User Documentation

The GPlates User Manual

The official GPlates user-manual is written by GPlates users in the EarthByte Project, in close collaboration with the GPlates software development team.

Read the user manual to learn about GPlates' many functions. The manual describes all of the canvas tools, menus, and dialogs that are present in GPlates and how they can be used.

As well as the on-line HTML version of the manual, there is a downloadable PDF version available.

Tutorials introducing GPlates workflows

There are many Introductory Tutorials viewable online via Google Docs or downloadable as PDF. Each one describes how to accomplish a specific task in GPlates. Read these for a more in-depth guide that explains how various GPlates functions can be used within the context of an example workflow.

A video showcasing some of the most recently added functionality of GPlates can be found on the Features page.

The GPlates Data Manual

Read the Data Manual if you wish to understand how the GPlates model works and how GPlates stores data in its native file format (GPML). This manual may be of particular use to people who want to know how to structure their data so that it can be imported into GPlates easily.