Measuring Software for BlueTooth Disto ???
JAID
Do any have a favoured software for use in site/building measurement with a bluetooth laser measurer?
Background. In the past I have used the Disto Pro (or was it called Pro4 can't remember.) and although I regretted the lack of storage in their next latest and greatest the Disto PLUS was a pleasure when acquired as it allowed Blutooth connectivity. I produced spreadsheets for its use and found those sometimes quite useful but while trying several drawing tools never found any I thought saved significant time.
Toting around the HP Ipaq PDA always seemed to mean too many things in my hands also. Further, the application mentioned here ocassionally didn't operate on Windows Mobile. Now, with a large screen and a current version of Windows Mobile, maybe I will be happier using my telephone - maybe not. Maybe it is a job for the laptop with a small table or time to invest in a tablet PC.
Now I am moving that Disto PLUS on having bought a Disto D8. The D8 appeals particularly because of its 360 degree tilt knowledge and associated functions. Mostly this will mean not having to take your theodolite onto site as it will deal with site changes likely well enough for architects type response.
So, it is time I think to re-visit the software.
Leica have produced transfer software and plug-in for AutoCAD and Briscad which have a Disto recognition mode.
The idea of playing with the 3-dimensional software and revolving tripod attachments does excite but the idea of paying that sort of money (or fiddling with so much output to get a CAD result doesn't impress me too much. So that line is out.
Ideally, the software would enable relatively automatic input of complicated wall forms, heights, windows, doors, piers and other elements but also provide a database for adding survey notes etc. (preferably by voice)...and...not cost much.
A few years ago when we looked at these some were $1600 to over $2000 far too much for a bit of site measuring every few weeks and no other value even largely requiring re-drawing in the chosen CAD application anyway to take advantage of that applications other benefits. The most capable looking site measuring applications with Bluetooth Disto operation probably cost more than AutoCAD 'clones.'
Is that a reasonable way to go? Get AutoCAD Lite or a Clone like ProgeCAD, a third the price of dedicated measuring software....then use the Leica plug-in. If the plug-in does a decent job the CAD application would be more fully featured than the site measuring ones.
Obviously you have to know what the plug-in does/how it works and whether Lite or a clone actually work with it - I don't know what it is capable of yet.
Then you have to learn AutoCAD.
Now I look around I see several decent looking measuring sofwares selling in the 500 to 650 range. These include MiniPlan, SiteMaster and Apex Nexus.
The questions then.
Are any experienced with those three or others interested in commenting on them?
---
I don't suppose there is some sort of SketchUP plug-in for the purpose.
---
Have any used the AutoCAD plug-in with the D8? Is it's use comparable with the above.
---
Finally any tablet recommendations for this use or are they so tedious that you would be better setting up a table with your laptop on it for every room you measure.
If you got this far...congratulations. Thanks for any advice.
Regards
Ian
Brian
Did you ever come across what you're looking for? I'm looking for
something similar... A tablet pc floor plan drawing software, which I
could later save in AutoCAD format.
Sincerely,
Brian
James Horecka
room. One pull each wall and the door jamb offset (for which I usually use a
steel tape, as the distance is ~3"-4"). Done. Move on.
As a fellow who has done this for decades, I find this works just fine.
Note well that measuring into the CORNERS of a room is poor practice, in
general. So I rarely do that. Most interiors here are gypsum board. The MUD
piled up in the corners is at least an 1/8 inch, sometimes worse than that. Two
corners at a wall run, and you're off by 1/4". Unacceptable. So I back off my
laser pointer from corners about 4".
Any software that didn't account for mud corners wouldn't do for me.
Method works well enough. I can close on a 200-foot long building no sweat. When
an office block contains dozens and dozens of cells, hooo-boy, the quicker I can
book thru a room, the better. L, W, L, W, jamb, out the door. Diagonal only if
warranted.
Curved walls and skewed walls the same, just more spots. I've done some very
complex screwball spaces with mixes of arcs, random skews, storefronts, doors,
jogs, etc. Method is the same, just more points. Hand-held laser tape and pencil
does well.
