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Directional scanning: Difference between revisions

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{{related class|Directional Scanning 101|D-Scan 102}}
{{related class|Directional Scanning 101|D-Scan 102}}
The '''directional scanner''' is a built-in device that comes with all ships and can detect most objects in space at long range. This article describes the configuration and use of the d-scan.
The '''directional scanner''' ("d-scan") is a built-in device that comes with all ships and can detect most objects in space at long range. The directional-scanner is an extremely powerful searching tool, especially for PvP, in all sectors of space. A d-scan can cover an area with a range of up to about 14.3 AU (appx. 2 x10<sup>9</sup> km), and at an angle from 5° to 360°. When used the directional scanner lists all valid objects it can find within the scan area.


The directional-scanner ("d-scanner") is an extremely powerful searching tool, especially for PvP, in all sectors of space. A d-scan can cover an area with a range of up to about 14 AU (appx. 2 x10<sup>9</sup> km), and at an angle from 5° to 360°.  
The directional scanner can be used either defensively with full range and angle. This allows the user to see all new ships of probes that may pose threat. It can be also used offensively to gather intl on things that are off grid. This includes getting enemy fleet composition or approximate location of objects.


In solo PVP the d-scanner can be used to locate opponents. In fleets it is common for intel reports to be made by pasting the scanner results into an [[#Scouting|online parser]]. These can give a Fleet Commander intelligence on enemy fleet compositions to help decide whether an engagement is worth pursuing. Directional scanning is also widely used in mining and exploring to give early warning of hostile ships and/or combat probes. Good scanning can provide the vital seconds needed to escape an incoming attack.
The directional scanner is especially important in [[wormholes]]. Since the local chat in them does not automatically show other players the directional scan is the first tool to show activity in system.


The directional scanner can find objects such as:
==How it works==
* most ships (some are immune to scanning),
[[image:Qs_openDscan.jpg|200px|thumb|Directional scanner window with labels.]]
* Celestial objects such as mons, asteroid belts and planets
[[image:Qs Dscan14-360.jpg|440px|thumb|Directional scanner window with labels.]]
* Structures such as [[POS|player starbases]], citadels, POCOs and stargates
The directional scanner does not scan the space automatically, instead it must be operated manually. Every time the scan button or hotkey is pressed the list in directional scanner window updates to show all visible objects within the scan cone. The scan wil also refresh after changing range, angle or filter in directional scanner. It also refreshes after jumping into another system. After a scan, it takes two seconds for the scanner to reset, after which you can initiate another scan.


The scanner has a number of limitations:  
The directional scanner can see the following objects in space:
* requires a good overview setup to be useful.  
* All ships and their names.This excludes [[Recon Ships|combat recon]] and cloaked ships.
* will never give you the warp coordinates for an object - all it can do is tell you that an object is there.  
* Celestial objects such as mons, asteroid belts and planets.
* does not work on cloaked ships such as [[Covert Ops]] and [[Black Ops]], or on "immune to scanning" ships such as [[Recons_101#Combat_Recon|Combat Recons]]. Nor can it tell you about docked players.
* Structures such as [[POS|player starbases]], citadels, POCOs, mobile depots and stargates. The name is also visible.
* Wrecks
* Drones
* Core and combat scanning probes
* NPC with "♦" in their name. This includes mining operations and Blood raider Sotiyo fleets.


==Basic Layout==
The directional scanner is limited by not being able to see the state of the object (empty, damaged, reinforced, pilot info). The directional scanner is also unable to see cosmic signatures, cosmic anomalies, all normal NPCs, beacons and bookmarks. The directional scanner is also unable to see [[Recon Ships|combat recon]] ships and cloaked ships.
[[image:Qs Dscan14-360.jpg|440px|thumb|Directional scanner window with labels.]]


