TPC Desktop Series. Advanced Learning Guide

Transcription

1 TPC Desktop Series Advanced Learning Guide TPC Desktop Version /09 NOTICE The information in this document is subject to change without notice. TRAVERSE PC. Inc. assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. Copyright 2009 TRAVERSE PC, INC. PO Box NOPAL STREET FLORENCE, OR All rights reserved. No part of this documentation may be reprinted, reproduced or utilized in any form without written consent from Traverse PC, Inc., with the exception that the examples may be stored and retrieved electronically for personal use. Sales: (800) X251 sales@traverse-pc.com Technical Support: (541) X252 tech@traverse-pc.com Fax: (541)

2 Table of Contents USING THE ADVANCED LEARNING GUIDE... 3 CREATING SETBACKS... 5 WRITING LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS USING LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE PROFILES VERTICAL CURVES POINT CODES SIMPLE SURFACES ADVANCED SURFACES LEAST SQUARES NETWORK ADJUSTMENT Typography We will be using the following typography to distinguish items in the text: [Enter] Brackets indicate keys on the keyboard. flexibility Italics are used to highlight words for more emphasis. "Lot 2" Numbers or text that you enter. System Requirements This version of TPC Desktop requires Windows Vista or Windows XP with SP2 and Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or later. We recommend you have 512 MB of RAM and 50 MB of free hard disk space in which to install the program. Important Licensing Information Our License Agreement allows you to use TPC on only one computer at a time. We do offer one courtesy installation for an additional home or field computer, assuming that the two programs are not being used at the same time. 2 Advanced Learning Guide

3 Using the Advanced Learning Guide Using the Advanced Learning Guide Welcome to the TPC Desktop Advanced Learning Guide. It s designed to help you learn how to do everyday tasks with TPC Desktop for Windows Premium and Professional Editions. The Advanced Learning Guide is divided into chapters highlighting function areas within the program like Creating Setbacks and Reusing CAD Blocks. Within each chapter you ll find step-by-step instructions on how to do the most common tasks like including record data in a line or curve table or inserting vertical curves manually. We ve also included useful hints to help you work more efficiently in TPC and references to the on-line Help so you can continue to learn after you have used the Advanced Learning Guide. Almost all of the topics in the Advanced Learning Guide apply to both the Premium and Professional Editions. The ones that are limited to specific Editions are clearly labeled, usually at the start of the chapter. Some specific functions are limited to specific Editions and are clearly labeled as such when the function is discussed in the text. This chapter demonstrates Each chapter starts with a list of the things demonstrated in the chapter. This list corresponds with the individual tasks in the chapter. Not available in some Edition Each chapter has an indication like this at the start if it only applies to specific Editions. We provide the starting file Most chapters start by having you open one of the tutorial files provided with the Learning Guide. Just open the file and jump right in. One page per task Most of the tasks fit on a single page. Review all the tasks in a chapter first, then work through the tasks that are of interest to you. When you add up all the tasks in all the chapters there are literally hundreds of lessons in the Learning Guide. Follow the steps Most tasks include steps for you to follow. Each task starts with step 1. Menu commands only For the most part, the Learning Guide will include something like, choose File Save. The bold typeface indicates text you ll see on the screen. In this case, you would left-click the File menu to open it, then left-click the Save command to execute it. Choose means to left-click on a specific item. Advanced Learning Guide 3

4 Using the Advanced Learning Guide As you become familiar with Traverse PC Desktop you can also use the short-cut keys and tool bars. Windows Styles Depending on your version of Windows and what visual styles you have selected, your dialogs and screens may look different than what is shown in this Learning Guide. We include styles common in both Windows XP and Windows Vista in this learning guide. Windows XP style Windows Vista style 4 Advanced Learning Guide

5 Creating Setbacks Creating Setbacks This chapter demonstrates: Creating setback lines Drawing the setbacks Creating unequal setback lines Overview This chapter uses construction setbacks to demonstrate how to use the COGO tools in TPC. You'll create 15' construction setbacks for each lot, then you'll tell Drawing View how to draw the setbacks. Getting Started 1. From the Tasks View choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN SETBACKS.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Setbacks and choose Save. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. Advanced Learning Guide 5

6 Creating Setbacks Creating Setback Lines To create setback lines, we will use the COGO tool Right-Of-Way Offsets. 1. In the Traverse Manager, select Lot 2, Lot 3 and Lot 4 traverses. 2. In the Traverse Manager, choose COGO Right of Way Offsets. Choosing this COGO command from the Traverse Manager initializes the What list in the dialog to the items selected in the manager. You could start this dialog from any view and manually select this same option from the What list. 3. Turn on Inside and enter 15 feet.. 4. Turn on Create Offsets and Force Closure as shown here. 5. Choose Compute. TPC creates the setbacks and updates the Traverse Manager, Point Manager and Drawing View to show the new data. In the next task, you ll tell TPC how to display this new traverse in the drawing. 6 Advanced Learning Guide

7 Drawing the Setbacks Traverse PC has automatically tagged the new setback traverses to display them in the Drawing View. Now we need to tell TPC how to draw them. 1. Click the Left Feet - Lot 2 traverse in the Traverse Manager to select it. 2. Hold down the Ctrl key while you click on the Right Feet - Lot 3 and Left Feet - Lot 4 traverse to add them to the selection. 3. Right-click on any of the three selected traverses and choose Traverse Settings. 4. Choose Recall Settings and select Setback Lines from the list and choose OK. 5. Back in the Traverse Settings choose OK. Creating Setbacks TPC includes the traverses in the drawing, using a gray dashed line to draw the setbacks. Note that you can turn on Point to display point numbers on the traverses. Advanced Learning Guide 7

8 Creating Setbacks Creating Unequal Setback Lines Now that we have seen how to use the Right-of-Way Offset tool to create setback lines, let s take a look at how to create unequal setback lines. We ll update the west setback of Lot 2 from 15 to 25. From the drawing shown here, we see that we want to reposition point 4L15 so that it is 25 away from the west property line. Then we want to do the same with point 5L15 and 1L From the desktop menu choose COGO Intersect. You can move the dialog on screen so that you can see points 4, 5 and 4L15. Reposition Point 4L15 1. Enter 3 in Point 1 From, highlight the Bearing field under Point 1 and enter 3..4 to recall the bearing from point 3 to point 4, highlight the Offset field and enter -15 (we want to update the position of our offset point 15 feet inside, or left, of the original line from 3 to 4 use negative numbers for left offsets and positive numbers for right offsets). 2. Enter 4 in Point 2 From, highlight the Bearing field under Point 2, enter 4..5 to recall the bearing from point 4 to point 5, highlight the Offset field and enter Enter 4L15 in the Computed Intersection field (we want to update point 4L15 with new coordinates) and choose Save. 4. TPC will inform you that 4L15 already exists! Choose OK because Update existing point with computed coordinates is the default in this situation and is already selected. 5. Select Yes when TPC asks you to save point 4L15. You will see point 4L15 move in the drawing. 6. Choose Clear to reset the dialog box and prepare it for the next step. 8 Advanced Learning Guide

9 Creating Setbacks Reposition Point 1L15 1. Enter 2 in Point 1 From, highlight the Bearing field under Point 1 and enter 2..1 to recall the bearing from point 2 to point 1, highlight the Offset field and enter 15 (we want to update the position our offset point 15 feet inside, or right, of the original line from 2 to 1). 2. Enter 1:1 in Point 2 or Beginning of Line From, highlight the Offset field and enter 25. 1:1 is the unique point TPC created to close Lot Enter 5 in the End of Line To field. The End of Line To field in the Intersection dialog is only used for defining an existing curve or line. (You can access the Help topic for the Intersection dialog by hitting the F1 key on your keyboard.) 4. Enter 1L15 in the Computed Intersection 1 field (we want to update point 1L15 with new coordinates) and choose Save. 5. TPC will inform you that 1L15 already exists! Choose OK and select Yes when TPC asks you to save point 1L Choose Close. Reposition Point 5L15 Point 5L15 is at the end of a curve, so we can just extend it further away from the west property line. 1. Right-click either setback line near point 5 on the drawing and choose COGO Compute Coordinates. 2. Enter point 5 for From and 5..5L15 for the Bearing. 3. Enter the desired offset distance of 25 for the Slope Distance and choose Save. TPC re-computes point 5L15, closes the dialog and updates the drawing. So there you have it. The setback line is now 25 away from the west property line. Note that you will need to subtract 25 from the radius of the curve to point 1L15 in the traverse. Hints: There are many different ways to do what we just did. Depending on the data you have available, the point configuration and your preferences, you will likely come up with your own way of modifying offsets. Advanced Learning Guide 9

10 Creating Setbacks Testing Your Skills In this task, you ll test your skill at creating offsets in TPC Desktop. 1. Open the SKILL1.TRV file in the Samples folder and save it as TEST3.TRV. 2. Create a 10 setback inside lot 103. Be sure to turn on the Force Closure option in the Right-of-Way Offset dialog and use the Save As Traverse button. 3. Create a 10 setback inside lot 104. Be sure to turn on the Force Closure option in the Right-of-Way dialog and use the Save As Traverse button. 4. Print the Traverse Manager, showing the 103 and 104 traverses and the two offset traverses you just created. 5. Print the Traverse Views for the 103 offset traverse and the 104 offset traverse. Certificate Requirements 1. Fax the above printout(s) to (541) or 2. the TEST3.TRV and TEST3.DRV file to training@traverse-pc.com 10 Advanced Learning Guide

11 Writing Legal Descriptions Writing Legal Descriptions This chapter demonstrates: Writing a basic legal description Printing a legal description Inserting a legal description into a drawing Overview TPC Desktop Premium and Professional Editions include a Legal Description Writer that reads the data in a traverse and formats it into a legal description. It can include side shots, curves, spirals, bearings, distances and point descriptions as it creates the legal description. There are lots of customizable options. You can specify the number of distance decimal places, include area, capitalize all words and lots more. Then once the legal description is written, you can edit it right in the report view, copy it to another word processor or insert it into a drawing. If you write legal descriptions, this is a tool you will love. Getting Started 1. From the Task Manager, choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN LEGAL DESCRIPTION.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Legal Description and choose Save. 4. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. Advanced Learning Guide 11

