Blogs

TBC Tip #219 - Advanced Point Cloud Filtering

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 20 hours ago
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Hello TBC’ers! With the release of Trimble Business Center v. 2023.1 loads of new features have been added to help improve user workflows and the capabilities of TBC. Check out this link here to learn more about these new features, but this tip is going to focus on just one new tool for manipulating point clouds. This new tool is the “Advanced Point Cloud Filtering” tool, which can be applied to any point cloud to create a new point cloud region using elevation as the defining parameter. This is especially helpful for creating a “ground” class from a point cloud that excludes all grasses and low lying vegetation. Here are the basic steps for this workflow. ...
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TBC Tip #218 - Manhole Extraction

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 20 hours ago
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Hello TBC’ers! Feature extraction is one of my favorite tool sets within TBC, and there are so many ways to incorporate it into your workflow. This week’s tip is focused on one type of point feature extraction, specifically manhole, which was released in TBC version 5.80. Read the release notes here to learn more, or check out this video walkthrough! 1. To start this workflow, select the “Point Clouds” tab (1A) and click on the “Extract Point Feature” (1B) in the extraction section. 2. This will open up the “Extract Point Feature” pane where you can select which type of extraction you want (2A). There are two different ...
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TBC Tip #217 - Trimble Business Center V.2021.10 Release

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 30 days ago
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Hello TBC’ers! This week’s TBC tip is an announcement and celebration of the new TBC V.2023.10 release! With this release, TBC has moved from the traditional versioning system (5.8, 5.9, 6.0) to the new year-based model (2023.10, 2024.0). There have also been quite a few new improvements added to TBC which can be checked out at the TBC 2023.10 Release Notes , TBC Power Hour , and the TBC 2023.10 Read Me . Many of these new features will have their own tip in the coming weeks, but for now I am going to highlight my new favorite features and important changes. One of the coolest new features is the pavement condition inspection, which allows users ...
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TBC TIP #216 - Drape Geometry Enhancement

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 11-07-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! The “Drape Geometry on Point Cloud” command has been a popular command since its release in TBC v.5.90. Using this feature, users are able to elevate the vertices of CAD lines to points in a point cloud. We are happy to announce that with the release of TBC v.2023.10 the “Drape Geometry on Point Cloud'' feature is getting a set of enhancements! This update includes features such as: In addition to lines, you can now select to elevate one or more CAD points to the point cloud using all of the available search strategies. Apply a specified horizontal offset to CAD linear objects during the elevation process. Select to ...
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TBC Tip #215 - File Types

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 10-13-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! TBC is able to read and write to so many different types of files that it can sometimes be overwhelming. This week’s tip is a list of nearly all the different types of file that TBC can work with, and a brief explanation of what they are. Some files are only used by specific commands or from specific field software so be sure to double check the tools you are using! Importable Data Formats Exportable/Uploadable Data Formats File Format Description File Format Description .06o RINEX (GPS base files) .12dxml 12d files .12da, 12dxml ...
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TBC Tip #214 - Terminology and Symbols

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 10-06-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! Within TBC, there are loads of symbols and terms that, while useful, can be difficult to understand at first. This week’s tip is a collection of symbols, terms, acronyms, and abbreviations used within TBC and all of these can be found in the “Help” section Node Type Description This is the imported files node. This is a station node. The icon represents the survey instrument type. It is followed by the point ID and an "S" number in parenthesis that uniquely identifies the station. This is the station setup node. The icon is followed by the setup ...
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TBC Tip #213 - Contours Continued

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 09-15-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! Contours are a staple in mapping, and are a useful way to visualize elevations in both plan and 3D view within TBC. A previous tip (Tip #114) covered creating contour lines over a surface using the “Create Contours” tool. This tip is a continuation of that and dives further into the contour tools available in TBC. The first tool is “Quick Contours” and can be found under the “Surfaces” tab and in the “Contours” section (1A). Clicking on it will open up a new “Create Quick Contours” pane. From this pane (2A) select the surface you want to create contours for, or create a new surface (2B). Name the contour layer, select the interval, frequency, ...
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TBC Tip #212 - Background Maps