Any tool but the laser can be dropped and I won't lose sleep. Recent job, I was
measuring outside, in the wind and rain. No problem. Carried a folded paper to
jot down numbers. Laser covered except during zap. When rain got harder, I
switched to metal tape. Got-R-done. Went home. Dried off.
Back at office: Punched data into DataCAD. Made it purdy. E-mailed PDF, with
invoice.
The laser is a boon, for sure. Actually more accurate than a steel measuring
tape, by quite a bit. Faster. Never measure in inside corners.
James Horecka, AIA
Architect
JAID
You appear to have replied to the Adesk A6 thread also. I should copy this
to that also in case it happens to assist generally.
I did have a reasonable look around. Had looked at Apex Nexus. That appeared
to be more use to valuers. The distributer would provide a copy of a related
CAD package so that the output could be converted to .dxf/.dwg. Looked also
at OrthoGraph, Draft Easy, MiniPlan and Sitemaster.
I hoped ARES Commander which was selling at around $500 on first release may
have used the AutoCAD link but Grabert didn’t get back on that so I assume
that it doesn’t. Liked the look of MiniPlan but came up thinking that of
Graberts tools, SiteMaster appeared to be the one to use. It is built on the
precursor to ARES, PowerCAD and can be used as a CAD package as well.
Likely, we won't use the CAD package except to export SiteMaster's format
to DWG.
To date I have only been testing the one application, SiteMaster Building
with the Disto D8. This has been used on an ExoPC slate (with 64GB SSD.) At
this stage it seems likely that I will go with that but I am not overly
pleased to have to go to the professional level price of a few thousand when
the $500 version does almost (but not quite) everything I need. For our
frequency of use, it seems to me that $5-700 is quite enough. Still, I am so
impatient that if there is any saving in time by spending ridiculous amounts
more then I often jump at the extravagant option. The difference between
Sitemaster Building and the entry level application relates mostly to
heights, layers, overlay of graphic insertions and the ability to export
notes.
The ExoPC is very easy to use in the field though I do need to rig up a
better arm holder. Sitemaster Building is taking a bit more time to become
proficient with than I expected but due I suppose to the holidays, I have
not had much to survey in the last few weeks. To be frank, I have found the
drawing tools a bit rudimentary yet tedious to access compared with those in
a CAD application. There are a range of supplementary tools related
specifically to survey which probably make up for that.
I have used a Bluetooth earpiece for voice note taking via SiteMaster as it
gives much better reception than the ExoPC's built -in microphone. Neither
have I used the ExoPC camera yet (it isn’t overly powerful and the slate is
quite large) but will give it a try.
Am not clear on how useful the Leica BrisCAD/AutoCAD plug-in is. If it
provided decent in-the-field recording capability then BrisCAD (being
cheaper) at least would interest. So I do not know whether the plug-in alone
may help if you are an AutoCAD user. In direct answer to your question,
Sitemaster does export in .dwg format, MiniPlan llikewise. I think most do.
Some do it directly. DataCAD and Spirit users will need to import .dwg from
almost anything they use.
Regards
Ian
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James Horecka
For a recent job, to get the topographical survey for a 20-acre parcel with 280
feet vertical climb and over a thousand avocado trees and chaparral, we did what
we normally do: Flew the damn thing. All data gathered in matter of seconds.
Professional surveyors run the numbers and return finished digital file. Done.
However, that parcel DID have some super-bitch areas. Some of the property
corners existed. Most did not (and there were MANY). So those had to be set, by
hand, on rugged steep terrain, often without line of sight. That task took
literally weeks on end. VERY difficult. To complicate matters, a half-dozen
monuments had to be set in and amidst a buzzzzzzzzy apiary. Bees everywhere!
Gaaaaa!
Now, for my routine measuring, which I've done since I was a kid, a tape and pad
is perfect. Today add laser tape.
Look at a typical task: Get a call Tuesday afternoon at 4:45 PM. Client had a
tenant vacate. He needs fresh floor plan of now-empty suite, accurate,
inside are two dozen offices and rooms, down to toilets and utility closets with
gear. He needs plan ASAP.
What do?
Load up some expensive chunk of machinery and lug it from room to room, even
closets?
