How do you guys generate grid design points for an elevation grid of an area within an irregularly shaped piece of land? I use SurveyPro so I just have to line and offset the whole thing, but Magnet Field seems to have a Grid function under their Stake menu. I do not know if Magnet Field generates the points in a numbered way that is easy to walk, though. Many CAD programs can generate grid points but not in an order that you can actually walk out easily.
Is this for topo or layout
Sounds like the layout. If yes, then with Magnet use stake >points >nearest. After you stake a point press the -> arrow right button to stake to next nearest point. You can also create a point list to stake from. Tag and create points from graphics in the order you plan to walk.
Layout
Wouldn??t stake nearest corner you in often? That??s what happens to me when I use stake nearest.
Wouldn??t stake nearest corner you in often? That??s what happens to me when I use stake nearest.
No, that has never happened to me with Magnet. You can use the next and previous?ÿbuttons to cycle through points.
So when Magnet generates a grid the points are not numerically ordered in a walkable way??ÿ
Also, how large of grids have you tried surveying using the ??nearest?? method? I can??t imagine how it would NOT corner you in by selecting the nearest one since a grid points are all the same ?ÿdistance away so Magnet would be arbitrarily setting your next point to stake.
In Magnet create grid lines, not grid points.
So how does that work? Do you just select a line and then a station interval? Also, does it generate the lines strictly within a selected shape?
Try it.
It creates infinite lines in map view. No snapping. You then walk to grid intersection. Show live coordinates, move pole to intersection and store. If you have pole on a wheel you can do an auto topo by distance, time or slope.
I can??t try it because the firm I work for uses Trimble and SurveyPro, and SurveyPro has no gridding feature. I was wondering what other sureveyors use because line and offsetting a grid on a non rectangular area (irregular) is a headache.
I would think that 'grid' isn't what you're actually looking for once your frame becomes 'irregular'.?ÿIf, by irregular, you mean a quadrilateral ??
What is the irregularity ??
A shape of any form essentially. It needs to be filled in with a set of design points in a grid formation so that I can go and get the actual elevations in a grid formation. How well does topcon??s solution for getting a grid work? That is, how user friendly is it??ÿ
You could stake a DTM and use any line as the refrence centerline?ÿ
Would it lead me well through it? Like in a nice walkable fashion? I never staked a DTM before. Topcon and Trimble might also differ in DTM staking as I don??t recall a centerline option on that menu in SurveyPro.
I am running survey pro 6.3.1 but this option has been around a while it??s in the DTM menu. You have to import the surface/DTM file either DXF XML or DTM(old foresite file) or create it from points. Then stake DTM it has drop down menu for the surface/DTM selection. There??s a check box for with centerline it may have to be an alignment in the job I have not tried it with a polyline. As you move the station and offset update along with cut/fill values
I just took a look at SurveyPro DTM menu. You are right. I guess using the center line is like line and offsetting except the line is just bounded by your DTM boundaries? Still seems annoying though because when you finish your line, you have to reverse it or something, adjust the offset and continue.?ÿ
If I had to do a lot of points I would use Carlson in the office make a line through the center of the property then make that a centerline offset that line left and right at whatever interval I wanted. Then I would have it create points on whatever station interval you were wanting on those poly lines. Then set those point elevations by surface model. If I didn??t like the order I would use calculate offsets and have it spit out a report to excel ( #, station, offset, N , E , EL) and then use the sort function to get them in the order I wanted then renumber the points and either delete the station and offset rows or use them as the description?ÿ
I just took a look at SurveyPro DTM menu. You are right. I guess using the center line is like line and offsetting except the line is just bounded by your DTM boundaries? Still seems annoying though because when you finish your line, you have to reverse it or something, adjust the offset and continue.?ÿ
The line can be any alignment in the job. If you go past the DTM bouandry it stops reporting cut fill. I cannot remember what it does when you go past the alignment length I think it just extrapolates the line. You are not staking to station and offset. It won??t tell you go north or east or come go left right. As you move your station and offset will update in relation to the selected line