Surfer Getting Started Guide

Contouring and 3D
Surface Mapping for
Scientists and
Engineers

Golden Software, Inc.

809 14th Street, Golden, Colorado 80401-1866, U.S.A.
Phone: 303-279-1021 Fax: 303-279-0909
www.goldensoftware.com

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright Golden Software, Inc. 2009
The Surfer program is furnished under a license agreement. The Surfer software
and getting started guide may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of
the agreement. It is against the law to copy the software or getting started guide on
any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. Contents are
subject to change without notice.
Surfer is a registered trademark of Golden Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.

April 2009

Getting Started Guide

Table of Contents
Introduction to Surfer ....................................................................................... 1
Who Uses Surfer?......................................................................................... 2
System Requirements ...................................................................................... 2
Installation Directions ....................................................................................... 2
Updating Surfer ........................................................................................... 3
Uninstalling Surfer........................................................................................ 3
A Note about the Documentation........................................................................ 3
Surfer User Interface ........................................................................................ 4
Changing the Layout ..................................................................................... 5
Three-Minute Tour ........................................................................................ 6
Example Surfer Files ................................................................................. 6
Using Surfer ............................................................................................ 7
Using Scripter .......................................................................................... 8
Example Script Files .................................................................................. 8
Object Manager ........................................................................................... 8
Position ................................................................................................... 8
Object Visibility ........................................................................................ 8
Object Manager Tree ................................................................................. 9
Selecting Objects ...................................................................................... 9
Opening Object Properties ......................................................................... 9
Opening Map Properties ............................................................................. 9
Editing Object IDs..................................................................................... 9
Arranging Objects ..................................................................................... 9
Deleting Objects ....................................................................................... 9
Worksheet Window ...................................................................................... 10
File Types ...................................................................................................... 11
Data Files ...............................................................................................11
Grid Files ................................................................................................ 11
Boundary Files ........................................................................................ 11
Surfer Files ............................................................................................. 11
Gridding ........................................................................................................ 12
Introduction to Grid Files .............................................................................. 12
Grid Menu Commands .................................................................................. 12
Create a Grid File ........................................................................................12
Grid Line Geometry .................................................................................. 12
Gridding Methods .................................................................................... 13
Breaklines .............................................................................................. 16
Faults ....................................................................................................16
Map Layers .................................................................................................... 17
Map Types ..................................................................................................... 18
Base Map ............................................................................................... 18
Contour Map ...........................................................................................18
Post Map ................................................................................................ 18
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Surfer

Classed Post Map..................................................................................... 18

Image Map ............................................................................................. 19
Shaded Relief Map ................................................................................... 19
Vector Map .............................................................................................19
3D Surface Map ....................................................................................... 19
3D Wireframe Map ................................................................................... 19
Tutorial .........................................................................................................20
Lesson 1 - Creating an XYZ Data File ............................................................. 21
Opening an Existing Data File .................................................................... 21
Creating a New Data File ..........................................................................22
Saving the Data File ................................................................................. 22
Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File ...................................................................... 23
Lesson 3 - Creating a Contour Map ................................................................ 25
Opening the Map Properties ...................................................................... 25
Changing Contour Levels .......................................................................... 26
Changing Contour Line Properties .............................................................. 27
Adding Color Fill Between Contour Lines...................................................... 28
Add, Delete, and Move Contour Labels ........................................................ 30
Modifying an Axis .................................................................................... 30
Saving a Map ..........................................................................................32
Exporting 3D Contours ............................................................................. 32
Lesson 4 - Posting Data Points and Working with Map Layers ............................. 33
Adding a Map Layer ................................................................................. 33
Changing the Post Map Properties .............................................................. 34
Selecting a Map Layer and Changing the Object ID ....................................... 34
Selecting Map Layers ............................................................................... 34
Renaming the Map Layers ......................................................................... 35
Adding Labels to the Post Map ................................................................... 35
Move Individual Post Labels ...................................................................... 36
Lesson 5 - Creating a 3D Surface Map ............................................................ 37
Creating a 3D Surface .............................................................................. 37
Adding a Mesh ........................................................................................ 37
Changing Colors ...................................................................................... 38
Adding a Map Layer ................................................................................. 39
Lesson 6 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titles .................................. 40
Creating a Contour Map ............................................................................ 40
Adding Transparency................................................................................ 41
Adding a Shaded Relief Map Layer.............................................................. 41
Adding a Color Scale ................................................................................ 42
Adding a Map Title ................................................................................... 42
Advanced Tutorial Lessons ............................................................................ 42

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Getting Started Guide

Printing the Online Help ...................................................................................43

Printing One Topic ....................................................................................... 43
Printing One Book .......................................................................................43
Printing the Entire Help File .......................................................................... 43
Getting Help................................................................................................... 44
Online Help ................................................................................................ 44
Context-Sensitive Help................................................................................. 44
Internet Resources ...................................................................................... 44
Technical Support ....................................................................................... 45
Contact Information .................................................................................... 45

iii

Surfer

Getting Started Guide

Introduction to Surfer

Welcome to Surfer, a powerful contouring, gridding, and surface mapping program for
scientists, engineers, educators, or anyone who needs to generate maps quickly and
easily.
Surfer is a grid-based mapping program that interpolates irregularly spaced XYZ data
into a regularly spaced grid. Grids may also be imported from other sources, such as
the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The grid is used to produce different
types of maps including contour, vector, image, shaded relief, 3D surface, and 3D
wireframe maps. Maps can be displayed and enhanced in Surfer, allowing you to
produce the map that best represents your data. Adding multiple map layers,
customizing the map display, and annotating maps with text allows you to create
publication quality maps.
An extensive suite of gridding methods is available in Surfer. The variety of available
methods provides different interpretations of your data and allows you to choose the
most appropriate method for your needs. In addition, data metrics allow you to gather
information about your gridded data. Surface area, projected planar area, and
volumetric calculations can be performed quickly in Surfer. Cross sectional profiles
can also be computed and exported.
The grid files themselves can be edited, combined, filtered, sliced, queried, and
mathematically transformed. For example, create an isopach map from two grid files.
An isopach map shows the difference between two surfaces. You will need the original
surface grid file and the surface grid file after a volume of material was removed.
Subtract the two surfaces to create an isopach map. The resulting map displays how
much material has been removed in all areas.
The ScripterTM program, included with Surfer, is useful in creating, editing, and
running script files that automate Surfer procedures. By writing and running script
files, simple mundane tasks or complex system integration tasks can be performed
precisely and repetitively without direct interaction. Surfer also supports ActiveX
Automation using any compatible client, such as Visual BASIC. These two automation
capabilities allow Surfer to be used as a data visualization and map generation postprocessor for any scientific modeling system.
New Features of Surfer 9 are summarized

Online at: www.goldensoftware.com/products/surfer/surfernew.shtml

In the program help file: Help | Contents

Surfer

Who Uses Surfer?

People from many different disciplines use Surfer. Since 1984, over 100,000 scientists
and engineers worldwide have discovered Surfer's power and simplicity. Surfer's
outstanding gridding and contouring capabilities have made Surfer the software of
choice for working with XYZ data. Over the years, Surfer users have included
hydrologists, engineers, geologists, archeologists, oceanographers, biologists,
foresters, geophysicists, medical researchers, climatologists, educators, students, and
more! Anyone wanting to visualize their XYZ data with striking clarity and accuracy will
benefit from Surfer's powerful features!

System Requirements

The minimum system requirements for Surfer are:

Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or higher

512MB RAM minimum for simple data sets, 1GB RAM recommended

At least 100 MB free hard disk space

1024 x 768 or higher monitor resolution with a minimum 16-bit color depth

Installation Directions

Installing Surfer 9 requires logging onto the computer with an account that has
Administrator rights. Golden Software does not recommend installing Surfer 9 over
any previous versions of Surfer (i.e. do not install version 9.01 over version 9.00).
Please ensure that you install Surfer 9 into a new directory, which is the default.
Surfer 9 can co-exist with older versions (i.e. Surfer 8) as long as they are in
different directories.
To install Surfer from a CD:
1. Insert the Surfer CD into the CD-ROM drive. The install program automatically
begins on most computers. If the installation does not begin automatically,
double-click on the AUTORUN.EXE file located on the Surfer CD.
2. Choose Install Surfer from the Surfer Auto Setup dialog to begin the
installation.
To install Surfer from a download:
1. Download Surfer according to the directions you received.
2. Double-click on the downloaded file to begin the installation process.

Getting Started Guide

Updating Surfer
To update Surfer, open the program and select the Help | Check for Update
command. This will launch the Internet Update program which will check Golden
Software's servers for any updates. If there is an update for your version of Surfer
(i.e. Surfer 9.0 to Surfer 9.01), you will be prompted to download the update.

