Surfer2024-05-03T14:34:16-06:00
Surfer

Surfer

Create an Immersive 2D/3D Model in Under 2 Minutes!

Trusted by over 100,000 scientists and engineers worldwide, Surfer simplifies transforming complex geospatial datasets into accurate 2D and 3D models.

Analyze Complex Data With Confidence

Stakeholders rely on you to provide insights that save time, money, and headache. Surfer empowers you with a robust set of analysis features.

Your expertise combined with Surfer’s arsenal of analysis tools make a powerful combination to develop meaningful interpretations. Take command of your data analysis journey today with Surfer – the tool you can trust to deliver accurate, insightful results, every time.

Ensure Accuracy

Ensure Accuracy

Adjust interpolation and gridding parameters to ensure accuracy and increase confidence in the interpolated dataset. Include variogram models, define faults and breaklines, or generate grid statistics to identify trends or anomalies.

Robust Interpolation

Robust Interpolation

Transform regularly or irregularly spaced data onto a grid or raster with 13 different interpolation methods including Kriging, Inverse Distance to a Power, and Triangulation with Linear Interpolation.

Eliminate Uncertainty

Eliminate Uncertainty

Bring subsurface characteristics to light with cross sections or profile maps or explore the data from every angle in Surfer’s 3D view as you fly between drillhole paths and inspect all aspects of isosurfaces and volumes.

New Insights

Reveal Insights

Apply mathematical operations on grid files, including “matrix math” operations. Generate isopach or isochore maps, calculate contamination volumes, identify anomalies, model groundwater flow and solute transports, or calculate slope and aspect.

Enhanced Visuals

Enhanced Visuals

Visualize grids using 10+ different map types such as contours or surfaces, and combine the data with other layers like aerial photographs, spot locations, drillhole data and LiDAR point clouds.

True 3D

True 3D

Level up your model with true 3D interpolation and many more unique features. Add point locations, surfaces, drillhole paths and data, and 3D XYZC grids as rendered volumes or isosurfaces in true 3D space.

Create Meaningful Maps with Unparalleled Speed

In a fast-paced world, every moment counts. With Surfer’s lightning-fast capabilities, you can transform raw data into insightful maps in record time. Say goodbye to tedious manual processes and hello to streamlined efficiency. Whether you’re mapping geological features, visualizing spatial trends, or presenting survey results, Surfer’s intuitive interface and powerful tools empower you to produce high-quality maps with unmatched speed.

Experience the thrill of effortlessly generating visually stunning maps that captivate your audience and convey your message with clarity. With Surfer, you’re not just creating maps—you’re shaping narratives and making impactful decisions at unprecedented speeds.

Surfer’s data assembly tools help you work more efficiently and effectively.

Clearly Communicate Results to All Audiences

You’re driven to leverage your expertise to solve real-world problems, but communicating your solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences presents a challenge.

Surfer bridges this gap, enabling you to develop a comprehensive understanding of your data and convey your discoveries to diverse audiences. Experience the satisfaction of seeing your work translate into tangible insights that resonate with everyone, sparking those coveted ‘Aha!’ moments.

Enhance Maps & Models

Enhance Maps & Models

Add title blocks, company logos, legends, scale bars, cross sections, magnifiers, or multiple axes. Add context with imagery that’s imported or downloaded from online servers directly within Surfer.

Share Your Work

Share Your Work

Copy and paste directly into PowerPoint or Word, export all of some map layers to DXF for AutoCAD, provide the field crew with a KMZ file to view the model in Google Earth, or export to PDF, 3D PDF, or TIF for your final report.

Bridge the Gap

Bridge the Gap

Help investors fully conceptualize the extent of the project by walking them through the site in 3D all from the comfort of the boardroom. Highlight areas of interest, pinpoint the source of contamination, and clarify the full extent of the remediation efforts.

While you may not always give clients the answer they like, with Surfer, you give them an answer that improves their understanding.

Contour map of oceanic temperature at 200 meters generated in Surfer 2D & 3D mapping & modeling software
Surfer Turrialba Volcano
Reveal Subsurface Contamination On-Site with Surfer 2D & 3D mapping & modeling software
Pine beetle infestation map generated in Surfer 2D & 3D mapping & modeling software
Analyze all aspects of data with the profile map generated in Surfer 2D & 3D mapping and modeling software
Surfer 3D Modeling Clipping Plane
Images generated in Surfer are publication-ready
Drillhole data viewed in 3D generated in Surfer 2D & 3D mapping & modeling software
Export models to 3D PDF with Surfer 2D & 3D mapping and modeling software

Take Total Control of the Results You Present

Get buy-in from stakeholders with visuals that speak directly to their concerns. Our tools empower you to turn complex data into clear narratives and give you full control over the presentation of your results.

Full Control

Full Control

Take advantage of complete control over all gridding parameters, including options to incorporate anisotropy, faults, breaklines, and variogram models.

Complete Compatibility

Complete Compatibility

Import and export numerous file formats like SHP, DXF, PDF, GeoTIFF, and XLSX, georeference images, and effortlessly manage unreferenced data and data in different and multiple coordinate systems.

New Insights

New Insights

Incorporate old data into your model with Surfer’s georeferencing and digitizing tools and the option to generate grid or raster files directly from contour maps.

“The happiest part of my job is looking at data and putting it into a plot that explains it to people.”

Golden Software Team Photo 2023

Extend Your Team With Expert Support!

You love solving complex problems. So do we.

You’re pressed for time with demanding clients, budget pressures, and an ever growing to-do list.

We’re here to answer your questions quickly and unleash time-saving techniques tailored to your needs, empowering you to impress stakeholders and win clients.

