Cartography panel

The Cartography panel is designed to show you all data about stellar bodies scanned by your ship. Additionally you can add stellar bodies, which can't be scanned by default, because the data is already available in the game, but unknown to TCE.

View Database
The VIEW DATABASE tab showing all details about your scanned or added stars and bodies. The treeview on the left sums all systems to get a quickly overview. You can filter the view by selecting the filter button. The list of filters are displayed to enter your criteria. Click the button again to close the filters. Click the button next to it to clear all selected filter settings. The mid showing all bodies of a selected star system, that are in your database. Click one to get more details and to change/select the image data. This list can be sorted by name or distance.

Click IMAGE DATA to hide the panel and show the camera picture. You can hide your HUD by pressing SHIFT+ALT+CTRL+G keys. Now position you view ship to get a nice shot of the star. Click TAKE PICTURE to return to the Cartography panel.

Star System Map
The STAR SYSTEM MAP tab showing all bodies and installations about your current star system similar to the ingame map.

Select a star or planet to get more information’s about it.

If the available data missing positional informations, TCE tries to get the data from EDSM. If this fails, a schematic map is displayed instead.

This view can also quickly accessed by the Star System Summary panel.

Scan Protocol Panel
Here you can open manually the SCAN PROTOCOL PANEL to review your last scans of stars and planets from the actual session.

You can take a picture from a star or planet ingame to replace the default picture. You could also sort the list of scanned objects.

Camera panel
This panel is used to add a picture of a stellar body to the related entry, you have scanned or added. It will show automatically after a scan of your ship by default, but this can be deactivated at the Options panel. You can also use the IMAGE DATA button at the bottom-right of the cartography panel for the selected entry.

When opened, you can change the zoom of the camera, so the body will fill the image and move the panel to the desired location of your screen, to take a picture of the object, you had scanned/added before.

Creating
Here you can plan your next exploration into deep space. TCE will support you in your journeys between the stars and help you to bring all gained exploration data into a well sorted overview, ranging from a single star system summary to a combined summary for an actual or completed exploration.

It's possible to create a flight plan and to selecting individual waypoints to your designated destination star system. TCE will assist you find the next waypoint, similar to the actual route guidance system, used when starting a trade route.

First of all, select a name for the exploration, so it will be listed at the exploration treeview on the left side after creation.

Select thereafter the start system, where your exploration should begin. By default, it is the actual star system, you are currently at. If the name of the star system is green, click the arrow button behind it to add the system to the flight plan for the exploration.

The same is done for the end system. If a star system name is shown in red, then TCE don't know about the star system, so TCE tries to use the EDSM service to get the coordinates of the entered star system. If this fails, you have to add the star system manually, incl. coordinates. Use the star system database area to add the unknown system to your database by adding the name and the X/Y/Z-coordinates. Click the button below to store it. The new star system will be automatically added to the flightplan.

You could also add waypoint between your selected start and end star system, either by adding them manually or you can use the great Neutron Highway Route Planner service, if the distance between start and end system is greater than 500 LY's, which will add neutron star systems into your flight plan. There is a route efficiency value for the service, please hover above the help (?) button to learn, what it does.

If you have added some waypoints to your flight plan, you could move them into the right order. TCE will show you the distances of the route, so you could change the order of waypoints by shifting them up or down. To remove a waypoint, click the X-button behind the waypoint at the flight plan.

Finally click the CREATE EXPLORATION button to save the flight plan to your database.

Importing/Exporting
You can also import and export created explorations to exchange them with other TCE users. To import a flight plan, there is no need to set an exploration name, start or destination. Click the green import button at the top of the flight plan. The name, start, destination and waypoints will be updated automatically. Modify as necessary and click CREATE EXPLORATION to save the flight plan. To export a flight plan, a flight plan must first be created. It can then be exported by clicking the red export button at the top of the flight plan list.

Note: When importing a flight plan, make sure that the start system matches your current system or is the first system that you will visit. You are expected to follow the plan exactly, or the plan will not sequence through correctly. This is not an issue when creating a plan from scratch, because the start system will always be the system you are currently located.

It is now also possible to import a .CSV file, downloaded from the Neutron Route Plotter tool on the Spansh website. By adding a Road 2 Riches flightplan, all bodies, which are recommended to scan or map, will be added to the star system notes upon arrival.

Activating
Now the created exploration will show up at the exploration treeview on the left with a red icon infront, showing you, that this exploration is actually not active. There will be one system as a child node indicating the first system to visit. Use the ACTIVATE EXPLORATION button to start your exploration. The destination in main TCE window will change to Auto Exploration and the first star system will be indicated. The star system name will be copied to the clipboard to aid navigation in the Elite Dangerous System Map. As you follow the flight plan, the destination will automatic update to the next system to visit. TCE will record any exploration activity, like star system changes and scans. A child node will be added for each star system visited in the Exploration window. Click the star system to review the exploration data.

It is also possible to add a predefined route as your flightplan. You can see the list of available routes by using the arrow button behind the exploration name. Select one and TCE will add all waypoints for the route the flight plan. Don't forget to add a start system too and you are ready to go.

Explorations: Summaries
The Exploration Summary showing you all information about your exploration.

It is pretty extensive and you can see all stars and planets, you have scanned with high/low characteristics and more. A great help and very informative.

The System Summary holding detailed information for each star system, you have visited on your exploration, shown at the exploration treeview.

You could take easily a picture from the system map ingame (open and center it ingame system map before you click the picture button) or add a note for the system.

You can enlarge the system map picture by clicking onto the picture. Click it again to close the enlarged view.

Explorations: Ship Summary
Here you can review your current or used ship loadout in the exploration. Also this summary showing many detailed information about the used ship.

Exploration: Data
Similar to the creation tab, this showing you the actual flight plan. You can edit it by adding or removing waypoints, but only those, you not have reached so far. Changing the name of the exploration is also possible.

Click the UPDATE EXPLORATION button to store the updated exploration data.

Exploration: Delete
You could also delete a created exploration. You have to confirm the deletion to not accidentally removing something by a faulty mouse-click.