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 09-01-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! When working with any type of spatial data, it can be incredibly useful to have a frame of reference or spatial context for your data. There are countless ways to get spatial context for your data, but fortunately TBC has several methods built in! With one click, your data will automatically be visualized with an accurate background map showing street, satellite, or terrain imagery in seconds. However, keep in mind that this will only work with data that has been georeferenced. Attempting this workflow on data that has not been georeferenced will result in an error. To start off, TBC has a default quick action button in the bottom right corner ...
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TBC Tip #211 - The Measure Distance Command

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 08-25-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! Have you ever been working on a point cloud and suddenly wanted to know the distance between two points in your dataset? Good news! TBC can resolve this curiosity with the “Measure Distance” tool. At a moment's notice, an assortment of spatial data can be collected to help the user generate more meaningful insight from their dataset. First, Click on the “Point Clouds” tab, and then click the “Measure Distance” button (1A) in the “Measure” section (1B). This will open up the “Measure Distance” pane (2A). From here, the user can select what type of distance measurement they want (between two points, sequential, or radial) (2B). Lastly, ...
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Trimble Business Center | Utilities, License & Installation Support

By Vyom Kaushik posted 08-23-2023
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Trimble Business Center: Utilities, License, and Installation Support Document Download Link Stand-Alone Utilities Coordinate System Manager 64-bit (October 2023) — Use this utility to manage, create, and edit coordinate systems, datums, projections, local sites, and geoids across TBC, Trimble Access, and Sync Manager. Version 3.9.14.0 64-bit. . Download here... Coordinate System Manager 32-bit (October 2023) — Use this utility to manage, create, and edit coordinate systems, datums, projections, local sites, and geoids across TBC, Trimble Access, and Sync Manager. Version 3.9.14.0 32-bit. Download here... Office ...
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Trimble Business Center | Recent Releases, Bulletins & Updates

By Vyom Kaushik posted 08-23-2023
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Trimble Business Center: Recent Release Check out the features and enhancements now available in our most recent release. Recent Releases - PDF Download Link v2023.1 Warranty Date-October 1, 2023 Download the latest software version here . Contact your local Trimble Distributor for earlier versions. At the core of TBC Version 2023.10 lies a commitment to advancing productivity in the field through targeted feature extraction and streamlining data workflows. Here are some productivity boosts you can expect from this release: ...
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TBC Tip #210 - Point Cloud Rendering Options

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 08-18-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! When working with point clouds in TBC, there are a variety of useful settings available to change how your point cloud dataset is rendered. Each of these settings can be applied to a variety of workflows to make navigating the data more efficient and help generate deeper insights. This week’s tip will be a breakdown of all the settings in the “Rendering” section of the “Point Clouds” tab to help make these settings more accessible. The first setting here is the “Color by” tool (1A) which allows the user to visualize their data based on the chosen parameter. These options are: scan color, region color, gray-scale intensity, color-coded ...
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TBC Tip #209 - Feature Extraction Tree

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 08-11-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! This week’s tip is a breakdown of the new feature extraction tree. With the recent TBC 5.90 release, the whole interface for stockpile extraction from point clouds was added to the "Project Explorer" view to improve the user experience and increase usability! One of the tools that takes advantage of this new interface is the automated stockpile extraction (TBC Tip #202) , but more is coming soon! Feature Extraction is an exciting area of development at Trimble, so keep an eye out for any new updates here to stay up to date! 1. The best place to start this tip is naturally at the beginning, which would be how you interact with the data ...
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Trimble Business Center | Tutorials