We are the company you WANT to contact, and we are excited to hear from you.

Comprehensive Library Of Scripts, Sample Files, & KBs

Starting from scratch can be daunting. Dive into Surfer’s extensive resource library for inspiration, guidance, and tools to kickstart your projects. From beginner to advanced, our resources are designed to elevate your visualization skills.

Knowledge Base

Quick Start Guide

Online Help

Quickly Access Technical Reference Info From Anywhere

Whether you’re in the office or the field, Surfer’s online knowledge base and in-app help are at your fingertips. Find answers to your questions, learn new techniques, and discover best practices to enhance your modeling capabilities.

Video Tutorials

Webinars

Blog

Useful Information

What is the latest version of Surfer?2024-07-30T10:17:14-06:00

The most recent version of Surfer is version 27.3.322  released on July 13, 2024.

Packed with new features and improvements, these updates are available to users with an active software subscription or software maintenance.

Explore the latest release: New Features in Surfer

The most recent version of Surfer Beta is version 28.0.220 released on July 27, 2024. Surfer Beta is available to users with an active subscription or maintenance.

We provide full support to only the current versions of Surfer and Surfer Beta. Please see the Golden Software Support Policy for more details.

What are Surfer’s system requirements?2024-05-03T15:06:18-06:00

Surfer is a Windows based, desktop software.

For Mac, Linux, or Unix users, Surfer can be run using your preferred Windows emulator. We recommend testing the functionality with our trial version before purchasing.

Minimum requirements

  • Windows 10, 11 and higher
  • 64-bit operating system
  • 1024×768 or higher monitor resolution with minimum 16-bit color depth
  • At least 500 MB free hard disk space
  • At least 512 MB RAM for simple data sets
  • 3D View: Graphics supporting OpenGL v3.2 or later.

System recommendations for best performance

  • Windows 10, 11 and higher
  • 64-bit operating system
  • 500 GB or larger hard-drive with at least 25% disk space available.
  • 16 GB RAM or larger
  • 3D View: Graphics card (e.g. NVIDIA, AMD, etc)

Additional Information

  • Gridding, contouring, and color relief operations, all of which are heavily computational, are processor reliant and are multi-threaded.  In Surfer, you will find a setting at File | Options | General | Max number of processors to use.  It should be set to use all cores.
  • For gridding and contouring operations, CPU performance is important.  The more cores the better.
  • When working consistently with very large data files, more RAM is important.
  • ​Turning off auto recovery can help performance in some cases.  It is OFF by default, but it can be enabled at File | Options | General | Save auto recovery information.
  • 3D View performance and rendering will vary in Window emulators.
What are Surfer’s licensing options?2023-08-22T11:37:55-06:00

Single-user license: This license may be used by a single individual. They are ideal for a single user, an individual who needs access to Surfer at any point, or those who frequently visit client sites or are away from the office.

Concurrent-use license: Also called a “network” or “floating” license, this license is tied to a network and Surfer can be installed on as many client machines as desired. The number of users who can use Surfer at a given time is limited by the number of seats purchased.

Both license options are available in a subscription or perpetual plus maintenance model.

Subscription license: Access to the latest version of Surfer for either a monthly or annual term with automatic renewal.

Perpetual license: A one-time purchase that gives you lifelong access to Surfer. The first year of software maintenance is included and at the end of the year, you must renew software maintenance to continue receiving the latest Surfer releases.

For further information on licensing, review the Licensing articles or our End User License Agreement.

Do you offer educator or student licenses?2023-07-25T14:55:58-06:00

Yes! Please review all the details on our Educators or Students page.

Golden Guarantee

Golden Guarantee

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed or 100% of Your Money Back

We know Surfer and Grapher’s visualization capabilities will help you stand out from the crowd, WOW clients, and leave a lasting impression!

But… we realize you don’t know this yet. And you won’t until you experience our products for yourself.

This is why we provide this guarantee. This is the distillation of a 40+ year adventure designing, developing, and honing powerful visualization and analysis features as requested by scientists and engineers like you.

Our products can produce results far beyond its license fees. We are assuming all your risk, so you have none.

Golden Software

TESTIMONIALS

Hear what other scientists & engineers have to say!

Golden Software is like a close family. Your team is always ready to answer questions, to solve problems, your products are of fine quality, low prices for updates.

Thierry Hatt
Historical GIS Cartographer Université de Strasbourg, France

We have been Golden Software clients for 35 years and have never been disappointed. For us, it’s the premier data presentation package.

Felicia Bechtel
Senior Geophysical Advisor

I’ve used Surfer for many years. It helps me tell my data’s story which allows me to clearly communicate important information with clients.

Richard Koehler, PhD
PH Founder, Visual Data Analytics, LLC

The wide variety and functionality of the interpolation/extrapolation algorithms, as well as the geostatistical functionality, is simply awesome!

Grant van Heerden, MAIG
Mine Geotechnical Engineer / Engineering Geologist

As an author, I make beautiful maps of the ground surface from LiDAR data. Surfer allows me to tease out subtle features. It is a delight to use and the tools are there, no matter what function I wish to apply.

Peter Hatherly
Geophysicist

Golden Software products are the most intuitive of any software I've ever used.

Anna Klene, PhD
Professor

Surfer is the best GIS software I have ever used…better than AutoCAD and ArcGIS … I love it!

Liliana Cecan, PhD, PE
Senior Project Manager

Surfer appears to have been designed by people who really understand what scientists like myself want to do. This allows me to look at data and ask questions without being concerned at the technicalities of how to load, manipulate and map data.

Barry Gardiner
Senior Scientist

Utilize Surfer’s extensive modeling tools to display your data the way it deserves.

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