numeric Data will not necessarily be
listed in numeric order (i.e. the numbers 2, 3, 200 would be listed in the order 2, 200, 3).
The Operand drop-down serves two purposes:
1. It shows the user the contents of a selected Data column.

2. It allows the user to select from the list with the mouse.
However, unlike the Data and Operator boxes, the user CAN TYPE in the Operand box.
This allows the user to type in specific numeric values, or to type in substrings to be searched
for by the Includes Operator, for example.
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11.2.2 Creating a Query
A query is created by using the buttons at the left of the Create Query area, to enter
the desired information in the area to the right of the buttons.
1. The Expression button will enter the current Expression at the top of the Query Data dialog.
2. For more complex queries consisting of multiple Expressions, AND, OR and brackets ( ) may
be used, as needed.
3. The Delete button can be used to correct mistakes (first click on the line you wish to delete
in the Create Query area, and then select Delete, and the line will be removed).
NOTE:
 you may NOT type directly in the Create Query area; you must use the buttons provided.
 If you accidentally leave out part of a query as you are creating it, simply click the mouse
on the line AFTER the line you wish to add, and then select the necessary button. (For
example: if you enter two Expressions in a row, which would of course lead to an invalid
query, click on the second Expression with the mouse, to highlight it, and then select the
AND or OR button, as required. This will insert the missing operator between the two
Expressions)
Once the desired query has been created, select OK, and Dips will search your file for
all rows matching your selection criteria. If the query was successful, a new Dips file will be
generated, and a new grid view will display the selected data.
The Create Query process is best illustrated by examples. See the Query
Examples topic for instructions on how to create some typical queries.
 Correcting Mistakes
Note that the Delete button in the Create Query area can be used to correct mistakes,
if you accidentally enter an incorrect Expression. To delete a line in the Create Query area,
click on the line with the mouse to highlight it. Then select the Delete button and the line will
be removed.
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11.2.3 Query Examples
A valid query can consist of a single expression (e.g. TYPE == joint), or it may consist of
a complex combination of expressions, using AND, OR and brackets ( ). The following
examples illustrate some typical queries that you might use in Dips.
TYPE == joint
TYPE == joint && SURFACE Includes rough
TYPE == joint && SURFACE == rough && SPACING <= 1
TYPE == fault || TYPE == shear
SPACING > 0.5 && SPACING < 1.5
TYPE == joint && (TRAVERSE == 1 || TRAVERSE == 2)
Set == 1
The examples are based on the example. Dip file which you should find in the
Examples folder in your Dips installation folder. To start:
 Open the example. Dip file.

 Select Query Data from the toolbar or the Analysis menu.
11.2.4 Load / Save Query
The Load and Save buttons in the Query Data dialog allow you to save a Query in a
text file, and load it back in to the Create Query area at a later time. Query files in Dips have
a. qry filename extension.
 You may find Load / Save useful for saving complex queries for future re-use on another
file, for example.
 It can also be useful for saving a complex query which needs to be re-used with
modifications to one or two expressions, as described below.
 Example of using Load / Save Query

1. Create a complex query consisting of several expressions (e.g. Traverse == 1 && expression
&& expression && expression)
2. Before selecting OK to implement the query, select the Save button. You will be prompted
to save the query in a. qry file.
3. Select OK to implement the query and create a new file.
4. Select Query Data again, and select the Load button, and load the query you just saved into
the Create Query area.
5. Click on the Expression you wish to replace (e.g. Traverse == 1) in the Create Query area,
and select the Delete button.
6. Create a new Expression (e.g. Traverse == 2).
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7. Select the Expression button, and you now have a new query, identical to the original,
except for the modified expression.
8. Select OK to carry out the query.
9. Repeat steps 4 – 8 as many times as necessary.
The same procedure could be used, for example, to substitute different numeric
Expressions (e.g. SPACING > 1, SPACING > 2, SPACING > 3) etc. in a complex query.
For simple queries consisting of only one or two expressions, there is no advantage to
using the Load / Save options, as it will be faster to simply re-create queries from scratch.
11.3 ROTATE DATA
The Rotate Data option allows you to rotate data about any specified axis. This option
can be used to adjust structural data in a folded domain, or to create "inclined" hemisphere
projections.
To use Rotate Data:
1. Choose Rotate Data from the Analysis menu.

2. Enter the Trend and Plunge of the rotation axis.
3. Enter the CLOCKWISE angle of rotation about this axis.
4. To rotate ALL data in the current file, use the Rotate All Data option.
5. If you have defined Sets, then you may rotate data in one or more sets, by selecting the
Rotate Sets option, and selecting the desired Sets using the checkboxes. Only data in the
selected Sets will be rotated. All other data will be unaffected by the rotation.
6. If you have defined planes with the Add Plane option, you may also rotate these planes
with the data, by selecting the Rotate Added Planes checkbox (see below).
7. Select OK, and a new file will be generated, with the desired rotation performed. This file
will have the following properties:
 Orientation Columns
All data in the Orientation Columns will be processed in the Format governed by the
current Convention. Data will be rotated according to your input in the Rotate Data dialog.
 Quantity Column
If the original file contained a Quantity Column, this column will be preserved in the
rotated file.
 Traverse Column
If the original file contained Traverse information, the Traverse Column will be
preserved in the rotated file AS AN EXTRA COLUMN ONLY! This is because Rotate Data does
NOT rotate Traverse orientations, therefore weighted Contour Plots (for example) are
meaningless after rotating data. The rotated file therefore has NO traverses defined, although
the original traverse information is preserved in the rotated file in comment form.
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 Set Column
If the original file had Sets defined, the Set Column can be preserved in the rotated file
AS AN EXTRA COLUMN ONLY! Set information (i.e. windows, mean planes, etc.) is NOT saved
in the rotated file. Only the Set ID numbers in the Set Column are saved for identification
purposes. Furthermore, the Set Column will ONLY be saved to the rotated data file, if the "Save
Set Column as an Extra Column" checkbox is selected in the Preferences dialog. If this checkbox
is NOT selected, then the Set ID column will NOT be saved in the rotated data file.
 Extra Columns
If the original file contained Extra Columns, all of these columns will be preserved in the
new file.
 Rotated Planes
If you selected the Rotate Added Planes checkbox in the Rotate Data dialog, all ADDED
planes from the original file (i.e. planes created with the Add Plane option), will be rotated
along with the data, and added to the new file. This allows the user to create reference planes
on the original file (e.g. to mark true North, a horizontal plane, or some other reference plane),
which will serve as reference planes on the rotated data.
 North / South / East / West
When ALL data is rotated in a file, the direction letters (NSEW) on the stereonet may no
longer be applicable on the rotated file. The NSEW letters can be turned off in the Display
Options dialog, if necessary, to avoid confusion or misinterpretation.
 Stereonet Overlay
After rotating data, you may find it useful to overlay a corresponding stereonet grid on
the rotated file. This can be done with the Stereonet Overlay option, which allows the user to
superimpose a stereonet grid at any axis on the stereonet. Use the same Trend / Plunge for
the grid axis as the rotation axis entered in the Rotate Data dialog.
11.4 JOITING ANALYSIS
11.4.1 Joint Spacing
The Joint Spacing option allows you to calculate the true joint spacing of joints in a
joint set, calculated from distance measurements recorded along a linear or borehole
traverse.
In order to use the Joint Spacing option:
1. You must have at least one (or more) joint sets defined, using the options available for
creating sets (e.g. Add Set Window, Add Set Freehand).
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2. You must have at least one (or more) linear or borehole traverses defined (e.g. Linear,
Linear BH Oriented Core, Linear BH Televiewer, Curved BH Oriented Core, Curved BH
Televiewer).
3. The Distance Column must be enabled (checkbox in Project Settings) and distance values
entered.
If the above 3 criteria are met:
1. Select Joint Spacing from the Analysis menu.