Uninstalling Surfer
Windows 2000 and XP: To uninstall Surfer, go to the Control Panel and double-click
on Add/Remove Programs. Select "Surfer 9" from the list of installed applications.
Click the Remove button to uninstall Surfer.
Vista: To uninstall Surfer when using the Regular Control Panel Home, click the
Uninstall a program link. Select "Surfer 9" from the list of installed applications. Click
the Uninstall button to uninstall Surfer 9.
Vista: To uninstall Surfer when using the Classic View, go to the Control Panel and
double-click on Programs and Features. Select "Surfer 9" from the list of installed
applications. Click the Uninstall button to uninstall Surfer 9.

A Note about the Documentation

The Surfer documentation includes this getting started guide and the online help. Use
the Help | Contents command in the program to access the detailed online help.
Information about each command and feature of Surfer is included in the online help.
In the event the information you need cannot be located in the online help, other
sources of Surfer help include our support forum, FAQs, knowledge base, and
contacting our technical support engineers.
If you prefer printed documentation, you may print the online help in part or in full.
See the Printing the Online Help section for more information.
Various font styles are used throughout the Surfer documentation. Bold text indicates
menu commands, dialog names, window names, and page names. Italic text indicates
items within a dialog such as group box names, options, and field names. For
example, the Save As dialog contains a Save as type drop-down list. Bold and italic
text occasionally may be used for emphasis.
In addition, menu commands appear as File | Open. This means, "click on the File
menu at the top of the Surfer window, then click on the Open command within the
File menu list." The first word is always the menu name, followed by the commands
within the menu list.

Surfer

Surfer User Interface

Surfer contains three document window types: the plot window, worksheet window,
and grid node editor window. Maps are displayed and created in the plot window. The
worksheet window displays, edits, transforms, and saves data in a tabular format. The
grid node editor window displays and edits Z values for the selected grid. The Surfer
user interface layout consists of the title bar, menu bar, tabbed windows, toolbars,
object manager, and status bar.
Tabbed Windows:
Plot, Worksheet, and
Title Bar
Toolbars
Grid Node Editor
Menu Bar

Object
Manager
4

Status Bar

Plot
Window

This is the Surfer window with the Object Manager on the left and
the plot window and worksheet window tabbed on the right.

Getting Started Guide

The following table summarizes the function of each component of the Surfer layout.
Component Name

Component Function

Title Bar

The title bar lists the program name plus the saved Surfer
[.SRF] file name (if any). An asterisk after the file name
indicates the file has been modified.

Menu Bar

The menu bar contains the commands used to run Surfer.

Tabbed Windows

Surfer 9 supports tabbed windows. Multiple plot windows,

worksheet windows, and grid node editor windows can be
tabbed.

Toolbars

The toolbars contain Surfer tool buttons, which are

shortcuts to menu commands. Move the cursor over each
button to display a tool tip describing the command.
Toolbars can be customized with the Tools | Customize
command. Toolbars can be docked or floating.

Status Bar

The status bar displays information about the current

command or activity in Surfer. The status bar is divided
into five sections. The sections display basic plot
commands and descriptions, the name of the selected
object, the cursor map coordinates, the cursor page
coordinates, and the dimensions of the selected object.
The status bar also indicates the progress of a procedure,
such as gridding. The percent of completion and time
remaining will be displayed.

Object Manager

The Object Manager contains a hierarchical list of all the

objects in a Surfer plot document displayed in a tree
view. The objects can be selected, added, arranged, and
edited. Changes made in the Object Manager are
reflected in the plot document, and vice versa. The Object
Manager is initially docked at the left side of the window,
giving the window a split appearance; however, it can be
dragged and placed anywhere on the screen.

Changing the Layout

The windows, toolbars, and menu bar display in a docked view by default; however,
they can also be displayed as floating windows. The visibility, size, and position of
each item may also be changed. Refer to the Changing the Layout topic in the online
help for more information on layout options.

Surfer

Three-Minute Tour
We have included several example files so that you can quickly see some of Surfer's
capabilities. Only a few example files are discussed here, and these examples do not
include all of Surfer's many map types and features. The Object Manager is a good
source of information as to what is included in each file.

Example Surfer Files

To see the example Surfer files:
1. Open Surfer.
2. Choose the File | Open command and click on a [*.SRF] file located in the
SAMPLES folder. By default, the Surfer installation folder is located in C:\Program
Files\Golden Software\Surfer 9\Samples.

Map Layers.SRF
The map layers sample file contains a map
with multiple map layers. The contour map
has partially transparent color fill to allow
the ability to see through to the shaded
relief map layer beneath it. The base map
layer contains two polygons that define an
area of interest on the map. The properties
of each polygon can be adjusted
individually. A color scale for the contour
fill values was added to the map.

Stacked Maps.SRF
The stacked maps sample file
contains two maps: a contour map
and a 3D surface map. The two maps
were created from the same grid file.
Both maps have a custom view with
a 30 tilt, 30 field of view, 300
rotation, and an orthographic
projection. The maps were stacked to
align the two maps horizontally on
the page. The polylines were drawn
to create a custom display.

Getting Started Guide

Using Surfer
The general steps to progress from a XYZ data set to a finished, grid-based map are
as follows:
1. Create a XYZ data file. This file can be created in a Surfer worksheet window or
outside of Surfer (using an ASCII text editor or Excel, for example).
2. Create a grid file [.GRD] from the XYZ
data file using the Grid | Data
command.
3. To create a map, use the Map | New
command, select a map type, and use
the grid file from step two. Grid-based
maps include contour, image, shaded
relief, vector, 3D wireframe, and 3D
surface maps.
4. Double-click the map to open the map
properties dialog and customize your
map as needed.
5. Use the File | Save command to save
the project as a Surfer file [.SRF] that
contains all of the information needed
The XYZ data can be created in
to recreate the map, including the data
the Surfer worksheet.
file.

Gridding interpolates a Z value at the

intersection of each row and column in
the grid file, thereby filling holes in the
data. Here the rows and columns are
represented by grid lines.

The post map layer shows the original

data points. The contour map layer
shows the grid-based contour map.

Surfer

Using Scripter
Tasks can be automated in Surfer using Golden Softwares Scripter program or any
ActiveX Automation-compatible client, such as Visual BASIC. A script is a text file
containing a series of instructions for execution when the script is run. Scripter can
be used to perform almost any task in Surfer. You can do practically everything with a
script that you can do manually with the mouse or from your keyboard. Scripts are
useful for automating repetitive tasks and consolidating a sequence of steps. Scripter
is installed in the same location as Surfer. Refer to the Surfer Automation help book
in the online help for more information about Scripter. We have included several
example scripts so that you can quickly see some of Scripter's capabilities.

Example Script Files

To run a sample script:
1. Open Scripter by navigating to the installation folder, C:\Program Files\Golden
Software\Surfer 9\Scripter. Double-click on the Scripter.EXE application file.
2. Choose the File | Open command and select a sample script file [.BAS] in the
C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 9\Samples\SCRIPTS folder.
3. Use the Script | Run command and the script is executed.

Object Manager
The Object Manager allows access to all objects in the plot window. The Object
Manager contains a hierarchical list of the objects in a Surfer plot document. Objects
can be edited, arranged, and removed through the Object Manager.

Position
The Object Manager can be docked, floating, or minimized with
Auto Hide. To hide the manager, click on the

button in the

button
upper right corner of the Object Manager. Click the
to return the manager to docked mode. Drag the Object
Manager title bar to a new location to display as a floating
window or dock in a new location with the docking mechanism.
You can also double-click the Object Manager title bar to
toggle between floating and docked modes. You can drag the
sides of a floating window to change the window size.

The docking
mechanism has
docking indicators.

Object Visibility
Each item in the list consists of an icon indicating the object type, a text label for the
object, and a check box. A checked box indicates that the object is visible. An empty
box indicates that the object is not visible. Click the check box to the left of an object
icon to change its visibility status. Invisible objects do not appear in the plot window
or on printed or exported output.
8

Getting Started Guide

Object Manager Tree

If an object contains sub-objects, a plus (+) or minus (-) displays to the left of the
object name. Click on the + or - button to expand or collapse the list. For example, a
Map object contains a map layer (i.e. Contours) plus axes.

Selecting Objects
Click on the object name to select an object. The
selection handles in the plot window change to indicate
the selected item. The status bar displays the name of
the selected object.

Opening Object Properties

Double-click on the object name to display its
properties. Each map object has a specific set of
properties.

Opening Map Properties

Double-click on the Map object to display the Map
Properties dialog. The View, Scale, Limits, and
Frame properties are displayed.

The Object Manager

contains a hierarchical list
of the objects in the
Surfer plot window.

Editing Object IDs

Select the object and then click again on the selected item text (two slow clicks) to
edit the text associated with an object or map. You must allow enough time between
the two clicks so it is not interpreted as a double-click. Enter the new name into the
box. Alternatively, you can right-click on an object name and select Object ID, or
select an object and use the Edit | Object ID command to rename the object.

Arranging Objects
To change the display order of the objects with the mouse, select an object and drag it
to a new position in the list above or below an object at the same level in the tree. The
cursor changes to a black arrow if the object can be moved to the cursor location or a
red circle with a diagonal line if the object cannot be moved to the indicated location.
Objects can also be arranged using the Arrange | Order Objects menu commands or
by right-clicking on an object and selecting Order Objects.