12 Writing Legal Descriptions Writing a Basic Legal Description 1. Double-click the Lot 2 traverse to open its Traverse View. 2. From the Traverse View, choose Tools Legal Description Report. 3. Match your settings to the dialog shown here. 4. Choose OK. TPC opens the Report View and appends the legal description to it. The heading [[Legal Description: Lot 2]] indicates the traverse to which this legal description applies. Using the Report View The TPC Professional Edition appends information like legal descriptions to the Report View. This view is like a built in Word Processor. You can spell check, cut/copy/paste, insert new text, edit existing text, select blocks of text and lots more. You can also pick page setup properties like page size, orientation and margins, then print the report. Reports are stored in RTF (Rich Text Format) used by many Windows word processors like Word Pad and Word. Each time you write a legal description it is appended to the end of the current report. Note: As a rule, if a bearing or azimuth is accurate to the nearest second you should include seconds on your legal description. The same holds true for minutes. Otherwise, it can be interpreted as +/- some seconds or minutes. 12 Advanced Learning Guide

13 Writing Legal Descriptions Printing a Legal Description 1. Right-click anywhere on the Report View to which the legal description was appended. 2. From the pop-up menu, choose Print. 3. Choose the options you want from the Print Dialog then choose OK. Setting up the print page 1. Choose Tools Print Page Setup. 2. Choose the Printer, Paper, Orientation and Margins you want for the report. 3. Choose OK. Selecting a font 1. Choose View Choose Font. 2. Select the font settings you want and choose OK. TPC redraws the Report View using the new font selections. Previewing the printout 1. Choose Tools Print Print Preview. 2. Choose Close to return to the Report View or Print to print it as displayed. Advanced Learning Guide 13

14 Writing Legal Descriptions Inserting a Legal Description Into a Drawing Once you have created and edited your legal description, you can insert it into your drawing. 1. In the Report View, highlight the entire legal description. 2. Choose Edit Copy. This places the legal description text in the Windows Clipboard. 3. Left-click the Drawing View to activate it. 4. Choose Draw Text Box. 5. Left-click the insert point for the legal description. 6. Move the mouse down and to the right. As you move the mouse, TPC draws a box showing you the size of the text box you are creating. Make the box the width you want then left-click. Note: Make the text box taller than you think you will need it to be. If your text box is not tall enough to contain the text, you will not see all of the text in the drawing and will need to resize the text box. 7. Press Ctrl + V to paste the Clipboard text into the text box. 8. Add any additional text you want, then press Enter twice to complete the command. Editing the legal description 1. Right-click the text and choose Properties. 2. Make any changes to the text in this dialog, then choose OK. Resizing the legal description 1. Right-click the legal description and choose Modify Objects Resize. 2. Drag-n-drop any of the resize handles. TPC recomputes the height of the text box and redraws the legal description to fit the new size. 3. When you are finished resizing, left-click any blank spot on the drawing. This ends the Resize command. 14 Advanced Learning Guide

15 Writing Legal Descriptions Testing Your Skills In this task, you ll test your skill at writing a legal description and inserting it into a drawing. 1. Open the SKILL2.TRV file in the Samples folder and save it as TEST18.TRV. 2. Write a legal description for lot 106 using any combination of settings in the Legal Description dialog. 3. Edit the legal description to start with something like BEGINNING AT A 5/8" REBAR AT THE NORTH WEST CORNER OF LOT 106;. 4. Print the legal description. 5. Create a text box object in the drawing beneath lot 106 and insert the legal description into the text box. 6. Print the drawing. Certificate Requirements 1. Fax the above printout(s) to (541) or 2. the TEST18.TRV and TEST18.DRV files to training@traverse-pc.com Advanced Learning Guide 15

16 Using Latitude and Longitude Using Latitude and Longitude This chapter demonstrates: Selecting a survey grid Entering latitude and longitude in a traverse Computing geodetic and grid coordinates for a single point Displaying latitude and longitude in the Traverse View Transforming coordinates Overview TPC Desktop Premium and Professional Editions include geodetic and grid tools that allow you to use latitude and longitude along with your grid coordinates. You'll find the basic tools you need to relate your survey to published geodetic coordinates and report the latitude and longitude for grid points in your survey. To learn more about this topic 1. Choose Help Search For Help On and left-click the Index tab. 2. Scroll down to Geodetic, highlight it and choose Display. 16 Advanced Learning Guide

17 Selecting a Survey Grid You can select a grid when you start a new survey or anytime afterwards. For a new survey 1. From the desktop menu choose File New Survey. 2. After naming your file, click the Grid tab. TPC displays the Grid Settings dialog. 3. Select a Grid and Zone. 4. Click the Ellipse tab to display the Ellipse dialog. 5. Change the ellipse values to match your published values (for more help on Ellipse settings, press F1 from the Ellipse dialog) and choose Close. 6. From the Program Settings dialog, choose OK. TPC sets the survey grid for the new survey. Any conversions between geodetic and grid coordinates will now be based on these grid settings. For an existing survey 1. From the desktop menu choose Tools Survey Information. 2. Choose Grid. TPC displays the Grid Settings dialog. 3. Select a Grid and Zone. 4. Choose Ellipse to display the Ellipse dialog. 5. Change the ellipse values to match your published values and choose Close. 6. From the Grid Settings dialog, choose OK. 7. Choose OK from the Survey Information dialog. Using Latitude and Longitude TPC resets the survey grid for the current survey without doing any coordinate conversions. Any conversions between geodetic and grid coordinates will now be based on these grid settings. Advanced Learning Guide 17

18 Using Latitude and Longitude Entering Latitude and Longitude in a Traverse 1. From the desktop menu choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN GEODETIC.TRV file and choose File Save Survey As. 3. Enter the name Geodetic and choose Save. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. 4. Double-click the GPS PER RECEIVERS traverse. 5. Press F9 and make sure Compute Latitude/Longitude is turned on then choose OK. 6. Points 62 and 63 were created by entering the Latitude and Longitude. 7. Press the down arrow until TPC adds point 64 to the traverse. 8. Click in the Latitude field and enter N. 9. Enter W for the Longitude. An uppercase W or lower-case w tells TPC to go West degrees. You could also have entered a That's all there is to it. TPC uses the current grid settings to compute the grid coordinates of the Latitude and Longitude you entered. Computing Geodetic and Grid Coordinates for a Single Point TPC lets you compute and compare the grid and geodetic coordinates of a single point based on any grid. This is a great way to double check your tie to a published geodetic monument for which you have a particular grid coordinate. 1. From the desktop menu choose Tools Grid Geodetic. 2. Enter an existing Point or the X and Y coordinates in Grid and TPC will compute the equivalent Geodetic position. 3. Enter a Geodetic position and TPC will compute the equivalent Grid coordinates. 4. To use a grid other than the current survey grid, choose Grid and select the appropriate grid. TPC does not update the current survey grid based on this grid selection. This grid selection is for the sole purpose of doing this single conversion. 5. To modify the ellipse values used in the conversion, choose Grid then Ellipse. 6. Choose Close. Note: You can NOT save the grid settings you choose here because this is a one time only conversion. 18 Advanced Learning Guide

19 Displaying Latitude and Longitude in the Traverse View You can enter Latitude and Longitude in the Traverse View and TPC will compute and display the equivalent grid coordinates. You can also display the Latitude and Longitude for any point in the Traverse View. 1. Close the GPS PER RECEIVERS traverse. 2. From the Traverse Manager, doubleclick the PLAT RECORD LCSF GUILE traverse. 3. TPC opens the Traverse View for this traverse. Choose View Format View. 4. Make sure the Display Sequence includes the letters y and x in lower case. This tells TPC to display the Latitude and Longitude fields in the Traverse View. 5. Click the Advanced tab and make sure Compute Latitude/Longitude is turned on. It should look something like this. 6. Choose OK to return to the Traverse View. Using Latitude and Longitude Advanced Learning Guide 19

20 Using Latitude and Longitude Transforming Coordinates If you have selected a survey grid like NAD83, all the coordinates in the survey are NAD83 coordinates. You can convert the entire survey to, let's say, UTM coordinates by doing a Coordinate Transformation. TPC will convert all coordinates to their geodetic equivalent based on the current grid, then convert them back to grid coordinates based on the new grid. This is a Coordinate Transformation. 1. From the desktop menu choose Tools Transform Coordinates. 2. Select the data you want to transform from the What list. The From settings display the current survey grid. 3. Select the grid settings you want in the To section and choose Compute. If you have the Point Manager or any Traverse views open, they will display the transformed coordinates. If you don t see your survey in Drawing View, left-click Drawing View to activate it and choose View Zoom Zoom Extents. The coordinate transformation changed the coordinate position of the survey. The Zoom Extents allows Drawing View to catch up to their new positions. After you Compute the transformation, the dialog displays an Undo button. During the transformation, TPC made a copy of each survey point that was transformed. Pressing Undo copies those original coordinates back into the transformed points. Transforming the entire survey If you select Entire Survey from the What list, TPC updates the survey s grid to match the transformation. So after the transformation shown in the example here, the survey grid would be UTM, Zone Advanced Learning Guide

21 Profiles Profiles This chapter demonstrates: Profile mode Working with stations Profile settings Adding a grid Extending the grid Overview Drawing View and its drawings are just as comfortable working in Profile View as they are in Plan View. Most of what you learned in the Drawing View and Drawings chapters in the Advanced Learning Guide applies to profiles as well as plan views. You may want to review these chapters before continuing. Professional Edition This feature is only in the Professional Edition of TPC Desktop. To learn more about this topic 1. Choose Help Search For Help On and left-click the Index tab. 2. Scroll down to Profiles, highlight it and choose Display. 3. Choose Profiles then choose Display. Getting Started 1. From the Task Manager choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN PROFILE.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Profile and choose Save. 4. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. Advanced Learning Guide 21