Bear in mind that ANY system that pulls measurements off INSIDE CORNERS within a
drywalled improvement will be off, all pulls by 1/4" or more. as mentioned
before, anyone who does field-measuring routinely knows that corner pulls are
POOR PRACTICE. As in, "Don't do dat."
So for me, I drive out there, zap and stretch, jotting down some lines and
annotations. I take some photos, too; cell phone photos sufficient.
Back at the office, I knock out the drawing. No problemo. With this method, NOT
pulling into corners, I can "close" across 200 feet no problem.
Fill walls.
Be done.
Git paid! (Hopefully)
James Horecka, AIA
Architect
JAID
site (building measurements.) Sometimes a bit less but I know one who
routinely allows double the site time and admit that at times it had taken
me as long. It is obvious that if equipment can produce the drawing as you
walk the site there is time saved. The value of the equipment to the
operator will relate to the frequency of use. If I had 20 people around with
some survey work nearly every day I would be hunting for the most efficient
systems available.
It happens that individuals can achieve much of this at a price which is
fairly affordable if you do say a dozen or so mid-range surveys per year. A
Bluetooth measurer probably ranges from $300 to $1000, a laptop, slate or
other handheld device may be any amount but under a $1000 will certainly do
the job well and something in the range of $100 second hand is very likely.
Software tools range from about $300 to $2000 for normal use. Most will be
happy with a $500 expenditure. So for a minimum of $1000 you could be set up
and you don’t need to spend more than say $3000.
I agree with John that Sitemaster, leastwise the professional level version
is overblown for most of our purposes but something of that ilk can be very
useful. You walk around with the laser measure in you main hand (right hand
in my case) and carry the screen on the other arm or in your palm. Flash
measurements and see them applied on the screen. You can be sure not to have
missed any necessary dimensions or diagonals because it has to go together
on the screen. At the same time you can talk into your microphone recording
details to be automatically transcribed which would take valuable time to
write. These can be dropped into the location they describe. If your slate
or handheld has a camera you can take photographs on the run leaving your
camera equipment at home or your mobile telephone in the pocket. If you use
a Bluetooth earpiece connected to your computer you can switch between that
and phone calls at will. You can even drop the photographs into the drawing
and annotate on the run.
You can carry on your computer, any data, drawings and the like which you
have and may wish to compare or check against. You can overlay these in your
drawing software (some software.)
You don’t juggle pages, you don’t bugger around with ladders nor long and
short tapes and you don’t need a second person.
Saves time even for someone who has done a thousand or so surveys starting
by accompanying a hallowed master at them. As the software becomes slicker
it will save more time eventually being so transparent that even the
stalwart manual operators who only a couple years ago also resisted laser
measurers will use it without contemplating any alternative.
Now that general stuff aside, Jim...unless I misunderstand, do you suggest
that the internal corners are so skewed by angles or tape and their skim
coat that they provide a take off point not passably clear of other such
angles, wavers and bits and pieces within the wall length to be measured?
My experience has been that plasterboard (drywall to you) angles at external
corners and openings would as often actually exceed a plane taken between
the corners represented by internal corner angles as they do not. Most 90
degree internal corner angles (here at least have some elevation right at
the corner as opposed to the perforated section to be skimmed over. The
external versions can have an even higher radiused corner. In an intended
plane. It is the assumed regular extents we should be measuring to rather
than any slightly recessed areas. That only has the effect of slightly
increasing wall thickness.
I do not doubt that there are mostly poorly made internal corners and have
often come across them. It seems to me that the risk of measuring on a
slight angle is increased when measuring parallel but away from walls and
that extents are the real aim anyway. With diagonals also any skewing due to
poorly made corners should be roughly halved anyway. It is a different case
if you are intending to fit furniture to walls but that is for others to
deal with, we say what is available as a reasonable minimum.
(even with bevelled edges well laid plasterboard seldom if ever avoids at
least some undulation off the intended plane, to me an amount of that comes
with the material.)