Deleting Objects
To delete an object, select the object and press the DELETE key. Alternatively, you can
right-click on an object and select Delete.

Surfer

Worksheet Window
The components of the worksheet window are displayed below.
Worksheet Name

Active Cell Edit Box

Active Cell
Location

Column
Letters

Select Entire
Worksheet
Button

Active Cell
Row Numbers

The components of a worksheet window

shown above are shown above.

Component Name

Component Function

Column Letters

The column letters identify a column of the worksheet.

Row Numbers

The row numbers identify a row of the worksheet.

Active Cell

The cell highlighted with a bold outline. The active cell

receives data input (numeric values or text strings) from the
keyboard. Only one cell is active at a time.

Active Cell Location

The location of the active cell is indicated with the column

letter and row number (i.e. B2).

Active Cell Edit Box

The box displaying the data or text contained in the active

cell. Data typed into an empty cell appears in both the edit
box and the active cell.

Worksheet Name

The name of the data file displayed in the worksheet or the

worksheet number prior to saving.

Select Entire
Worksheet Button

10

The button used to select all cells in the worksheet.

Getting Started Guide

File Types

Surfer uses four basic file types: data, grid, boundary, and Surfer files [.SRF].

Data Files
Data files contain the input data provided by the user. Data files are used to produce
grid files, post data points on a map, or generate a residuals log. These files are
generally referred to as "XYZ data files" or "data files" throughout the documentation.
Data can be read from various file types. Most data files contain numeric XY location
coordinates as well as optional numeric Z values. The Z values contain the variable to
be modeled, such as elevation, concentration, rainfall, or similar types of values.
XYZ data files contain the raw data Surfer interprets to produce a grid file. Before you
can create a grid file in Surfer, you must create an XYZ data file. XYZ data files must
be organized in column and row format. Surfer requires the X, Y, and Z data to be in
three separate columns. Surfer can read data that is in a projection. Data can be
projected in the worksheet. When using Latitude (Y) and Longitude (X) values, the
data must be in decimal degrees.

Grid Files
Grid files are used to produce several different types of grid-based maps, to perform
grid calculations, and to carry out grid operations. Grid files contain a regularly spaced
rectangular array of Z data organized in columns and rows. Grid files can be created in
Surfer using the Grid | Data command or can be imported from a wide variety of
sources.

Boundary Files
Boundary files contain XY location data such as state boundaries, rivers, or point
locations. Boundary files are used to layer a base map on another map, or to specify
the boundary limits for blanking, faults, breaklines, or slice calculations. Boundary files
can be created from a wide variety of vector formats.

Surfer Files
Surfer files [.SRF] preserve all the objects and object settings contained in a plot
window.

11

Surfer

Gridding

A grid is a rectangular region comprised of evenly spaced rows and columns. The
intersection of a row and column is called a grid node. Rows contain grid nodes with
the same Y coordinate. Columns contain grid nodes with the same X coordinate.
Gridding is the process of taking irregularly spaced XYZ data and generating a Z value
at each grid node by interpolating or extrapolating the data values. Surfer has several
different gridding methods. These gridding methods define the way in which the XYZ
data are interpolated when producing a grid file.

Introduction to Grid Files

Contour maps, image maps, shaded relief maps, vector maps, 3D surface maps, and
3D wireframe maps all require grids in Surfer. The Grid | Data command provides
you with several methods for generating a grid file from your XYZ data. Surfer can
also use a variety of other grid files directly. For a list of these, please refer to the
online help. This means that you do not have to go through the gridding process if
you already have a USGS [.DEM], GTopo30 [.HDR], SDTS [.DDF], DTED [.DT*], or
[.HDR] file, for example.

Grid Menu Commands

There are many ways to manipulate grid files in Surfer. The Grid menu contains
several utilities used to blank, convert, create, extract, filter, mosaic, slice, smooth,
and transform grid files. In addition, volume calculations, variogram generation,
calculus operations, cross section creation, and residual calculations can be performed
using these utilities.

Create a Grid File

Gridding options are selected in the Grid Data dialog, which is accessed through the
Grid | Data command. When you select a gridding method in this dialog, you can
specify the parameters for the particular method by clicking on the Advanced Options
button.

Grid Line Geometry

The grid line geometry is set in the Grid Data dialog. Grid line geometry defines the
grid limits and grid density. Grid limits are the Minimum and Maximum X and Y
coordinates for the grid. Grid density is usually defined by the number of columns and
rows in the grid. The # of Lines in the X Direction is the number of grid columns, and
the # of Lines in the Y Direction is the number of grid rows. By defining the grid limits
and the number of rows and columns, the Spacing values are automatically
determined as the distance in data units between adjacent rows and adjacent
columns.
12

Getting Started Guide

In the Grid Data dialog, the Grid Line Geometry group allows you to specify
the grid limits and the grid density by entering the appropriate values.

Surfer computes the minimum and maximum X and Y values from the XYZ data file.
These values are used as the default minimum and maximum coordinates for the grid.
The direction that covers the greater extent (the greater number of data units) is
assigned 100 grid lines by default. The number of grid lines in the other direction is
computed so that the grid line spacing in the two directions are as close to one
another as possible.

Gridding Methods
Gridding methods produce a regularly spaced, rectangular array of Z values from
irregularly spaced XYZ data. The term "irregularly spaced" means that the points
follow no particular pattern over the extent of the map, so there are many "holes"
where data are missing. Gridding fills in these holes by extrapolating or interpolating Z
values at those locations where no data exists.
The differences between gridding methods are in the mathematical algorithms used to
compute the weights during grid node interpolation. Each method can result in a
different representation of your data. It is advantageous to test each method with a
typical data set to determine the gridding method that provides you with the most
satisfying interpretation of your data.
The grid method comparison on the next page uses the sample file DEMOGRID.GRD.
Refer to the Gridding Method Comparison topic in the online help for more information
about this gridding comparison.

13

Surfer

This is a comparison of the different gridding methods. For these examples, the same file,
DEMOGRID.DAT, was used. All the defaults for the various methods were accepted. This
data set contains 47 data points, irregularly spaced over the extent of the map. The data
point locations are indicated on a post map layer (solid circle symbols on the maps).

14

Getting Started Guide

This is a comparison of the different gridding methods. For these examples, the same file,
DEMOGRID.DAT, was used. All the defaults for the various methods were accepted. This
data set contains 47 data points, irregularly spaced over the extent of the map. The data
point locations are indicated on a post map layer (solid circle symbols on the maps).

15

Surfer

Breaklines
A breakline is a three-dimensional boundary file [.BLN] that defines a line with X, Y,
and Z values at each vertex. When the gridding algorithm sees a breakline, it
calculates the Z value of the nearest point along the breakline, and uses that value in
combination with nearby data points to calculate the grid node value. Surfer uses
linear interpolation to determine the values between breakline vertices when gridding.
Unlike faults, breaklines are not barriers to information flow, and the gridding
algorithm can cross the breakline to use a point on the other side of the breakline. If a
point lies on the breakline, the value of the breakline takes precedence over the point.
Breakline applications include defining streamlines, ridges, and other breaks in the
slope.
The following gridding methods support breaklines: Inverse Distance to a Power,
Kriging, Minimum Curvature, Nearest Neighbor, Radial Basis Function, Moving
Average, Data Metrics, and Local Polynomial.

Faults
In Surfer, a fault is a two-dimensional boundary file [.BLN] that defines a line acting
as a barrier to information flow when gridding. When gridding a data set, data on one
side of a fault is not used when calculating grid node values on the other side of the
fault.
If the fault line is a closed polygon, the gridding algorithm will grid the data on the
side of the polygon where the data is located. If the fault line is not a closed polygon,
the gridding algorithm can search around the end of the fault to see a point on the
other side of the fault, but this longer distance reduces the weight of the point in
interpolating the grid node value. If a point lies directly on the fault line, random
round-off error determines which side of the fault captures the point.
The following gridding methods support faults: Inverse Distance to a Power, Minimum
Curvature, Nearest Neighbor, and Data Metrics.

All three maps used the Minimum Curvature gridding method.

16

Getting Started Guide

Map Layers

It is possible to combine several maps created from related data to create one map
object with multiple layers. You can add any combination of contour, base, post,
image, shaded relief, vector, or 3D surface maps. You can add any combination of
contour, base, post, and vector maps with 3D wireframe maps.
Map layers use a single set of X, Y, and Z axes and the maps are positioned according
to the composite coordinate system. If two or more maps use the same map limits,
they will overlay on top of one another. If maps cover adjacent areas, adding a map
layer places the two maps in the correct position relative to one another and creates a
single set of axes that span the entire range. Layered maps become a single object
and are moved and scaled as a single entity. The opacity value of each layer can be
adjusted to make a layer transparent or semi-transparent.
The Map | Add command allows you to add a map layer to the selected map. Most
combinations of map types can be layered. The combinations of map types that cannot
be layered include layering a 3D wireframe and 3D surface map, layering multiple 3D
wireframe maps, and adding a raster map layer to a 3D wireframe. Raster maps
include shaded relief maps, image maps, 3D surfaces, and base maps containing an
image.
Refer to the Introduction to Map Layers topic in the online help for additional
information about map layers.

