Problems with plotting caused by raster data

Problem:

• The plot file is unexpectedly large.
• Plotting takes an unexpectedly long time.
• A rotated plot takes dramatically longer than an unrotated plot.
  
  

Cause:

• There is (too) much raster data included.
  Note: WMS services usually return raster data as well.
• The resolution (dpi) for the raster data is unnecessarily high.
• Rasterization of vector data takes place.

Raster data usually consumes more resources and therefore takes longer to plot than vector data.

If raster data are rotated, then all pixels must be recalculated. In particular, their display properties must be redetermined according to their neighborhood. This usually consumes even more resources and the plot duration becomes significantly longer compared to an unrotated plot.

Solution:

• Reduce the raster layers to what is absolutely necessary.
• Reduce the resolution (dpi) to the acceptable minimum.
• Avoid rasterization of the vector data.

In case the plot also contains

• interrupted vector lines are included and/or
• image symbols are used, which are vectorized (polygonalized) before,

there is the ratio switch (resampleRatio). The resolution of the raster data can thus be significantly reduced compared to the general resolution.