One of the worst internal corners I have seen was done by myself on my first
and last attempt at plastering. I see it every day. Before the last re-paint
I even spent a half hour trying to grind it down with sand paper. Next time
it will be re-done (by someone else)
Ian
-----Original Message-----
From: dataca...@googlegroups.com [mailto:dataca...@googlegroups.com]
What do?
Fill walls.
Be done.
Git paid! (Hopefully)
James Horecka, AIA
Architect
--
arcon
That got a laugh.
My first attempt at plastering in my first house extension (as a 25 yr old
young graduate architect) was tempered by some well intentioned advice from
my 40 year old Scottish carpenter who advised me to use "cornice cement" as
the base coat on my ceilings as it was "stronger." My naivety led me to
think I could actually sand the stuff smooth before applying the final
coats. I over set the joins to make sure "in case it shrank while drying
and when ready for sanding the following morning (winter time) I found out
that cornice cement could not be sanded by normal human means embarked on 3
days work on a ladder with a 4 inch belt sander held upside down above my
head (yes , very dangerous)with the coarse grit to sand the unforgiving
resultant speed humps off the ceiling. Would have been easier to pull the
entire ceiling down and start again. I am sure in places it must have been
8mm thick!
Ian wrote:
....One of the worst internal corners I have seen was done by myself on my
first
and last attempt at plastering. I see it every day. Before the last re-paint
I even spent a half hour trying to grind it down with sand paper. Next time
it will be re-done (by someone else) ....
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David Bergman
I want a miniature Roomba-like robot critter that will just roam through
place recording where all the walls are.
It also seems to me that it could be done with a laser measurer doing a
rotation from a fixed point in a room, recording angle and distance in
tiny increments (like RADAR). Advantage over the Roomba: also reads doors
and windows.
Where do I file my patents?
David Bergman RA LEED AP
DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE
& WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
architecture . interiors .
ecodesign .
lighting . furniture
ber...@cyberg.com
www.cyberg.com
241 Eldridge Street #3R, New York, NY
10002
t 212
475 3106 f 212 677 7291
James Horecka
Typical office:
Four zaps and a pull at the corner for the door jamb.
In the time it takes me to walk to each corner of said room and back out the
door, jotting down the values in "Drywall-Sub Shorthand" I'm done with that
room.
I've properly abstracted the data, choosing where to measure from based on my
experience and observation of the conditions at hand.
Back at the studio, assuming parallel walls, I have four lines. They exist mosty
as Offsets from other lines previously laid down. That's it. Plus a door.
No zillion data points.
Here, I'll post a JPG capture of the PDF I knocked out in a few hours a coupla
weeks back. Only 16,000 SF, tho.
...tick-tick...
OK, done.
The most time-consuming rooms are the terlits.
James Horecka, AIA
Architect
arcon
Just a quick question on the disto data transfer. I don't own a Disto but am
considering purchasing one to save lugging around my cumbersome but
brilliant reflectorless Leica Total Station. The D8 sounds ideal for simple
interiors or for a quick check of changes in level or the occasional rough
site profile check. If it wasn't for the fact that it can't readily provide
azimuth measurements or a complete set of xyz coordinatesin 3d dxf format
I could dispense with my theodolite completely. But I suppose that will
eventually happen with a future model.
What format does the actual disto(not the add on software) save the
measurements in as a transferred file? Are they measurements and distances
in a spreadsheet format? I tried to load the Leica "Disto transfer" software
to see what that program looks like however it won't run because it doesn't
see any bluetooth disto connected. Is there a website where i can see actual
screen shoits of what the data from the Disto actually looks like.
Also wondering if I could run their Autocad plug in on a tablet PC such as
an ancient Panasonic Toughbook CF18 which has a lightweight wireless
removable tablet that you can cart around with you on site. Surveyors
sometimes use them and are also used by restaurants for taking orders.
regards,
wayne allen
JAID
majority of work is within existing buildings and many of those old. Very
few projects seem to go by where masses of diagonals are not required. We do
a lot of hotel work, one a few years ago was originally built in the 1840's
with hundreds of square metres added in perhaps dozens of additions and
subtractions over the intervening period. I must have had to swing a
thousand diagonals to get that together before I could happily 'zap' any 4
points. It may not quite be typical but invariably the moment you think you
are working with rectangular spaces you get a surprise. Beyond that there
are door and window heights, dados, sections to be done on innumerable
skirtings and architraves and cornices, locations of fixtures and fittings,
power, lights and data, references to the nature of several different wall
types and finishes, floors and changes of flooring, ceilings, identification
of structure etc.etc.etc. and to the quality and compliance of and any
damage to all of those. On top of that externally there are various heights,
mouldings and elements of note along with the grounds, services,
outbuildings and fences. A building survey and documentation is generally
not something to be priced idly or lightly.