This map has three map layers that

share coordinate limits and axes. The
base map layer displays the state
boundary. The post map layer
displays some city locations. The
contour map layer displays the
distribution of a Z value.

17

Surfer

Map Types

Several different map types can be created, modified, and displayed with Surfer.
These map types include base, contour, post, classed post, image, shaded relief,
vector, 3D surface, and 3D wireframe maps.

Base Map
Base maps display boundaries on a map. Boundaries can
be areas, curves, points, and text. Base maps can be used
with other maps to show features such as roads, buildings,
streams, city locations, areas of no data, and so on. You
can overlay base maps by using Surfer layers. Base maps
can be produced from several file formats. Individual base
map object properties can be edited.

Contour Map
Contour maps are two-dimensional representations of
three-dimensional data. Contours define lines of equal Z
values across the map extents. The shape of the surface is
shown by the contour lines. Contour maps can display the
contour lines and colors or patterns between the contour
lines.

Post Map
Post maps and classed post maps show data locations on a
map. You can customize the symbols and text associated
with each data location on the map.

Classed Post Map

Classed post maps allow you to specify classes and change
symbol properties for each class. Classes can be saved and
loaded for future maps.

18

Getting Started Guide

Image Map
Image maps are raster images based on grid files. Image
maps assign colors based on Z values from a grid file.
Blanked regions on the image map are shown as a separate
color or as a transparent fill. Pixels can be interpolated to
create a smooth image.

Shaded Relief Map

Shaded relief maps are raster images based on grid files.
Shaded relief maps assign colors based on slope orientation
relative to a light source. Surfer determines the orientation
of each grid cell and calculates reflectance of a point light
source on the grid surface. The light source can be thought
of as the sun shining on a topographic surface.

Vector Map
Vector maps display direction and magnitude data using
individually oriented arrows. For example, at any grid node
on the map, the arrow points in the direction of the
steepest descent ("downhill") and the arrow length is
proportional to the slope magnitude. Vector maps can be
created using the information in one grid file (i.e. a
numerically computed gradient) or two different grid files
(i.e. each grid giving a component of the vectors).

3D Surface Map
3D surface maps are color three-dimensional
representations of a grid file. The colors, lighting,
overlays, and mesh can be altered on a surface.
Multiple 3D surface maps can be layered to create
a block diagram.

3D Wireframe Map
3D wireframe maps are three-dimensional
representations of a grid file. Wireframes are
created by connecting Z values along lines of
constant X and Y.
19

Surfer

Tutorial

The tutorial is designed to introduce you to some of Surfer's basic features. After you
have completed the tutorial, you should be able to begin to use Surfer with your own
data. We strongly encourage completion of the tutorial before proceeding with Surfer.
The tutorial should take less than an hour to complete. The tutorial can be accessed in
the program using the Help | Tutorial command.

Tutorial Lesson Overview

The following is an overview of lessons included in the tutorial.

Lesson 1 - Creating an XYZ Data File shows you how to import a data file and
how to create a new data file.
Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File shows you how to create a grid file, the basis for
most map types in Surfer.
Lesson 3 - Creating a Contour Map shows you how to create a contour map
and change the contour map properties.
Lesson 4 - Posting Data Points and Working with Layers shows you how to
add a post map layer to display data points to the contour map. Both maps will
share the same axes, limits, and scaling.
Lesson 5 - Creating a 3D Surface Map shows you how to create a 3D surface
map and change the surface map properties.
Lesson 6 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titles shows you how to
add transparency, color scales, and titles to maps.

The lessons should be completed in order; however, they do not need to be completed
in one session.
Advanced lessons are available in the online help in the program (Help | Tutorial).
The advanced lessons are optional, but encouraged.

Starting Surfer
To begin a Surfer session:
1. Navigate to the installation folder, C:\Program Files\Golden Software\Surfer 9 by
default.
2. Double-click on the Surfer.EXE application file.
Surfer starts with a new empty plot window. This is the work area where you can
produce grid files, maps, and modify grids. If this is the first time that you have
opened Surfer, you will be prompted for your serial number. Your serial number is
located on the inside front cover of this getting started guide, or in the email download
instructions, depending on how you purchased Surfer.
20

Getting Started Guide

Lesson 1 - Creating an XYZ Data File

An XYZ data file is a file containing at least three columns of data values. The first two
columns are the X and Y coordinates for the data points. The third column is the Z
value assigned to the XY point. Although it is not required, entering the X coordinate in
column A, the Y coordinate in column B, and the Z value in column C is a good idea.
Surfer looks for these coordinates in these columns by default.

When a data file is displayed, the name of the file is shown in

the title bar and in the worksheet tab. In this file, row 1 contains
descriptive information about each column of data.

Opening an Existing Data File

To look at an example of an XYZ data file, you can open TUTORWS.DAT into a
worksheet window:
1.
2.
3.

Choose the File | Open command, or click the

button to select the XYZ data
file to display in the worksheet window.
Double-click on the SAMPLES folder. In the list of files, click TUTORWS.DAT and
then click the Open button to display the file in the worksheet window.
Notice that the X coordinate (Easting) is in column A, the Y coordinate (Northing)
is in column B, and the Z value (Elevation) is in column C. Although it is not
required, the header text (the text in row 1) is helpful in identifying the type of
data in the column, and this information is used in dialogs when selecting
worksheet columns.

21

Surfer

Creating a New Data File

The Surfer worksheet can also be used to create a data file.
To open a worksheet window and begin entering data:
1.
2.

3.

4.
5.
6.

button. A new
Choose the File | New | Worksheet command, or click the
empty worksheet window is displayed.
The active cell is selected by clicking on the cell or by using the arrow keys to
move between cells. The active cell is indicated by a heavy border and the
contents of the active cell are displayed in the active cell edit box. The active cell
location box shows the location of the active cell in the worksheet. Letters are the
column labels and numbers are the row labels.
When a cell is active, enter a value or text, and the information is displayed in
both the active cell and the active
cell edit box.
The BACKSPACE and DELETE keys
can be used to edit data as you type.
Press the ENTER key and the
information is entered into the cell.
To preserve the typed data in the
active cell, move to a new cell. Move
to a new cell by clicking a new cell
with the cursor, pressing one of the
arrow keys, or pressing ENTER.

Saving the Data File

The active cell has a heavy border. The cell B2

is the active cell in this example.

When you have completed entering all of the data:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

button. The Save As dialog is

Choose the File | Save command, or click the
displayed if you have not previously saved the data file.
In the Save as type list, choose the DAT Data (*.DAT) option.
Type the name of the file in the File name box.
Click the Save button and a Data Export Options dialog opens.
Accept the defaults in the Data Export Options dialog by clicking the OK button.

The file is saved in the Golden Software Data [.DAT] format with the file name you
specified. The name of the data file appears at the top of the worksheet window and
on the worksheet tab.

22

Getting Started Guide

Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File

Grid files are required to produce a grid-based map. Grid-based maps include contour
maps, image maps, shaded relief maps, 1-grid vector maps, 2-grid vector maps, 3D
surfaces, and 3D wireframes. Grid files are created using the Grid | Data command.
The Grid | Data command requires data in three columns, one column containing X
data, one column containing Y data, and one column containing Z data. We have
included a sample XYZ data file (TUTORWS.DAT) with Surfer for you to see how to
produce a grid file. After completing the tutorial, if you need to produce an XYZ data
file of your data for your work, see Lesson 1 - Creating an XYZ Data File.
To produce a grid file from TUTORWS.DAT:
1. If you have the worksheet window open, click on the Window menu and choose
Plot1. Alternatively, you can create a new plot window with the File | New | Plot
command.
2. In the plot window, choose the Grid | Data command.
3. In the Open Data dialog, click the file TUTORWS.DAT (located in Surfer's
SAMPLES folder). The name appears in the File name box below the list of data
files. If the data file is already open, it will appear in the list of Open worksheets at
the bottom of the Open Data dialog. You can click on the data file in this section
as an alternative to locating the SAMPLES folder.
4. Once the file is selected and appears in the File name box, click the Open button
and the Grid Data dialog is displayed.
5. The Grid Data dialog allows you to control the gridding parameters. Take a
moment to look over the various options in the dialog. Do not make changes at
this time, as the default parameters create an acceptable grid file.

23

Surfer

Use the Grid Data dialog to set gridding preferences and create a grid file.

The Data Columns group is used to specify the columns containing the X and Y
coordinates, and the Z values in the data file.

The Filter Data button is used to filter your data set.

The View Data button is used to see a worksheet preview of your data.

The Statistics button is used to open a statistics report for your data.

The Gridding Method group is used to specify the interpolation gridding

method and advanced options.

The Advanced Options button is used to specify advanced settings for the
selected gridding method.

