Background
Today, while designs can be published from WorksManager, a design of .vcl format can only be published from TBC. We're excited to announce the enhancement to directly upload .vcl design files into WorksManager!
Workflow
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When creating a design, the .vcl format option is displayed. Select a .vcl file for either Machine Control or Data Collectors. Note that the option 'Publish to all' devices is turned off by default, and disabled.
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In step 2, the device list will display devices that are compatible with .vcl format design only. This includes Earthworks devices in the project running firmware 2.12 or above, and Siteworks running 1.42 or above. This means that the list excludes legacy devices running GCS900 or SCS900, and Earthworks/ Siteworks running versions lesser than mentioned above.
Key takeaway: You can now add a .vcl design from WorksManager, and it gets published to compatible Earthworks, and Siteworks devices in the field directly without any conversion.
Note that this new direct upload capability is an additional option. The existing workflow of publishing a .vcl from TBC to all field devices via WorksManager remains supported and unchanged.
Limitations
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Device Compatibility: This workflow does not convert .vcl design into native formats, and hence the design will not be published to devices like GCS900/ SCS900. If your project includes GCS900 or SCS900 devices, you need to continue using the existing alternate workflows
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Publish the design from TBC (or)
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Convert the .vcl to native formats (.svd/.svl, .ttm/.dxf) and upload them to WorksManager.
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Two design uploads: If the vcl design is needed for both machines and data collectors, it must be uploaded twice: once for ‘Machine Control’ and once for ‘Data Collectors’ (similar to any other WorksManager design formats). This is different from the TBC .vcl workflow where a single design gets published to all devices after conversion.
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File Combinations: When uploading a .vcl file, it can be used only as a single file. You cannot combine a .vcl file with other file formats (e.g., a .dxf for linework) within the same design.
File Formats at a Glance
Given that WorksManager now supports different design formats/ target devices, and slightly different workflows for each, here is a reference table that summarizes how different design file formats are handled for Machines and Data Collectors
Publish from WorksManager to Machine Control devices
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Input design format
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Target field device (format) - Earthworks
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GCS
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Comments
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.svd/ svl
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.dsz
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.svd/ .svl
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.dsz is just a zipped version of .svd/ .svl
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.dsz
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.dsz
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.svd/ .svl
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.svd/ .svl is the unzipped version of .dsz
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.vcl
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.vcl
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NA
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no conversion
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.xml
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a. .xml for devices running 2.18 or above, and
b. .dsz for the rest of the devices
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.svd/ .svl
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a. no conversion for EW devices running 2.18 or above
b. converted to .svd/ .svl with file flipper, and zipped to .dsz
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Publish from WorksManager to Data Collectors
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Input design format
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Target field device (format) - Siteworks
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SCS900
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Comments
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.ttm/ .dxf, dwg/ .csv
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.ttm/ .dxf, dwg/ .csv
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.ttm/ .dxf, dwg/ .csv
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no conversion
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.vcl
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.vcl
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NA
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no conversion
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.xml
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NA
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NA
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not supported yet
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Publish from TBC to field devices (via WorksManager)
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Input design format from TBC
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Earthworks
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Siteworks
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GCS900
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SCS900
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.vcl
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.vcl
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.vcl
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svd/ svl (after conversion)
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ttm/ dxf (after conversion)
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