22 Profiles Profile Mode 1. Left-click the Drawing View to make it active. The Drawing View is currently in Plan mode. You see the P-Line and the cross sections at each P-Line station. Plan mode looks at the survey from above. 2. Choose View Profile Mode. 3. Choose View Zoom Zoom Extents. You should see the Profile View of the P-Line traverse. The Profile View looks at the survey from the side. 4. To switch back to Plan View, choose View Profile Mode again to turn off the check mark and return to Plan View. You will also need to do Zoom Extents. Note: Your Plan and Profile Views may look different than those shown based on your program settings. Choose Tools Drawing Settings to change how it is displayed. Why Zoom Extents When you switch between Plan View and Profile View you need to execute the Zoom Extents command because the values used to compute the drawing extents change. In Plan View, the northing and easting values determine the drawing extents. In Profile View, the stationing and elevations determine the extents. Profile View Working with Stations If you have not yet worked with stationing in any of the traverses, your traverses will all start with the default station This will determine the left-most station value in the profile. If you have specified a starting station other than 0+00, that station will be the left most station in the profile. Remember, the profiles plot stationing on the X-axis and elevation on the Y-axis. To turn on stationing in a traverse 1. Double-click the traverse name in Traverse Manager to open the Traverse View. 2. If your Traverse View does not include the Station column, a. Choose View Format View. b. Include the letter N in the Display Sequence and choose OK. The Traverse View will now display the current stationing of each control point in the traverse. These are the station values used in the profile. 22 Advanced Learning Guide

23 Profiles Profile Settings Profile Settings are very similar to the Plan View settings you reviewed in the Using the Drawing View chapter of the Drawing Learning Guide. 1. You need to be in Profile Mode for this next step. Pull down the View menu and make sure Profile Mode is checked. 2. Activate the Drawing View and choose Tools Drawing Settings to display these dialogs. Vertical Ratio The Vertical Ratio allows you to exaggerate the vertical scale. Profiles typically use a vertical ratio of 10. Draw Vertical Curves Toggle this option on, to draw and label any vertical curves included in the profile. Drawing Settings vs. Traverse Settings As with Plan View, you can control all the profiles using the Drawing Settings or turn off Over-ride Traverse Profiles Settings on the Drawing Settings Profile Miscellaneous tab and let each traverse draw it's own profile. The Drawing View chapter contains a complete discussion of Drawing Settings vs. Traverse Settings. Advanced Learning Guide 23

24 Profiles Adding a Grid If you plan on using the profile for analysis or measurements, you will probably want to include a grid. 1. Choose Insert Grid to display the Grid dialog. 2. Select the options shown here then choose OK. The Drawing View draws the grid with your grid settings. Spend some time with the Grid dialog options. You'll find options to draw and label the grid just the way you want. Extending the Grid By default, the Drawing View draws the grid to the extents of the profile. If you want to work beyond the profile, you can extend the grid. 1. Position the cursor over any grid line until the status bar displays Grid. 2. Right-click and choose Properties. 3. Change the Right value to Change the Top value to Choose OK. Note: If you want to extend the grid on the Left or at the Bottom, you must use negative numbers. Positive numbers in the Left or Bottom fields will move the grid up or right. You may need to re-scale and re-position the drawing on the page to see the entire grid. 24 Advanced Learning Guide

25 Profiles Testing Your Skills In this task, you ll test your skill at profiles. 1. Open the SKILL6.TRV file in the Samples folder and save it as TEST15.TRV. 2. Change the Drawing View to Profile Mode. Remember to Zoom Extents to re-center the drawing based on the profile stationing. 3. Use the drawing settings to include station labels, grades and point numbers. 4. Add a grid with 100 horizontal spacing and 5 vertical spacing. 5. Modify the grid to include labels on the top and right sides of the grid. 6. Choose a scale of 150 /in and center the profile on the page. 7. Print the drawing. Certificate Requirements 1. Fax the above printout(s) to (541) or 2. the TEST15.TRV and TEST15.DRV files to training@traverse-pc.com Advanced Learning Guide 25

26 Vertical Curves This chapter demonstrates: How TPC integrates vertical curve data with alignments Working with a copy of the alignment traverse Inserting vertical curves automatically Inserting vertical curves manually Computing the vertical alignment Drawing vertical curves Vertical Curves Overview Vertical curves control the transition from one grade to another. They generally improve the drivability of a road and in some cases improve sight distances. In TPC, you use the Vertical Curve View to enter, edit and display vertical curve data. Each traverse can have one and only one Vertical Curve View. Professional Edition This feature is only in the Professional Edition of TPC Desktop. To learn more about this topic 1. Choose Help Search For Help On and left-click the Index tab. 2. Scroll down to Vertical curves, highlight it and choose Display. 3. Choose Vertical Curves then choose Display. Getting Started 1. From the Task Manager choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN VERTICAL CURVES.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Vertical Curves and choose Save. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. 26 Advanced Learning Guide

27 Vertical Curves How TPC Integrates Vertical Curve Data With Alignments In TPC, Vertical Curve data is stored with the traverses. Each traverse has a Vertical Curve View, just like each traverse has a Closure View. The Vertical Curve View Displays the current vertical curve data for the traverse. Let's you add/delete/edit individual vertical curves. Generates vertical curves from the profile. Recomputes the vertical alignment of the traverse based on the vertical curve data. Recomputing a traverse When you choose Tools Recompute from the Traverse View, TPC first computes the alignment using the data stored in the Traverse View. Next, it recomputes the vertical alignment of the traverse using the data stored in the Vertical Curve View. When you compute vertical alignment from the Vertical Curve View (choose Tools Compute Vertical Alignment), you are only computing the vertical alignment of the traverse. BC and EC point types When a vertical curve is inserted into a traverse, it creates a BC (Beginning of Curve) and EC (End of Curve) and inserts them into the traverse based on their stationing. If the vertical alignment is recomputed after the vertical curve data has been edited, you may end up with extra BC and EC points in the traverse. You will need to delete these manually. Advanced Learning Guide 27

28 Vertical Curves Working With a Copy of the Alignment Traverse If your original alignment traverse contains raw data, and you tell TPC to insert the BC and EC of the vertical curves into the traverse, you have in essence changed the alignment data. The next time you recompute the alignment, it will use the inserted BC and EC points in the computation and the alignment will change. To avoid recomputing the alignment incorrectly, you will want to work with a copy of the alignment that does not contain any raw data. We will use the Insert Other tool to create a copy of the traverse. 1. From the Traverse Manager, rightclick the P-LINE SPUR traverse and choose Copy Traverse. TPC appends a traverse named Copy- P-LINE SPUR to the survey. 2. Double-click the new traverse to display the New Traverse dialog. 3. Change the Name to PLine Alignment, choose Alignment for the Format and Alignments for the Settings. 4. Select Create temporary drawing and choose OK. TPC will display the Traverse View and temporary drawing for this traverse. 28 Advanced Learning Guide

29 Vertical Curves Inserting Vertical Curves Automatically TPC can insert vertical curves automatically, based on the existing grade breaks in the traverse. Once the vertical curves have been inserted, you can edit them as needed to get the vertical alignment you want. 1. From the Traverse View, choose Tools Vertical Curve View to display the Vertical Curve View for this traverse. 2. From the Vertical Curve View, choose Tools Update Vertical PI's to display the Default Curve Lengths dialog. In the example shown here, a Grade Change of 5% to 7.99% creates a vertical curve with a Length of 50 units (50 feet in this example). 3. Enter the default values as shown here, then choose OK. TPC evaluates each grade break in the traverse and inserts the appropriate vertical curve into the Vertical Curve View as shown here. Choosing the best alignment If we look closely at the Vertical PI's generated for this example, we see a number of curves that overlap. We would not want to compute the vertical alignment of the traverse based on this vertical curve configuration. As a rule, it s a good idea to let TPC generate the initial vertical curve configuration. From there, it is up to you to create the best alignment - and the Vertical Curve View makes it easy to do just that. Advanced Learning Guide 29

30 Vertical Curves Inserting Vertical Curves Manually In addition to having TPC generate the vertical curves automatically, you can enter vertical curves manually. This allows you to use the vertical curve data given in a set of construction drawings for example. Deleting the existing vertical curves First, lets get rid of the automatic vertical curves from the previous task. 1. Choose Edit Select All. TPC highlights all the curves in the view. 2. Choose Edit Delete VPI. When prompted to Delete selected vertical curves?, choose Yes. TPC deletes the existing VPI's and adds a new 0+00 station. Entering a vertical curve 1. In the Vertical Curve View, highlight the first Vertical PI displayed as Enter the station 8+20 of the vertical curve in the Vertical PI column. TPC repositions the vertical curve you are entering in the Vertical Curve View based on its stationing. 3. Enter the PI Elevation, Length In and Length Out, Grade In and Grade Out shown here. TPC computes the BC and EC information and advances to the next vertical curve. 4. Since we won't be using the second curve, highlight it and choose Edit Delete VPI. When prompted to Delete selected vertical curves?, choose Yes. Computing the Vertical Alignment 1. From the Vertical Curve View, choose Tools Compute Vertical Alignment. 2. Turn on Insert BC/EC to insert the BC and EC points into the traverse. 3. Turn off Update Tangents Between Curves. 4. Choose All Curves for Compute What. 5. Choose OK. TPC will re-compute the vertical position of each point in the traverse based on the vertical curve data. The options in the Compute Vertical Curves dialog control how TPC computes the vertical alignment of the traverse. These are important options. To learn more about them, press F1 from this dialog. 30 Advanced Learning Guide

31 Drawing Vertical Curves You will need to tell TPC to draw the vertical curves you just computed. 1. Close the Vertical Curve View and return to the Traverse View. 2. Left-click the Drawing View to activate it and make sure View Profile Mode is checked. 3. Right-click any traverse line in the drawing, choose Traverse Settings and match the settings shown here. 4. Choose Tools Drawing Settings. Make sure Draw Vertical Curves is checked and choose OK. 5. Choose View Zoom Zoom Extents. Vertical Curves TPC labels the BC and EC stations because they are now traverse points. It also labels the PI of the vertical curve, even though it is not an existing traverse point. Drawing View also approximates the vertical curve with a series of short line segments that roughly match the parabolic shape of the vertical curve. The profile settings include lots of options for labeling the stations, grades, grid and curves. Note: You are working in a temporary drawing so you can see the profile view of this traverse. Most of the time you share the current drawing as you work with a traverse but this a good example of when a temporary drawing is useful. Advanced Learning Guide 31

