Vertical Exaggeration

Vertical exaggeration stretches the scene in the vertical direction. It makes low relief, thin units and shallow dips much easier to see, for example subtle topography over a large area, or flat lying stratigraphy intersected by drillholes.

The VE slider in the status bar, just left of the tool buttons, sets the exaggeration. Drag it to the right to stretch the scene, or Ctrl + click it to type a value. The 1x button beside it removes the exaggeration.

The exaggeration is saved with the project, so a project reopens with the exaggeration it was last used with.

What Is Stretched

Everything in the scene is stretched by the same amount: surfaces, points, vectors, drillholes, volumes, models, clip objects and the graticule. Lighting follows the stretched shape, so relief on a surface appears steeper, while the sun keeps its elevation.

Text in labels is not stretched, so it stays readable.

Changing the exaggeration keeps the point you are looking at in the centre of the screen and keeps the view at the same distance and angle, so the scene grows or shrinks vertically in place.

Coordinates and Measurements Stay True

The exaggeration only changes how the scene is drawn. The coordinates shown in the status bar, the Measure tool, Information and all editing work in true, unexaggerated units. A vertical distance measured at 5x is the same as the one measured at 1x.

Remember that dips and slopes seen on screen are exaggerated too. Use the Measure tool when you need a true angle.

Projected Views Only

Vertical exaggeration is only available when the view uses a projected coordinate reference system. In a geographic view the scene is drawn on the curved earth, where there is no single vertical direction to stretch. The slider is disabled in a geographic view, and changing the view to a geographic coordinate reference system removes any exaggeration.