The Output Grid File group is used to specify the path and file name for the
grid file.

The Grid Line Geometry group is used to specify the XY grid limits, grid
spacing, and number of grid lines (also referred to as rows and columns) in
the grid file.

The Grid Report option is used to specify whether to create a statistical report
for the data.

The Cross Validate button is used to assess the quality of the gridding method.
Click the OK button. In the status bar at the bottom of the window, a display
indicates the progress of the gridding procedure. By accepting the defaults, the

6.
24

Getting Started Guide

grid file uses the same path and file name as the data file, but the grid file has a
[.GRD] extension.
7. By default, a Surfer dialog appears after gridding the data with the full path name
of the grid file that was created. Click the OK button in the Surfer dialog.
8. If Grid Report was checked in the Grid Data dialog, a report is displayed. You can
minimize or close this report.

Lesson 3 - Creating a Contour Map

The Map | New | Contour Map command creates a contour map based on a grid file.
To create a contour map of the TUTORWS.GRD file created in the previous lesson:
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.

Choose the Map | New | Contour Map command, or click the

button.
The Open Grid dialog is displayed. The grid file you created in lesson 2
(TUTORWS.GRD) should appear in the File name box. If the file does not appear in
the File name box, select it from the file list.
Click the Open button to create a contour map.
The map is created using the default contour map properties.
If you want the contour map to fill the window, choose the View | Fit to Window
command. Alternatively, if you have a wheel mouse, roll the wheel forward to
zoom in on the contour map. Push and hold the wheel button straight down while
you move the mouse to pan around the screen.

Opening the Map Properties

After creating a map, you can change the map properties. The object properties are
accessed:

by selecting the Edit | Properties command when the object is selected,

by double-clicking on the object in the plot window or in the Object Manager,

or by right-clicking on an object in the plot window or in the Object Manager and

selecting Properties.

Double-click the "Map" object to

open the map properties dialog.

Double-click the "Contours"

object to open the contour
map properties dialog.

25

Surfer

Changing Contour Levels

After you create a contour map, you can easily modify any of the map features. For
example, you might want to change the contour levels displayed on the map.
To change the contour levels of the map you just created:
1. Place the cursor inside the limits of the contour map and double-click to open the
contour map properties dialog.
2. In the contour map properties dialog, click the Levels tab to display the contour
levels and contour line properties for the map. In this example, the contour levels
begin at Z = 20. Click on the scroll bar at the right to scroll to the bottom. You can
see that the maximum contour level is Z = 105 for this map and that the contour
interval is five.

Go to the Levels page to display the contour level properties.

3.

4.

5.
26

To change the contour range and interval, click the Level button and the Contour
Levels dialog is displayed. This shows the Minimum and Maximum contour level
for the map, the contour Interval, and the Data Limits of the grid file.
Double-click in the Interval box and type the value 10. Click the OK button and the
Levels page is updated to reflect the change. The contour interval for the map is
now 10. The minimum contour level is Z = 20, and the maximum contour level is
Z = 100.
Click the OK button in the contour map properties dialog and the map is redrawn
with the new contour levels.

Getting Started Guide

Open the Contour Levels dialog by clicking

on the Level button on the Levels page.

Changing Contour Line Properties

You can double-click any of the elements in the list on the Levels page to modify the
individual element. For example, you can double-click an individual Z value in the list
to change the Z value for that particular contour level. You can also double-click the
line style for an individual level to modify the line properties for the selected level. This
provides a way to emphasize individual contour levels on the map.
To change contour line properties:
1. Double-click the contour map to open the map properties.
2. On the Levels page, double-click the line sample for the contour level at Z = 70 to
open the Line Properties dialog.
3. You can select the line Color, Style, Width, or Opacity for the selected line in the
Line Properties dialog. In the Width box, click the up arrow, and change the
width value to 0.050 in. (A width of 0.000 in is equivalent to one pixel width.)
4. Click the OK button in the Line Properties dialog and the Levels page is updated
to reflect the change.
5. Click the OK button in the map properties dialog and the map is redrawn. The
contour line at Z = 70 is drawn with a thicker line.

27

Surfer

Alternatively, you can click on the column header buttons to make bulk changes at
regular intervals or to the entire contour map. This provides a way to emphasize
contours at a regular interval, such as an index contour where every fifth line is bold.

Click on the Line column header button to open the Line dialog.
Use the Line dialog to set the properties of multiple lines at once.
This example creates an index contour, skipping four lines.

Adding Color Fill Between Contour Lines

Color fill can be assigned to individual levels in the same way as line properties.
Alternatively, you can assign colors based on a gradational spectrum between two
colors, or select one of the preset color spectrums.
The Levels page in the contour map properties dialog shows a correspondence
between a level (the values under the Level button) and a color (the values under the
Fill button). The colors are used to fill in the space between the corresponding level
and the next higher level. For example, if the contour levels are 20, 30, 40, etc., then
the color corresponding to level 20 is used to fill in the space between the level 20
contour and the level 30 contour.
To display color fill:
1. Double-click on the contour map to open the contour map properties dialog.
2. On the General page, click the Fill Contours check box. Click the Apply button to
see the default grayscale color fill between contours.

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Getting Started Guide

To change the color of the fill:

1. In the contour map properties dialog, on the Levels page, click the Fill button to
open the Fill dialog.
2. In the Fill dialog, click the Foreground Color button to open the Colormap dialog.
This dialog allows you to select colors to assign to specific Z values.
3.

Click on the left node

below the color spectrum, click on the color Blue in the
color palette. The color spectrum now ranges from Blue to White. Alternatively,
you could select a color spectrum from the Presets drop-down list, or by clicking
the Load button.

To change the color spectrum, click the left node and then select a color
from the color palette, select a color spectrum from the Presets
drop-down list, or load a [.CLR] by clicking the Load button.

4.
5.
6.

Click the OK button to return to the Fill dialog. The Foreground Color button is
now displayed as a gradation from blue to white.
Click the OK button to return to the Levels page.
Click the OK button and the contour map is drawn with the new fill.

29

Surfer

Add, Delete, and Move Contour Labels

Contour label locations can be changed on an individual basis. Labels can be added,
deleted, or moved.
To add, delete, and move contour labels:
1. Select the contour map and choose the Map | Edit Contour Labels command, or
right-click on the contour map and select Edit Contour Labels. The cursor
2.

3.

4.

5.
6.

changes to a black arrowhead

to indicate that you are in edit mode.
To delete a label, click on the label and press the DELETE key on the keyboard. For
example, click on the far left 70 label and then click the DELETE key on your
keyboard.
To add a label, press and hold the CTRL key on the keyboard and left-click the
location on the contour line where you want the new label located. The cursor
changes to a black arrowhead with a plus sign
to indicate you are able to add a
new label. Add a 60 contour label to the lower left portion of the map.
To move a contour label, left-click on the label, hold down the left mouse button,
and drag the label. Release the left mouse button to complete the label move.
Move the 70 contour label on the right portion of the map to the north.
To duplicate a label, hold the CTRL key on the keyboard while holding the left
mouse button and drag the label to a new location.
To exit the Edit Contour Labels mode, press the ESC key.

Modifying an Axis
Every contour map is created with four map axes: the bottom, right, top, and left
axes. You can control the display of each axis independently of the other axes on the
map. In this example, we will change the contour spacing and add an axis label. 3D
maps have an additional Z axis. Additional X, Y, or Z axes can be added to a map with
the Map | Add command.
To modify an axis:
1. Move the cursor over one of the axis tick labels on the bottom X axis and left-click
the mouse. In the status bar at the bottom of the plot window, the words "Map:
Bottom Axis" are displayed. This indicates that you have selected the bottom axis
of the contour map. Additionally, blue circle handles appear at each end of the
axis, and green square handles appear surrounding the entire map. This indicates
that the axis is a "sub-object" of the entire map.
2. Double-click on the bottom axis to display the bottom axis properties dialog.
3. In the Title box on the General page, type "Bottom Axis" (without quotes) and
then click the Apply button. This places a title on the selected axis.

30

Getting Started Guide

If you would like to edit other axes, click on the axis. You do not need
to close the dialog before changing your selection.

4.

5.

6.
7.

8.
9.

If you cannot see the axis title, select View | Zoom | Selected. Notice that you
do not have to close the properties dialog to select menu commands, toolbar
buttons, or objects in the plot window.
Click on the Scaling tab to display the axis scaling options. In the Major Interval
box, type the value 1.5 and then click the Apply button. This changes the spacing
between major ticks along the selected axis.
Click on the General tab and then click the Label Format button to open the Label
Format dialog.
In the Label Format dialog, select the Fixed option in the Type group. Click on
the down arrow on the Decimal Digits box and change the value to 1. This
indicates that only one digit follows the decimal point for the axis tick labels.
Click the OK button in the Label Format dialog to return to the axis properties
dialog.
Click the OK button in the axis properties dialog and the map is redrawn. The axis
tick spacing and labels are changed, and the axis title is placed below the map.

