There are many exciting new features in the latest Surfer! We focused on increasing usability, improving workflows to increase time savings, and including the most commonly requested new features. The top new features are listed below. A more complete list of the new features can be found in the Online Help, or in the Surfer Version History page

Watch a quick demo and see an outline of new features below!  

 

Map editing

 1. Create multiple maps and map layers at once!

You can now select multiple data, graphic, base or grid files at once when creating new Map or adding Map layers. This feature allows you to create multiple maps and map layers at once, giving you big time savings!

Select multiple files of the same type, and then click Open to create multiple map layers at once.

 

2. Perform operations on multiple layers

Multiple layers can now be selected in the Contents window by CTRL-clicking or SHIFT-clicking to select more than one layer inside a Map frame. When multiple layers are highlighted in blue, you can perform the following operations on the layers collectively:

• Toggle visibility!
• Move & reorder! 
• Delete!
• Duplicate!

 Select multiple layers in the Contents window and perform operations on them collectively.

 3. Create Profiles from any Polyline in a Base(vector) layer

You can now use any Polyline within a Base(vector) layer to create a Profile. To do so, simply right-click over the specific Polyline object within the Base(vector) layer and select Add Profile from the context menu. The Base(vector) layer must be contained within the same Map frame as the grid-based map layer that will be used to generate the profile.

 Create Profiles directly from any polyline in a Base(vector) layer. Just right-click on the Polyline object and select Add Profile.

Base(vector) improvements

4. Start Editing/Stop Editing are no longer required to edit Base(vector) layers.

The Start Editing and Stop Editing commands have been removed from the Features tab of the ribbon. Base(vector) layers will now automatically be available for editing when they are selected. Layers selected for editing will be indicated by a red arrow in the Contents window. If you typically do a lot of vector editing, or work with many base layer objects in your project, this will save you a ton of time!

Base layers available for editing are now indicated by a red arrow in the Contents window.

When a Base(vector) layer is selected for editing, multiple objects can be selected, moved, or dragged/dropped into or out of the layer. Objects can be geoprocessed, queried, and otherwise edited while the layer is selected - no more unnecessary button clicks!

 

5. Save/Load values and properties when using Base Symbology - Unique Values

Have you spent a long time formatting your Base layer symbology, only to have to redo the exact same formatting for your next project? Not anymore! Now any custom formatting you have created for Unique Values when using Base Symbology can now be saved for re-use at a later time or in a different project.

 Example: Save your well symbol formatting for use in other projects

6. Special shapes are now created as polygons

Until now, Rectangles, Rounded Rectangles, and Ellipses have been treated as special vector objects in Surfer. Though they look like polygons, the internal structure of these objects has meant that it hasn't been possible to use these types of objects in typical processes using Polygons, such as Assign NoData and Grid Volume calculations. Now these objects are created as true Polygon objects, so you can use them in the following operations: 

• Assign NoData
• Grid Volume
• Grid Data
• Add to Base layers when a geotransform is applied
• Label objects using attributes
• Move/Copy objects to another layer or the Plot Document
• Drag and Drop between Base(vector) layers
• Duplicate

 

Image editing

7. Crop images

Are giant image files slowing you down? You can now permanently crop images in Surfer! The images can be either floating (imported via Home | Insert | Graphic), in a Base(raster) layer, or an image contained within a Base(vector) layer.

Before and after cropping

8. Set transparent colors

Surfer now allows you to make specific colors within your Image, Base(raster) layer, or image within a Base(vector) layer transparent. This is super handy for those of you importing site plan PDFs or similar images from reports where you would want to make the white background transparent. Or, pick any color you like in an image and make it transparent using the easy slider.

 

 Choose a color in your image to make transparent. This could be a white border around a geological map, or anything else.

 

3D View

9. Export images from the 3D View

We've been getting a lot of requests for this, and now it's here - export high resolution images from the 3D View in your favorite formats, like PNG, TIF and JPG.

 

As many pixels as you want! 

 

Scale Bar

10. Change the units displayed on your Scale Bar

Do you use metric and imperial units, but hate math? This feature is for you! You can now easily change the units that are displayed on the Scale Bar from one linear unit to another. Want to show your Scale Bar in nautical miles? We've got you covered.

Easily have your Scale Bars show any linear units.

Display the title in different font properties than the labels. We've also made it easier to get the correct labels displayed by linking the Label Increment to the Cycle Spacing by default.

 

 And many more...

• Zoom Selected will now zoom to the individual selected object instead of zooming to the whole Map.
• Export individual selected map layers instead of exporting the entire Map.
• Export individual selected objects inside a Base layer instead of the entire map.
• 3D View now has a Reset button for restoring the default Vertical Exaggeration.
• SHP files export with true numeric attributes, instead of numbers formatted as text.
• When using the Digitize tool, the red crosses will remain visible on the Plot when clicking inside the Digitize Coordinates

Now it's easier to make edits to your digitized points, while still keeping track of their location on the map itself.

 

Updated April, 2020