Stop Object Labels From Overlapping in the 2D/3D Graphics Window

This article shows how to declutter object labels in both the 3D and 2D Graphics windows in STK.

3D Graphics window declutter

There are two different methods that you can use for decluttering object labels in the 3D Graphics window: automatic and manual.

Automatic

1. Go to 3D Graphics Properties -> Details page.
2. Select the Enable check box in the Label Declutter section.
3. Click OK to accept your changes and close the Properties dialog box.

STK will automatically move each object label position based on the viewer perspective to make sure the labels do not overlap.

Manual

1. Right-click one of the objects and select Properties -> 3D Graphics -> Offsets.
2. Ensure that the Use check box is selected for the Label Offset section.
3. Here you can choose either Pixel or Cartesian.
4. Test different values to determine a good placement for your scenario.

When using this method, the label will be locked on a latitude/longitude or pixel location, so when you zoom in and out, the distance between the object and label may change. AGI recommends working with the settings for this until you find one that suits your scenario and you are happy with the placement.

2D Graphics window declutter
Follow these steps to prevent object labels in the 2D Graphics window from overlapping:

1. Right-click one of the objects and select Properties -> 2D Graphics -> Attributes.
   1. Clear the Use Instance Name as Label check box.
   2. Delete the text from the Label box. This will keep the marker but remove the text.
   3. Click Apply and OK.
2. ​Go to 2D Graphics Properties -> Annotations.
   1. ​Click the Add button.
   2. In the Map Annotations Properties dialog box, do the following:
      1. ​Set the Type to Text.
      2. In the String text box, type in the name of your object.
      3. Change the color to differentiate among your labels.
      4. In both the Latitude and Longitude boxes, specify where you want the labels to appear. You can also left-click in the 2D Graphics window to set the lat/lon values for the annotation. This gives you freedom to put the label at any position on the 2D Graphics map. You can position the labels so they don't overlap.

When using this method, the label will be locked to a position, as with the 3D manual method. AGI recommends working with the settings for this until you find one that suits your scenario and you are happy with the placement.

Declutter using Connect commands

You can also turn on the declutter option using the VO Declutter Connect Command or the VO Annotation Declutter Connect Command.