The directional scanner can be only be accessed in space. You open it by pressing Alt+D. Or, you can open it by clicking the "radar" button, above the autopilot button but below the cargohold button on the left-hand side of your HUD, and when the window with the three scanners opens, choose the directional scanner.
The directional scanner is opened by pressing Alt+D. Or, you can open it by clicking the "radar" button, above the autopilot button but below the cargohold button on the left-hand side of your HUD, and when the window with the three scanners opens, choose the directional scanner.  
[[File:Qs openDscan.jpg|thumb|left|Open the directional scanner from the scanners pop-up.]]
The scanner has three main controls: a filter selecter, a range slider, and an angle slider. A Map button is at the top right, a large SCAN button initiates and refreshes the scan, and a display section lists the items that the scanner has found. These are briefly described here and covered in detail in the following sections.


*Filter selecter: a drop down menu that chooses a filter for the scanner results. The scanner finds everything that it can, but only displays the items indicated by the filter.
To get more precise results the directional scanner allows controlling range, angles and filter.
*Range slider and range input box: sets the distance that the scanner can see. The slider offers a set of widely used values: from .1 to 14.3 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_unit AU], with 14.3 being the farthest available distance.
*Angle slider: at its maximum, 360°, the scanner finds everything in a sphere centered on your ship. By reducing the angle you can narrow the search to a cone that points out from the nose of your ship.
*Map: a window that shows the local solar system with your ship's d-scan area presented in green.
* Scan results: a list of items found by the scanner. Choosing different filters from the drop-down menu will change what is shown in this list.


Pressing the big, square SCAN button will initiate a scan. In addition, because frequent re-scanning is necessary in certain situations, EVE includes a "d-scan spamming" hot key. This hotkey has no default setting, but it is named "Refresh Directional Scan", and you can find it in the "Combat" section under the "Shortcuts" tab in the game preferences window. The Refresh Directional Scan key will open the d-scan window if it is not already open, and refreshes the scan if it is.
===Scan cone===


Once you have performed a scan, changing the scanner's filter will immediately update the results list to match the new filter. However, this uses the data from the previous scan, and so may be inaccurate, and to update the list, just press SCAN again. Changing either the range or angle will cause a fresh scan to be run automatically, using the new settings.
The directional scanner lists visible objects that are within its scan cone. This scan cone is defined by the scan range, scan angle and scan direction.  


===Map===
The maximum range at which directional scan can scan is approximately 14.355 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_unit AU] (appx. 2 x10<sup>9</sup> km) but the range can be adjusted either by using the steps in slider (1, 5, 10, 14.3 AU). These settings are often sufficient; but if you wish, you can type a specific scan range into the box for any distance up to the maxium. If you click on the AU label button, it will change to KM and adjust the value of the range accordingly.


Pressing the circular button at the top right of the directional scanner window opens a map of the local solar system. Your ship will be accompanied by a green area showing the extent of the d-scan at its current settings. The d-scan map window can be resized and moved, and the same map window is used by the probe scanner.
The other parameter controlling the shape of the scan cone is scan angle. The angle can't be selected arbitarily so you are limited to the slider steps (5°, 15°, 30°, 60°, 90° 180° and 360°). The scan is always directed to what '''your camera points''' at and does not care about ship orientation.
Dragging inside the map with the mouse will rotate your view of the system, but this will not change where the scanner is pointing unless "align with camera in system map" is enabled.


[[File:Qs Dscan14-360map.jpg|left|thumb|Map with d-scanner set to maximum range and angle.]]
Because camera manipulation is involved, you may find it helpful to enable Overview brackets to help you see things in space. With brackets enabled, you can align the camera by moving the target celestial's icon toward your ship's indicator. This was a useful technique prior to the introduction of the map, and some pilots may prefer it.
[[File:Qs 04dscanprac.jpg|right|thumb|Use the radial menu inside the Map to aim the scanner.]]


You can easily aim the directional scanner by holding left mouse button on an object in the Map. This will bring up the Radial Menu, and when you select the "scanner" icon at the bottom of that menu, the scanner will move to point at the object. Doing this will not affect the orientation or movement of your ship; just the scanner will move.  
Check the [[Overview Guide#Setting Up Bracket Presets|Overview Guide]] to see how to change what bracets are visible. You can press Alt+Z to turn all brackets on and off.