32 Vertical Curves Testing Your Skills In this task, you ll test your skill at vertical curves. 1. Open the SKILL6.TRV file in the Samples folder and save it as TEST16.TRV and make a copy of the Centerline 9 th Street traverse. You ll do the computations on the copy. 2. Change the Drawing View to Profile Mode, do Zoom Extents to re-center the drawing based on the profile stationing then use the drawing settings to include station labels, grades and point numbers. 3. Choose a scale of 150 /in and center the profile on the page. 4. Add a grid with 5 vertical spacing. 5. Create the vertical curves for this alignment using the grade break settings shown in the Inserting Vertical Curves Automatically task in this chapter. 6. Compute the vertical alignment of this traverse. 7. Print the drawing. Certificate Requirements 1. Fax the above printout(s) to (541) or 2. the TEST16.TRV and TEST16.DRV files to training@traverse-pc.com 32 Advanced Learning Guide

33 Point Codes Point Codes This chapter demonstrates: What are Point Codes Using the Traverse View to evaluate field data Using Drawing View to evaluate field data Using Point Manager to evaluate field codes Creating point codes Managing point codes Assigning Traverse Settings to point codes Sorting points into traverses Viewing the point code traverses Sorting points within traverses Sorting points by position Advanced Learning Guide 33

34 Point Codes Overview In this chapter, you'll learn how to use Point Codes to generate a site map. TPC uses Point Codes to sort your data into traverses, which it uses to draw the different features on the site map. The example used in this chapter is a site survey of the Able & Swank Insurance office at the corner of Hwy 126 and Hwy 101 in Florence, Oregon. We will start with the property boundary and the imported field data. Professional Edition Even though the Point Code tools are not found in the Personal and Premium Editions, you may still want to read through it anyway. We will develop the survey using the point code tools and then talk about how we would do the survey in the Personal and Premium Editions. Getting Started 1. From the Task Manager choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN POINT CODES.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Point Codes and choose Save. 4. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. What Are Point Codes Point codes are number codes or abbreviations used to identify points in the survey. They are typically short to facilitate coding in the field and may or may not be descriptive of the points (i.e. 121=Oak Tree, 245=3 port fire hydrant, TOE=toe of slope, CLF=Chain Link Fence, etc). TPC uses the codes to sort points into traverses. All the points with the CLF code end up in the Chain Link Fence traverse, all the Oak Trees are in their own traverse, etc. The individual traverses convert the field data into a site map. TPC assumes that the point codes you use are stored in the point description. This means that TPC can generate point codes from any data collector or total station that uses point descriptions. You can also include additional information about a point in its description because TPC is quite flexible in how it determines which part of the description is the point code. As an example, TPC knows that both point descriptions "PP" and "PP #1456" contain the code "PP" while the second includes the pole number #1456. Example Point Codes The following are example point codes. TPC assumes that the first word in the description is the code, that additional description text is separated from the point code by a space and that if additional codes are included, they start with the -- delimiter. 34 Advanced Learning Guide

35 Point Codes Point Description 108 TFC2 - the first word is a code (TFC2) 109 CB --TFC2 - additional codes start with the code delimiter (--) 110 SW1 111 SW1 112 SW1 - SW1 is the first Side Walk 113 SW3 - SW3 is another Side Walk 114 SW1 115 SW1 116 DTT GRAVEL BOTTOM - include a space and any additional text 117 DTT GRAVEL BOTTOM CS1 FND WOBBE NE 7 On some data collectors, these same codes might all start with the code delimiter as follows. Either way, TPC will read the codes just fine TFC CB --TFC SW SW SW1 Reusing Point Codes The codes you use are either Predefined, De-facto standard or Ad-hoc: Predefined - the architect/engineer/agency wants the survey done with their codes, which then feed into other software. Many agencies and survey/engineering companies have well defined code lists, sometimes with multiple layers. The APWA (American Public Works Assoc) has a system like this. All TPC products can work with pre-defined code tables. De-facto standard - most surveying companies or crews adopt a typical set of codes that they start a job with. They may have codes that show up on most jobs. They will probably need to add to it on a particular survey. TPC Handheld facilitates this by letting you open an existing point code table and add any additional codes you want to it. Ad-hoc - you make up the codes as you go. The only rule is, use the same code throughout that job (don't switch from TCF=Top Curb Face to TFC=Top Face Curb half way through the job). This is the most flexible coding method. Advanced Learning Guide 35

36 Point Codes Using the Traverse View to Evaluate Field Data 1. In the Traverse Manager, double-click the PROPERTY LINE - CS traverse to open the Traverse View. This data was entered from record data (plat or deed). The FND descriptions were added in the field to verify the monuments that were found. The point CS1 was recalled as the closing point, but we could have entered the record bearing/distance from CS8 to CS9 and checked the closure of the boundary. 2. Left-click the 'X' in the upper-right corner of the Traverse View. When you close a Traverse View, you do not affect any of the data in the traverse or survey. You are just closing the window TPC uses to display the data. You can re-open the traverse any time by double-clicking it in the Traverse Manager. 3. From the Traverse Manager, double-click the FIELD DATA FROM CS2 traverse. We are using CS# for control points and 1, 2, 3 for side shots. We could have used 100, 101, 102 for the side shots also. Notice that each side shot has a description and most of the descriptions contain a point code. We also tied CS10 as a side shot. 4. Use the scroll bar on the right side of the screen to browse through all the data in the traverse then close this Traverse View. 36 Advanced Learning Guide

37 Point Codes Using Drawing View to Evaluate the Field Data TPC uses the Drawing View to 'draw the survey for you' which is indispensable when it comes to evaluating field data. We will look at the data several different ways to determine if we 'picked up' everything we need for the survey. Viewing tagged traverses 1. In the Traverse Manager choose Tools Select Traverses Select All. 2. Left-click any empty check box or choose Tools Select Traverses Set All Tags. 3. Left-click the Drawing View. If your Drawing View is not shown, choose Window Drawing View. 4. In the Drawing View, choose View Zoom Zoom Extents. Evaluate control points and side shots 1. Choose Tools Drawing Settings to display the Drawing Settings dialog. 2. Make sure Over-ride Traverse Settings is turned on. 3. Choose Edit Settings to display the settings 4. Choose Recall Settings to display the Recall Settings dialog. Then select Control Loops from the list of Settings and choose OK to return to the settings. This pre-defined setting uses a triangle for control points and a solid black line for the control lines, which in this case are the property lines of the lot. 5. Choose OK to return to the Drawing Settings dialog then OK again to return to the drawing. Advanced Learning Guide 37

38 Point Codes The Drawing View now shows the property boundary in a solid black line and the side shot sprays in dashed teal lines. This combination makes it easy to verify that the side shots are where you expect them to be. If you accidentally occupied the wrong point or sighted the wrong backsight the side shot sprays would not look right. Evaluate Coverage In this next step, we want to see if we covered the area adequately. Did we pick up the shots we needed outside the property boundary, etc. This step is particularly helpful for Topo surveys where we want to extend past the property boundary to generate accurate contours. 1. Double-click any drawing object to display the Traverse Settings dialog. 2. Choose the Side Shot settings shown here (set Line to None and Point Font and Symbols size to 0.04) then choose Apply. The Apply button applies these settings to the drawing so you can see the changes but leaves the Traverse Settings dialog open so you can change other settings before closing it. 38 Advanced Learning Guide

39 Point Codes Evaluate Individual Shots Now that we are confident we have the coverage we want, we can check to make sure that we picked up specific features that are important to the survey. We do this by adding point descriptions to the Drawing View and zooming into the areas in question. In this example we'll make sure we picked up the curb cuts near the NW property corner. 1. Turn on Description as shown here and set the Angle to 40 then choose OK. 2. To zoom in on the NW property corner choose View Zoom Zoom Window, left-click above and to the left of the NW corner then left-click below and to the right of the corner. TPC draws the point description below and to the right of the point symbol. You can see here that we did pick up the curb cuts. Editing Settings In this example, you ve been opening the Traverse Settings dialog by double-clicking any drawing object. This is a user setting you can change by choosing View Format View Mouse and selecting an option from the Left Double Click list. Advanced Learning Guide 39

40 Point Codes Using the Point Manager to Evaluate Field Codes Because all of us are human, your field crew may sometimes make a mistake. A sidewalk point that should have been coded with SW1 might be coded with SU1 for example. When this happens, it is always better to catch it early, rather than later when you have based other things on the error. TPC makes it easy to spot the error before it morphs from a simple typo into something that has replicated itself throughout an entire project. Viewing Points and Descriptions 1. From the desktop menu choose Manage Points. The Point Manager contains every point that exists in your survey, even points that aren t used in any traverse. By default, the Point Manager displays the points in alpha-numeric sequence based on the point label. Sorting Points by Description The great thing about the Point Manager is that it can also display your points sorted based on Description, Northing, Easting or Elevation. The ability to sort the Point Manager based on the point descriptions makes it ideal for evaluating the crew s work before creating new traverses based on Point Codes. 2. Left-click on the column heading Description to sort least to greatest. 3. Left-click again to reverse the order and again to cancel the sort. Evaluating the Descriptions As you scroll through the points in the Point Manager, you will be able to quickly spot any errors your crew may have made in the point descriptions. You might find TFC1, TFC 1, TCF1, TFC1@, TFC19TH, etc. You know that these should all be TFC1 and it is a simple matter to edit the descriptions right here in the Point Manager so that the points will all end up in the traverses they belong in. 1. Click in the Description field of point 88 and enter SW1. You have just corrected the simple mistake that was made in the field. 40 Advanced Learning Guide