But yes, I did look at your building survey and agree it is an awful lot to
measure and draw in a couple hours. The way we normally need to deal with
these things, I would be very pleased if survey and modelled drawing of a
similarly sized building could be done in a day.
(The first building I was involved in surveying was the Royal Automobile
Club at Circular Quay in central Sydney. I was about 17, Eric Bayliss was my
'master' in the exercise. He had started work with Architects as a 14 year
old just prior to WW1 and was then in or approaching his 80's. The building
at the time was all over the place, large kitchens, high ceilings, about 5
levels split in many ways, and a wealth of mouldings and detailed joinery
along with a relatively decorative exterior. He had every element routinized
and he managed to get a kid who had never done it before quickly to adjust
to that and to RUN, move the ladder, RUN, hang upside down out windows, RUN,
clamber into void spaces, RUN, non-stop for a long day while he held the
tape, produced exquisite drawings you could probably scale off and detail
and categorise every element, every sill, head, dado, cornice, ceiling,
step, rail and sundry height, every fitting and moulding, their quality,
their materials and construction their ratings and manufacture if applicable
so that he didn’t have to visit the site again. This day's work transformed
into over 25 large drawings of plans, elevations sections and many details.
They took, as I recall, weeks. Some little of his systematic approach may
have rubbed off but, sadly, I have never achieved so much in a day (and I
have never produced such beautiful site notes.)
Ian
PS BTW it is more than 4 zaps and a pull at the corner isn’t it even if
providing minimum detail and nothing external. It would be 4 zaps, usually 2
diagonal zaps, a couple more for each window and each mullion within them
and each door, at least another for each fitting and a pull to ascertain the
thickness of the wall if not the door. After that, add in notes on
finishes, subtle changes of plane and direction and any other references and
notes you need to take. If the building does not happen to be rectilinear,
every one of those rooms could be out with it difficult to find the root
cause.
-----Original Message-----
From: James Horecka [mailto:jhor...@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, 8 February 2011 3:21 PM
To: JAID; DataCAD-DBUG
Subject: Re: DBUG> Re: Measuring Software for BlueTooth Disto ???
James Horecka
First off:
Cool story, bro!
Nice detail.
Sure, there are those jobs that are more, uh, complex.
Still, I've been doin' this for awhile. Fast & efficient, on the spot and
cost-effective; quick turnaround. Gotta be, otherwise the Owners will get
somebody else.
I've done some exceptionally complex joints.
I've REPLACED architects who have FAILED at acquiring correct field data (basing
their plans on crap recon or, worse, NO recon). Once even where they had
completed their entire job, and the con docs were ready for permit. A contractor
bidding the work discovered one error, then another and another, and in short
order the various parties found out that the entire Con Docs, plans, design,
EVERYTHING was based on, well NOTHING. No field recon was done. Major fail.
Owners FIRED architect, hired me. I tell this tale a lot, so you may have heard
it.
In a nutshell, fast and accurate, within reason, is important.
Complexity varies every time.
Here, here's one with curves and angles. Clipboard, tape, laser.
Clearly a bit trickier. Still, just zaps an' notes. Vector count of finished
DataCAD drawing is LOW. No more lines than necessary.
Almost all my work is solo. Just me. Git-r-done.
Skew-wise, it never fails that some yutz laid out his pencil marks on the slab
and then pulled his chalk lines to the wrong side, by a stud-width. Not all that
uncommon to run across walls that are 3-1/2" out of whack. Wrong mark! It'd be
funny if it weren't so sad. What a hassle to deal with.
