The Cache Filler can be used to fill some or all of the image cache in one operation, and can also fill the cache automatically when the next image to be displayed is not yet loaded into cache. It is primarily designed to make the loading of flipped images from large files much more efficient, but it could also be useful when loading unflipped images.

The Fill fraction radio buttons select whether the program will fill all, half, or one-quarter of the image cache in the next operation.

If there are multiple image files loaded (multiple times), then there will be a set of radio buttons to set the priority among the files. The choices are:

• Allocate the amount of cache to be filled equally among all times.
• Divide available cache space equally among the current time and the previous and next times; then if any space remains to be filled, divide it equally among the remaining times.
• Allocate as much of the cache as needed to the current time, then divide remaining space equally among the rest of the times.
• Fill the cache only for the current time.

If the Autofill check box is selected, then the program will fill the cache according to the other settings in this dialog whenever an image is to be displayed that is not in the cache.

With Autofill on, if an image is reached by stepping forward or backward in Z, then the program will retain some existing sections to provide the amount of overlap indicated in the "Overlap by" radio buttons, namely by half, a quarter, or an eighth of the amount of cache to be filled. For example, if the cache is 64 images, it contains sections 36 to 99, all of it is to be filled, and you step up from section 99 to 100 then sections 68 to 99 will be retained and 100 to 131 will be loaded if "1/2" is selected; whereas 92 to 99 will be retained and 100 to 155 loaded if "1/8" is selected.

The Fill button will fill the cache according to the current settings, and has the same effect as the Edit-Image-Fill Cache menu entry.

To visualize large image files in flipped mode most conveniently, start 3dmod without the -Y option and with the desired cache size specified in megabytes (e.g., -C 100M). Select the Z level that you want to see after flipping by clicking at the corresponding Y level in the Zap window with the left mouse button. Open the Cache Filler window and select appropriate filling options, including Autofill. Then flip the image.

The program will not accept input while loading, but will report progress in the Info window with a dot every 10 slices. When loading flipped images, a dot will appear for every 10 of the native Z slices that are loaded from the file.

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