Surfer does not currently offer an automatic way to mask a map with a boundary polygon but there are two workflows available that provide the same results.
Option 1: Assign a NoData value to areas outside the boundary.
To mask (or assign NoData values to) contours or any grid-based map outside a boundary, save the boundary polygon to a vector file format such as BLN, SHP, DXF, etc., then use the Grids | Edit | Assign NoData command to assign null values to grid nodes that are outside the polygon. See the article How can I create a map inside an irregular boundary? for detailed instructions.
Option 2: Create a complex polygon that covers the area outside the boundary area.
- Load the boundary polygon as a base layer (if it is saved in a base map file format, like DXF, SHP or BLN), or add an empty base map layer and draw the boundary polygon over the map.
- Click the Base(vector) layer in the Contents window to select it.
- Click Home | Insert | Polygon and draw another larger polygon outside the outer edge of all four corners of the map (so it is a rectangle that is larger than the map).
- Select both the large polygon you just drew and the smaller polygon defining the boundary and click Features | New Features | Combine. This combines the two polygons into one complex polygon.
- You can now fill the complex polygon with whatever fill pattern you wish. The fill will be between the boundary polygon and the larger polygon you drew.
Example of a filled complex polygon.
Updated November 1, 2021
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