2. You will see the Joint Spacing dialog. In this dialog you can select:
 True Spacing or Apparent Spacing
 Joint Set
 Traverses (All Traverses or any combination of individual traverses)
3. Select OK and a distribution graph of joint spacing (true or apparent) and statistics will be
generated for the selected joint set and traverse(s). See below for more details.
 True Spacing and Apparent Spacing
The Apparent Spacing is equal to the difference in Distance values (entered in

the Distance column) between adjacent joints which belong to the SAME joint set. This is the
raw unprocessed spacing as measured directly from a linear traverse, borehole or oriented
core.
The True Spacing is the actual perpendicular spacing between adjacent joints in a joint
set. The True Spacing is always less than or equal to the apparent spacing, and is calculated
as follows:
True Spacing = Apparent Spacing * cos (a) = Apparent Spacing / Terzaghi Weighting
where a = the angle between the pole of the mean joint set plane and the linear
traverse direction; alternatively, Terzaghi Weighting (= 1 / cos (a)) = the bias correction factor
for the mean joint set plane and the linear traverse direction. If joints are exactly
perpendicular to a linear traverse, then true spacing = apparent spacing.
 Joint Set
You can only choose one joint set for plotting at a time. To analyze spacing for a
different joint set, repeat the above steps for each desired set.
 Traverses
You can choose to plot spacing data based on All Traverses together, or select any
combination of individual traverses.
NOTE: the spacing calculation is valid for all traverse types except PLANAR, since the
calculation assumes data collection along a line rather than a planar surface.
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 Summary of Spacing Results
The Info Viewer automatically provides a summary of joint spacing results for ALL sets
and ALL traverses, as long as the 3 criteria are met (linear traverses / sets / distance column).
Even if you do not actually select the Joint Spacing option to plot results, the joint spacing
summary will be available in the Info Viewer.
11.4.2 RQD Analysis
The RQD Analysis option allows you to calculate the Rock Quality Designation (%)
calculated from distance measurements recorded along a linear or borehole traverse. When
adjacent distance measurements between joints are less than or equal to 10 centimeters
(metric) or 4 inches (imperial), that length is flagged as "poor quality". RQD is a measure of
the percentage of core length pieces which are greater than this cutoff value, relative to the
total measured interval.
In order to use the RQD Analysis option:
Televiewer).
entered.
1. Select RQD Analysis from the Analysis menu.

2. You will see the RQD Analysis dialog. In this dialog you can select:
 The desired Traverse(s)
 A Discrete or Moving Interval.
3. Select OK and a graph of RQD along the length of the selected traverse(s) will be plotted.
NOTE: the RQD Analysis option does not currently account for intervals of lost or
damaged core, it is assumed that distance readings are from continuous, intact measurements.
11.4.3 Joint Frequency
The Joint Frequency option allows you to plot the Joint Frequency calculated from
distance measurements recorded along a linear or borehole traverse. This is a simple 1-D
frequency measured as joints per meter (metric) or joints per foot (imperial) along each
interval.
In order to use the Joint Frequency option:
Televiewer).
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entered.
1. Select Joint Frequency from the Analysis menu.

