Welcome to the STK Data Disc. This disc offers a variety of data for your scenario or customized application. It is designed for use with STK, STK Engine, and STK Viewer.

The city database on this disc is a more extensive version than the standard one installed with STK. It contains ~2,000,000 cities compared to STK's default ~100,000 cities. The dataset relies on NGA data for non-USA cities, and on USGS data for those in the USA. It is free to use with any AGI product.

Installation
Copy the 3 associated files from this disc to a location of your choice. Run STK, and after creating or loading a scenario, bring up the Scenario Basic->Database properties. Change the 'Database Type' to 'City' and click on the ellipsis button to browse to the location where you saved the city database.

Performance
Due to the large number of records, queries on this larger city database will take longer.

Imagery

The imagery on this disc contains 9 globe images for 2D and 3D visualization. Some images are higher resolution versions of ones already installed in STK. They are free to use with any AGI product.

BlueMarble_Bathymetric_ShadedRelief_1km.jp2 — Original Blue Marble 1-km global image from 2002.
Source: NASA

BlueMarbleNG_Bathymetric_ShadedRelief_500m.jp2 — Blue Marble was updated in 2005 and renamed "Blue Marble Next Generation". The resolution was improved to 500-meter per pixel.
Source: NASA

GeoSphere_ShadedRelief_1km.pdttx — STK's first 1-km globe.
Source: The GeoSphere Project

Mars_1km.jp2 — a 1-km version of the installed STK image "Mars.jp2" which is based on Mars Digital Image Model (MDIM) 2.1.
Source: USGS

Moon_1km.jp2 — a 1-km version of the installed STK image "Moon.jp2". It is referenced to ULCN2005.
Source: USGS

Moon_Clementine_ver2_100m.jp2 — a 100-meter lunar image taken from the Clementine spacecraft. Some voids exist. "Version 2" was updated in 2009 and is referenced to ULCN2005.
Source: USGS

NOAA_NightLights_1km.jp2 — a 1-km version of the installed STK image "Earth_PE_Night.jp2". It should be loaded as a special Nightlights layer in STK's globe manager.
Source: NOAA

After selecting this layer, the night lights will display.

PlanetEarth_1km.pdttx — a 1-km version of the installed STK image "Earth_PE.jp2".
Source: Living Earth

PlanetEarth_Bathymetric_ShadedRelief_1km.pdttx — a 1-km version of the installed STK image "Earth_PE_b.jp2".
Source: Living Earth

Installation
Copy the images from this disc to a location of your choice and then drag-and-drop the files onto STK's 3D and 2D windows.

Models

The 3D models on this disc can be copied manually or copied and automatically unzipped with the STK Download Utility. They are free to use with any AGI product.

Option 1 - STK Download Utility
The STK Download Utility can be used to browse, query, and transfer models from this disc to a location of your choice. Install the STK Download Utility (available on this disc). Then run the application and select this disc as the data source. The utility will also unzip your model selections.

Option 2 - Manual copy
You can browse the .ZIP files and view the associated .GIF thumbnails. Copy and unzip your choice of .ZIP files from this disc. Below are tips for unzipping multiple .ZIP files at once.

1. Unzip into separate folders
   This method results in separate folders for each model. Use the option "Extract to here using file names for folders".

   

2. Unzip into one folder
   This option places all unzipped models and textures in one target folder. You may need to select "Yes to All" when textures get unzipped onto existing ones. Use the option "Extract to here".

   

Save locations
Models can be saved to any location, below are possible locations.

Star Catalogs

The 3 star catalogs on the STK Data Disc supplement the existing 2 star catalogs that are installed with STK. The additional star catalogs consist of Hipparcos 1 (117,955 stars), Tycho 1 (> 1 million stars) and Tycho 2 (> 2.5 million stars). They are free to use with any AGI product. Additional details about the construction of each catalog is available through the STK help system.

Installation
Open the Star Catalogs folder on the STK Data Disc and copy any Star Catalog subfolder(s) to the STK Application Data area which is located within the Windows All Users Application area as follows:

C:\ProgramData\AGI\STK <version number>\Databases\Star Catalogs\...

This area may be hidden so you can either unhide it or use the command line for copying.

NOTE: If you select one of the Tycho catalogs, then you should also copy the file(s) within 'Cross Reference' and add it to the existing 'Cross Reference' folder in the STK Application Data area.

Performance
The use of large star collections in 3D graphics may impact performance due to increased memory usage.

STK Celestial Imagery

The STK Celestial Imagery is a photographic background of the night sky. It is free to use with AGI products.

Installation
Copy the 'Celestial Imagery' folder from the disc to a location of your choice. Ensure 'mwpan2.ctm' and the 'dataFiles' folder stay together.

In STK, open the 3D window properties and select the 'Celestial' properties panel. In the 'Stars' category, select 'Show' and 'Show as Texture'. Under 'Filename' select your .CTM file. Click 'OK' and return to the 3D window. The celestial imagery should now be displayed.

Performance
The Celestial Imagery may slow STK's frame refresh rate depending on your graphics card's performance. You can increase STK's imagery cache to improve rendering by going to the scenario properties, selecting the 3D Graphics Global Attributes panel, and setting the 'Image Cache' to 128 MB or more (this change can be saved to your default scenario settings by selecting File / Set as Default Scenario).

Zoom behavior
When zooming in STK you will notice the celestial imagery maintains its relative size. This occurs because changing your position is negligible relative to the stars. In order to change the relative magnification - as with a camera zoom - change the 'Field of View' in the Advanced panel under the 3D window properties.

STK Download Utility

The STK Download Utility is a free application that can query and download terrain, imagery, and model files. It can access content from the AGI Server or it can access imagery and models on this disc.

Installation
Run the installer from this disc. No licenses are required. The application can run with or without STK.

You can start the application from the Windows Start menu under STK Support Tools.

Unlocking additional content
If you have a license for STK Terrain, Imagery and Maps (or a license bundle that contains it) you can configure your account in the preferences panel of the STK Download Utility and access additional data from the AGI Server.

STK High Resolution Maps

STK High Resolution Maps is a global vector dataset consisting of political boundaries, coastlines, rivers, and lakes. It is extracted from the 1995 CIA RWDB2 database and optimized for rendering in STK's 2D and 3D windows.

Installation
Run the installer from this disc. No licenses are required. Once installed, run STK and go to the 3D Graphics > Details properties. You can now select the resolution to "Very High".

Go to the 2D Graphics > Resolution properties. You can now specify the detail swap behavior for all levels from "Very Low" to "Super High".

STK World Terrain

STK World Terrain is a ~1-km spaced global terrain dataset for use with STK Pro. It is based on the GTOPO30 dataset from the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Installation
Run the installer from this disc. No licenses are required. Open STK and go to the scenario's Basic > Terrain property. The dataset will automatically be available for you to enable.

Thumbnails

The .GIF thumbnails cover the 3D models and imagery datasets on this disc. They are also used by the STK Download Utility.