On the Leica Viva systems, What is the difference between shifting a line and applying hinge offsets?
For example, I have a CL 3D polyline with final grade elevation. I want to stake the sub-base shoulder and 3H:1V toe stakes. Is it better to use the shift command or hinge offset to move the line at its location?
I know nothing about Viva, but "hinge" sounds like it has an element of rotation to it?
When I used the on-board on an old TC307 (my first gun, fond memories) you could offset a line horizontally and vertically between two entered points and also apply a rotation to the offset line.
I never used the rotation, but the offset was handy because I did a lot of slope staking.
I devised this method for speed, though:
I would set two stakes on each section line so the rodman could eyeball line within less than a foot. The hub for the top stake was top of cut, and I set it to grade (was easy because it was where the slope daylighted). I would use the Leica routine of radial tie-distance (just an inverse routine, but radial method kept a running inverse to the first point) to shoot the daylight stake and take shots down the slope calculating cut.
Was way faster to not set up on a known point, deal with offsets, etc.
I miss that gun. Every other crew before then that I was rodman on had Topcon, and Nikon total stations with motion clamps. Also we were old-fashioned and didn't use data collection, kept complete field notes. When I first got that gun I could wear out the rodmen... I was the first to use data collection and I had the endless friction motion. That model of Leica didn't have an on-board full keyboard, though, so I still wrote down descriptions. Leica had a good setup where you could take and store shots without even looking out of the scope as long as your description didn't change.
🙂
Sometimes lack of bells and whistles is a good thing.