2. You will see the Joint Frequency dialog. In this dialog you can select:
 The desired Traverse(s)
 A Discrete or Moving Interval.
 Apply Terzaghi weighting to the joint count
3. Select OK and a graph of Joint Frequency along the length of the selected traverse(s) will
be plotted.
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XII. DRAWING TOOLS
12.1 TOOLS OVERVIEW
The Tools menu offers a variety of drawing and analysis tool options.
 The drawing tools can be used to customize the appearance of plots for screen captures
and reports.
 The analysis tools interact directly with the stereonet and can be used to assist with
various tasks and analyses.
The following options are available.
 Drawing Tools
 Text
 Arrow
 Line Segment
 Ellipse
 Rectangle
 Polyline
 Polygon
 Analysis Tools
 Cone
 Trend Line
 Pitch Grid
 Fold Analysis
 Measure Angle
 Intersection Calculator
 Select Pole
All objects created with the Tools menu options are referred to as Drawing (or Analysis)
Tools in the Dips documentation.
 Adding Tools
Drawing tools (i.e. text, arrows etc.) can be added anywhere in stereonet or rosette plot
views. The analysis tools (i.e. cones, trend line) interact directly with the stereonet and can be
used to assist with various types of analyses.
 Editing Tools
After adding Tools to a view, they can be formatted, moved, re-sized, deleted, hidden
or copied. To edit drawing tools:
 Tool visibility can be configured using the Sidebar plot option checkboxes.
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 If you left click on a drawing tool, you can edit the tool properties in the Sidebar, and
you can re-size or move the tool (if applicable) by clicking and dragging with the mouse.
 If you right click on a drawing tool, the popup menu will display applicable editing and
visibility options.
See the Edit Tools Overview topic for more information.
 Saving Tools
Tools are automatically saved with the Dips file (i.e. when you select the Save or Save As
options in the File menu), and will automatically re-appear when you open the file.
 Undo / Redo
The Undo / Redo options apply to drawing / analysis tools as well as other Dips file
changes. Therefore, you can easily undo / redo changes to the Tools.
12.2 DRAWING TOOLS
12.2.1 Drawing Tools: Text
The Text option allows you to add static and/or dynamic text
to stereonet or rosette plots.
To add text:
1. Select Text from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. In a stereonet or rosette plot view, click the left mouse button at the point where you would
like to insert the text.
3. A dialog will appear allowing you to enter static or dynamic text.
 To enter static text, type any text you wish in the Text area. Use the Enter key to add
multiple lines. This text will appear exactly as typed.
 To enter dynamic text, select from the list of Auto Text options (i.e. Project Summary or
Other information). This will insert text placeholders (e.g. $Project Title) corresponding
to the Project Summary information (in the Project Settings dialog) or Other information
(e.g. date, time etc.) and will be automatically updated if the source information is
changed. Auto Text is useful when you are processing multiple files for a single project.
You can set up the information format in one text box, and then copy this to multiple
files. The Auto Text will dynamically display the actual information for each file.
4. You can also configure various text display options (e.g. color, border) using the Options at
the bottom of the dialog.
5. When you are finished select OK and the text will be added at the selected location. If you
used the Auto Text options, the text placeholders will be replaced by the actual
information when you add the text to the plot.
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After Text has been added, it can be moved, edited, formatted etc. See the Edit Tools
Overview topic for details.
 Edit Text
To edit text after it has been added, you can double-click on the text box, or right-click
on the text box and select Edit Text from the popup menu. This will display the Add Text
dialog.
12.2.2 Drawing Tools: Arrow
The Arrow option allows you to add arrows anywhere on plot views. This can be
useful in conjunction with Add Text, for labeling purposes.
To add an arrow:
1. Select Arrow from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. In the active view, click the LEFT mouse button at the location you want the arrow to point
to.
3. Move the mouse and you will see the arrow on the screen.
4. Click the LEFT mouse button again when the arrow is in the desired position, and it will be
added to the plot.
After an Arrow has been added, it can be moved, re-sized, formatted etc. See the Edit
Tools Overview topic for details.
12.2.3 Drawing Tools: Line Segment
The Line Segment option allows you to add a line between any two points on a
stereonet or rosette plot view. To add a Line Segment:
1. Select Line Segment from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. In the active view, enter the first point graphically with the mouse.
3. As you move the mouse, a line will connect the first point to the current cursor location.
4. Enter the second point graphically with the mouse and the line segment will be added to
the view.
After a Line Segment has been added, it can be moved, re-sized, formatted, etc. See
the Edit Tools Overview topic for details.
NOTE: a multi-segment polyline can be added with the Polyline tool option.
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12.2.4 Drawing Tools: Ellipse
The Ellipse option allows you to add a circle or ellipse drawing tool anywhere on
a view. To add a Circle or Ellipse:
1. Select Ellipse from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. Enter a point graphically with the mouse.
3. As you move the mouse, an ellipse will be drawn between the point entered in step 2, and
the current cursor location. NOTE:
 To draw a CIRCLE, hold the Ctrl key while you are moving the mouse.
 To center the object at the starting point, hold the Shift key while moving the mouse.
4. Enter a second point graphically with the mouse, and the Circle or Ellipse will be added to
the view.
After an Ellipse has been added, it can be moved, re-sized, formatted, etc. For
example, the inside of the ellipse can be filled with any color and the transparency can be
customized. See the Edit Tools Overview topic for details.
12.2.5 Drawing Tools: Rectangle
The Rectangle option allows you to add a rectangle or square drawing tool
anywhere on a view. To add a rectangle or square:
1. Select Rectangle from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. Enter a point graphically with the mouse.
3. As you move the mouse, a rectangle will be drawn between the point entered in step 2,
and the current cursor location. NOTE:
 To draw a SQUARE, hold the Ctrl key while you are moving the mouse.
 To center the object at the starting point, hold the Shift key while moving the mouse.
4. Enter a second point graphically with the mouse, and the Rectangle or Square will be added
to the view.
After a Rectangle has been added, it can be moved, re-sized, formatted, etc. For
example, the inside of the rectangle can be filled with any color and the transparency can be
12.2.6 Drawing Tools: Polyline
The Polyline option allows you to draw an arbitrary polyline consisting of any
number of line segments, on the view. To add a Polyline:
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1. Select Polyline from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. Enter points graphically with the mouse.
3. When you are finished, right-click and select Done or press Enter to add the Polyline to the
view.
After a Polyline has been added, it can be formatted, moved, re-sized, copied, etc. See
the Edit Tools Overview topic for details.
12.2.7 Drawing Tools: Polygon
The Polygon option allows you to draw a polygon consisting of any number of
line segments, on the view. To add a Polygon:
1. Select Polygon from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. Enter points graphically with the mouse.
3. When you have entered the last vertex of the polygon, right-click and select Close or press
Enter. The last vertex will automatically be connected to the first vertex, to close the
polygon, and the polygon will be added to the view. Alternatively, you can graphically snap
the last vertex to the initial vertex and press the left mouse button to close the polygon.
After a Polygon has been added, it can be formatted, moved, re-sized, copied, etc. For
example, the inside of the polygon can be filled with any color and the transparency can be
12.3 ANALYSIS TOOLS
12.3.1 Analysis Tools: Trend Line
The Trend Line option allows you to add a line through the center of stereonet
or rosette plots. Adding a line to a plot is useful when comparing poles or concentrations on
opposite sides of the stereonet. The line may also be used to show a dominant orientation
such as the trend of a tunnel centerline or the strike of a vertical wall.
To use the Trend Line option:
1. Select Trend Line from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. Move the cursor over the active view, and a line which follows the cursor will appear on
the plot.
3. The cursor coordinates are always visible in the status bar. When the line is at the desired
orientation, click the LEFT mouse button.
4. A dialog will appear, showing the Trend of the point at which you clicked the mouse.
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5. If this is the correct orientation of the line that you wish to add, then click OK to add the
line to the plot.
6. If this orientation is not correct, then enter the desired Trend and select OK.
After a Trend Line has been added, it can be moved, formatted, etc. See the Edit Tools
The following options are available in the right-click menu while using the Trend
Line option:
 Pole Snap – this will "snap" the line to the pole nearest to the cursor location. Only
applicable in pole vector mode.
 Line Properties
If you click on a Trend Line, the following properties can be customized in the sidebar.
 Line Type - Trend Lines can be displayed in 3 different ways – Interior (full line
terminating at the perimeter), Exterior (two collinear line segments plotted outside the
perimeter), or Both (full line, extending past the perimeter)
 Line Width - you can choose a line width between 1 and 10
12.3.2 Analysis Tools: Cone
The Cone option allows you to add cone traces or "small circles" on the
stereonet. The cones can be centered about any axis, and may represent friction circles,
toppling bounds, etc.
To use the Cone option:
1. Select Cone from the toolbar or the Tools menu.

2. You will see the Add Cone dialog. This dialog offers three possible methods of adding a cone
to the stereonet:
 Enter Orientation (cone axis) in dialog and then define cone angle graphically.
 Enter Angle (cone angle) in dialog and then define cone orientation graphically.
 Enter both orientation and angle in dialog.
These options are described below.
3. If only the Orientation checkbox is selected (Angle checkbox is not selected), then enter
the cone orientation (trend, plunge of axis) in the dialog and select OK. A cone will appear
on the stereonet at the desired axis orientation. The cone angle can be entered interactively
and graphically with the mouse. As you move the mouse, the cone angle appears as a popup
tooltip. When the desired angle is achieved click the mouse to add the cone to the plot.
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4. If only the Angle checkbox is selected (Orientation checkbox is not selected) then enter the
cone angle in the dialog and select OK. A cone will appear on the stereonet with the desired
angular radius. The cone orientation (axis) can be entered interactively and graphically with
the mouse. As you move the mouse, the cone orientation (trend, plunge) appears as a
popup tooltip. When the desired orientation is achieved click the mouse to add the cone to
the plot.
5. If both the Orientation and Angle checkboxes are selected, then enter both values in the
dialog, select OK and the cone will be immediately added to the stereonet at the desired
location and angle, with no further graphical input required.
NOTE:
 The cone angle is the acute angle between the cone perimeter and its axis.
 The true center of the cone is marked by an x symbol.
 If your Projection type is Equal Angle, small circles will appear as true circles on the
stereonet. However, the x marking the cone axis will appear off center as the stereonet
perimeter is approached.
 If your Projection type is Equal Area, small circles will appear elliptical as the stereonet
perimeter is approached.
Small circles can be confusing on a two-dimensional projection, so be sure you

understand their geometry before using them for interpretation.
 Editing Cones
After a Cone has been added, it can be moved, formatted, etc. For example, if you click
on the cone to select it, you can graphically change the cone orientation by dragging the
center point, or change the cone angle by dragging the perimeter of the cone. See the Edit
Tools Overview topic for details.
The following options are available in the right-click menu while graphically adding
a Cone:
 Pole Snap – this will "snap" the cone to the pole nearest to the cursor location. Only
applicable in pole vector mode.
the cursor. Note that this line is NOT added to the plot when you add the cone, it is a
temporary graphical aid only. If you wish to add a line to the plot, use the Trend Line
option.
12.3.3 Analysis Tools: Pitch Grid
A Pitch Grid can be used to graphically measure the angle between two features on a
stereonet.
To add a Pitch Grid to the plot:
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1. Select Pitch Grid from the Tools menu.
2. Move the cursor over the active view. A great circle corresponding to the cursor position
will be visible, with radial lines representing pitch angles. The pitch lines are at 5 degree
increments and are oriented with respect to the strike of the plane.
To estimate an angle:
3. Move the cursor until the plane passes through the two features in question.
4. Click the left mouse button to add the pitch grid to the plot.
5. Count the pitch lines between the two features and multiply by 5 degrees. This is the angle
between the features.
Other uses for the pitch grid will become apparent as you become familiar with Dips.
After a Pitch Grid has been added, it can be moved, formatted, etc. See the Edit Tools
NOTE!!!
For more precise angle measurements on the stereonet, use the Measure
Angle option.
The following options are available in the right-click menu while using Pitch Grid:
the cursor. Note that this line is NOT added to the plot when you add the Pitch Grid, it
is a temporary graphical aid only. If you wish to add a line to the plot, use the Trend Line
option.
12.3.4 Analysis Tools: Fold Analysis
The Fold Analysis option allows you to fit a plane through any selected group of poles.
To use the Fold Analysis option:
1. Select Fold Analysis from the Tools menu.

