Global settings

In this document, we take a detailed look at the content of the Global settings dialog. Some of the options are available from the higher application version, there is a note within every option involved. You can jump quickly to the Image, General, Directories or Watermark tab.

The Global settings dialog has been a part of MapTiler Engine since version 11.3.

Dialog behavior

When you change a setting that you are unsure about or get confused in any way, there’s nothing simpler than pressing the Cancel button that closes the dialog and takes back all the changes you did.

In version Pro of MapTiler Engine, you can save and load the project files (.mtp). Some settings get saved (and loaded) within these files. This means loading the project which has been saved with different settings will override these settings.

The Reset defaults button resets the values for all settings. You can also use this option to check the default values since it is a reversible step and the default values won’t be saved until you click Save. If you change your mind just click the Cancel button to restore your original values.

Image tab

The first tab of the dialog is dedicated to image-connected options, which include resampling methods, retina scale or driver-connected options.

Resampling and overviews resampling

First of all, you can see the combo boxes controlling the resampling methods that are being used. You will probably be interested in these either when over-zooming your data or when experimenting with the options to find out which setting will result in the best output for you. For further information see the resampling article. These options are available from MapTiler Engine Start.

The default value for resampling is bilinear and for overviews resampling average.

Tiling scheme

Depending on further usage of your output you should make sure you are using the correct tiling scheme.  There are several options available and they differ in the way your output tiles are named. The point is, different map providers, work with different tiling schemes. If you are unsure about this, take a look at the detailed information in the tiling scheme article.

The Default value is XYZ.

Sparse output

This option controls how the empty tiles in your output are treated. In some cases, e.g. when your input data are very geographically distant, you’ll get a huge amount of empty tiles between them, which can lead to high disk space usage. If you leave the default setting, the blank tiles will be produced for MBTiles and GeoPackage outputs otherwise will be skipped. By setting this option to sparse (skip empty tiles) or no-sparse (don’t skip), you have full control over this.

The default value is “default” (depending on the used store option).

Retina scale

For the high-resolution tiles, set the multiplier for the standard 256x256 px tile - e.g. value of 2.0 means, your output tiles will have a resolution of 512x512 px. You don’t need to worry about number validation since you’ll be warned in case the entered number is invalid. Setting the value here doesn’t automatically mean your tiles will be rendered with the requested resolution. To achieve that, you would need to check the “HiDPI / Retina tiles” checkbox in the Output format page, as described in Retina - HiDPI tiles. For more detailed information see the Custom retina scale article. This option is available from the Plus version.

The default value is 2.0.

ECW memory usage

This option allows you to set the maximum amount of memory to be used for in-memory caching by the ECW driver of the GDAL library. This setting should be used with care and in reasonable cases, since using a high value may slow your system down or make it temporarily irresponsive.

The default and suggested value for ECW Memory usage is 80%.

Allow large JPEG

Enabling large JPEG allows you to process very large images. It also should be used only in reasonable cases since it can have the same negative impact on your system as a large ECW memory usage.

By default, large JPEG support is disabled.

General tab

Saved georeferences

By leaving this option enabled, you will be offered to use the geolocation previously saved by Assign visually when you add a new input file.

By default, saving georeferences is enabled.

MBTiles compatibility

Enabling this option make the generated GeoPackage conform to the MBTiles specification for the tiles table. The tilegrid is in the selected output coordinate system, which is not defined for MBTiles.

By default, MBTiles compatibility is disabled.

Save EPSG code

Changes the format of coordinate system representation to be used. Disabling this option causes saving the full WKT string (left) instead of the short EPSG code (right) within the project file or report message. EPSG.io is a nice tool to switch between different formats. For the lower versions of the application, this option is hidden and set to true. Changing this option is enabled in MapTiler Engine Pro.

By default, saving EPSG code instead of WKT string is enabled.

Google Maps API key

Use this field to save your Google Maps API key, which is used to secure Google Maps Platform products from unauthorized use. You can get this key by following steps described in the Google guides. There is a separate article, which goes through Google Maps API key usage more in detail.

Directories tab

In this tab, you can set custom paths for different kinds of files used over the application. If you do so, the file dialogs will open in these custom directories. Before you save any custom path, system paths for temporary files, pictures (add a file, view a file), and Engine (rendering output, projects) are used. Using custom paths is available from MapTiler Engine Plus. By default, each option in the Directories tab is disabled.

Save the last selected directory for user directories

With this option enabled, when you select a different path (in the application), it will get saved to settings in the background. This option is available from MapTiler Engine Plus.

Let’s say you have set the Engine/ location for adding a file, but you add a file from Engine/files-to-process/ folder, this folder gets saved in settings for you and replaces the Engine/ folder just as you would have done it in settings. The next time you add a file, the file dialog will navigate in Engine/files-to-process/.

This works only for paths, that have been set custom!

Remember the last selected directory in the application’s lifetime

With this option enabled, when you select a different path (in the application), it will be remembered (but not saved) until you restart the application. This option is available from MapTiler Engine Plus.

Let’s say you did not touch the “add a file” path (set to Pictures/), but you add a file from Engine/files-to-process/ folder, you’ll be offered this path every time you attempt to add a file until you quit the application or change it in settings. After the application restarts, the file dialog will navigate in the default location (Pictures/) again.

Watermark tab

MapTiler Engine allows you to set the custom watermark to be used in your outptut. You can choose either image (which will need to meet some criteria for this purpose), or quickly create a text watermark using the simple in-build editor. Either way, you’ll see the result in the preview below. Read the Custom watermark article for more detailed description. This option is available in MapTiler Engine Pro and by default, the “No watermark” option is set.

Saved watermark settings (both image and text) last through the application lifetime and get loaded on the next startup.

Useful links

Folder vs. MBTiles vs. GeoPackage
Working with projects
Upgrade from Start to Plus
MapTiler Engine Pricing
Custom watermark