31

Surfer

Saving a Map
When you have completed the map or drawing in the plot window, you can save the
map to a Surfer file [.SRF] containing all the information necessary to reproduce the
map. When you save a map, all the scaling, formatting, and parameters for the map
are preserved in the file. An asterisk (*) next to the file name in the title bar and tab
indicates the file has been modified and the modifications have not yet been saved.
To save a map:
1.

2.
3.

Choose the File | Save command, or click the

button. The Save As dialog is
displayed because the map has not been previously saved. Select a directory
where you can save the file.
In the File name box, type TUTORWS.
Click the Save button and the file is saved
to the current directory with an [.SRF]
extension. The saved map remains open
and the title bar changes reflecting the
changed name. There is no longer an
asterisk next to the file name.

Exporting 3D Contours
(Optional) When you have completed a contour
map in the plot window, you can export the
contour lines with associated Z values to an
AutoCAD DXF file, 2D SHP, or 3D SHP file.

This is an example of a
customized contour map
created from TUTORWS.GRD.

To export contour lines:

1. Select the map by clicking on the map in the plot window or by clicking on the
word "Contours" in the Object Manager.
2. Choose the Map | Export Contours command.
3. In the Save As dialog, type TUTORWS into the File name box, specify AutoCAD
DXF File (*.dxf), 2D ESRI Shape File (*.shp), or 3D ESRI Shape File (*.shp) in the
Save as type box.
4. Click the Save button and the file is exported to the current directory. This creates
a file titled TUTORWS.DXF or TUTORWS.SHP depending on what file type you
selected. If you export to a [.SHP] file, you will also have a [.DBF] and [.SHX] file
created. All three of these files are needed to import into some other programs.

32

Getting Started Guide

Lesson 4 - Posting Data Points and Working with Map Layers

Post maps are created by placing symbols representing data points at the X, Y data
point locations on a map. Posting data points on a map can be useful in determining
the distribution of data points, as well as placing data or text information at specific
points on the map. Data files contain the X, Y coordinates used to position the points
on the map. Data files can also contain the labels associated with each point.
Add multiple map layers to an existing map to create one map object consisting of
multiple types of maps. The layers use a single set of axes and are positioned
according to the composite coordinate system. For example, if you have a contour
map of weather data created, you can add a post map layer displaying the location
and station names of each data collection station.

Adding a Map Layer

When a new post map is created with Map | New | Post Map, it is independent of
any other map in the current plot window. When the two maps are displayed, notice
that two sets of axes are also displayed, one set for each map. When you select a map
and then use the Map | Add command, a new map layer, axis, or scale bar can be
added to the selected map to create a single multi-layer map with one set of axes. If
two maps already exist, a map layer can be dragged to a different map object in the
Object Manager. To delete a map layer, select the layer in the Object Manager and
press the DELETE key. To remove a map layer from the map object, right-click the
layer and select Break Apart Layer.
To add a post map layer to the current tutorial map:
1. Using the TUTORWS.SRF file you created in the previous lesson, select the contour
map.
2. Choose the Map | Add | Post Layer command, or right-click on the contour map
and select Add | Post Layer.
3. In the Open Data dialog, select TUTORWS.DAT from the SAMPLES folder.
4. Click the Open button and the post map layer is added to the contour map. Notice
in the Object Manager that the post map layer has been added to the existing
map and the two maps layers (Post and Contours) now share the same set of
axes. Changes made in the map properties dialog will affect the contour map layer
and the post map layer.

33

Surfer

Changing the Post Map Properties

To change the post map properties:
1. Open the Object Manager with the View | Object Manager command if it is not
already open.
2. Double-click on the word "Post" in the Object Manager, or right-click over the
word "Post" and select Properties from the context menu.
3. In the post map properties dialog General page, click the Default Symbol button
to open the Symbol Properties dialog.
4. Choose the filled diamond symbol (Symbol set: Default Symbols, Number: 6) from
the symbol palette.
5. Choose Cyan from the drop-down color palette. Opacity can be adjusted to create
semi-transparent symbols (optional).
6. Click the OK button. The selected customized symbol appears as the Default
Symbol button.
7. Click the Apply button and the symbol appears at the posted data points on the
map.
8. In the Symbol Size section, change the Fixed Size to 0.09 in. Alternatively, symbol
size can be controlled by proportional scaling (optional).
9. Click the OK button and the post map is drawn with the custom symbol.
If the post map is not visible, ensure that the post layer is on top of the contour layer
in the Object Manager. The order the layers are listed in a map object is the order
the map layers are drawn in the plot window. To move a map layer, left-click and drag
up or down in the map object. Alternatively, select the map layer and use the
Arrange | Order Objects command or right-click and select Order Objects.

Selecting a Map Layer and Changing the Object ID

After creating a multi-layer map with a post map layer and a contour map layer, you
can still modify the individual map layers.

Selecting Map Layers

The easiest way to select a map layer in a multi-layer map is to click on the layer
name in the Object Manager. However, you can also select the layer in the plot
window with the mouse. Whenever two or more objects occupy the same position in
the plot window, use the CTRL key and the left mouse button to select the desired
object. The CTRL key allows you to cycle through the selection of overlapping objects.
For example, if you want to select a contour map layer behind a post map layer, hold
down the CTRL key and click until the contour map layer is selected. You can use the
status bar to help you to determine which object is selected.

34

Getting Started Guide

Renaming the Map Layers

To select a map layer and assign or change the Object ID:
1. Click the contour map layer name in the Object Manager. In this case, click the
word "Contours". The status bar should
now report "Map: Contours".
2. Choose Edit | Object ID. Alternatively,
right-click the map layer name and
select Object ID.
3. In the Object ID dialog, type the name
"Tutorial Contour Map" and click the OK
button. The status bar, Object
Enter a new object name in
Manager, and properties dialog title
the Object ID dialog.
reflect the name change.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 and rename the post map layer to "Tutorial Post Map".
If you double-click on the "Tutorial Contour Map" layer in the Object Manager, notice
that the properties dialog title is set to Map: Tutorial Contour Map Properties.
When you rename an object in Surfer, the object's properties dialog reflects the name
change making it easier for you to keep track of the object you are editing. For
example, if you have eight maps in the plot window, it is beneficial to change the map
names to something meaningful to save time when trying to edit them. This is
especially important because the properties dialog can stay open when changing
selections.

Adding Labels to the Post Map

Labels can be added to data points on post maps and classed post maps. The post
map can be selected by a few different methods, though only the Object Manager
method is discussed here.
To add labels:
1. Right-click on "Tutorial Post Map" layer in the Object Manager and select
Properties.
2. Click on the Labels tab. In the Worksheet Column for Labels group, click the dropdown arrow and a list of columns in TUTORWS.DAT are displayed.
3. Select Column C: Elevation from the list.
4. Click the Format button to open the Label Format dialog.
5. Change the Type to Fixed and the Decimal Digits value to zero.
6. Click the OK button to return to the post map properties dialog, Labels page.
7. Click the OK button and the post map layer is redrawn with labels on each of the
data points.

35

Surfer

Move Individual Post Labels

You can move individual labels of post map and classed post maps. A customizable
lead line is automatically added from the data point label to the actual X, Y data point
location.
To move individual labels:
1. Select the Tutorial Post Map in the Object Manager.
2. Select the Map | Edit Post Labels command or right-click on the selected map

3.

4.

and choose Edit Post Labels. The cursor will change to a

to indicate you are
now in post label editing mode.
Left-click on a label, hold the left mouse button down, and drag the label to a new
position. With the left mouse button held down, the arrow keyboard keys can be
used to nudge the label location. Release the left mouse button to place the label
in the new location. A lead line is automatically added from the point location to
the new label location by default. The leader line visibility and line properties are
controlled on the Labels page of the post map properties dialog.
Press the ESC key to exit the post label editing mode.

Before moving to the next lesson, be sure to save your progress with the File | Save
command. Your TUTORWS.SRF file will be saved to include all the additions from
Lesson 4.

36

Getting Started Guide

Lesson 5 - Creating a 3D Surface Map

Surface maps are threedimensional shaded renderings of a
grid file that provide an impressive
visual interpretation of data. 3D
surface maps can be layered with
other surface maps, so that the
surfaces will intersect with each
other. Surfaces can also have
layers of other map types,
excluding wireframes. You can
control the color, lighting, overlay
blending, and wire mesh grid of a
surface.

This is a 3D surface map of the

Telluride, Colorado USGS SDTS grid file.

Creating a 3D Surface
To create a surface:
1. Select the File | New | Plot command to open a plot document.
2.
3.

4.

button.
Select the Map | New | 3D Surface command, or click the
Choose the grid file TUTORWS.GRD from the list of files in the Open Grid dialog.
The TUTORWS.GRD, created in Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File, is located in
Surfer's SAMPLES folder.
Click the Open button, and the 3D surface map is created using the default
settings.