2. Click and drag the mouse to draw a freehand window around any group of poles.
3. When finished press Enter or right-click and select Done from the popup menu.
4. The best fit plane will be added to the stereonet and automatically labelled with an ID
number and letter "f" for fold analysis plane.
 Terzaghi Weighting
The Terzaghi Weighting option can be applied to the best fit plane.
 If the weighting is applied the plane will be labelled "fw" for weighted.
 If the weighting is not applied the plane will be labelled "fm" for mean (unweighted).
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 Best Fit Statistics
The statistics of the fold analysis plane listed in the Info Viewer are based on the paper
by Woodcock and Naylor (1983).
 Global Best Fit
To determine the best fit plane of ALL poles in the file, you can select the Global Best
Fit option in the sidebar (Object Visibility > Global Best Fit). This will determine the best fit
plane considering all poles in the file. The plane will be labelled with a "bm" or "bw" identifier
according to the application of the Terzaghi weighting. Statistics for the Global Best Fit plane
are also listed in the Info Viewer.
12.3.5 Analysis Tools: Measure Angle
The Measure Angle option allows you to calculate the angle between any two
points (planes) on the stereonet.
To use Measure Angle:

1. Select Measure Angle from the Tools menu.
2. Click the left mouse button at a point (pole) on the stereonet. Remember that the cursor
coordinates are always displayed in the Status Bar.
3. Click the left mouse button at a second point (pole).
4. A dialog will immediately appear, displaying the acute and obtuse angles between the two
points (poles) selected.
5. In the Measure Angle dialog, the coordinates of the two selected points are also displayed,
in the format corresponding to the current Convention (i.e. Trend / Plunge or Plane Vector
format). If these graphically entered coordinates are not the exact coordinates intended,
then simply enter the correct coordinates, and the angle between the new points will
immediately be displayed.
6. The Measure Angle dialog can now simply be used as a calculator, by entering any pairs of
coordinates, representing a pair of planes, or a pair of linear features. Each time a number
is entered through the keyboard, or changed using the "up" or "down" arrows beside each
coordinate entry field, the result is immediately calculated and displayed in the dialog.
7. When you are finished, select Close to exit from the Measure Angle option.

The Pole Snap option is available in the right-click menu, in steps 2 and 3 above, if you
are using Measure Angle on a Pole Plot. This allows you to accurately "snap" to the
coordinates of any pole on a Pole Plot.
 Pitch Grid
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The Pitch Grid option can also be used as a graphical method of estimating angles
between features on the stereonet. However, for precise answers, the Measure
Angle option is recommended.
12.3.6 Intersection Calculator
The Intersection Calculator option allows you to quickly and accurately calculate:
 the line of intersection of two planes

 the plane which passes through two lines
 Line from Two Planes
To calculate the intersection of two planes:
1. Select Tools > Intersection Calculator > Line from Two Planes
2. On the stereonet graphically enter the location of two planes.
3. You will see the Intersection Calculator dialog, with the orientation coordinates of the
graphically entered planes, and the resulting intersection line. If necessary, you can edit the
plane orientations in the dialog.
4. Click OK to add the planes and intersection point to the stereonet.
 Plane from Two Lines
To calculate the plane which passes through two lines:
1. Select Tools > Intersection Calculator > Plane from Two Lines
2. On the stereonet graphically enter the location of two lines.
3. You will see the Intersection Calculator dialog, with the trend/plunge coordinates of the
graphically entered lines, and the resulting intersection plane. If necessary, you can edit the
line orientations in the dialog.
4. Click OK to add the lines and intersection plane to the stereonet.
 Results
The results of the intersection calculation are displayed as a popup tooltip if you hover
the mouse over the intersection line or plane.
12.3.7 Analysis Tools: Select Poles
The Select Poles option allows you to graphically identify poles on a Pole Plot, by
selecting them with the mouse, and automatically highlighting the corresponding row(s) in
the spreadsheet.
To use Select Poles:
1. Choose Select Poles from the toolbar or the Tools menu.
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NOTE: Select Poles is only enabled if pole vectors are displayed on the stereonet. If
pole vectors are not displayed Select Poles will not be available.
2. As you move the cursor over the stereonet, when the cursor is near a pole it will change to
a small circle and "snap" to the exact location of the pole.
3. You will notice a popup tooltip which displays the Pole ID and the coordinates of the
"snapped to" pole. The Pole ID is the row number of the pole in the grid view (spreadsheet).
These numbers are also displayed in the Status Bar at the bottom of the screen.
4. If you click the LEFT mouse button the currently "snapped to" pole will become selected on
the pole plot, as indicated by a red square at the pole location, AND the corresponding
row(s) of the grid will be highlighted. (If multiple data is at the same location, ALL rows of
the grid corresponding to this orientation, will be highlighted).
5. To escape from the Select Poles option, press the Escape key, or right-click and select
Cancel.
 Selecting Poles on the Grid View
It is useful to note that the Select Poles capability not only works from the Pole Plot to
the Grid, but ALSO from the Grid to the Pole Plot. That is, if rows of the grid are selected (by
clicking on the row ID buttons at the left of the grid), the corresponding pole(s) on the Pole
Plot will be highlighted, in the same manner as when using the Select Poles option described
above (i.e. a red square will highlight the selected poles). Experiment with this capability
of Dips to see how it works.
12.4 EDIT TOOLS
12.4.1 Edit Tools Overview
Drawing / Analysis tools which have been added to a view can be formatted, moved,
re-sized, edited, deleted, copied, hidden or displayed using the following options:
 Tool Properties
 Visibility
 Move / Re-size
 Copy
 Delete
These options are available in the Sidebar and/or the following mouse-click actions.
 Sidebar
In the Sidebar plot options, Tool visibility can be chosen at any time using the Tools
checkbox (to turn all tools on or off) or sub-checkboxes (to turn individual tool types on or
off).
Tool properties can be configured in the Sidebar when you click the mouse on an
individual tool.
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 Left Click
If you click the left mouse button on a Tool, this will "select" the tool, and you will see
the "control points" highlighted on the tool. While in this mode you can edit as follows:
 Tool Properties - the tool properties (e.g. color, line width) can be customized in the
Sidebar
 Re-size – you can click and drag the control points to re-size the tool (if applicable)
 Move – if you hover the mouse over any part of the Tool, but NOT on a control point,
you will see the four-way arrow cursor, allowing you to click and drag the entire Tool to
a new location
 Delete – you can delete the selected tool by pressing Delete on the keyboard
 Right Click
If you right-click the mouse on a Drawing Tool, you will see a popup menu with
applicable options for the tool.
Standard options for most tools include Copy, Delete, and visibility options.
Additional options are available for specific tools. For example, Edit Text is available
for Text Box tools.
12.4.2 Tool Properties
After you have added drawing or analysis tools to a view, you can edit or customize
the tool properties (e.g. color, line width, visibility) as follows.
1. Click on the tool (e.g. arrow, polyline) with the left mouse button.
2. The tool will be selected, and in the sidebar you will notice the tool properties are now
available to edit.
3. Edit the desired properties (e.g. color, line thickness) and click the mouse anywhere in the
view to save your selections.
The available tool properties will vary depending on the type of tool (e.g. text, polygon,
cone etc.). For example, for text you can edit the color, font, alignment, background color.
For polygons you can edit the line width, line color, fill color and opacity.
 Right Click
If you right-click on a drawing tool, the popup menu will offer various options including
tool visibility settings, see the Tool Visibility topic for more information.
 Default Tool Properties
For each tool type, the default tool colors can be changed at any time in the sidebar
display settings.
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 Tool Visibility
Tool visibility options are available in the sidebar and the right-click menu, see the Tool
Visibility topic for details.
12.4.3 Tool Visibility
Drawing / analysis tool visibility and display priority can be specified using the following
options.
 Show All Tools / Hide All Tools
To quickly show or hide all drawing / analysis tools in the current view, select the Tools
checkbox in the Sidebar Plot Options.
 Show / Hide Individual Tool Types
To show or hide individual drawing tool types in the current view (e.g. all text boxes),
expand the Tools list in the Sidebar Plot Options (select the "+" beside the Tools checkbox),
and select the desired checkboxes (e.g. Text, Polygon, etc.).
 Show in Current View / All Views
When tools are initially added, by default they are displayed on all applicable views if
multiple plot views are open. If you want a drawing tool displayed ONLY in the current view:
 right-click on the tool and select Current View Only from the popup menu, OR
 left-click on the tool and select Show in > Current View from the sidebar tool properties,
OR
 when you initially add a tool, you can select Add to Current View Only from the Tools
menu.
To re-display a tool in all views, click on a tool and turn off the Current View Only
option.
 Send to Back / Bring to Front
If drawing tools overlap, and you wish to display a tool "behind" or "in front of" other
tools, right-click on the tool and select Send to Back or Bring to Front from the popup menu.
 Tool Opacity
For Ellipse, Rectangle and Polygon tools, the opacity of the fill color can be specified in
the Tool Properties. This allows you to define the transparency of the object.
NOTE: the visibility status of drawing tools is saved when you save the file, so you
should keep this in mind if you have hidden tools (i.e. hidden tools will not be visible when
you re-open the file).
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12.4.4 Move / Re-size Tools
Drawing / analysis tools can be interactively moved or re-sized with the mouse, as
follows:
1. Click the left mouse button ONCE on the desired drawing tool.
2. This will "select" the tool, and you will see the "control points" highlighted on the tool.
3. While in this mode, you can move or re-size the tool as described below.
 Move
Place the mouse pointer over any part of the drawing tool. When you see a four-way
arrow cursor, you can click and drag the entire drawing tool to a new location.
 Re-size
Place the mouse pointer over a control point of the drawing tool. When you see a two-
way arrow cursor, you can click and drag the control point to graphically re-size the drawing
tool.
NOTE: some tools cannot be re-sized, only moved (e.g. text box, trend line)
12.4.5 Copy Tool
The Copy Tool option allows you to create a copy of an existing tool, and paste the
copy in the current view or to another file.
 Copy
To create a copy of a drawing tool:
 Right-click on a tool and select Copy from the popup menu, OR

