How are most of you creating cut/fill reports in the office for contractors these days on construction staking for things like curb or sewer utilities needing to be laid? We're running C3D currently with a hodge-podge of various SCS & Carlson field softwares so straight outta the data collector's software isn't really an option; plus the local municipalities require all cut sheets to be sealed. I've seen a few people create cut/fill sheets from Autocad C3D using proprietary workflows like running a cut/fill earthwork between two surfaces, with one surface having the points or feature line at the intended elevation and the other surface having the points that are actually logged in from the CL hubs & offset hubs that were staked in the field. I've heard of others creating excel spreadsheets dedicated to stuff like this - I guess they import .txt or .csv point files and some spreadsheets might require more tailoring for the specific stakeout routine?
But I'm curious how others are doing this as our current method of creating a cut/fill sheets/reports by hand and running levels through everything in the field after staking the points via total station is just way too slow & it's affecting production elsewhere from the field crews, to the surveryors & all the way up to the project engineers as contractors will call in screaming for a cut sheet (and rightfully so after waiting a few days). I'm trying to convince upper management that there's faster options and that mistakes can be made both by hand or by user error of the software too, so we might as well speed it up with the use of technology. In the apst it has taken us up to 3 days to generate cut sheets before of say just 40 or so points w/ varying offsets from the start of the field staking to actually processing the field book notes, to putting everything into a report, double checking it between two people, sealing it & sending out PDF's to the right people. So I really want to speed this process up (for everybody's sake)
Is running levels really necessary? I can see following up RTK with levels, but the TS is usually sufficiently accurate for most applications.
I have a variety of spreadsheet forms, with formulas. So far I have not reduced that to a template, but I can usually copy a former job that was similar. Nevertheless, cut sheet prep is a major time suck. Copies of well organized field notes may be an alternative.?ÿ
For the most part I just export them from my CS20.?ÿ Sometimes I might use a text editor to clean it up a bit and add any need meta data.?ÿ I was able to create the export templates in LGO.?ÿ Unfortunately, Leica decided the format manager was not needed in Infinity.?ÿ The format manager is great and the only real reason I keep LGO loaded on a machine.
If you are required to run levels, then I'm not sure how this is going to help, but here is a quick and dirty way to get design and existing elevations for comparison if you have the final design surface in C3D:
1. Export the store points (with existing ground surface elevations) from the data collector to PNEZD format.
2. Import that file to the C3D design drawing containing the design surface. Then run the Elevations From Surface routine for those points. Then export out the points using the same format with a different name.
3. Open up both point files in excel, copy one dataset to the other, sort them, clean up the columns then run your cut/fill comps in a new column. Voila, no hand-entering necessary...
I used to have an XLS template that I could copy the relevant fields into for the official report. It helps if the points have the station and offset or other identifying information in the descriptor to begin with.
I am sure there are other ways, but this one is easy to learn and teach.
Seriously, though, getting the right field or office software will make all that totally unnecessary.
Depends...but we usually set up our field books such that we have a cut sheet when we are finished. The details differ depending on what is being staked, but in the end you have to write up stakes, so it makes sense to have report on what you wrote up in the field book. If you keep it neat, you can simply make a photo copy.?ÿ
Some very dense inspectors will ask for it to be written on a seperate sheet, like letterhead or something, but most realize that a direct copy of the real cut sheet from the field book is more valuable, and it can be stamped (sealed) just like any other document.
If that isn't possible, using the level routine in SurvCE while staking it is very slick and will save a lot of time on cutsheetst
If you do run levels, do it in SurvCE. It can match up the RTK/TS shots with your level shots, and provide you with a report comparing the elevations. This is VERY useful for checks and such. I would probably simply insist on SurvCE for all jobs needing this type of cut sheet, since it produces everything you need in a very usable format.