Adding a Mesh
Mesh lines can be applied to surfaces. 3D surface maps have more capability than 3D
wireframe maps. Adding mesh lines to a 3D surface map simulates a 3D wireframe
map.
To
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

add a mesh:
Double-click on the 3D surface map to open the 3D surface properties.
Click the Mesh tab.
Check the X and Y boxes in the Draw Lines of Constant section.
Change the Frequency to five for the X and Y lines.
Click the OK or Apply button to add a mesh to the selected 3D surface.

37

Surfer

Changing Colors
Changing color schemes on 3D surfaces is similar to changing colors on other map
types such as image maps or contour maps. The Colormap dialog is used to load
previously defined color schemes, or to create your own color schemes.
To change the surface material color:
1. Double-click on the 3D surface to open the 3D surface properties.
2. On the General page, click the Upper button in the Material Color group. The
Colormap dialog opens.
3. In the Colormap dialog, select Rainbow from the Presets drop-down list. The
Presets list contains a variety of pre-defined color schemes. Alternatively, you can
click the Load button and select a pre-defined or custom color spectrum file with a
[.CLR] extension. The COLORSCALES folder contains many sample [.CLR] files.
4. Click the OK button to return to the General page.
5. Click the OK button to see the updated surface color.
Notice that the colors and anchor node positions have changed when a preset color
spectrum is selected. The Rainbow preset has six nodes that range from purple to red.
You can add, remove, customize the nodes, or accept the default selections.
You can continue to experiment with the colors by opening the Colormap dialog again
and selecting other color spectrum files from the Presets drop-down list or by loading
custom color files.

This is a 3D surface map with mesh

lines, created from TUTORWS.GRD.

38

Getting Started Guide

Adding a Map Layer

You can add additional map layers to the 3D surface map with the Map | Add
command, or by right-clicking on the 3D surface and selecting Add. All map layers,
except other 3D surfaces, are converted into a type of image known as a texture map.
This texture map is then applied to the surface by stretching or shrinking it as
necessary. When these maps are added to the surface map, you have a choice on how
to treat the texture map. You can use the colors from the surface only, from the
texture only, or blend colors from the surface and texture. For example, you could
create a color filled contour map, add the contour map and surface, and then display
the colors from the contour map only. A 3D wireframe layer cannot be added to a 3D
surface map.
When multiple 3D surfaces of differing elevations are added, the surfaces can intersect
and overlap each other. If the surfaces are adjacent to each other in the X or Y
direction, the surfaces are drawn side-by-side after using Map | Add. In this example,
we will add a plane with the surface you just created.
First, rename and select the 3D surface:
1. Right-click on the 3D Surface in the Object Manager, select Object ID, and
change the text to TUTORWS to make it easier to distinguish the map layer. Click
the OK button.
2. Select the TUTORWS map in either the Object Manager or the plot document.
Next, add a planar 3D surface map layer:
1. With the TUTORWS map selected, use the Map | Add | 3D Surface Layer
command, or right-click the surface map and select Add | 3D Surface Layer.
2. In the Open Grid dialog, open Surfer's SAMPLES folder and select the planar
grid, TUTORPL.GRD.
3. Click the Open button, and the surface map
layer is created using the default settings.
4. Right-click on the new 3D surface in the
Object Manager, select Object ID, and
change the text to TUTORPL to make it
easier to distinguish the two surfaces in the
Object Manager list. Click the OK button.
5. Change the surface material color to
Rainbow for the TUTORPL surface to match
This is a 3D surface map with mesh
the TUTORWS surface using the steps from
lines created from TUTORWS.GRD and
the previous section, Changing Colors.
a planar 3D surface map layer created
from TUTORPL.GRD.

39

Surfer

Lesson 6 - Adding Transparency, Color Scales, and Titles

The opacity of a map, image, text, line, fill, symbol, or entire layer can be customized
in Surfer 9. By default, objects are displayed with 100% opacity. An object can be
made semi-transparent by adjusting the opacity value.
Reducing the opacity of an object allows the ability to see through the object to other
objects. This may be useful when wanting to create a semi-transparent object. For
example, you may want to display a semi-transparent contour map over a base map
of a satellite image.
Color scales are available for
contour, 3D wireframe, 3D
surface, image, and vector maps.
They are legends that show the fill
assigned to each contour level on
a filled contour map, the colors
assigned to levels in a 3D
wireframe, the colors used in an
image map or 3D surface, and the
fill assigned to vector symbols.
Having a completed map with
multiple layers, color scale
legends, and titles allow you to
provide well organized and easily
understandable publication quality
maps.

This is a map with a shaded relief map layer and a

semi-transparent contour map layer on top.

Creating a Contour Map

To create a contour map:
1.
2.
3.

40

button. A new empty plot

Select the File | New | Plot command, or click the
window is displayed.
Select the Map | New | Contour Map command.
Choose the grid file TUTORWS.GRD from the list of files in the Open Grid dialog,
click Open, and the map is created using the default settings. (TUTORWS.GRD,
created in Lesson 2 - Creating a Grid File, is located in Surfer's SAMPLES folder.)

Getting Started Guide

Adding Transparency
You can adjust the Opacity of a map layer, individual contour fill, polygon fill, text,
lines, or symbols in the appropriate properties dialog.
To
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

add transparency to the contour map:

Open the contour properties dialog.
On the Levels page, click the Fill button.
In the Fill dialog, click the Foreground Color button.
In the Colormap dialog, select Forest from the Presets drop-down list. The color
scale now ranges from White to Green.
Change the Opacity to 40%.
Click the OK button to return to the Fill dialog.
Click the OK button to return to the Levels page of the contour properties dialog.
Click the OK button and the map is drawn with semi-transparent contour fill.

Adding a Shaded Relief Map Layer

Adding a shaded relief map layer to our existing semi-transparent contour map will
help display the elevation behind the contour fill.
To
1.
2.
3.

add a shaded relief map layer:

Click on the contour map once to select it.
Select the Map | Add | Shaded Relief Layer command.
Select the file TUTORWS.GRD, and click the Open button. A shaded relief map
layer is added to the map object in the Object Manager. Notice how the shadows
of the shaded relief map layer help distinguish the topography of the grid file.

41

Surfer

Adding a Color Scale

You can add a color scale to contour, 3D wireframe, 3D surface, image, and vector
maps.
To add a color scale to the contour map:
1. Open the contour map properties.
2. On the General page, be sure the Fill Contours option is checked. Click the Color
Scale check box.
3. Click the OK button and a default color scale is created. A new Color Scale object
is added to the Object Manager.
To
1.
2.
3.
4.

change the color scale properties:

Change the Color Scale object ID to "Contour Map Color Scale".
Double-click the scale bar to display the color scale properties dialog.
Change the Label Frequency to four.
Click the OK button to redraw the color scale bar with updated properties.

Adding a Map Title

Adding a title to a map is a great way to stay organized and create publication quality
maps.
To
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

add a title to the map:

Open the top axis properties of the map you have created.
Click on the General tab in the top axis properties dialog.
In the Title section, type "Tutorial Map" without the quotes.
Press the ENTER key to move to the next line.
On the second line, we will use a dynamic pre-defined math text instruction to
insert the current date. In this case, we will use the term "\date " to display the
current date. Be sure to add a space at the end of "\date ". Failure to put a space
after the "e" of "\date " will result in a math text error.
6. Click the Font button in the Title section to open the Font Properties dialog. Click
the checkbox next to Bold in the Style section. Change the Size (points) to 14.
7. Click the OK button to return to the General page of the top axis properties
dialog.
8. Click the OK button to redraw the map with the new map title.

Advanced Tutorial Lessons

Optional advanced tutorial lessons are available in the program help file. Use the Help
| Tutorial command to access the advanced tutorial lessons in Surfer 9.
42

Getting Started Guide

Printing the Online Help

The online help topics may be printed. You can print a single topic, a section of the
table of contents, or all topics in the table of contents.

Printing One Topic

To print one topic:
1. Open the topic you wish to print.
button.

2.

Click the

3.

If the Contents page is open in the help navigation pane, you are prompted to
Print the selected topic or Print the selected heading and all subtopics. Select Print
the selected topic and then click the OK button.

Printing One Book

To
1.
2.
3.

print one book, the tutorial for example:

Open the online help by selecting Help | Contents in the Surfer window.
Click the Contents page on the left side navigation pane.
Click on the Tutorial book to select the book.

4.

Click the

5.

A prompt appears asking if you would like to Print the selected topic or Print the
selected heading and all subtopics. Select Print the selected heading and all
subtopics and then click the OK button. All the topics included in the Tutorial book
are printed.

button within the help window.

Printing the Entire Help File

To print all of the topics in the help file table of contents:
1. Open the top-level book in the help book, Surfer 9.
2. Click on the Printing the Online Help topic.
3.

Click the

4.

A prompt appears asking if you would like to Print the selected topic or Print the
selected heading and all subtopics. Select Print the selected heading and all
subtopics and then click the OK button. All the topics included in the online help
table of contents are printed. WARNING: Printing the entire help file takes
hundreds of letter-sized sheets of paper and is very time consuming to print.
There is no table of contents or index printed with the file.

button within the help window.