At the top left of the map are a set of icons that access various preference settings.[[File:Qs DscanMapIcons.jpg|left|thumb|D-scan map icons]]
===Filter===
* The object filter icon opens a list of boxes that can be checked/unchecked to show or hide various objects in the solar system. This can be useful if you are, for example, only interested in asteroid belts.
* The focus ship centers the camera on your ship.


===Range===
With the filter set to "All", anything that can be picked up by the scanner will be displayed, potentially creating a lot of clutter and making it hard to find the desired objects. A variety of other settings can be used to focus attention on a smaller number or more specific category of objects.  
The range control includes a text box, a units label button and a slider. The slider is the most frequently used method of changing the range. It has a maximum distance of approximately 14.355 AUs ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_unit Astronomical Units]), or approximately 22 billion kilometers.  


It slides to ranges of 14.3, 10, 5, 1 and 0 AUs. These settings are often sufficient; but if you wish, you can type a specific scan range into the box for any distance up to the maxium. If you click on the AU label button, it will change to KM and adjust the value of the range accordingly.  
The directional scanner can use any of your [[overview]] presets to filter the results. When you click the filter selector in top right corner of directional scan window you can select the overview to use as a filter. You can also choose to use active overview as the filter.


Changing the range will immediately update the scan results list, and also the red representaion of the scan area on the scanner's map.
When a filter is active the directional scan will only show objects that would show on the used overview. The directional scanner hovewer does not see any other info on the objects than its type and name. This means that the filtering function will not take into account any of the state settings the overview may have. This means that you can not filter the directional scan by attributes like standing, corp or alliance.
{{clear}}


===Angle and Camera===
Some common filters and their uses. These are often mixed to create filter for specific situations:
{{see also|Camera}}
* Ships. Visible ship, especially moving ones, are indicators that someone is active in the system.
[[File:Qs Dscan5-60map.jpg|left|250px]]
* Drones. Drones appearin in space with a ship indicate active combat.
The angle slider sets the scan angle to one of 5, 15, 30, 60, 90, 180 or 360 degrees. Together, the angle and range define a cone shaped scan area that originates at your ship.  
* Wrecks. Wrecks stay in space for two hours so if any are visible there has been someone fighting recently.
* Core scanner probes. With this you can see if someone is scanning sites. Especially useful when running sites yourself as the hostile must scan your site before warping in.
* Combat scanner probes. Seeing these in space is clear indicator of hostile intent.
* Control towes and force fields. The force field of an active control tower is separate object in directional scan. Tells if anyone is living in the system.
** Precision scans can be used to see if a ship is near forcefield indicating unpiloted ship parked inside force field.
** When gathering intel on hostile towers you can take short range scan of the tower with all structures enabled and copy theresults.
* Upwell structures. While undockable structures aren't visible in overview they are visible in directional scan.


The scanner orients to your ship's '''camera view''' of the system. So, to point the scanner in a particular direction, click and drag ''in space'' (not in the scanner map).
It is strongly recommended that you create overviews specifically for being used as directional scan filters and use them.
[[File:Qs 04dscanprac.jpg|right|thumb|Use the radial menu inside the Map to aim the scanner.]]
If you have the scanner map open, you can see the scanner move around as you drag your mouse. (''At 360°, of course, the "cone" is a sphere, and while it may move, you won't see anything happen.'')


The easiest way to aim the scanner is by '''left''' mouse button holding on an object '''in the Map''' and using the Radial Menu. When you select the "scanner" icon at the bottom of that menu, the scanner will move to point at the object.
Common filters include probes to give early warning if someone is attempting to locate you, ships for obvious reasons and structures to tell if someone is actively living in the system.


====Locking the Map to the Camera====
How to set up to the E-UNI standard is shown in the [[Overview Guide]].
If you check the "align with camera" box in the d-scanner window, the d-scan cone on the map will lock to your camera in map. The difference is this:
[[File:Qs dscanmapwarp.jpg|right|thumb|Use the right-click menu to align or warp your ship.]]