41 Point Codes Creating Point Codes 1. From the desktop menu choose Manage Point Codes. 2. If your Point Code Manager lists any codes, choose Tools Select Codes Select All then choose Tools Delete Selected Items. When prompted to delete codes, choose Yes. Listing all the point codes 3. Choose Tools Update Codes. 4. Turn on the First word in point description is a code and choose OK. TPC will add each unique code to the Point Code Manager. Here we have added the code descriptions and deleted any codes we don't want. Entering Code Descriptions Code descriptions are not required, but are helpful. We are displaying a Point Code Manager that has all of the descriptions entered. What if you open this file a year from now and forget what the code WB means. Typing the description 'Wood Border' now will save you confusion later on. Note: If your Point Code Manager does not display the Sort column: 1. Choose Tools View Format View and add an R to the Display Sequence. 2. Choose OK. In the next task you ll import a point code file that has descriptions like the ones shown here. Descriptions can also be used to replace the codes themselves when TPC sorts the survey points into traverses. After the sort, all the points with MH in the description can have Manhole in the description, making it easier for the architect or engineer who will be using the drawing to identify the points. Advanced Learning Guide 41

42 Point Codes Managing Point Codes Saving the Point Codes The point codes are saved automatically when you close the Point Code Manager and when you close the survey. Each time you open this survey, these point codes will be listed in the Point Code Manager. 1. You can also save them manually by choosing Tools Export Codes. Exporting the Point Codes If you want to establish a point code table for use with all your jobs, you will need to export it. 1. Choose Tools Export Codes. The default filename for the codes exported from this file will be Point Codes.pct, which matches this survey file name. 2. Enter a new file name like Standard Point Codes and choose Save. Importing the Point Codes When you need your standard point code table for a new job, you will need to import it. We have included a point code table called LEARN POINT CODES.PCT that has all of the descriptions and settings already applied. Note: Importing a point code table does not replace or update any existing codes. It will only add codes that do not already exist. 1. Choose Tools Select Codes Select All. 2. Choose Tools Delete Selected Items. 3. Choose Yes. 4. Choose Tools Import Codes. You will see a list of all of the point code tables (.PCT) that are available in this folder. 5. Highlight LEARN POINT CODES.PCT and choose Open. Printing a Point Code List Code Descriptions are also useful if you need to print a list of codes for the client. 1. Choose Tools Print Print 42 Advanced Learning Guide

43 Point Codes Assigning Traverse Settings to Point Codes You can assign Traverse Settings to point codes. When TPC creates a traverse to hold the survey points with that code, the Traverse Settings are copied to the created traverse. 1. Right-click the WM code and choose Modify Code Traverse Settings. 2. Select the Code Settings options you want then choose OK. It is not necessary for you to change any of the code settings right now since we will be using the settings included in the LEARN POINT CODE.PCT file you imported. The water meter code shown here is drawn in blue, using the Water Meter symbol with no lines connecting the water meters. Hints If you don't want features like catch basins and water meters plotted with feature lines on the site map, set the line type to None. If you need a point symbol that isn't in the list, use the Browse button to select any symbol from the object library. If you have lots of shots that are very close together, set the size in the Points and Symbols sections to a small number like 0.04 in. Consider using different colors to delineate utilities. For example, use Blue for anything water related, Red for anything electrical and Green for sewer related. Copying Traverse Settings You can also copy the Traverse Settings from one code to any number of other codes. 1. Highlight the code you want to copy from and choose Tools Modify Code Copy Traverse Settings. 2. Select any codes you want to copy the settings to and choose Tools Modify Code Paste Traverse Settings. Advanced Learning Guide 43

44 Point Codes Sorting Points into Traverses Now comes the fun part. 1. From the Point Code Manager, choose Tools Sort Points Into Traverses by Code. 2. Match the settings shown here and choose OK. We just told TPC to create a separate traverse for each point code. We could have been more selective and only created traverses for the selected or tagged codes. The ability to select which codes get used allows you to use the point codes for just the features you want to include in your map. Now close the Point Code Manager and return to the Traverse Manager. Notice in the Traverse Manager shown here how TPC uses the CODE - DESCRIPTION to name each point code traverse it creates. Updating Traverses So what if you go out and collect more points and want to add them to the traverses you created from point codes? TPC provides a great tool for this. 3. Choose Tools Update Existing Point Code Traverses. TPC can update the traverses this way because each traverse stores the point code that created it. If you add additional MH-Man Hole points, TPC looks for the traverse with the MH code and appends any MH survey points it doesn t find in the traverse. 44 Advanced Learning Guide

45 Point Codes Viewing the Point Code Traverses 1. From the Traverse Manager, choose Tools Select Traverses Set All Tags. 2. Select the two Field Data traverses (Field Data From CS2 and Field Data From CS1) and uncheck their check boxes. 3. Click on the Drawing View to activate it, then choose Tools Drawing Settings. 4. On the Miscellaneous tab, make sure Over-ride Traverse Settings is turned off and choose OK. 5. You may need to choose View Zoom Zoom Extents to see the entire survey. TPC will draw the site map for you with the Traverse Settings you choose in the Point Code Manager (remember, these settings were copied to each traverse created from a point code and are now available because you choose to use individual traverse settings). Notice that the building is labeled as being BLDG Building because the Traverse Settings are set to display the Lot Labels. If we rename the BLDG Building traverse to Office and close the traverse by recalling its first point at the end, our map will display Office 1951 SqFt. We'll clean up some of the feature line as we go, but you are starting to see the power of having TPC generate the map from your point codes especially if you standardize your codes and Traverse Settings. Advanced Learning Guide 45

46 Point Codes Sorting Points within Traverses TPC can sort points within a traverse. Assume that you did not collect all of the EAC1 points in sequential order. This is the case if you tie a series of points like Edge of Asphalt/Concrete" only to discover that you needed a few more shots in the middle. TPC can sort the points as it creates each Point Code traverse (as you will see in subsequent pages) or you can sort the points manually after the traverses are created. That's what we'll do here. Identifying traverses that need to be sorted As you position the cursor over an object in Drawing View, the status bar tells you what object you are over and what traverse drew it. If you position the cursor over some of the lines that run across the map, you will see that the SW1 and EAC2 traverses need to be sorted. Sorting the SW1 traverse 1. Double-click the SW1 - Sidewalk traverse in the Traverse Manager to open the Traverse Types dialog. 2. Select the Boundary format then choose OK to open the Traverse View. Take a look at how TPC has drawn this traverse. The points with the SW1 code were added to this traverse in the order of their point labels - not their physical position. 3. From the Traverse View choose Tools Sort Points. Enter 49 for First Point and choose OK. Generally, you want to start with the point that is the farthest away from the center of the figure. If your sort doesn't turn out right, just try a different First Point. In this case, point 49 gives us the right sort. Most of the time, TPC will sort the points properly. If some part of the sort isn't right, you can always move points around in the traverse by deleting and recalling them into their proper sequence. 46 Advanced Learning Guide

47 Point Codes Sorting the other traverses 1. Sort the EAC2 Edge of Asphalt traverse starting with point 61 (this point is in both the SW3 and EAC2 traverses because it has both codes). 2. Close any open Traverse Views and return to the Traverse Manager. Drawing View redraws the survey so that it looks something like this. As you can see, TPC has drawn most of the map for us. Advanced Learning Guide 47

48 Point Codes Sorting Points by Position TPC can automatically sort the traverse points based on nearest neighbor (Position) when you Sort Points by Code. In fact, we did that with the BLDG and SW3 codes. Can sorting the points by position help me? The answer to the question is that it depends on how your data was shot in the field. Some surveyors always take their shots consecutively. In other words, they start at one end of a feature like a sidewalk and take all the shots in order. Other surveyors go out and shoot everything in sight without worrying what it is or what order they take the shots. Sorting points by position can help in the latter case. When we did the Abel & Swank job we are using here, we used two setups and shot everything we could in any order. Using the point codes to sort the points by position can really help with a file like this. We have two examples below that show what sorting the points by position can do. The Building Traverse With and Without Sorting by Position The left image is of the BLDG - traverse that was created without sorting the points. They were added to the traverse in the sequence they were collected in and this was the result. The right image is of the BLDG Building traverse that was created when we sorted the points by position. The Sort option is turned on in our sample file and as you can see, all we need to do is close the traverse by recalling the first point as the last point. 48 Advanced Learning Guide

49 Point Codes The Sidewalk 3 Traverse Without and With Sorting by Position The left image is of the SW3 - traverse that was created without sorting points. The right image is of the SW3 Sidewalk traverse that was created by sorting points. Here you can see that TPC does the automatic sort by determining which point is the most outlying point and uses it as the starting point for the sort. There is nothing else we need to do to this traverse as it is already sorted and has its Traverse settings. We ll end this example here but you can continue on to connect the missing lines, add your own text and finish the map. Advanced Learning Guide 49

50 Point Codes Testing Your Skills In this task, you ll test your skill at using point codes. 1. Open the SKILL7.TRV file in the Samples folder and save it as TEST17.TRV. 2. Use the Point Code Manager to sort the following points into traverses (CP, DECK, DF, DW, DWN, H, HEATPUMP, LT, PP, SEPT, SHED, TOE, TOP, TREE, WELL). 3. Tag these traverses in the Traverse Manager, zoom extents in Drawing View then pick a drawing scale and position the survey on the page. 4. Clean up the map as needed. You can edit the traverse labels (i.e. change H - to HOUSE). You can also edit the HOUSE and SHED traverses and append the first traverse point to the end of the traverse to close the figure. 5. Optional: Add a legend to the drawing and identify the symbols and line types used. 6. Print the drawing. Certificate Requirements 1. Fax the above printout(s) to (541) or 2. the TEST17.TRV and TEST17.DRV files to training@traverse-pc.com 50 Advanced Learning Guide

51 Simple Surfaces Simple Surfaces This chapter demonstrates: Creating a surface Editing surface settings Recomputing a surface Editing topo points Smoothing contours Drawing the TIN Creating a transect Computing volumes Slope analysis Creating a surface from selected points Overview Surfaces are available in the Premium and Professional Editions of TPC. Volumes and Transects are available only in the Professional Edition. To learn more about contours 1. Choose Help Search For Help On and left-click the Contents tab. 2. Scroll down and select Contours. Getting Started 1. From the Task Manager choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN CONTOURS.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Contours and choose Save. 4. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. Three Types of Contours: All the topo points in a border. All the topo points in a traverse. Selected topo points within a border. Advanced Learning Guide 51

