Hello TBC’ers! Did you know that you can set up routines that automate typical operations on MX9, MX50, MX60 and MX90 datasets? Well you have got to check out the Batch Project tool in Trimble Business Center! Using this tool you can automatically generate scans, classify scans, colorize scans, and export to the available formats (TMX, TopoDot, Las, Solv3D). These routines can be created by defining the parameters, and exported for later use or imported if it exists. Batch processing can significantly streamline your workflow when dealing with large volumes of mobile mapping data.
Each batch can include:
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Many projects each with one mission, one SBET, and one datum definition
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One project with multiple missions with multiple SBET (one per mission) sharing the same datum definition
If you are importing multiple missions to a project, it is important to note that they must all share the same coordinate system/ datum as only one coordinate system can be assigned per project. Further, all of your projects must have a processed trajectory SBET file associated with each mission. It’s recommended to use processed trajectories over real time for the highest level of accuracy of your data.
To begin this workflow, create and save a new VCE project in TBC and follow these steps:
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Select “New Batch Project” in the Mobile Mapping group under the Batch tab. This creates a batch container under the Project Explorer.
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Add as many projects as you’d like to process by right-clicking on the Batch in the Project Explorer and selecting “New Batch Project.”
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Right click on each project in the Project Explorer and click Properties.
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At the top of the property pane, in the VCE Project Path property, change the path to where you want the resultant project to end up and name the project. Click Save. This is important to do so that your projects don’t end up in the default documents.
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To add a mission, right click each project in the Project Explorer and click “Add Mission." Then select the .mxdb file(s) you’d like to process for each project. If you want to add multiple missions repeat the process, by right-clicking and adding all missions that share the same datum definition to the project.
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Only MX9, MX50, MX60 and MX90 missions can be added into a project. Do not mix the data from different systems within the same project if you want to generate and colorize scans with the masks applied.
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Once a mission is selected for each project, another dialog will open to prompt you to find the SBET if the one associated with the project has not been found in the mission.
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Define one coordinate system per project by right-clicking each project and selecting “Batch Coordinate System” from the pop-up menu. Define your coordinate system for each project in your batch.
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To set parameters for a project, right click the project and select “New Batch Parameters.” Select each parameter from the drop-down and click Add to add it to the routine. The parameters available to select are:
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Generate Scans to extract the mobile mapping scans from the raw data files
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Colorize Scans to colorize the mobile mapping scans with the color information in the PGR format files
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Extract Classified Point Cloud Regions
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Export to LAS Split, Solv3D, TopoDot, or TMX
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You can review the commands you have added to your routine in the New Batch Parameters pane. If you do not want a command anymore, select it and click Delete. You can select several projects and define the parameters for all of them. Once all commands have been added, click Apply. This will apply the same set of commands to all of the missions in the project. You cannot apply different commands to different missions if they are in the same project.
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Optionally, once a batch template is created, you can use it for future projects by exporting the batch file (.tbatch file) by selecting “Export Batch File.”
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Select the Batch group in the Project Explorer and click "Execute Batch” in the Batch group under the Mobile Mapping tab. You can also individually execute the batch for one project by right-clicking the project and selecting "Execute Batch.”
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View the progress of your Batch processing in the Process View. Once complete, open each project in TBC to view the result.
You’re all set! Maximize your TBC experience and ensure smooth workflows by utilizing learning & support material most aligned with your needs and personal preferences.
To download the latest version of TBC, you can head to https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/products/software/trimble-business-center/download
Complete free self-paced workflow-based courses with hands-on guided software experiences on Learn.Trimble: https://learn.trimble.com/pages/422/trimble-business-center-tbc