 Left-click on a tool and select Ctrl+C on the keyboard
This will copy the tool to the clipboard.
 Paste
Now you can paste a copy of the tool in the current view, or to any other applicable
view in another Dips file, by selecting Paste from the right-click menu, the Edit menu
or Ctrl+V on the keyboard.
 If you paste the tool copy into the current view, it will exactly overlap the original tool.
To move the copy to another location, click on the tool and drag the copy to another
location in the view.
 To paste the tool copy to another file, first switch to the desired file/view, and select
Paste.
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12.4.6 Delete Tool
Drawing / analysis tools can be deleted as follows.
 Delete Individual Tools
To delete individual tools:
 Right-click on a tool and select Delete from the popup menu, OR

 Left-click on a tool and select Delete on the keyboard
 Delete All Tools
To delete all tools, select Delete All Tools from the Tools menu. This will delete all tools
from all views of the current document.
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XIII. VIEWING AND DISPLAY OPTIONS
13.1 DISPLAY OPTIONS
The Display Settings options in the sidebar allow you to customize the following color
and display options for stereonet, rosette and 3D views:
 Stereonet Options
 Stereonet Colors
 Default Tool Colors
 3D Display Options
Most of these options are also available in the Display Options dialog in the View
menu.
NOTE: Display Settings can be customized on a per view basis, so if multiple plot views
are open, each view can be independently customized.
 Stereonet Options
 The Stereonet Options allow you to choose Equal Angle or Equal Area Projection, Upper
or Lower Hemisphere and other options. See the Stereonet Options topic for more
information.
 Projection - you can choose Equal Angle or Equal Area projection for the stereonet
 Hemisphere - you can choose to view the projection on the Upper or Lower Hemisphere
 Labels - on the stereonet perimeter you can display direction labels NSEW, North,
degrees, or None (no labels)
 Exterior Ticks - show or hide the display of degree measurement ticks on the stereonet
perimeter
 Perimeter Circle - show or hide the perimeter circle of the stereonet
 Center Cross - show or hide the display of a small cross at the center of the stereonet
 Cross Hairs - show or hide the display of cross hair axes on the stereonet
 Tick Spacing - the degree spacing of the exterior ticks on the perimeter
 Outer Grid Width - controls the line width of the perimeter circle and the exterior ticks
 Inner Grid Width - controls the line width of the center cross and cross hairs
 Overlay Width - controls the line width of the stereonet overlay grid
 Legend Scale - controls the display size of the stereonet legend
 3D Display Options
 The 3D Display Options are only available for the 3D Stereosphere view. See the 3D
Stereosphere topic for details.
 Stereonet Colors
 Stereonet – the background color INSIDE the stereonet perimeter. Applies to Pole,
Scatter and Rosette Plots, and Contour Plots only if the Contour mode is Lines.
 Background – the background color OUTSIDE the stereonet perimeter
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 Grid Outer – the color of the stereonet perimeter circle and exterior tick marks
 Grid Inner – the color of the stereonet center cross, cross-hair grid, and rosette circles
 Label Text – the color of the perimeter labels (NSEW direction letters or degrees)
 Overlay – the color of the stereonet grid overlay applied with the Stereonet
Overlay option
 Global Mean – the color of the Global Mean Vector display
 Global Best Fit - the color of the Global Best Fit plane display
 Rosette Labels – the color of the scale numbers on a Rosette Plot.
 Rosette Wedge – the color of the Rosette wedges
 Default Tool Colors
The Default Tool Color options allow you to customize the default colors used for the
following options. The default colors apply only to newly created objects. The color of existing
objects will not change when you change the default.
 Set Windows – the color of the Set Windows created with the Add Set Window option
 User Plane - the color of user-defined planes added with the Add Plane option
 Mean Set Plane - the color of mean planes calculated from Sets
 Variability – the color of Variability Cones displayed with the Edit Sets dialog
 Confidence – the color of Confidence Cones displayed with the Edit Sets dialog
 Arrow – the color of arrows added with the Add Arrow option
 Cone – the color of Cones added with the Add Cone option
 Pitch Grid – the color of Pitch Grids added with the Add Pitch Grid option
 Text – the color of text added with the Add Text option
 Trend Line – the color of Lines added with the Add Trend Line option
 Ellipse - the color of ellipse or circle objects added with the Add Ellipse option
 Line Segment - the color of line segments added with the Add Line option
 Polygon - the color of polygons added with the Add Polygon option
 Polyline - the color of polylines added with the Add Polyline option
 Rectangle - the color of rectangles or squares added with the Add Rectangle option
 Fold Analysis - the color of planes calculated from the Fold Analysis option
 Intersection - the color of planes and points calculated from the Intersection Calculator
option
NOTE:
 After a tool object has been added to a view, the properties of individual objects can be
customized by clicking on the object and changing the color or other properties in the
sidebar.
 the color of ADDED planes (Add Plane option) and MEAN planes (Add Set Window
option) can also be customized in the Edit Planes and Edit Sets dialogs.
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13.2 REPORTING CONVENTION
In Dips, numerical listings of orientation pairs can correspond to either the orientation
of POLES or the PLANES that they represent. The Reporting Convention option in the Edit
menu toggles the format of the orientation coordinates displayed in the Status Bar as follows.
 If the Convention is Trend / Plunge, then the coordinates represent the cursor (pole)
location directly. This can be referred to as Pole Vector format.
 If the Convention is Dip / Dip Direction, Strike (Right) / Dip or Strike (Left) / Dip then the
coordinates represent the PLANE corresponding to the cursor (pole) location. This can
be referred to as Plane Vector format.
NOTE: do not confuse the Convention option with the Global Orientation Format, see
below for details.
The Convention can be changed:
 by selecting Edit > Reporting Convention