Is running levels really necessary?
apparently in certain people's minds it is but I'm not convinced myself, honestly. Granted if you're doing as-builts on utilities like sewer inverts then yes I can see where levels and a field book have their place. Now I have personally been burned on a cut sheet in the past when one dumb dumb staked the curb for a subdivision at 0.5% grades with older GPS (can't remember if the idiot even used a base or not). had to actually go out to the field on that one for a day and fix it with a level off of some known benches but I always enjoy fixing stuff like that anyway
that's not a bad idea actually thanks for that one. I need to find a field data file to try it on and see how it works. I typically don't prepare cut sheets myself but if I can teach those that do how to do this then it could really speed things up
I will look into the SurvCE software. Not sure if any of our collectors have it or not. I know several have the older SCS trimble software i think or carlson but not sure about anything else. I know too that the local municipalities prefer everything to be on letterhead & sealed. I'm sure copies of the field books (which do report & describe each station, offset & elevation observed) would suffice if it were presented properly...
If it take more than an hour to create and deliver a cut sheet via email it stresses me out. I often do it before I leave the job site so the contractor has it same day Almost always delivered by next morning though. Most of that hour is for double/triple checking what I'm sending.
Basically:
Excel spread sheet of design points
Import as-staked points into spread sheet.
Column for description of points - ideally this column equals the design stake column.
Create columns for delta point number, delta north, delta east, delta elev.
Delta north, delta east are for quality control. A few hundredths here and there, not a concern.
Delta point number is equal to the design point number minus the as staked description number (set up collected staked points for description to match the design stake point number). All delta point numbers must equal zero. If not that means I staked out of sequence. Modify manually by cut/paste until the delta point numbers all are zero.
Then a column for: if design elev. is greater than staked elev, then "F" absolute value of delta elev., if not "C" absolute value delta elev.
Manipulate Excel columns so only columns for point number, description, C/F value are printed to pdf.
Create cutsheet pdf and email. Include point plot in email. Point plot created when points were calc'd.
Excel template with multiple sheets in the file simply this, but essentially that how I do it.
Running levels for stakeout? Never - at least for civil works utilizing total station/robotics.
I don't understand how exporting a cutsheet straight out of the DC isn't possible.?ÿ When I used SurvCE it had a button to literally do just that, all you needed was a flash drive to send the file to.
thank you for the idea; it sounds like we need to look into creating a dedicated spreadsheet that uses the points in the fashion you mentioned to help expedite things. now for convincing them of shooting in the points with a TS versus a level!
I don't see how you can be competitive using a level. If you're winning jobs based on using a level, your profit margin will shoot up skipping that.
Yes, you should be able to but for whatever reason I don't see that option in my collector. And using excel, I can format the output to my liking. Also excel is data collector independent.
With a little more sophistication in my excel skills I could probably automate even more, but I don't want to put that much more effort into it.
I like to put the cut, fill and o/s in the pt. description and send a drawing, that way the guys have help with the horizontal geometry as well.?ÿ
If it is required to be done by pencil then I may just skip the descriptors all together and book the whole show in a nice format and photocopy the notes.
Running levels over your hubs is, as others have said, not needed.?ÿ
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Here is a portion of a cutsheet that I am working on today. The columns from "SLOPE" and to the right are all the product of formulas.?ÿ?ÿ
I consider my Excel skills to be modest. It's not hard to learn. And once you have written these formulas once you just copy them.
That's a nice looking format - all the information is handy.
I started using the absolute value function (ABS) for the c/f fill a few years ago because I actually had a contractor ask "Does cut -0.25 mean fill 3 inches?"
just curious, why do you need a date column reading for every shot?
You can format numbers in Excel so a negative has a C instead of minus and positive numbers have F
I don't need it, of course. And usually I hide that column before exporting to pdf. In this case you got a quick export of a work in progress. So it is just for my own reference. These sites are very compressed urban sites, I rarely am able to stake the whole run at once, it gets built in bits and pieces, and frequently I have to restake parts a few times before it is all done. So I like to keep track of which days work I'm currently quoting.
