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Magnet Tools versus TBC
Hello all I need some input on Trimble Business Center versus Magnet TOOLS. Anyone that has comparisons it is very helpful. One area I am interested in is if they will do Least Squares adjustments on survey data. And can you input in various types of survey data and adjust them together (mixing total station and GNSS and leveling all at once – for example.)
I am an experienced and educated Land Surveyor. I am looking to make a change select one of the two software suites. I usually do custom projections and am a little worried about the grid to ground built in stuff in Magnet.
ANy replies will be helpful. Thank you.
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5 Replies
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Do to proprietary formats, you should match your hardware to the vendor’s software to get 100% compatibility. I use Magnet Tools with Topcon Digital Level, Topcon/Sokkia GPS, and Topcon/Sokkia EDM’s for least squares adjustments. The data all comes in to Magnet Tools effortlessly, when using the aforementioned hardware with Topcon Magnet Field data collection.
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Agreed. if there is post-processing software that goes along with your field equipment and field software, then use that. If not, then a program like StarNET might be a better choice – then you could at least run the conversion routines and tweak your imports using text. The major manufacturers keep their proprietary file formats very close to the chest and rarely make it easy to import competitor’s data.
If the post-processing software that goes along with the equipment is not up to the task…trade in that gear for some better stuff with a full adjustment suite.
If you really want to go with one or the other, local dealers should be able to give you a trial version to play around with if you are seriously looking. (I know the Trimble dealer in AK will do so.) Check out the coordinate system managers and see how easy (or not) it is to build those projections.
“…people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.” -Neil Postman -
I use TBC for small simple site adjustments but when there are complex sites or sites which I know are going to be long projects, I will typically use Starnet due to the ease of managing the points and easy to read and adjust features. I recently started learning about Move3 and find it not too bad. The adjustments are going to only differ little between each software. Pick one that you are comfortable to use in the end. I use different brands for my equipment thus with Starnet or Move3, I am not bound to a manufacturer software.
FYI: Move3 was used in Carlson Survnet and also Leica LGO or Infinity, I cant recall exactly.
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That is my experience. TBC is happiest if you can start on a GNSS point and backsight another GNSS point. When conditions don’t allow that you can force it to work but StarNet is smoother and easier to use in large complex projects with lots of traverses combined with GNSS vectors.
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TBC just wants traverses to begin and end on control points. It doesn’t matter where the coordinates come from as long as there classification is Control.
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