By Vyom Kaushik posted 08-07-2023
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Instructions Tutorials PDF Summary - Download Link Click the Download link for any of the tutorials below to download a ZIP file containing the tutorial package. When you extract the ZIP file to the location of your choice, a new tutorial folder is created containing tutorial instructions in a PDF document and, as applicable, a VCE project file, a project folder, and a data folder. Just open the PDF tutorial document and follow the instructions. Looking for more TBC learning resources? - Check out the TBC section on our learn.trimble.com platform. From self-paced tutorials to Instructor-led workshops, we have you covered! - New to TBC? We ...
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TBC Tip #208 - Create a Surface and Surface Info Report

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 07-28-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! This week’s tip is a walkthrough of a general surface workflow. When working with spatial data, it may be necessary to alter your data from imagery or point clouds into a 3D topography made by a contiguous triangular mesh. This altered form of the original data enables new tools and workflows which can generate additional insight into the dataset! 1. To begin this workflow, click on the “Surfaces” tab on the top ribbon (1A) and then click “Create Surface” (1B). 2. This will bring up the “Create Surface” pane where you can decide how you want your new surface to be created. These parameters include the name, surface classification, ...
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TBC Tip #207 - Create High/Low Point Command

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 07-21-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! This week's tip focuses on an elevation measurement tool for point clouds. The tool is known as the “Create High/Low Point” and can tell you the minimum and maximum elevation of a whole dataset or individual point cloud regions. Once you have collected data in the field, there is no need to send out additional surveyors to get this information, as it can all be done in TBC! 1. To start, click on the “Point Cloud” tab (1a), move your cursor to the “Measure” section (1b) and click on the “Create High/Low Point” button (1c). 2. This will open up the “Create High/Low Point” pane where you can set the parameters you want to ...
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TBC Tip #206 - Change Coordinate System

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 07-14-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! For this week’s tip, we are going to cover changing the coordinate system of a photogrammetry project. While this is not the only way to change a coordinate system (see more information here: Tip #18 ) this method is particularly useful for UAS data. It is essential that any UAS project has the correct coordinate system information to ensure accurate deliverables. However, some datasets may not have been labeled properly or could be changed to a more local and precise configuration. 1. To start, click on the “Photogrammetry” tab at the top ribbon (1a). Then click on the “Change Coordinate System” button in the “Setup” section (1b). ...
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Tip #205 - Keyboard Shortcuts

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 07-07-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! This week’s tip is building off of two great previous tips ( Tip #188 and Tip #14 ) which focus on customizing keyboard and command shortcuts. This is a useful tool that enables users to customize their workflow to their unique needs. However, there already is a default set of keyboard shortcuts in TBC that cover most of the basic needs of any general user. Getting familiar with these shortcuts will speed up common tasks and improve your TBC user experience! Here is a list of all the default keyboard shortcuts, with blanks indicating an unused keybinding ready for customization. You're all set! Maximize ...
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TBC Tip #204 - An Introduction to Macros

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 06-30-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! This tip is a quick guide to a lesser known but incredibly versatile tool known as macros. These are custom tools or extensions using Trimble Macro Language (TML) and imported into TBC. They are useful for running niche processes or functions, automating repetitive tasks, and are highly customizable to individual workflows. Macros do require some knowledge of coding to be fully utilized, but reaching this level of experience will open an entire new level of functionality in TBC! 1. Macros can be accessed by clicking on the “Macro” button on the top toolbar (1a), but the best place to begin your macro journey is in the support tab (1b). ...
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TBC Tip #203 - Point Cloud Generation from Imagery

By Cole Schubert EXT posted 06-23-2023
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Hello TBC’ers! One of the many useful aspects of TBC is the versatility and variety of tools within one software package. This week’s tip is a quick and easy breakdown of a point cloud generation workflow from the photogrammetry tab. Using these steps, any user can turn their high resolution imagery into a dense point cloud (.las file) suitable for all types of geospatial workflows. 1. To get started with this workflow, click on the Photogrammetry tab at the top of your screen, and then click the “Create Deliverables” button (1a). 2. This will open the create deliverables pane on the right side of your screen, and contains all the parameters ...
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