With the option '''not checked''' (''this is the default'') moving the camera in space will point the scanner, but changing the view in the map window will not
===System map===
* the Map view can be rotated to show the scan cone,
[[image:Qs_Dscan5-60map.jpg|200px|thumb|Te scan cone as seen in system map.]]
* moving the camera in space will move the scan cone in the map window.
[[image:Qs_04dscanprac.jpg|200px|thumb|The scan can be aimed at an object in map.]]
With this option '''checked''' dragging with the mouse in the map window will move the camera AND point the scanner, both in the map and in space
The directional scanner has many useful features integrated to the system map.  
* the Map will always show the view from directly behind your ship,
* the red scan cone will always look like a circular cross-section,
* it can be disconcerting to see your space view move around when you drag in the map window.


The fastest way to point the scanner at an object is to click on the object's icon in the map window and use the drop-down radial menu. So, generally speaking, checking or unchecking this option is mostly a matter of preference. Note that you can also use the right-click menu in the map to align or warp to an object.
"Dock in solar system map" ties the directional scanner to solar system map. With this enabled opening and closing system map/directional scanner will also open or close the other. You should disable this so you can have directional scanner open without opening the map.


====Using Brackets====
"Align with camera" ties map camera and space camera together allowing you to aim the directional scanner in the map window.
Because camera manipulation is involved, you may find it helpful to enable Overview brackets to help you see things in space. With brackets enabled, you can align the camera by moving the target celestial's icon toward your ship's indicator. This was a useful technique prior to the introduction of the map, and some pilots may prefer it.


Check the [[Overview Guide#Setting Up Bracket Presets|Overview Guide]] to see how to change what bracets are visible. You can press Alt+Z to turn all brackets on and off.
"Show scan cone" displays the scan cone in system map. In addition to showing the cone this will also highight all objects on the map that are inside the scan cone.


===D-Scan Filter And Scan Results===
The map can be also used to quicly aim the directional scanner to any object visible in the map. To do this hold right click on an object and select "directional scan" in the radial menu that opens.
With the filter set to "All", anything that can be picked up by the scanner will be displayed, potentially creating a lot of clutter and making it hard to find the desired objects. A variety of other settings can be used to focus attention on a smaller number or more specific category of objects.
[[File:Qs DscanOView.jpg|360px|left]]
A widely used setting is "Active Overview Filters", the first entry on the menu. This option sets the d-scan filter to match the currently active tab in your Overview window. Be aware, though, that the d-scanner does not work exactly like the Overview does. D-scan, for example, does not use the states shown in the Overview tab. This means that the scanner cannot tell the difference between friendly ships and enemies. Nor will the scanner give you the range to any ships that it finds. Thus, you can know the type of a ship, but not its affiliation, and to pin down a ship you need to narrow your scan angle and scan in different directions until you find it.


It is highly recommended that you have your overview set up to the E-UNI standard shown in the [[Overview Guide]]. So if you have not set up your overview, you should do that ASAP.


You can also use Overview Settings to create special filters for use in the d-scan. For example, a miner or explorer may want to set up a filter that looks only for combat ships and probes.


The scan results list simply shows everything that the scanner found, modified by your filter. Remember that the scanner will not find cloaked ships, certain ships that are immune to directional scanning (see [[Curse]], for example), or ships that are docked. You can sort the results by clicking on the header of any column.
==Practical applications==


After a scan, it takes two seconds for the scanner to reset, after which you can initiate another scan.
In solo PVP the d-scanner can be used to locate opponents. In fleets it is common for intel reports to be made by pasting the scanner results into an [[#Scouting|online parser]]. These can give a Fleet Commander intelligence on enemy fleet compositions to help decide whether an engagement is worth pursuing. Directional scanning is also widely used in mining and exploring to give early warning of hostile ships and/or combat probes. Good scanning can provide the vital seconds needed to escape an incoming attack.


==Practical Applications and  Situations==
The d-scan is a tool whose fundamental function is to detect hostile targets before a PvP engagement happens - whether they are trying to find you, or you are looking for them. Because it is standard equipment in every ship, and because it requires no specialized training, the d-scan is most pilots' first call for intelligence.
The d-scan is a tool whose fundamental function is to detect hostile targets before a PvP engagement happens - whether they are trying to find you, or you are looking for them. Because it is standard equipment in every ship, and because it requires no specialized training, the d-scan is most pilots' first call for intelligence.


Retrieved from "https://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Directional_scanning"