by Richard Sands » Sat Jan 24, 2009 3:00 am
COGO: More integration between settings/toggles for scale factor, bearing additions (also in Traverse functions). They need to be at just a mouse click away and not buried down in the system and in different parts. (I've been told they are under investigation, but add it here)
BATCH COGO: Ability to add bearing additions and scale factors into the file.
This is one of my most used features of MSCAD as I do all my cadastral survey processing this way. (Typing in old surveys on various datums)
Often surveys are different from each other and to be able to run the original, compare with existing, then apply scale factor and bearing addition for many surveys is timeconsuming enough without manually editing the Batch Cogo file to add notes such as bearing diffs and scale factor used.
Maybe in COGO where we type a + at the bearing, a ++ would tell the program to add the additive to every bearing until we tell it (somehow) to stop use that additive. This could then be included in the Batch Cogo file.
I realise one can scale and rotate in MSCAD but that loses the originals if needed to be rerun again.
When new Batch Cogo file is created then by default MSCAD should turn the file 'ON'. I imagine the purpose to create a new BC file is to start using it. Its easy to delete stuff, but one can't add whats been typed but not recorded. Been there many times!!
MOUSE SNAPS. Some way to temporarily by key stroke to disable the snaps. Just until after the next onscreen mouse click. Hold down Spacebar?, Function Key? or just one of the keys from keyboard. TurboCad had (assume still does) some excellent features here.
Field Genius and MSCAD to work together better.
AutoMap in FG doesnt work same as in MSCAD. An entry with SPACE in Description in Mscad is treated as one for all similar descriptions up to the space. FG treats them all as individual. Makes on screen depictions of for eg Station points tedious if the type of mark is part of the description - STN Sp, STN SH, STN Pipe egs. Each must have its symbol set in FG.
Bring a FG job into Mscad that has 3D lines. Any shift of the points (rotate, scale, shift) doesn't affect 3D lines, only 2D ones. And yet if its done in FG then all is well. This needs to be a feature of Mscad so that all line work moves with the points.
Roadworks in FG - (mentioned elsewhere) Mscad to be similar in functionality.
FIELD GENIUS: Ability to calculate 3D positions from bearings to distant objects from different station setups to the same point.
Station setup to have a 'backup' to enable parameters to be changed. Currently mess up a point number or height and one has to completly exit the station setup routine and start again.
FG has some routines that uses points to do calculations with and create a new point. But it then discards those points just surveyed.
I have often recorded pipe positions where the location is known but the bend is not and needs recording by intersection. FG handles that easily but currently we have to survey the intersecting points then complete the routine and resurvey, or survey the points then calulate manually the intersecting point which takes longer and can be prone to input error.
Just a few thoughts for now
regards
Richard