 by clicking on the Convention listing in the status bar to the left of the coordinate display
at the bottom right of the screen
 by clicking on the Convention icon in applicable input dialogs (e.g. Add User Plane).
The Convention affects the format of the following data listings in Dips:
 Plane listings in the Major Planes legend.

 Plane listings in the Edit Planes and Edit Sets dialogs.
And the Convention affects the format of orientation data input for the following
options:
 Coordinate entry in the Add Plane dialog.

 Coordinate entry in the Add Set Window dialog.
 Coordinate entry in the Measure Angle dialog.
The Convention does not affect data input for all options. For example, when using
the Add Cone option, the cone axis is always entered in Trend / Plunge format, regardless of
the current Convention. The Plane Vector Convention is only used where it is applicable. The
Convention applies to ALL views in a document. It cannot be changed on a per view basis.
 Reporting Convention vs. Global Orientation Format
Do not confuse the Convention option with the Global Orientation Format of your Dips
data file. The Global Orientation Format determines how Dips interprets and processes your
raw orientation data. The Convention option DOES NOT.
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In Dips, poles are ALWAYS plotted using the Trend and Plunge of the pole vector with
respect to the reference sphere. THE CONVENTION OPTION DOES NOT AFFECT THE PLOTTING
OF DATA, OR THE VALUES IN THE GRID IN ANY WAY!!!
 Saving the Convention
The Reporting Convention is saved on a per file basis. The most recently saved
Convention will automatically become the default for all new Dips files (i.e. the convention in
effect the last time you saved a file, will determine the initial default convention for all new
files).
13.3 ZOOM OPTIONS
Zoom and pan is available for stereonet , rosette and 3D Stereosphere views.
 Zoom In
To Zoom in select the Zoom in toolbar button, or press the F5 function key, or roll
the mouse wheel forward.
 Zoom Out
To Zoom Out select the Zoom Out toolbar button, or press the F4 function key, or
roll the mouse wheel backward.
 Zoom All
To reset the default viewing extents after zooming or panning, select the Zoom
All toolbar button, or press the F2 function key.
 Shift Key Zoom
An alternative zoom option (currently for the 3D view only) is to hold down the Shift key
and the Left mouse button, and move the mouse up or down. This will smoothly zoom in or
out as you move the mouse up or down. This method may be useful for laptop computers.
13.4 PAN
Dips allows you to zoom and pan in stereonet , rosette and 3D plot views.
To pan the view:
 Select the Pan option from the toolbar or press the F10 function key, and pan the
view while holding down the left mouse button, OR
 Hold down the mouse wheel and pan the view (this is the quickest way to pan).
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 Ctrl Key Pan
An alternative pan option (currently for the 3D view only) is to hold down the Ctrl key
and the Left mouse button, and move the mouse to pan. This method may be useful for laptop
computers.
13.5 DATA TIPS
When you hover the mouse cursor over objects on the stereonet, a popup Data Tip can
provide information about the object (for example, plane orientations, set window IDs, cone
angle and orientation, etc.).
This is controlled by the Data Tips option, which is located on the status bar at the lower
right corner of the application window. There are three modes:
 Max Datatips - will display the maximum information available for the object
 Min Datatips -- will display a minimum amount of information (e.g. object type)
 Datatips Off - no data tips will be displayed
To change the Data Tips mode, click on the Data Tips option on the status bar until the
desired mode is displayed.
13.6 STEREONET OPTIONS
The Stereonet Options in the sidebar allow you to configure the following options
related to the display of data on the stereonet:
 Projection
 Hemisphere
 Stereonet Overlay
 and other display options.
The Stereonet Options most commonly used can be saved as the program defaults
using the default display setting buttons in the sidebar.
Most of the Stereonet Options CAN BE CHANGED ON A PER VIEW BASIS, however it is
recommended that the same Stereonet Options be used on all plots for a given document,
unless there is a specific reason for doing otherwise.
13.6.1 Projection
In the Stereonet Options you can choose from two different Projection methods,
which control the way in which pole points and plane traces on the reference sphere are
projected to form the two-dimensional screen image:
 EQUAL ANGLE projection

 EQUAL AREA projection
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It is important to note the following:
1. All of the calculations in Dips take place on the reference sphere and not on the projection,
so the choice of projection method has no effect on computed results. The two Projection
methods are provided only for the customization of the display, since different users may
be more experienced in visually analyzing one type of projection than the other. Each
method has advantages and disadvantages, depending upon the type of analysis being
performed.
2. It is essential that the two projections are never mixed. Decide upon one or the other, and
use that projection for all data presentation and analysis on a project.
13.6.2 Equal Angle Projection
For the EQUAL ANGLE projection method, a line is drawn from the center of the top of
the sphere (the zenith), to a point A on the sphere (a pole or a point on the great circle). The
intersection of this line with a horizontal plane through the center of the sphere, defines the
projection point B.
Equal Angle Projection method
See the Projection Examples topic for a comparison of plots using Equal Angle and
Equal Area projection.
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13.6.3 Equal Area Projection
In the EQUAL AREA method, the bottom of the sphere rests on the projection plane.
The point Aon the sphere is projected down to the plane by swinging this point in an arc
about the contact between the sphere and the plane, giving point B. The resultant projection
is then scaled back to the size of the projection sphere.
Equal Area Projection method
See the Projection Examples topic for a comparison of plots using Equal Angle and
Equal Area projection.
13.6.4 Equal Angle / Equal Area Comparison
EQUAL ANGLE projection preserves the geometry of projected shapes. The area on the
surface of the sphere, represented by a projected region, depends on its location. The
projected area of a given circle increases towards the equator of the projection (see below
for illustration).
EQUAL AREA projection distorts geometrical shapes such as small circles (circles with
centers not coincident with that of the sphere). Nevertheless, a constant area on the
projection represents a constant area on the surface of the sphere, regardless of its location.
This method reduces visual bias in comparisons between data clusters in different parts of
the sphere.
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EQUAL ANGLE projection EQUAL AREA projection
Pole Plot Pole Plot
Contour Plot Contour Plot
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Small Circles, 15° cone angle Small Circles, 15° cone angle
(circles remain circular, but increase in area (circles have equal area, but become elliptical
towards the equator) towards equator)
13.6.5 Hemisphere
In the Stereonet Options the default projection is a LOWER hemisphere projection. For
a horizontal stereonet projection, this means that the plot represents the traces of planes
and poles:
 on the LOWER half of the sphere, as viewed from ABOVE.
An UPPER hemisphere projection can also be used. This displays the traces of planes
and poles:
 on the UPPER half of the sphere, when viewed from ABOVE.
An UPPER hemisphere plot is therefore equivalent to a LOWER hemisphere plot