Anyway, bro, whatever works for ya. I can boogie with my methods. Bread-n-butter
fill-in stuff, or prerequisite at start of any new rework.
James Horecka, AIA
Architect
JAID
The bend in the hall where the hall steps around with the curved corner would be one for a half dozen diagonals and then the shallowness of angle and lack of points approximately at 45 degrees would mean that accuracy would be very vulnerable anyway. You would probably have to work back from the corner rooms to be confident. It is multiple subtleties on situations like that which I seem to run across more often than not. For a few of the larger of those I have even, in exasperation, taken my theodolite indoors. That fixes it if there is anything you can ascertain is parallel with anything outside.
Ian
James Horecka
Yup.
Sometimes spaces can be a pain in the rump, for sure.
NONE of those curves has even radii. That is, they are not arcs.
Even the BIG curve, well, that's made up of straight storefront metal, trim
pieces and flat drywall.
There pretty much ARE no true arcs in built work. No matter how hard the dudes
try. And usually they do not try very hard.
Note also that all this was "in use." Office space occupied by investment
brokers. So we're talkin' desks, chairs, paintings, coat racks, real and fake
plants, books, bookshelves, files, papers, computers, TVs, cables up the
yin-yang, etc. And, you guessed it: PEOPLE! On the phone, in meetings, whatever.
So ya walk into a typical office. They are NOT real happy to have ya there
(losing space, often; can't pay rent). You politely announce yourself (they've
been told ahead of time, of course). Usually they are reasonable enuf, tho
sometimes I run into assholes. Rarely, a major ass, who will pick a fight.
Anyway, while they continue to conduct business, you zap right over their heads.
Get in, get out. Thank them profusely. Move on.
I'll post another plan later. V-shaped, odd angle. Two stories. Maybe
200 spaces. Angles, curves. The Owner was so "frugal" that she insisted on
helping me take alllll the measurements. Actually, she did great, and the two of
us got a good system down, really cookin' thru all the spaces.
Having her there was good, too, in that she understood the standards, the
mode, the wheres and whys, and together we made choices as to abstractions. ALL
measurements and plans are abstracted, of course. "The Map is NOT the
Territory." Ever. That's basic ABC core concept stuff right there.
Oh, I should mention that this client has helped me measure stuff before.
Several times. So she's well-seasoned, I guess. Quite helpful. Fun to have a
partner. Saves a little time, thus saves her a little money. Not a mountain, no.
But some.
I think the TRUE payoff with her helping is that she, too, takes "ownership" of
the process, and of her building. Knows every single corner in the joint. Her
level of involvement and CARE is kicked up several notches. Hard to put a
"price" on that.
JAID
We only have an old Leica optical theodolite; I am VERY jealous of your
Total Station.
The D8 is a very sweet tool. I moved a Disto Plus (also Bluetooth) after
buying it, the D8 physical format is much nicer to use (less bulky.) Normal
measurement taking and use of Bluetooth connection is pretty similar but the
D8 has a lot of other capabilities which made the jump valuable. You have
really listed them below. Would be great if somehow it had a compass (or
could be fixed to a permanent target) and could take azimuth readings but
that for a while yet will probably remain the domain of the TotalStation and
like equipment.
The transfer application which comes with the D8 enables control by the
instrument in almost any windows application. You just place your cursor in
the application you wish to use. So, you can deposit information in any
format that you can export from any useable application including AutoCAD
(or Brisicad.) But that is not really what you are asking.
The D8 does have a memory. The PLUS didn't which was its greatest failing.
The one we had before that was a 4a or something like that and it did have a
1000 place memory which would seem a good start for any of their following
products. Alas the D8's memory is only 30 strong. Obviously, unlike with its
predecessor that is too few to bother accumulating and saving out to
something no matter what format you want to use. I have not used it for that
and don't know but doubt it can even be transferred as a whole. The best I
have done is send all the measurement shown in the display. There can be 4
or 5 of those. These are sent as their values directly and appear in list
form.
So, the short of it, in not having a downloadable memory (I assume only
that those 30 places are not somehow downloadable other than by bringing to
the screen) the D8 doesn't send in any particular format, instead it sends
the numeric values as you take and send them and which then end up in the
software of your choice to be placed or fielded as you see fit and saved in
whatever format you wish.
