I have a project where we have no existing conditions map. The contractor has to build a swale alongside a dirt road. We have a detail of the swale with slopes and dimensions so I can easily build a template of this.
Is there a way for us to stake that template cross-section at various points along the the road? Basically we want to go in the field, paint 25' stations down this road for around 600' then shoot a point at each station at the crown of the road and then apply this template to stake three swale points to one side of the road from center.
Any ideas? We use Leica Viva field software.
Tom
I'm not familiar with Viva but with Carlson, I would shoot the center line then define a center line alignment and vertical profile using the shot points. Once you have those it's fairly easy to tell it that from 0+00 to 6+00 the template is 0% (or whatever) from CL to 25'L or 25'R then from 25'L or 25'R give it the specs for the ditch profile.
> I have a project where we have no existing conditions map. The contractor has to build a swale alongside a dirt road. We have a detail of the swale with slopes and dimensions so I can easily build a template of this.
>
> Is there a way for us to stake that template cross-section at various points along the the road? Basically we want to go in the field, paint 25' stations down this road for around 600' then shoot a point at each station at the crown of the road and then apply this template to stake three swale points to one side of the road from center.
IMVHO I'd just do a topo on 600' of road and call it good. What, 3 hrs & some CAD time. Use that for your existing conditions template. Plus you do need some actual control, so when you come back you can be on the same page as you started.
If they won't pay for the topo, which is likely more cost effective in the long run - I'd walk away. Let the contractor figure it out, but I wouldn't hang my PLS hat on designing something that no PE was involved with. Permits come to mind too???
Good luck. No such thing as "easy" in this profession.
I know how to do it on Trimble Access, sure someone can tell you how to do it on Viva.
I was just thinking though, how big is the swale? If there are a couple of you might you be as quick doing it with a tape and level?
Can be refreshing and fun to go old school at least occasionally.
> Any ideas? We use Leica Viva field software.
What you are being asked to do is old style slope staking. It is best done with a tape and a level.
If you don't have a tape and a level I suppose you will have to make do with your robot and VIVA. At each 25 section shoot the crown. Then stake to a line using that point as your start point and with the line bearing perpendicular to the road centerline. At Stn 0+20 your template elevation might be .4' lower than the crown. At 0+25 the bottom of the ditch might be 5.4' lower than the crown. And so on.
But I do think that a tape and level might be your best bet.
:good:
600' and building a swale seems like a project to do as squowse suggests.
you could establish a site bm and keep cross section notes for the question of how much dirt did we move that will probably come up in the near future.
Forgot about the quantities, but yes it's not hard to measure the existing as well.
I was just thinking there might be someone young enough in the team that they would have no idea how to do it without a computer telling you up down left right.
Would be a good little project for them, they'll need to be a bit organised to book it all down etc; but if you don't do it you forget how to. (or you might never have learnt!)
I did this several years ago for about a mile of country road. It was a ditching job as well.
I was using TDS Survey Pro. In SurveyPro you can slope stake to a reference line. So I shot the CL at the beginning and end of specified interval (100' in my case), and set that as my reference line.
As in your case, the engineer provided stamped templates, but no profile as no topo had been done. The alignment in our case was the section line.
I rejected the job twice when the contractor called because I was busy and there was no complete plan set. But he insisted so I finally gave him a ridiculous number. To my surprise he took it. When the plans are vague, I always ding 'em hard. I suggest you do the same! I think my profit margin was about 200% (for once!).
Oh yeah, definitely don't do it with a rag tape and a level. And you're not doing "engineering" either. Lots of things are engineered to "fit in field", but it doesn't mean you're doing work restricted to a PE.
> What you are being asked to do is old style slope staking. It is best done with a tape and a level.
Hear, hear!
Ya know Scaled, we're on the same page here. We fix messed up plans all day long just to keep the water draining and the project moving forward. But the issue of permits is always looming in the background.
Me, I'd go out there and just topo the road and shoot the important things. Probably stake it all the same day. I think all the gizmo CAD template stuff is over rated when it comes to a dinky little 600 ft section of ditching and minor road work. Only done hundreds in my life, so maybe I should re-think that. 😉
Then the inspector comes by and says "ok", right.
Excellent points. A pro hand with a level and rag tape could be half done while the gizmo guy is still entering templates. Depends on comfort level and whether you might want the canned data later, I suppose.
Tom,
I'm not sure what modules come standard with Viva but this looks like a job for 'Reference Line' in smartworks and Viva. Simply use your center line shots to define the alignment and the slope stake away.
But like others have said. For 600 feet I'd go with the rag tape if you have a 2 person crew.
Tom,
There are a few ways to do this with SmartWorx. One is with the RoadRunner program and the other is Reference Line. You can actually slope stake in reference line by using the Slope function or you can invest a little time in learning RoadRunner and be running anything you want to do. Somewhere along the way Leica user have been told by salesmen that RoadRunner is hard. It only takes about 15 minutes to explain and you can be off to the races.
If you have Reference Line I can explain how to do it. You may still have some demo time left in using RoadRunner and I can explain that also. Slope Staking in RoadRunner is easy. I am not going to write up an article but we could do a web meeting about it to show you.
So, you could say use as a background the lines of the design as a DXF attached to the job in reference line application or try RoadRunner if you are doing allot of work like the example you described.
Depending on the design software you afre using... you can come out of C3D with a defined alignment into the Viva software.
> I have a project where we have no existing conditions map. The contractor has to build a swale alongside a dirt road. We have a detail of the swale with slopes and dimensions so I can easily build a template of this.
>
> Is there a way for us to stake that template cross-section at various points along the the road? Basically we want to go in the field, paint 25' stations down this road for around 600' then shoot a point at each station at the crown of the road and then apply this template to stake three swale points to one side of the road from center.
>
> Any ideas? We use Leica Viva field software.
>
> Tom
Very easy if you have Leica roadrunner on the viva, simply create the alignment in LGO, add the templates and it will transition it for you.
But like everything else Leica........that's extra 🙂
Edit: I didn't see Mark's response above
I cannot see why you would not slope stake it. If you don't want to level and tape it use the total station to do the same thing. Even at 15 minutes per section (incredibly slow) it's a short day...