Export tracing as a vector image (.svg, .emf)

Purpose

Generate an .svg or .emf (Windows Enhanced Metafile) file of your data.

When you export .svg, the preferences defined for line thickness (File>Preferences>Tracing>View) are honored in the exported file.

Options and Commands

File location

Click the Browse button. A Save As dialog window opens.
Navigate to the desired location for the file.
Type a file name for your tracing export into the box near the bottom of the window.
The default export format is .svg. Alternatively, you can choose .emf from the Save as Type: drop-down, however the resulting file requires the MBF Bioscience font file (mbfsymb.tff) to properly display marker symbols (see Troubleshooting exported tracingsOlder versions of web browsers do not support the method that Neurolucida 360 software uses to draw dendritic spines. The following web browser versions can display spine tracings properly:Chrome: v4.0(2010) - 83.0.4103.61Firefox: v3.0 (2008) - v76.0.1Internet Explorer: no support as of v11.0Microsoft Edge: v79.0 (2020) - v83.0.478.37Safari: v3.2(2008) - v12.1.2Marker symbols are rendered using the MBF Bioscience font file (mbfsymb.tff) in files exported as .emf (Windows Enhanced Metafile) format. This font is installed with MBF Bioscience software, but if you want to view your .emf export on a different computer, you will need to install the font; find it here: http://learn.mbfbioscience.com/mbfsymbfile.html. below).

Colors

Monochrome

The default is to export tracings in grayscale. If the background color is white, the color of the tracings is black.

Color by branch order

Tree structures are displayed so that each branch order has a specific color.

The top color is assigned to order 1 branches, the next color is assigned to order 2 branches and so forth. If the end of the list is reached (i.e., Color 14) and more colors are needed, the colors are reused.

Background color

Use the color picker to choose the background color for the tracing export.

Set neuron colors

Click this button to open the Neuron preferences window and set options for display and export.

View

Center view on tracing

Zooms in and centers on tracing.

Use main window view

The exported tracing shows the tracing as it is displayed in the 2D window.

Crop view

Click and drag the mouse to draw a marquee around the area you want to export.

Scalebar

Type values for scalebar length and height into the boxes if you want to change them from the default values.
Click the Set Font button and modify settings in the dialog box that opens if you want to change the font for the scalebar label from the default.
Click the Color color picker to change the color of the scalebar and its label.
Check or clear the Show label checkbox to include the scalebar label in your tracing export.
Click the Place scalebar button and click in the preview window to place the scalebar. You can drag the scalebar to reposition it if desired.
Click Remove scalebar to delete the scalebar.

Troubleshooting exported tracings

Older versions of web browsers do not support the method that Neurolucida 360 software uses to draw dendritic spines. The following web browser versions can display spine tracings properly:
- Chrome: v4.0(2010) - 83.0.4103.61
- Firefox: v3.0 (2008) - v76.0.1
- Internet Explorer: no support as of v11.0
- Microsoft Edge: v79.0 (2020) - v83.0.478.37
- Safari: v3.2(2008) - v12.1.2
Marker symbols are rendered using the MBF Bioscience font file (mbfsymb.tff) in files exported as .emf (Windows Enhanced Metafile) format. This font is installed with MBF Bioscience software, but if you want to view your .emf export on a different computer, you will need to install the font; find it here: http://learn.mbfbioscience.com/mbfsymbfile.html.

Neurolucida 360 makes automatic adjustments to ensure that the export conforms to the resolution specified. If the resolution specified is higher than the resolution o your data file, pixels of the specified background color are added; if the resolution is lower, cropping occurs around the center of your data file or current view.