I have just uploaded ver. 1.29 of tpsRelw to the Stony Brook server.
This program now allows for the inclusion of points along curves by
using Bookstein's method of sliding semilandmarks (also known as the
method of relaxation). The semilandmark points are included in the input
tps or nts files as if they were additional landmark points. A separate
"slider" file (in nts format) defines which points are semilandmarks and
the two points that define the tangent direction along which they slide.
This provides flexibility to have a mixture of landmarks and points
along one or more open or closed curves. I am sorry that it took so long
to add this much-requested feature. It was, in part, because I was
trying to figure out the way to add it to the tps programs in a way that
would cause the least disruption to their structure. I hope you find the
present very flexible implementation worth the wait.
The additional computations take place just during the superimposition
step. You will find that computations take quite a bit more time if you
have many semilandmarks. The consensus display window has a option to
display the adjustment applied to each semilandmark ('show unslid').
I plan to add this capability to the other tps programs. In the mean
time you could use tpsRelw to do the fitting and then save the aligned
coordinates to a file (see the File|Save menu in the consensus window)
for input to the other tps programs. I also plan to write a visual
editor to make it easier to prepare the slider file. I am also thinking
of adding an option to use the information stored as 'curves' in tpsDig
as semilandmarks.
Please let me know if you have problems with the program or if you have
additional suggestions to make morphometric computations more
convenient.
-----------------------
F. James Rohlf
State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5245
www: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/ee/rohlf
==
Replies will be sent to list.
For more information see http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/morph/morphmet.html.