rotated by 180 degrees. Use whichever plot you prefer, but be consistent or confusion will
result.
13.6.6 Stereonet Overlay
The Stereonet Overlay option allows you to overlay a full stereonet grid (Polar,
Equatorial or Custom axis) on top of Pole, Scatter, Contour or Major Planes plots. Stereonet
Overlay is available in:
 the View menu, OR

 the sidebar plot options (Object Visibility > Stereonet Overlay)
To use Stereonet Overlay (View menu):
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1. Select Stereonet Overlay from the View menu.
2. In the dialog select the Show Grid Overlay checkbox.
3. Select the Style (Polar, Equatorial or Custom). If the overlay is Custom, you will be able to
enter the Trend / Plunge of the overlay axis.
4. Select OK, and the overlay will be drawn on the stereonet. NOTE: the latitude and meridian
lines are at every 10 degrees.
To use Stereonet Overlay from the sidebar:
1. In the sidebar plot options, select Object Visibility > Stereonet Overlay.
2. Select the Style (Polar, Equatorial or Custom).
3. If Custom is selected, a small button will be visible. If you select this button you can
enter the Trend / Plunge of the overlay axis in the dialog.
 Removing the Stereonet Overlay
To remove the Stereonet Overlay, de-select the Stereonet Overlay checkbox (dialog
or sidebar), and the overlay will be removed.
 Stereonet Overlay Color
The Stereonet Overlay color can be modified by the user in the Display
Options dialog or the sidebar, on a per view basis.\
Polar and Equatorial Stereonet Overlays
Custom Stereonet Overlay (Trend / Plunge of Axis = 000 / 45)
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13.7 CONTOUR OPTIONS
The Contour Options dialog contains a variety of options for customizing the display
of contours on the stereonet:
 Contour Data
 Contour Range
 Min Max Colors
 Mode
 Color Method
 Density Calculation
 Interpolation Method
 Contour Presets
Contour Options is available in the View menu or by right-clicking on a Contour Plot.
13.7.1 Contour Data
The data which is contoured on the stereonet is determined by the selection of

the Contour Data in the Contour Options dialog. You may select one of the following data
types to contour:
 Vector Density
 Intersection Density
 Data Column
The Contour Data can also be selected in the Sidebar plot options.
 Vector Density
If Vector Density is selected, then the contours will represent either pole or dip vector
concentrations, according to the selection of the Pole / Dip Vector mode.
See the Vector Contour Plot topic for details.
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 Intersection Density
If Intersection Density is selected, then the contours will represent the concentration
of intersections. See the Intersection Contours topic for details.
 Data Column
If the Data Column option is selected, then you may choose a QUANTITATIVE (i.e.
numeric) data column in your Dips file, and the selected data will be contoured on the
stereonet. See the General Data Contours topic for details.
13.7.2 Contour Range
By default, the contour range is automatically determined.
To customize the contour range:
1. Clear the Automatic Contour Range checkbox in the Contour Options dialog.
2. Enter the desired minimum and maximum values.
3. If necessary, enter the desired number of intervals, to obtain evenly numbered contours.
 Number of Intervals
The default number of contour intervals is 10. You may enter any number between 2
and 50.
Note that the Contour Preset options may have different default numbers of intervals,
suitable to the option.
13.7.3 Contour Mode
There are three Contour Mode options:
 Filled - displays the contours as Filled regions

 Lines - displays the contour lines only
 Filled with Lines - displays both filled regions and lines.
NOTE: if you use the Lines (only) contour Mode you can customize the Stereonet
background color in the Display Options dialog.
13.7.4 Min/Max Contour Colors
The Minimum and Maximum Contour Colors are used when the Color Method option
is HSL or RGB.
The Min Max colors are not used if you are using the Custom Interval Color Method
option.
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13.7.5 Contour Color Method
The Contour Color Method options determine how the contour colors will be
generated.
 The HSL and RGB methods use interpolation to determine the contour colors between
the Minimum and Maximum colors. The interpolation methods are briefly described
below.
 The Custom Interval option allows you to define a custom color for each contour
interval.
 HSL Saturated
Colors are defined in terms of HUE, SATURATION and LUMINANCE components, with
full saturation.
 HSL Acute
Colors are defined in terms of HUE, SATURATION and LUMINANCE components. The
Acute Method interpolates using the Acute angle between the minimum and maximum
colors on the "color wheel".
 HSL Obtuse
Colors are defined in terms of HUE, SATURATION and LUMINANCE components. The
Obtuse Method interpolates using the Obtuse angle between the minimum and maximum
colors on the "color wheel".
 RGB Linear
Colors are defined in terms of RED, GREEN and BLUE components.
 Custom Interval Colors
If you select the Custom Interval Colors option, you will see another dialog which
allows you to define a custom color for each contour interval. The Number of Intervals should
be set equal to the number of custom colors.
13.7.6 Density Calculation
In the Contour Options dialog, the following options are available which control the
way that Dips computes the pole density concentration values for the data:
 Fisher distribution
 Schmidt distribution
 Count Circle
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The Schmidt distribution method provides very quick computation time and, for large
amounts of data, produces concentration values which are very similar to those obtained
with the Fisher method. When the quantity of data is limited, however, the Schmidt
distribution produces very crude contour diagrams and often misleading results, since each
measurement is assumed to be 100 percent accurate and any existing errors are exaggerated
due to lack of data. Therefore, in this case, it is advisable to use the Fisher distribution, since
it tends to suppress any undue influence that a single measurement might have on the data
contained in a limited data set. When you have lots of data, there is little difference between
the plots generated by the two methods, and the Schmidt distribution is faster.
Contour plot using Fisher distribution, 40 Contour plot using Schmidt distribution,
points in data set 40 points in data set
 Fisher Distribution
In the Fisher method each pole is assigned a normal influence or Fisher distribution
over the surface of the sphere, rather than a point value, as in the Schmidt method. The
integrated zone of influence is a bell shaped distribution with a maximum height of 1, and a
basal radius twice that of the counting circle radius. The influence contribution to a grid point
is represented by the height of the influence zone immediately above the grid point. In this
method, the total influence of an individual pole is the same as in the Schmidt method but
its distribution of influence reflects an assumed probability of measurement error. For large
quantities of data, this option will produce similar results to the familiar Schmidt option. The
real strength of the Fisher option is in "smoothing" density plots for sparse data sets.
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Bell dome of influence: maximum height = 1 coincident with pole vector. Base radius =
2 x Schmidt cylinder radius. Total volume of influence function is equal to Schmidt cylinder.
 Schmidt Distribution
The Schmidt distribution is the classical method, in which each pole is assigned a
constant influence value of 1. The integrated zone of influence is a cylinder of constant height
with a radius equal to the radius of the counting circle. A counting grid is superimposed on
the stereonet plane, or in the case of Dips, on the surface of the reference sphere.
Convention dictates the use of a counting circle with an area equivalent to 1% of the lower
hemisphere surface. For each pole plotted, any grid point falling within a circle of arbitrary
constant radius centered on this pole is incremented by the value of the pole. After the
influence of all plotted poles is thus distributed, the density plotted at each grid point is
calculated by dividing the pole count at that grid point by the total pole influence.
Cylinder of influence: Height = 1
 Count Circle
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In the Contour Options dialog, you can customize the Count Circle size used in
the contour calculations.
The generally accepted size for the counting circle used in contour calculations is one
percent of the surface area of the lower reference hemisphere. This is, however, merely
convention and if desired, you may use a different size of counting circle. The allowed range
of counting circle area as a percentage of hemisphere area is 0.5 % to 5.0 %. For meaningful
results, a range limit of 1.0 % to 2.5 % is recommended.
13.7.7 Interpolation Method
The Interpolation Method option in Contour Options only applies if Contour Data =
Data Column (i.e. you are plotting general data on the stereonet rather than vector
densities). The following options are available:
 On Sphere - interpolation is carried out directly on the sphere