52 Simple Surfaces Creating a Surface In this lesson, we will start with a simple stockpile survey with two traverses. The Existing Boundary traverse defines the boundary of the stockpile, while the Topo 3/11/02 traverse contains the shots taken on the stockpile. We have already designated the Topo points (you ll learn how to do this a little later). 1. From the desktop menu choose Manage Surfaces to open the Surfaces manager. 2. Double-click any blank line in the Surfaces manager to display the Surface Settings dialog. 3. Enter 3 Stockpile for the Name. 4. Expand the Border Traverse list and choose the Existing Boundary traverse. 5. Now choose Apply. TPC will compute and draw the surface. Congratulations you just created a surface! 52 Advanced Learning Guide

53 Simple Surfaces Editing Surface Settings You can change the way TPC draws contours by editing the contour settings. You ll find options for major and minor contours, labels, smoothing and more. Using Major and Minor Settings 1. Left-Click the Contours tab. 2. Turn on the Label option in both the Major and Minor boxes and choose Apply. Surfaces have separate settings for the major and minor contour lines and labels, making the contours easier to read. You can edit their colors, line type, line widths and fonts. 3. To close this dialog and return to the drawing, choose OK. Accessing Surface Settings You can access the Surface Settings dialog any time using one of these methods 1. Double-click the surface in the Surfaces manager. 2. Double-click any surface object (contour, break line, etc) in a drawing. 3. Right-click any surface object (contour, break line, etc) in a drawing and choose Surface Tools Surface Settings. Advanced Learning Guide 53

54 Simple Surfaces Recomputing a Surface For small surfaces of a few hundred points, speed is not really an issue. For large surfaces with thousands of points, speed can become critical because of the dynamic nature of the Drawing View. Surfaces are unique in that as you edit the topo points, break lines and border used by the surface, you want the surface to re-compute and redraw itself so you can see the changes. However, once the surface has been edited, it becomes relatively static, so you don t want to take the time to recompute it each time you regenerate the drawing. TPC accommodates this through Manual and Automatic re-computing. Recomputing Automatically 1. Before you begin editing the topo points, border points or breaklines, open the Surface Settings dialog and left-click the Advanced tab.. 2. Turn off the Manual Recompute option and choose OK. As you edit the surface or if you regenerate the drawing, the surface will recompute itself automatically. Recomputing Manually 1. Once you have the contour the way you want it, open the Surface Settings, Advanced tab and turn Manual Recompute off.. 2. You can still recompute the surface at anytime by right-clicking any surface line or label and choose Surface Tools Recompute. Opening and closing the Surface Settings dialog also recomputes the surface. Embedded Labels When they are turned on, contour labels are embedded in the contour lines. Embedding cannot currently be turned off. Smoothing Contour Lines A smoothed contour takes longer to compute since extra points need to be computed for the smoothing. Once computed however, a smoothed contour takes only slightly longer to draw than an unsmoothed contour. As a rule, turn smoothing off while you are editing the surface, then turn it back on when you are finished. 54 Advanced Learning Guide

55 Simple Surfaces Editing Topo Points TPC will only calculate surfaces based on points that have been flagged as topo points. You can designate topo points a number of different ways. Once the surface is drawn, you can even turn off the topo designation for individual points to fix blunders in your surface. Designating Topo Points 1. Choose Help Content. 2. Left-click the Contents button, scroll down to the Surfaces chapter, double-click it then double-click Editing Topo Points. You ll find steps for delineating topo points in the Point Manager and by traverses. These are the fastest ways to tell TPC which points are available to the contour objects. These are also the methods you will normally use to tell TPC that points are, or are not, topo points. In this task however, you ll select topo points right from Drawing View. 3. When you are finished, close the Editing Topo Points window. Delineating Topo Points in the Drawing View 1. From the Drawing View choose View Delineate Topo Points. TPC highlights the topo points with a color background. Editing Topo Points in Drawing View 1. Turn off Manual Recompute (previous lesson) so you can see the surface changes as you edit the points. 2. Right-click the T3 point symbol or label and choose Topo Off. You will immediately see the effects of the change You may want to zoom in to select point T3 or keep an eye on the status bar to make sure you are on point T3. 3. Now right-click the T3 point symbol or label and choose Topo On. 4. Try some of the other topo points. Notice that border points are not delineated like the topo points. That s because border points are edited differently than the topo points. Advanced Learning Guide 55

56 Simple Surfaces Smoothing Contours 1. Double-click any surface line or label to display the Surface Settings dialog and Leftclick the Contours tab. 2. In the Contour Smoothing section, left-click Curve Fit. Double check to make sure your Tension value is Choose OK. TPC redraws the contours using the same Curve Fitting routine it uses to smooth any polyline. This routine guarantees that the contours pass through the interpolated elevation points on each triangle edge. These are the same elevations that all the contour computations like volumes and transects are based on, so you can rest assured that these smoothed contours are doing a good job of accurately representing the contour surface. Adjusting the Tension The tension factor determines the extent to which TPC smoothes the contours. A tension value of 1.0 guarantees that no contour lines will overlap. It says in essence, I will let the position of each contour line vary by up to 1 minor contour interval. A tension value of 0.0 does no smoothing. Typical tension values are 0.5 to 2.0. Max Angle The Max Angle lets you specify an angle above which no smoothing is applied. This allows TPC to skip over very flat angles along the contour line where smoothing would have little if any impact on the shape of the contour. 56 Advanced Learning Guide

57 Drawing the TIN TPC generates its contours from a TIN (Triangulated Irregular Network). It creates triangles that model the surface by connecting all the border and topo points then interpolating the elevations along the edges of each triangle. 1. Double-click any surface line or label to display the Surface Settings dialog. 2. Left-click the Contours tab and turn off the Major and Minor, Draw toggles so that the surface does not draw any contour lines or labels. 3. Left-click the TIN tab and turn on the TIN, Draw toggle. 4. Choose Apply. Now you can see what the TIN looks like. This will prove to be a useful tool as you work with some of your own contours. 5. Choose Cancel to return to the drawing without retaining the changes you just made. TPC redraws the surface with the original contours. Simple Surfaces Advanced Learning Guide 57

58 Simple Surfaces Creating a Transect Transects are available only in the Professional Edition of TPC. A transect is a profile of the intersections created by the transect object (a line or traverse) and a surface s triangles (TIN). When you create a transect, you add the computed intersections to a new or existing traverse. Once the traverse is added to the survey, it can be viewed as a profile or printed out in a report. 1. From the Drawing View, choose Draw Line and draw a line across the contour like the one shown here from A to A (make sure you are not in Paper Space mode). 2. Right-click any surface line or label and choose Surface Tools Creating Transects from Surfaces. 3. Following the command prompt in the status bar, position the cursor over the line you just drew and left-click to display the Transect dialog. 4. Enter the Transect A-A for the Name. 5. Select Alignment for the Format and Alignments for the Settings. 6. Enter A1 for the Label. 7. Choose Append. TPC creates the Transect A-A traverse and opens it s Traverse View. 58 Advanced Learning Guide

59 Simple Surfaces Drawing the Transect 1. In the Traverse View for Transect A-A, choose Tools Draw This Traverse Only. This creates a temporary drawing for just this traverse. 2. TPC displays the traverse in Drawing View in Plan mode. To switch to Profile mode choose View Profile Mode. You can insert a grid with 1FT vertical spacing and 10FT horizontal spacing into the drawing to show the transect better. Your transect should look something like this. Advanced Learning Guide 59

60 Simple Surfaces Computing Volumes Volumes are available only in the Professional Edition of TPC. 1. Double-click any surface line or label to display the Surface Settings dialog then left-click the Volume tab. 2. Left-click the Compute button to compute the volumes using the current To Border option. TPC computes and displays the Volume information. The surface s volume is computed by comparing its surface with another surface. The other surface can be the border of the contour, an arbitrary elevation or another surface. When computing volumes, TPC keeps track of cuts and fills separately. Cut volumes are always displayed as positive while fill volumes are always displayed as negative. Cut and fill areas are planimetric (2-D) as opposed to slope (3-D). You ll find lots of help on computing volumes in the on-line help. Just look up Surfaces to get started. Reporting Volumes 1. To add the volume information to the Report View, just choose Summary. 60 Advanced Learning Guide

61 Simple Surfaces Slope Analysis Let s take a quick look at TPC s slope analysis. Like volumes, this feature is available only in the Professional edition. 1. Left-click the Slope tab. 2. Turn on the two Drawing Options as shown here. 3. Choose Compute to compute the slope. 4. Choose Apply to update the drawing. We will use the default slope ranges displayed in the dialog. You can select Summary to add this information to the current Report View. TPC shades the slope ranges in the current drawing and adds the slope information to the legend. This is a very simple example of slope analysis but it serves to show how easily you can compute slopes for any surface. Advanced Learning Guide 61

62 Simple Surfaces Creating a Surface from Selected Points You can select a group of topo points in Drawing View and create a surface for just those points. When you do, TPC creates a traverse to hold the selected points and designates this traverse as the source traverse for the surface. TPC then generates a convex border traverse for the surface and creates the surface. 1. Untag the Existing Boundary traverse in the Traverse Manager. We don t need this border in the drawing anymore. 2. From the Drawing View, choose Edit Select objects. Press the W key for Window then left-click two diagonal points and right-click to end the selection tool. 3. Right-click any of the selected points and choose Topo On. 4. Right-click any of the selected points and choose Surface Tools Create Surface from Selected Points. TPC displays the Surface Settings dialog. 5. In the Surface tab, enter Stock Pile #1 for the Name. Since the selected points do not already have a name, TPC uses the surface name you enter here to name the source traverse it creates to hold the selected points. 6. Choose OK. 62 Advanced Learning Guide

