Hi, How would you survey this apartment using a total station so that all positions are linked? Only in a local system. What would be your step-by-step procedure? Thank you so much.
Why the total station?
A tape measure is probably a more appropriate tool
What Jim said.
I have measured hundreds of apartment units to get as-built dimensions to put on condominium plats. Never used anything but a steel tape. Nowadays I'd also use a laser distance meter of suitable accuracy. In that case you assume the walls are at right angles, and they nearly always are, or as close to it as makes no difference.
My company once collected existing dimensions on a very old reinforced-concrete building, one of the earliest ones ever built of that material.
None of the angles in that building were exactly 90 degrees, and the walls were not exactly parallel. The columns had all been hand formed and were not uniform in size and shape. Neither was their spacing. In that case we did use a total station, since there was no other way to get the information the architects needed. But that was an unusual situation, and using the total station made it a lot more work.
I have also used a surveyor's level inside buildings on a few occasions, for the purpose of checking elevations on the floor and finding out how far it was out of level. That works OK, but again it's extra trouble and one doesn't do it for no reason.
Like others have said, you don't need a TS. Just a tape measure. Assume walls are at 90° (or maybe 45° in some cases). Don't forget to account for wall thicknesses.
@jimcox @rplumb314 @mark-mayer
Thank you for your input.
My assignment is to compare different methods of measuring interior. I have already used a Laser Distance Meter and a laser scanner, now it is time for total station. I would like to know what is the common procedure for this method of measurement in practice, if you can help.
@vrktvrk I would answer there is not a common procedure for this measurement method in practice because it is inefficient. Someone trying to compete by using a total station to measure apartments would end up out of business in short order. Any professor teaching otherwise should refund the tuition being charged.
As Lurker says, any instructions to do this job by using a TS are purely hypothetical. But just supposing, the procedure would simply be a matter of traversing from room to room and shooting the face of the walls. I'd think that one would use reflectorless for that last. There would necessarily be short traverse legs and a lot of them to get such a job done.
And if the floor is a wooden one the compensators would probably have to be turned off, because the gun would go out of level every time the operator shifted his weight from foot to foot. Possibly this could be alleviated by operating the gun remotely - ie/not standing any where near it.
I would just scan that and not worry about anything. But taping would be more effective than a total station. Scanning would probably be the easiest way and best to grab all the details.
I would just ....
I'm convinced that the OP is doing this as an academic exercise, so efficiency is not a consideration.
@norman-oklahoma I understand now. Hope all is well with you. I have been so busy I don’t get much time to thoroughly read through this stuff.
This is the new Total station I use, I've checked it many times, it works well.
There is a device called the "Moasure" which I've been wanting to try for this sort of thing.
There is a device called the "Moasure" which I've been wanting to try for this sort of thing.
I've seen this recently as well. I'd like to see how it works and give it a try as well though I have no real application for it, I'm just curious.
T. Nelson - SAM