You could almost certainly run the plug-in on the Toughbook. If it is
Windows based, can run AutoCAD and if you can stick a Bluetooth device in
it then I reckon it will run the plug-in. The plug-in connects and
presumably communicates the data in a form or progression suitable to
AutoCAD. Within AutoCAD you use the command line to give admission to the
plugin and thereafter it sends input to AutoCAD.
As I understand it of the Acad lookalikes only AutoCAD and Briscad currently
communicate with the add-in. I contemplated going that direction but
reckoned in the long run that a dedicated site documentation tool had
significant advantages. It may end up being the wrong decision. I am
currently only testing SiteMaster. This takes the Disto input but then has
relatively simplified drawing routines and note taking and associated tools.
It is also built for more mobile systems than traditional CAD applications
(a shorter menu/greater visibility on small screens) To run something like
this you do need a windows based computer (or laptop or slate) and yours
would almost certainly handle it I believe.
Ian
arcon
I think I understand how it works.
I'll have a look at Site Master and google a Youtube video to get a better
handle on it.
I have an old Toughbook CF28 that I use for my basic computing, text docs,
email and internet stuff, even use it to check the tuning on my cars.I find
it a bit hard to see in daylight although it is supposed to be used
outdoors. The graphics card is only just good enough to run stuff like
Sketchup and Datacad which is enough for my purposes. I bought it a few
years ago to use with the Leica Station on site. OK on overcast days only.
The model I was referring to is something more like the CF-08 which is a
wireless 10 " tablet which you can hook up to a main computer or a laptop
sitting in the car. These are great pieces of hardware that were
specifically designed for the US army and police departments. My CF28 is ex
Highway patrol from somewhere in the states! There were hundreds of these
sold here by some guy in Adelaide who bought the entire Australian Army's
CF28 and CF29 inventory post Iraq. Complete with an extra military storage
case and genuine Iraq desert dust! They removed the hard drives and sent
them to Julian Lessange.
regards,
Wayne Allen,
Sydney, Australia
*******************************
JAID
If they have a place you can stick a USB stick or a suitable card so that
you can get them bluetoothing they sound like the shot.
Actually, I believe I heard of that group of imports a year or two ago. I
thought the fellow I was talking (having bought something else from him) was
in WA but he may have just been buying of the other bloke.
There are a few videos on Youtube I think I watched all but the various
Sitemaster distributors seem to have the best ones on their sites. There are
some MiniPlan videos too but overall these applications are not well covered
in video (if my searches are anything to go by.)
Ian
-----Original Message-----
From: arcon [mailto:ar...@bigpond.net.au]
Sent: Tuesday, 8 February 2011 6:05 PM
To: JAID
Cc: datacad
JAID
The min robot is a nice idea, David. Like pool cleaner or vacuum cleaner bot. Very physical and 2D. It touches an obstruction and records the impact node location by triangulation with a couple radio beacons.
The second idea already exists in several offerings. The Leica TotalStation is used in orbital setups which do just this. It shoots sometimes tens of thousands of beams to build up a 3-dimensional CLOUD of data.
There is also even at least one group offering an tripod orbital device for the D8 and (I forget…is it the D5?...the other Bluetooth Leica DistanceMeasurer.) This cloud data can be managed by add-ins to AutoCAD and AutoCAD itself has been developing capability.
I don’t know much about these and can’t foresee their price being in the order of something I will experience any time soon.
Regards
Ian
====================
SDES...@aol.com
David K. Sargert , LEED AP
Design Director
979-203-9660
dsar...@dosbrisas.com
Inn at Dos Brisas
10000 Champion Drive
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I want a miniature Roomba-like robot critter that will just roam through place recording where all the walls are.
It also seems to me that it could be done with a laser measurer doing a rotation from a fixed point in a room, recording angle and distance in tiny increments (like RADAR). Advantage over the Roomba: also reads doors and windows.
Where do I file my patents?