43

Surfer

Getting Help

The getting started guide is a quick way to learn about the basics in Surfer. There are
also other sources of help with Surfer.

Online Help
Extensive information about Surfer is located in the online help. To access the online
help, choose the Help | Contents command. You can navigate help using the
Contents, Index, Search, and Favorites pages in the navigation pane to the left of
the topic page.

Context-Sensitive Help
Surfer also contains context-sensitive help. Highlight a menu command, window
region, or dialog, press the F1 key, and help is displayed for the highlighted item.
You may also access context-sensitive help by pressing SHIFT+F1 or clicking on the
button. After clicking the
button, the cursor appears like this
click the item for which help is required and the help dialog appears.

. Simply

In addition, the dialog and Properties window contain a help button. Click the
button in the dialog title bar to obtain help for that dialog or click the Help button.
button in the Properties window opens the help topic for the
Clicking the
displayed properties.

Internet Resources
There are several Internet help resources.

Direct links to the Golden Software home page (www.goldensoftware.com), the

Surfer product page, the knowledge base, and the Frequently Asked Questions
are available by selecting Help | Golden Software on the Web.

Click the Forums button at the top of the online help (Help | Contents) to post a
question.

Use the Help | Feedback commands to send a problem report, suggestion, or

information request by email directly to Surfer technical support.

44

Getting Started Guide

Technical Support
Golden Softwares technical support is free to registered users of Golden Software
products. Our technical support staff is trained to help you find answers to your
questions quickly and accurately. We are happy to answer all of your questions about
any of our products, both before and after your purchase. We also welcome
suggestions for improvements to our software and encourage you to contact us with
any ideas you may have for adding new features and capabilities to our programs.
Technical support is available Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain
Time, excluding major United States holidays. We respond to email, phone, and fax
technical questions within one business day. When contacting us with your question,
have the following information available:

Your Surfer serial number (located in the front cover of the getting started guide
or in Help | About Surfer)

Your Surfer version number, found in Help | About Surfer

The operating system you are using (i.e. Windows XP or Vista)

If you encounter problems with Surfer, you are welcome to send an email message to
Golden Software using Help | Feedback | Problem Report
([email protected]). Report the steps you perform when the problem
occurs and include the full text of any error messages that are displayed. You are
welcome to attach a [.ZIP] file (8 MB maximum) containing the [.SRF] file and other
files that illustrate the problem. Larger files may be uploaded to our FTP site at
ftp://ftp.goldensoftware.ws/incoming/Surfer/.

Contact Information
Telephone: 303-279-1021
Fax: 303-279-0909
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.goldensoftware.com (includes FAQs, knowledge base, support forum,
training videos, newsletters, downloads, and more!)
Mail: Golden Software, Inc., 809 14th Street, Golden, Colorado 80401-1866, USA

45

Surfer

Index
3D surface map 19, 37, 40, 42
3D wireframe map 19, 40, 42
A
active cell 10, 22
edit box 10
location 10
arrange objects 5, 8, 9, 34
automation 8
axis
labels 31
modify 30
scaling 31
select 30
tick spacing 31
ticks 31
title 30
B
base map 18
bold text 3
boundary files 11
breaklines 16
C
change colors 29, 38
check for update 3
classed post map 18, 35, 36
color 38
fill 28, 29
scale 40, 42
spectrum 29, 38
column letters 10
commands 3, 5, 9, 12, 44
contact information 45

46

context-sensitive help 44
contour map 18
3D DXF export 32
3D SHP export 32
color fill 28, 29
creating 25, 40
export contours 32
labels 30
levels 26
properties 27
coordinates 5, 11, 12, 21, 24, 33
creating maps 7
customize toolbars 5
D
data 23
creating 22
files 11
open 21
post 33
decimal degree 11
decimal digits 31, 35
delete label 30
delete object 9
DEM 12
dialog title 35
dock windows 5
documentation 3
DXF 32
E
edit
labels 30, 35, 36
object ID 9, 35
properties 25
email 44, 45
example files 6, 8
excel 7

Getting Started Guide

F1 key 44
faults 16
feedback 44
file
new plot 23
new worksheet 22
save 7, 22, 32, 36
types 11
fill contours 28, 29, 42
fit to window 25
floating windows 5
foreground color 29, 41
forum 3, 44
frame 9

header row 21
help 3, 4445
button 44
contents 1, 3, 43, 44
feedback 44, 45
Golden Software on the web 44
online 3, 5, 8, 12, 13, 17, 43, 44
print 43
problem report 45
tutorial 20, 42

G
Golden Software on the web 44
grid
data 12, 23, 24
defined 12
density 12
files 11, 12, 23
filter data 24
GRD 25
grid line geometry 12, 13, 24
grid node editor 4
grid report 24
grid spacing 24
limits 12
menu 12
node 12
rows 12
spacing 12
utilities 12
gridding 7, 12
breaklines 16
faults 16
methods 1, 13, 14, 15, 24
overview 13

I
image map 19, 40, 42
information request 44
install 2
Internet help 44
italic text 3
K
knowledge base 3, 44
L
label 30
add label 30
classed post map 35, 36
contour 30
delete 30
digits 31
format 35
move 30
post map 35, 36
latitude 11
layers 1, 17, 33, 34, 39
levels 26
color fill 28
properties 27
limits 9
47

Surfer

line properties
contour map 27
leader lines 36
line spacing 13
longitude 11
M
mailing address 45
major interval 31
map
3D surface 19, 37, 40, 42
3D wireframe 19, 40, 42
add 30, 33, 39, 41
base 18
classed post 18, 35, 36
contour 18, 25, 40, 42
creating 7
frame 9
image 19, 40, 42
layers 1, 17, 33, 34, 39
limits 9
new 7, 25, 33
overlays 1, 17, 33, 34, 39
post 18, 33, 34, 35, 36
properties 9, 25, 34, 35
save 32
scale 9
shaded relief 19, 41
title 42
titles 40
types 18
vector 19, 40, 42
view 9
material color 38
menu bar 5
menu commands 3, 12
mesh 19, 37

plot 23
worksheet 22
O
object
arrange 9
delete 9
display order 9
ID 9, 34, 35
properties 9, 25
select 9
visibility 8
object manager 5, 8, 25, 33, 34, 39
auto hide 8
docking 8
floating 8
sub-objects 9
online help 3, 8, 12, 13, 17, 43, 44
opacity 17, 34, 40, 41
open
Scripter 8
Surfer 20
overlays 1, 17, 33, 34, 39
P
plot window 4
post map 18, 33, 34, 35, 36
print
help 43
online help 43
tutorial 43
problem report 44, 45
properties 25
map 25
object 25

new
features 1

rename object 9, 34, 35

row numbers 10

48

Getting Started Guide

save 7, 22, 32
scale
axis 31
map 9
screen layout 4
Scripter 1, 8
select
axis 30
entire worksheet 10
objects 9
serial number 45
shaded relief map 19
SHP 32
size
object manager 8
windows 5
spacing
grid 12
ticks 31
SRF 6, 32
starting Scripter 8
starting Surfer 20
status bar 5, 24
suggestion 44
support forum 3, 44
surface
change color 38
creating 37
layers 39
material color 38
mesh 37
properties 38
upper color 38
surface map 19, 40
Surfer files 11, 32
symbol
properties 34
size 34
system requirements 2
hard disk space 2
monitor resolution 2
operating system 2
RAM 2

tabbed windows 5
technical support 44, 45
tick
labels 31
spacing 31
title 30
bar 5
dialog 35
toolbars 5
tour 6, 7, 8
transparency 17, 34, 40, 41
tutorial 20
adding a color scale 42
adding a map layer 39
adding a map title 42
adding a mesh 37
adding color fill 28
adding color scales 40
adding post map labels 35
adding titles 40
adding transparency 40, 41
advanced 20, 42
changing colors 38
changing contour levels 26, 27
changing the object ID 34
creating a 3D surface map 37
creating a contour map 25
creating a grid file 23
creating a new data file 22
creating an XYZ data file 21
customizing contour labels 30
exporting 3D contours 32
lessons 20
modifying an axis 30
moving post labels 36
opening an existing data file 21
opening map properties 25
posting data points 33
print 43
saving a data file 22
saving a map 32
selecting a map layer 34
working with map layers 33
49

Surfer

U
uninstall 3
update Surfer 3
upper color 38
USGS DEM 12
using Surfer 7
V
vector map 19, 40, 42
version number 45
view 9
fit to window 25
zoom selected 31
W
web address 45
window
layout 5
size 8
types 4
windows
grid node editor 5
plot 5
tabbed 5
worksheet 5
wireframe map 19, 40

50

worksheet
column for labels 35
create data file 22
name 10
window 4
X
XYZ contour lines
DXF 32
SHP 32
XYZ data 7, 12, 13, 21
XYZ data file 11, 13
Z
z values
breaklines 16
color fill 29
contour 18, 32
data files 11
grid node editor 4
gridding 13, 24
image 19
wireframe 19
zoom
in/out 25
selected 31