63 Advanced Surfaces Advanced Surfaces This chapter demonstrates: Creating a surface from a traverse Editing a surface border Assigning a border to a surface Editing breaklines Restricting elevations Overview Now that you understand basic contouring in TPC, we will move on to a more complex project to examine some of the situations you will come across in your own work. Professional Edition Contours are available in the Premium and Professional Editions of TPC. Volumes and Transects are available only in the Professional Edition. To learn more about contours 1. Choose Help Search For Help On and left-click the Contents tab. 2. Scroll down to Contours. 3. Double-click Contours to expand the chapter and then double-click Inserting Contours. Getting Started We will use another actual project we did here at Traverse PC. 1. From the Task Manager choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN ADVANCED CONTOURS.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Advanced Contours and choose Save. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. 4. Activate the Drawing View by left-clicking it or by choosing Window Drawing View. Advanced Learning Guide 63

64 Advanced Surfaces Creating a Surface from a Traverse In TPC, you create surfaces from traverses to compare two surfaces, like phases of an excavation project. You can topo the project as many times as you want, just create a separate traverse for each topo (i.e. Topo 3/11/03, Topo 3/18/03, etc.). Now you can create a separate surface for each phase, showing the progress of the project. The trick is creating surfaces from traverses. Designating Topo Points in a Traverse 1. In the Drawing View choose View Delineate Topo Points. You will not see any change, indicating that none of the points shown are flagged as Topo points. 2. Go to the Traverse Manager, right-click the TOPO POINTS traverse and choose Modify Topo On. TPC turns on the Topo status for each survey point referenced by this traverse. Because Delineate Topo Points is turned on in the Drawing View, all of the points are now highlighted in yellow. Note: If you create a surface from a traverse that does not contain any topo points, TPC automatically makes each point in the traverse a topo point. This is handy when bringing in data from a data collector. Creating a Surface from this Traverse 1. Return to the Drawing View, rightclick any point and choose Surface Tools Create Surface from Traverse. 2. TPC displays the Surface Settings dialog showing Topo Points in Traverse as the Source and listing the TOPO POINTS traverse. 3. Choose OK. 4. Choose View Delineate Topo Points to turn the topo highlights off. 64 Advanced Learning Guide

65 Advanced Surfaces Evaluating the Surface It is obvious that being familiar with the property being modeled will help you see where your surface needs work. Even if you aren t familiar with the property, it is usually possible to spot any problems with the surface border. There are three obvious problem areas in the current surface border, even if you aren t familiar with the property. 1. It is obvious that there aren t any topo points along the line between point 100 at the northernmost point and point 107 near the southeast end. It looks like our border should run from or The contour lines make some very jagged turns and once again, it looks like there aren t any topo points out near the border. Advanced Learning Guide 65

66 Advanced Surfaces Editing a Surface Border A surface border is just a traverse that further defines the extents of the surface. When you insert a surface, you can specify any border you want or let TPC generate a convex border that you can then edit as needed. Here are some rules about borders. The border defines the limits of the surface. Only the topo points that lie within the border of a surface are used to create the surface. The border affects the shape of the surface. All points in the surface s border are used as part of the surface. (This means that you can t just arbitrarily choose zero elevation points for the surface border and your surface will then drop to zero elevation at the border.) Creating a Surface Border 1. In Drawing View, choose Tools Add Points to Traverse. 2. Enter Contour Border for the Name. 3. Choose Plat Check Lots from the Settings list. This provides a contrasting red border line. 4. Select Method 4) so that only existing survey points will be added to the border. 5. Choose Insert. This inserts the Contour Border traverse immediately above the current traverse in the Traverse Manager (TOPO POINTS). 6. Starting with point 100, position the cursor over the point label and left-click to add it to the Contour Border traverse. Before you left-click a point label, look at the status bar. It will display the point label you are positioned over. 7. Repeat this step for the following points 101, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 231, 232, 235, 234, 233, 166, 170, 172, 215, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 120, After you left-click point 100 as the last point to add to the traverse, press the [Enter] key to end the Add Points to Traverse command. 9. You now have a closed loop traverse that can be used as the border for this surface. TPC has added it to the Traverse Manager using the name you gave it earlier. 66 Advanced Learning Guide

67 Advanced Surfaces Editing the Border Because the border is a traverse, you can edit it, easily adding or removing points as needed to better define the border. TPC opened the Traverse View for this traverse and displayed the traverse as you added points to it. 1. Look at the border in the drawing. Did you select the points correctly? If not, add or remove points from the traverse as needed. 2. Close the Traverse View and return to the Drawing View. Advanced Learning Guide 67

68 Advanced Surfaces Assigning a Border to a Surface Now that you have created an appropriate border traverse, you must assign it to the contour. 1. Double-click any surface line in the drawing to display the Surface Settings dialog. 2. Pull down the Border Traverse list and select Contour Border from the list. 3. Choose OK. The surface will now be recomputed using the border. The introduction of a border further defines which points are to be included in the contour and modifies the triangles and edges that are produced as part of the TIN. The contours look much better now at 1 and 2. This is how we use borders to improve the way TPC models the actual surface. 68 Advanced Learning Guide

69 Advanced Surfaces Editing Breaklines Breaklines allow a surface to model grade breaks like top of slope and toe of slope with a minimal number of points. You can accomplish the same final surface shape without breaklines, but it requires taking numerous points along each breakline. It takes a little practice to gain experience collecting and using breaklines, but the investment is well worth it. 1. Double-click any surface line or label to display the Surface Settings dialog. 2. Left-click the Contours tab and turn off the Major and Minor, Draw toggles. 3. Left-click the TIN tab and turn on the TIN, Draw toggle and choose OK. 4. Turn off Zoom Points and use the Zoom Window tool to zoom in on the north end of the property around point Right-click any TIN line and choose Surface Tools Edit Breaklines. 6. Left-click point 110 (south of 101) and then left-click point 111 (south of 111). TPC inserts the breakline between 110 and 111 and regenerates the TIN. Notice how the triangles changed. 7. Right-click to end the Edit Breaklines command. 8. Now double-click any TIN line to display the Surface Settings dialog. 9. Left-click the Contours tab and turn on the Major and Minor, Draw toggles. 10. Left-click the TIN tab and turn off the TIN, Draw toggle then choose OK. TPC redraws the contour with the effects of the breakline included. Hint: To delete a breakline, use the Edit Breaklines tool and left-click the breakline you wish to delete. Right-click to end the tool. Advanced Learning Guide 69

70 Advanced Surfaces Breaklines are Associated with Survey Points Breaklines are always associated with Survey Points. If the survey point referenced by a breakline changes, the breakline changes with it. Breaklines do not store the end point coordinates of the breakline, they store the survey points that are referenced. Getting Breaklines from Existing Traverses You can import breaklines from a traverse or manually add and remove them from the contour as we did a moment ago. Our field crew did a good job and created breakline traverses in the field using TPC Handheld. Let s put their hard work to good use now by importing those breakline traverses into the contour. 1. Double-click any contour line to display the Surface Settings dialog then leftclick the Breaklines tab. 2. In the Traverse Manager, select the traverses shown here. 3. In the Breaklines tab, choose Get from the Traverse Options. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as many times as you need to import additional breaklines from other traverses. TPC searches the selected traverses for control point sequences that define new breaklines and imports them into the surface. 5. Choose Apply to redraw the surface with these breaklines included. TPC recomputes the surface using the breaklines that were imported. You can now see the driveway as well as the access road. The retaining walls are also doing their jobs. 70 Advanced Learning Guide

71 Advanced Surfaces Restricting Elevations TPC reports the vertical extents of a surface to you and lets you restrict the elevations of the surface if you want. 1. To restrict elevations, turn on the Restrict Elevations option and specify the Minimum and Maximum inclusive elevations allowed. In the example shown here, we ve restricted the surface to those topo points with elevations between 60 and 120 inclusive. The Information box reports that 10 points were rejected because they were outside the elevation range. Advanced Learning Guide 71

72 Least Squares Network Adjustment Least Squares Network Adjustment This chapter demonstrates: Entering redundant observations Creating Fixed coordinates Setting the A Priori values Analyzing a survey (creating a network) Editing network points Editing network observations Solving the network Creating the least squares report Determining the strength of your solution Adjusting the survey Plotting Error Ellipses Overview In this example, you ll work through a small Least Squares Network that includes two traverses and an extra observation. The principals are the same for larger networks involving many traverses and possibly hundreds of unknown points and observations. Professional Edition The Least Squares Network analysis is available only in the Professional edition of TPC. Least Squares Traverse analysis (not covered here) is available from the Closure View in both the Premium and Professional editions. To learn more about Least Squares 1. Choose Help Search For Help On and left-click the Contents tab. 2. Scroll down to Least Squares. 3. Double-click Least Squares to expand the chapter and then double-click Least Squares Overview. Getting Started 1. From the Task Manager choose Sample Surveys. 2. Double-click the LEARN LEAST SQUARES NETWORK.TRV file. 3. Choose File Save Survey As then enter the name Least Squares Network and choose Save. If prompted to replace the existing file, choose Yes. 72 Advanced Learning Guide

73 Least Squares Network Adjustment Entering Redundant Observations At the heart of any Least Squares solution are redundant observations measuring the same point more than once, from different control points, in order to provide a statistical basis for the computed positions of the unknown points. 1. From the Traverse Manager, double-click Traverse 1 to open its Traverse View. Points A1 and 1 at the end of the traverse are redundant observations. The OBS in the Type column indicates that these are Observations (stores the measured data but does not recompute the point). Let s delete these two points and reenter them. 2. Highlight points A1 and 1 at the end of the traverse and choose Edit Delete Selected Items. 3. Press the down arrow key to create a new point below point 3. TPC will create the next available point number like 6 or Highlight the point column of the added point, type A1 and press Enter. TPC displays the A1 already exists! dialog. 5. Choose the second option Recall existing point as redundant observation and choose OK. 6. TPC replaces the point in the Traverse View with the recalled A1 point and sets its point Type to OBS. 7. Enter the Slope Dist, Zenith Angle, Horiz Angle and Target Ht shown above for point A1. 8. Repeat steps 3 7, recalling point 1 and entering just the Horiz Angle shown above. Congratulations! You ve just entered redundant data. See the Redundant Data help topic for other ways of entering redundant data. Advanced Learning Guide 73