David Bergman RA LEED AP
DAVID BERGMAN ARCHITECT / FIRE & WATER LIGHTING + FURNITURE
architecture . interiors . ecodesign . lighting . furniture
ber...@cyberg.com www.cyberg.com
241 Eldridge Street #3R, New York, NY 10002
t 212 475 3106 f 212 677 7291
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SDES...@aol.com
David K. Sargert
_________________________________________________________________________
Hello Ian,
That got a laugh.
My first attempt at plastering in my first house extension (as a 25 yr old
young graduate architect) was tempered by some well intentioned advice from
my 40 year old Scottish carpenter who advised me to use "cornice cement" as
the base coat on my ceilings as it was "stronger." My naivety led me to
think I could actually sand the stuff smooth before applying the final
coats. I over set the joins to make sure "in case it shrank while drying
and when ready for sanding the following morning (winter time) I found out
that cornice cement could not be sanded by normal human means embarked on 3
days work on a ladder with a 4 inch belt sander held upside down above my
head (yes , very dangerous)with the coarse grit to sand the unforgiving
resultant speed humps off the ceiling. Would have been easier to pull the
entire ceiling down and start again. I am sure in places it must have been
8mm thick!
Ian wrote:
....One of the worst internal corners I have seen was done by myself on my
first
and last attempt at plastering. I see it every day. Before the last re-paint
I even spent a half hour trying to grind it down with sand paper. Next time
it will be re-done (by someone else) ....
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To Join or view DBUG Bulletin Bd: http://www.tinyurl.com/DBUGforum
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arcon
--
James Horecka
Architect
John Rowan
Sent: 08 February 2011 12:12
To: 'David Bergman'; 'DataCAD-DBUG'
Subject: RE: DBUG> Re: Measuring Software for BlueTooth Disto ???
JAID
… I don't see how a Disto on a tripod with some form of fancy screen achieves this and manages to link rooms and areas together….
It doesn’t.
Cloud data is more often handles with a bigger brute like a Leica ScanStation C10 scanning 50,000 points/second. But not many companies can cope with the cost.
True. Be a nice toy though.
David Ramey
a few people but I bet it would make money. There used to be something
like this for the Palm but....if someone did this for Iphone and
Android.
"Pocket CAD" hehe
Just wait, I predict these tablets like the iPAD and so on are becoming
very important. Capacitive touch screen tech would just about eliminate
the need for keyboard, mouse, etc. once you get used to it.
I betcha Lieca doesn't have anything like this for the disto. With these
old buildings around here, the more data the better. Everything is a
mile out of square, plumb, hidden cavities.
I really don't know which is better when it comes to stuff that is way
off. Sometimes a BIG sledge hammer is really what you need. Lasers are
everywhere in new construction but when you have to add on to stuff
that's had 100 years to settle, it's just a pain no matter what you use.
Regards,
David Ramey
http://www.handhewnloghomes.com/
http://www.facebook.com/oldvaloghomes/
DRa...@oldvirginialoghomes.com
JAID
touch screens work very nicely in the field but even with relatively
sophisticated versions of software like SiteMaster, somehow I think there is
a way to go achieve really slick use. Perhaps that is just because I have
not got used to it yet. There just seems to be a lot of buttons to press
when what I want is to be able to flash around the laser talk in
instructions and record notes and images and end up with a thorough record
and useful start to the documentation. :-)
That's all.
Sitemaster and Excel and image storage on a windows based slate actually
does arrive at that end it just seems to take a lot of management to get
there.
I suppose, as you say, the mostly old buildings we deal with are complex
beasts and we can't expect to record them on an idle wander through.
Regards
PS Something like iPad or the Android based slates would seem to have a fair
way to go compared with the windows based ones as they first have to come to
terms with the software most of us use for these things. I have put my
limited funds on windows based tools (ExoPC)
-----Original Message-----
From: dataca...@googlegroups.com [mailto:dataca...@googlegroups.com]
"Pocket CAD" hehe
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David Ramey
price point for something that would just basically be a data collector
with some graphics.
Regards,
David Ramey
http://www.handhewnloghomes.com/
http://www.facebook.com/oldvaloghomes/
DRa...@oldvirginialoghomes.com