Path Vertex Weed

Paths representing contour lines, roads & streams sometimes have an excessive amount of points to describe their paths. Clicking on the polylines and inspecting the grips, you can visually determine this condition. In contour maps, this can create drawings that are 2 to 3 times larger than they need to be, slowing processing and wasting memory and drive space. This tool uses a deflection angle and minimum/maximum distance operation. This logic produces a new optimized Path that has points far apart in relatively straight stretches, and close together in turns.

Keyboard Command: PthVtxWed

Procedure:

1. Issue the Weed Vertices command.
2. Select Paths to process, see note below regarding polylines containing arc segments.
3. Enter the Deflection Angle. This governs that if the path to the next point deflects by this amount, we are in a sharp turn and the point should be kept. Four degrees is recommended, a smaller angle produces more points, a larger angle produces less points.
4. Enter the Minimum Distance. In sharp turns this controls the minimum distance between the points retained.
5. Enter the Maximum Distance. In relatively straight stretches, this controls the maximum distance between the points retained.

Note: If polylines processed contain arc segments, the arc segments will be ignored.