74 Least Squares Network Adjustment Creating Fixed Coordinates In a Least Squares Analysis, at least two points must have fixed or known positions. When the network is solved, the positions of these fixed points are not allowed to change. In reality, you can have any number of fixed points in a Least Squares Network, a situation not at all uncommon as you build onto an existing network with new data. Fortunately, TPC has long had the ability to protect points. The positions of protected points are not allowed to change just like the fixed points in a Least Squares Network. Because of this strong correlation between protected and fixed points, TPC treats any protected point in the survey as a fixed point when it builds the Least Squares Network. In the example data we are using, points A1 and A2 are the two points we want to fix for our Least Squares analysis. So we want to protect them in TPC before creating the network. 1. Highlight points A1 and A2 and choose Edit Modify Points Protect On. TPC displays the Protection Options dialog. 2. Choose Protect All Data and choose OK. TPC displays a P in the Status column of points A1 and A2. The P indicates the X and Y coordinates are protected. That s all there is to it. Later on, when we build the network, we will note that points A1 and A2 are automatically fixed. Making Least Squares Easier TPC is a natural when it comes to building Least Squares Networks. The use of traverses to build onto an existing network and the ability to fix protected points are just two of the built-in features that allow TPC to simplify your use of Least Squares Networks. 74 Advanced Learning Guide

75 Least Squares Network Adjustment Setting the A Priori Values The A Priori values are estimates of standard error for each type of measurement. TPC uses these to create the initial precision of each value used in the Least Squares Network. You can edit these precisions for each observation after TPC creates the network, but specifying correct values for the instrument you are using will reduce the editing of precisions later on. 1. From the desktop menu choose Tools Least Squares Network Adjustment. TPC displays the Least Squares Network Adjustment dialog. 2. Left-click the Miscellaneous tab and choose A Priori Values. 3. Enter the values shown here. 4. Choose Save Settings. You don t have to save these as your defaults now, but at some point, you will have your own estimates and will want to save them as the defaults. 5. Choose OK to close this dialog. The values you enter here are saved with the Least Squares file. So if you don t choose to save them as the defaults (available for the next survey that uses Least Squares) then are still stored as part of this analysis. Advanced Learning Guide 75

76 Least Squares Network Adjustment Analyzing a Survey ( Creating a Network ) A Least Squares solution in TPC involves four steps as follows: 1. Analyze the survey and create the network records 2. Solve the network and generate the appropriate statistics 3. Report the information about the solution so you can decide whether or not to accept it 4. Update the survey with the adjusted positions In the analysis step, you tell TPC which traverses to use in building the network. TPC then looks at the points and measurements in these traverses to create the Least Squares Network. To analyze this example survey, 5. Left-click the Step 1 Analyze tab in the Least Squares Network Adjustment dialog. 6. Choose the Analyze button. TPC builds the network and displays the number of points and observations it found. Notice that we choose the option to Fix Protected Points. The two points you protected earlier, A1 and A2, become the two fixed points for our network. We also choose to include All the traverses in the survey, but we could have built a network using just the traverses that were selected in the Traverse Manager. This is how you add new data to an existing Least Squares Network. For this example survey, TPC has determined that there are 5 unknown points, two known points and 18 observations, 8 of which are redundant. We ll look at these points and observations in the next task. 76 Advanced Learning Guide

77 Least Squares Network Adjustment Editing Network Points As a rule, you will not need to edit the points and observations TPC includes in the network. With the ability to group observations into traverses and protect survey points, TPC has all the tools it needs to built an accurate and complete network for you. Let s verify this by taking a look at the points and observations you just created for this analysis. 1. From the Step 1 Analyze page, choose Edit Points. TPC displays the Least Squares Network Points dialog. Notice that the Precision Y and Precision X for points A1 and A2 is Fixed. These are the two points you protected earlier. The Precision for the rest of the points is Free. This indicates that these points are free to be adjusted by any amount necessary for the solution of the network. You can edit the Precision of any survey point in this dialog in order to limit the amount it gets adjusted. You can also exclude points from the network. The checked box in the Point column indicates which points will be included in the solution. If a point is excluded, its position will not be affected by the adjustment. 2. Choose Close to return to the Step 1 Analyze page. Advanced Learning Guide 77

78 Least Squares Network Adjustment Editing Network Observations 1. Choose Edit Observations to display the Least Squares Network Observations dialog. TPC displays each measurement along with its Precision. The Precision values displayed here were derived from what are called A PRIORI values. These are estimates of the standard error of each type of measurement. Horizontal angles have their own estimate as do horizontal distances. You edited these estimates earlier in the A Priori dialog. TPC uses these estimates to establish the initial Precision of each measurement. You can edit the Precisions here if you choose to. Notice that the slope distance and zenith angle values you entered in the Traverse View have been reduced to horizontal distance. In a 3D analysis, you will also see values for vertical distance. TPC uses the adjustments of each traverse, like Curvature and Refraction and Scale Factor to derive the horizontal and vertical values shown here. By reducing the raw data this way, the observed data used for the Least Squares network matches the initial coordinates for the unknown points. 2. When you are finished, choose Close. 78 Advanced Learning Guide

79 Least Squares Network Adjustment Solving the Network 1. Left-click the Step 2 Solve tab in the Least Squares Network Adjustment dialog. 2. Choose Solve. TPC solves the network and indicates that the solution converged in 2 iterations. TPC also tells you that the solution Passed the Chi-Square test at the 95% confidence interval. Note: If your solution does not pass go back and check your data selection. You probably have a couple of questions about now like, What are these iterations? and, What is this Chi-Square test? What are Iterations? A Least Squares solution is iterative that means it needs to make one or more passes through the solution, hopefully improving the results with each pass until the results are acceptable. That why you see the Converge Limit displayed in this page. The Converge Limit says, when the change in coordinates of all the unknown points from one pass to the next varies by less than 0.01 units, our solution is good and we can stop. The Max Iterations says to stop after the fifth pass, even if the solution has not converged. What is the Chi-Square Test? The Chi-Square test compares the standard deviations of the unknown coordinates (how much they changed) with their initial positions and asks if we are 95% sure that the amount of change is OK. This test fails when we have poor initial positions or bad observations or both. That s All It Takes to Solve the Network? Yes, that s all it takes. Larger networks will display a progress bar next to the Solve button so you can see the progress TPC is making as it iterates through the solution. Advanced Learning Guide 79

80 Least Squares Network Adjustment Creating the Least Squares Report The Least Squares report provides statistical information about the solution. You will need this information to either accept or reject the solution. 1. Left-click the Step 4 Report tab and choose the settings shown here. Make sure you have the Residual / Corrected option turned on. 2. Choose Report. TPC opens a Least Squares Report window and reports the results of the current solution. 3. Close the Least Squares Network Adjustment dialog by choosing OK. 4. Left-click anywhere on the Least Squares Report window to active it. At this point, TPC has not adjusted any points in your survey. You are still just evaluating the Least Squares solution. You will look at the information in the report and determine the strength of the solution. You can also correct any blunders in the observed data, change the A Priori values or the Convergence Limit or whatever else you feel is appropriate in order to improve the solution. So let s take a look at some of the information provided in the report. 80 Advanced Learning Guide

81 Least Squares Network Adjustment Determining the Strength of Your Solution Locate the following sections in the report. You ll find information about the Chi-Square test and the Standard Deviation of Unit Weight in TPC s help topics under Least Squares or in most surveying texts that cover Least Squares adjustments. We ll focus on the Standard Deviation of Coordinates for our discussion here. [[ Least Squares Solution ]] Solve for 5 of 7 points 18 Horizontal Observations (8 redundant) Solution converged in 2 iterations [ Standard Deviation of Unit Weight ] Observation Count StdDev Horizontal [[ Chi-Square ]] Passed Horizontal Chi-Square test at 95% significance level! Horizontal Chi-Square = 3.35 Lower/Upper Bounds (2.180/17.530) [ Adjusted Coordinates ] Station Y X [ Standard Deviation of Coordinates ] Station Y X The Standard Deviation of Coordinates When a standard deviation of a coordinate is expressed in terms of X and Y, it means that if you were to observe that point many times and compute a unique position each time, two thirds of those unique computed positions would lie within distance X and Y of the position being reported. So a smaller standard deviation indicates a stronger or more accurate position while a larger standard deviation indicates a weaker or less accurate position. The deviations shown here indicate that our adjusted positions are within a few hundredths of where they would be if we repeated our observations many more times. Advanced Learning Guide 81

82 Least Squares Network Adjustment Adjusting the Survey The final step is to accept the adjustments and update the survey. 1. From the desktop menu choose Tools Least Squares Network Adjustment. 2. Left-click the Step 3 Update tab. 3. Select the options shown here. 4. Choose Update. TPC copies the adjusted coordinates to their respective points in the survey. Because you chose to Protect Computed Points TPC will also protect the adjusted points. The Least Square File TPC stores all of the information about the network in a Least Squares file for this survey. This file contains the original (unadjusted) positions for each network point, the raw data for each observation, the A Priori values used in the analysis and other network information. If you were to close this survey, then open it again and choose Tools Least Squares Network Adjustment, TPC would open the Least Squares file and recreate this analysis. You would then Solve the network to recreate the solution (which is not stored in the Least Squares file since it can just be recomputed). Choosing to Undo an Adjustment You can always undo a Least Squares adjustment by returning here and choosing Undo. TPC copies the original coordinates back to each adjusted point and un-protects any points protected by the adjustment. Plotting Error Ellipses 1. Left-click the Miscellaneous tab in the Least Squares Network Adjustment dialog. 2. Turn on the Plot Ellipses option and close the dialog by choosing OK. 3. Activate the Drawing View by leftclicking on it then choose View Regen. You should see an error ellipse around each adjusted point. The interior angles were drawn in the picture shown here with the Insert Interior Angle command in Drawing View. 82 Advanced Learning Guide