- MetaRep, an extended CMAS 3D program to visualize mafic (CMAS, ACF-S, ACF-N) and pelitic (AFM-K, AFM-S, AKF-S) projections. - Lydéric France and Christian Nicollet
MetaRep program allows one building the 3D animations of classical tetrahedral diagrams. These diagrams are CMAS, ACFN, ACFS for mafic (or ultramafic) compositions, and AFMK, AFMS, AKFS, for pelitic compositions. The first version of MetaRep has been published in Computers & Geosciences.
Here we present a new version that is easier to use, as the Matlab ® software is not anymore required. Only the MATLAB Component Runtime (MCR) (to download here!) is necessary. This Matlab ® application can be freely downloaded : http://www.mathworks.com/products/compiler/ : "The MCR is provided with MATLAB Compiler for distribution with your application and can be deployed royalty-free."
Installation
Download MCRInstaller (could be a bit long…) and winxp_metarep107.rar, the zipped version of MetaRep.
- Install MCR (only for the first use).
- Unzip winxp_metarep107.rar : it will create a “MetaRep” folder (see the files present in “Metarep” folder).
NB: Some antiviruses (as Symantec) remove the file cmdow.exe. You'll have to exclude this file of the analysis (cmdow.exe is a small safe and useful software allowing one to directly access to the folders from the MetaRep main window).
Run MetaRep
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From the created Metarep folder, run the application metarep.exe (the corresponding icone is : 
)
A dos window is then opened ; it should not be closed and could be used later to control projection calculations. For the first use, it will take some seconds to open the main MetaRep window :
Now MetaRep program is ready to be used.
First, you should select which projection system you want to use :
The yellow box at the bottom left of the window inform you on the oxides that are taken into account and on the calculation mode :
After that you SHOULD create an empty tetrahedron (*.wrl file), by giving a file name here:
. Ouvrez le répertoire qui le contient.
In the “input files & functionalities” frame, 
you SHOULD first select your projection preferences in the red menu (wt% or molar projection). Then you have to load you data.xls file (file containing the data to project) by selecting “Probe file loading”, and to choose the *.wrl tetrahedron output file (the one you have just created or another one).
Build the data.xls file
The best is to paste your data in the provided files namely “ metabasitesC&G.xls" or "metapelites.xls" (of course you can change the name!). The only point is to keep the right columns order.
You can choose which symbol, size and color you want to use for each point.
3D visualization
VRML software is necessary to read the result files (*.wrl). Some like ‘‘ Flux Player pour (for PC, see here some basics for the use of Flux Player), or FreeWrl (for Mac) are freely downloadable.
Here is an example of 3D visualization:
Follow this link to see the 3D file
Add a point
With MetaRep, you can add a point, a line, or a plane within the tetrahedron.
As a point, you can use a point from the provided library in the "Add a point" frame. You can also add a point by entering the coordinates in the corresponding boxes; you have also to select a color (in the central frame), and a name. Then you can press the "Export" button; then you'll have to select the output tetrahedron.
Boxes to enter your point coordinates will be red if the sum of coordinates is not =100 ; if you export at that time, coordinates will be recalculated. When sum is 100, the boxes are green.
To add a line or a plane, you have just to select the line "Draw lines & planes" in the “input files & functionalities” frame. Then you have to select a color (in the central frame). Apices should then be entered (2 for a line, 3 for a plane...); library minerals or a sample from your data.xls file can be used. To use the library, type the corresponding abbreviation, and to use your data.xls file, type the corresponding line from the data.xls file (as an example using the data.xls file presented above, you have to type 5, and 6 to add a line joining Pl, and Hbl; and to type 4, 5, and 6 for a plane joining Cpx, Pl, and Hbl. For planes, you can add a value in the box named transparency (0 is opaque, and 9 is fully transparent).
How to generate ternary projections ?
To generate a ternary projection, you have to select the line "Projections" in the “input files & functionalities” frame. Then in the "Projection" frame, enter a output filename for the generated projection. The projection type should then be selected in the rolling menu. Classical projections are proposed ; you may have to enter a projection pole (either from library or from the data.xls file) in the corresponding box. If you select "Projection on another plane", you'll have to enter the three apices of the projection plane.
Click on the button “Export”
"Open the triplot folder" can be used in order to save time...
An extended ternary plot can be used by ticking the box "Extend..." (this extended ternary plot is classically used for AFM projections from muscovite):
Référence to cite : Lydéric France and Christian Nicollet (2010) - MetaRep, an extended CMAS 3D program to visualize mafic (CMAS, ACF-S, ACF-N) and pelitic (AFM-K, AFM-S, AKF-S) projections.Computers &Geosciences 36, 786–791, doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2010.01.001 ; (download the pdf file of the paper)
This new version benefited from Maurice BERNARD expertise.