 Thin Plate Spline - interpolation is carried out on the 2D stereonet using a Thin Plate
Spline method
 Local Thin Plate Spline - interpolation is carried out on the 2D stereonet using a Local
Thin Plate Spline method
13.7.8 Contour Presets
The Contour Presets option allows you to choose from various pre-defined contour
format settings, or to define your own user-defined settings. The following pre-defined
settings can be selected.
 Default - the default contour options when you install the program
 Hot to Cold – uses a blue to red range of contouring, simulating a "hot to cold" effect.
 Hot Spots – uses a white to red range of contouring, simulating a "hot spot" effect.
 Black to white – uses black to white contouring, and 7 intervals.
When you select a Contour Preset option, the current contour options will be
immediately updated.
 User-Defined Presets
To create a user-defined contour pre-set:
1. Set up the desired contour options in the dialog, and select the Save button.
2. You will be prompted to enter a name for the user-defined preset. Enter a name in the
dialog and select OK.
3. The new user-defined preset will now appear in the drop-list of available pre-sets and can
be selected at any time.
User-defined presets can be deleted by selecting the preset name and selecting
the Delete button.
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 Set as Default
If you wish to define a contour preset as the new program default, first select the
desired preset from the drop-list, and then select the Set as Default button. All new contour
plots will then use the new default settings.
To restore the original Dips contour option settings, choose the Default preset and
select Set as Default.
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XIV. UTILITIES
14.1 JTDist
JTDist is a utility program for creating user-defined synthetic joint sets, and saving the
data as a Dips file.
JTDist can be run by:
 double-clicking on the jtdist.exe program in your Dips installation folder, or

 through the Start menu, select Start > Programs > Rocscience > Dips > Utilities > JTDist
You will see the following dialog, in which you can define:
 up to five distinct joint sets (by entering a mean dip and dip direction, standard
deviation, and joint quantity for each set)
 create a random background of joint data
 apply error to the generated joint set data (normal, uniform, or round off)
After entering the parameters, select Save File in the JTDist dialog. This will generate
the synthetic data and allow you to save it as a Dips file (i.e. a file with a. dip extension readable
by Dips).
A tutorial for the JTDist program is available by selecting the Help button in the JTDist
dialog, and then selecting the Tutorial button. The tutorial is also available by double-clicking
on the jtdisttut.pdf file in your Dips installation folder.
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XV. DIPS TUTORIALS
The Dips Tutorials provide easy to follow, step-by-step instructions, demonstrating how to
quickly learn the basic and more advanced features of the program.
The tutorials are in PDF format, click the links to open the files, which can be printed. To view
a brief summary of each tutorial, click the "view summary" links.
Tutorials (PDF files) Tutorial Summary

01 Quick Start Tutorial view summary
02 Creating a Dips File view summary
03 Sets, Planes, Query Tutorial view summary
04 Kinematic Analysis - Toppling, Planar Sliding, Wedge view summary
Sliding
05 Oriented Core & Rock Mass Classification view summary
06 Joint Spacing, RQD, Frequency view summary
07 Curved Boreholes view summary
08 Quick Start Guide to New Features in Dips 7.0 Curved Boreholes, Joint
Spacing, RQD, Kinematic
Sensitivity, 3D Stereosphere
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DIPS V7 - MANUAL

1.2 WHAT'S NEW IN DIPS VERSION 7.0

There is a new file format for Dips version 7.0.

2.2 STARTING A NEW FILE

This will create a new Grid View with:

the Project Settings parameters.

 Global Orientation Format

the end of the spreadsheet with the Append Row(s) option.

Row(s) and Remove Row(s) options.

Data can be plotted immediately as it is being entered, if you wish.

 Tile the views with the Tile Vertically option.

NOTE THAT PLOTTING DATA AS IT IS BEING ENTERED IS NOT NECESSARILY

2.3 UNDO / REDO

For the 3D Stereosphere view, various 3D display options can be selected.

 Edit Object Properties

 Display Sidebar on Left or Right

2.5 SAVE FILE

2.6 INFO VIEWER

The Info Viewer will always list:

 The Project Settings and Traverse information.

The Info Viewer is available in the toolbar or the Analysis menu.

 Show Tabs for Multiple Windows

 Open Stereonet View for v5 files

 Enter Key Navigation

2.8 CUSTOM KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

1. Select Keyboard Shortcuts from the File menu.

2.9 IMPORT DATA FROM EXCEL

2.9.1 Import from Clipboard

1. In Dips, select File > New to create a new Dips file.

2.9.2 Import Planes / Tools File

The *.dipsvs and *.dwp files may contain:

 ADDED planes (created with the Add Plane option)

3.2 PROJECT SETTINGS

 Global Orientation Format

 DIP / DIP DIRECTION 00;000 (planar feature)

NOTE: The declination is ADDED to all azimuth values, so use:

 a POSITIVE value to correct for EAST declination

e.g. a Declination of –7 indicates a declination of 7 degrees WEST

Example of WEST declination (enter declination as NEGATIVE value)

 Declination for Clinorule Traverse Type

 Declination for Kinematic Analysis Slope Direction

The Units option in Project Settings allows you to

 If Units = Metric, then Distance measurements must be entered in meters.

The Units do not affect orientation data input.

3.2.5 Project Summary

This information can be displayed as follows.

 Traverse Information Dialog

Traverses are used for the following purposes in Dips:

3.3.1 Traverse Information Dialog

 The Traverses option in the Analysis menu or

The following Traverse Types can be defined:

Traverse ID can be any alpha-numeric code, and is used to associate joint

A Traverse ID is used to identify traverses, and must be entered in:

 the Traverse Information dialog

In Dips version 7, the Traverse ID can be any alpha-numeric code.

3.3.3 Data Format / Traverse Format

Traverse Type Data Format Traverse Format

3.3.4 Traverse Type

3.3.4.1 Linear Traverse

 For Traverse L1: Trend = 210 / Plunge = 0

3.3.4.2 Planar Traverse

A Planar traverse is a planar surface on which joint orientation measurements have

 For Traverse P1: Dip = 45 / Dip Direction = 100

3.3.4.3 Linear Borehole (Oriented Core)

The .dipsvs and .dwp files may contain: