Using Excel Documents in the HyperAtlas Viewer
10/16/2006 rev. 1
With HyperAtlas Viewer version 0.17-beta, it is possible to use simple Microsoft Excel® documents to create 3D scenes. This provides an easy way to import information into an interactive 3D environment. This document is a tutorial on how to take a standard Excel spreadsheet and import it into the HyperAtlas Viewer.
Requirements
*Microsoft Excel 97/2000 (or more recent)
*Windows XP/2000 or Mac OS 10.4 PowerPC. Note: Linux and Mac OS 10.4 Intel are untested and unsupported
*The latest version of the HyperAtlas Viewer from http://hyperatlas.uchicago.edu
Getting Started
a) Creating the Excel Spreadsheet
Open up Microsoft Excel and create a new Excel workbook. For all of the examples, we will only be using a single sheet in the workbook. Only data from the first sheet will be recognized.
b) Specifying the data
As of version 0.17-beta, three different properties are supported: A title, shape type, and position (x, y, z).
Accepted values for each are listed below. Incorrect values will result in the data not being imported.
For instance, look at the example excel worksheet below:
Each Excel row corresponds with a single shape. For instance, row 1 tells the application to create a sphere named "Shape One" at the position (1, 1, 1). Row two creates a Box at (3,4,1), and so on.
While you can specify many different shapes in the Excel spreadsheet, as of version 0.17-beta the user is limited to 100 rows, or shapes.
c) Save the worksheet
In Excel, go to the File menu and save the file you just created in a location you will remember. Later, you will need to find the file in the HyperAtlas viewer. When saving the file, ensure that it is in a format that Excel 97/2000 can recognize. Normally this is default option when saving Excel files.
Importing the data into HyperAtlas Viewer
a) Launch the HyperAtlas Viewer
On the HyperAtlas website under "Project Development" click on the link that says "Launch HyperAtlas Viewer."
b) Import the Excel file
Go to the File menu and select 'Import' in the HyperAtlas Viewer. Go to the directory where you saved your Excel file and select it.
c) If there were no errors during importing, then the shapes you specified in the Excel file will appear in the scene:
If you don't see any data, it is possible that the positions you specified lay outside the current portion of the scene you are viewing.
To navigate to the data you just imported, choose the left < button at the bottom of the screen. This button is located directly to the left of the Viewpoint list. When clicked, this will display a portion of the data you imported.
Requirements
*Microsoft Excel 97/2000 (or more recent)
*Windows XP/2000 or Mac OS 10.4 PowerPC. Note: Linux and Mac OS 10.4 Intel are untested and unsupported
*The latest version of the HyperAtlas Viewer from http://hyperatlas.uchicago.edu
Getting Started
a) Creating the Excel Spreadsheet
Open up Microsoft Excel and create a new Excel workbook. For all of the examples, we will only be using a single sheet in the workbook. Only data from the first sheet will be recognized.
b) Specifying the data
As of version 0.17-beta, three different properties are supported: A title, shape type, and position (x, y, z).
Accepted values for each are listed below. Incorrect values will result in the data not being imported.
| Property | Accepted Value(s) | Example | Corresponding Excel Column |
| Title | Any text | Shape One | A |
| Shape Type | Either Sphere, Cylinder, Box, Cone | Cylinder | B |
| Position (X) | Negative or positive number | -1.0 | C |
| Position (Y) | Negative or positive number | 2.0 | D |
| Position (Z) | Negative or positive number | 5.3 | E |
For instance, look at the example excel worksheet below:
Each Excel row corresponds with a single shape. For instance, row 1 tells the application to create a sphere named "Shape One" at the position (1, 1, 1). Row two creates a Box at (3,4,1), and so on.
While you can specify many different shapes in the Excel spreadsheet, as of version 0.17-beta the user is limited to 100 rows, or shapes.
c) Save the worksheet
In Excel, go to the File menu and save the file you just created in a location you will remember. Later, you will need to find the file in the HyperAtlas viewer. When saving the file, ensure that it is in a format that Excel 97/2000 can recognize. Normally this is default option when saving Excel files.
a) Launch the HyperAtlas Viewer
On the HyperAtlas website under "Project Development" click on the link that says "Launch HyperAtlas Viewer."
b) Import the Excel file
Go to the File menu and select 'Import' in the HyperAtlas Viewer. Go to the directory where you saved your Excel file and select it.
c) If there were no errors during importing, then the shapes you specified in the Excel file will appear in the scene:
If you don't see any data, it is possible that the positions you specified lay outside the current portion of the scene you are viewing.
To navigate to the data you just imported, choose the left < button at the bottom of the screen. This button is located directly to the left of the Viewpoint list. When clicked, this will display a portion of the data you imported.