Trimble Business Center

Hello Everyone,

This group was formed as a general public forum for all things Trimble Business Center (TBC).  Some of the the information you can find here is:

• How can I....? - FAQ and other user questions
• Why TBC? - Detailed videos on new features and how to improve your surveying workflows
• What's new? - Information on the most current TBC release
• What do I need? - Technical sheets, Help files, and other important information
• What else can I do? - Links and videos on other Trimble related solutions
• And much more...

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Tag your posts in the Trimble Community page with #tbc to help other users find your questions and answers.  This page is only as comprehensive as you want it to be so please ask questions, post about your experiences with TBC, and happy surveying!

TBC Team

#tbc #trimblebusinesscenter #surveysoftware #forum 

Hi

I am a complete novice at TBC, have been using other CAD software for a while and  just recent i started learning TBC, so please bear with me if i am asking armature question on the other hand kindly assist if you may

I am using the tutorial data, and i have a photogrametry and scan module enabled dongle license.

But when i try to use the polygon select command the mouse shows a prohibited sign, why is that?

Kind Regards

David

Hi David,

Does your screen look something like this? The prohibited sign is appearing because the "focus" is on a box in a command (as shown by the upper arrow). TBC is expecting input in a command box that cannot be entered by selecting something in the plan view. To make a selection in the plan view with the polygon select command, you will need to remove the focus from the current box.

Thank you for trying out TBC!

Matt

Thanks Matt,

He guys I am looking to create a custom Trimble sheet style with the following heading. 

From Point ID

To Point ID

Solution Type

Start time

Duration

H Precision

Error Ellipse

Northing

Easting

Elevation

Feature Code/Name

can anyone give help or give advise. Cheers

Hi,

my boss, coworkers and I are new to using TBC. This may seem like a basic question, but is it possible to isolate a single point from a point cloud and then view elevation, northing, and easting? I was asked to isolate the height of various non-ground objects for a site project. Only the corners of the surfaces as well as a few stray points are required and the owner would rather have a list of points rather than a surface. Any help is appreciated.

Hello Brendan,

In the 'Point Clouds' ribbon there is a 'Scan to CAD' which can be used to convert scan points into CAD points. You can select the created CAD points and put them in a 'Point List' report. Alternatively, if you just need to measure heights in the point cloud, you can measure distances in Home > Data > Measure Distance, given that the point cloud is scaled correctly.

For future reference, a lot of these simpler questions can either be found with a quick search through the TBC Tutorials or using the F1 (Help) command.

Josh

Hello,

I have a surface that I would like to rotate. tThis rotation would be about an x-Axis and z-Axis transformation. Preferably using a 3 point method. Is this possible in Trimble business Center HCE?

Hey Scott,

Surfaces cannot be rotated by themselves. You will need to rotate the objects that make up the surface - points, CAD lines polygons, etc. - and the surface will rebuild to represent the new placement of the objects. The simplest way to do this is using the Transform Survey Points command (if your surface is made of points). You can choose rotation options by axis and the value.

Cheers,

Riley

I have an aversion to leaving TBC to do my work, however, standard drafting is remarkably difficult to accomplish in a reasonable amount of time. In CAD or even Sketch-up, one can start at a point, type in the length of the line required and it is drawn as such. In order for me to draft the same line in TBC I first have to create a line to some length, properties, check line length, trim/extend/break line to reflect actual line length needed. I suppose that I can accomplish by utilizing the coordinate instruction but it feels awkward in its approach.  Maybe there is another way that I am not aware of...Otherwise I would love to see drafting instructions similar to those available in sketch-up bought over to TBC. Or maybe make sketch-up available as a module purchase as my company refuses to purchase software on a subscription base.  #tbc #tbcadditions #tbchelp #iwannabeabletodraftonthequick

Hey Nate, 

Thanks for the great feedback. I am also a fan of the SketchUp's simple and efficient tools. If you look over the past 5 years (maybe even longer) the TBC team has made great improvements on the CAD front - snaps, drafting module, and many more. I think you will see more improvements as the software grows.

CreateCOGO was developed to be an efficient way to create lines and points using distances, bearings, etc. I find it one of the better methods for key-in of parcel lines and construction plan data, especially on a grid! The video tutorial below:

TBC 3.80 Create COGO - YouTube 

There are some great tutorials on using the Drafting and CAD tools in TBC. If you haven't had a chance before, check them out at the link below.

Trimble Business Center: Tutorials | Trimble Geospatial 

Happy surveying,

Riley

Thanks for the quick reply Riley!

I have to admit that I am unfamiliar with CreateCogo in TBC and i will investigate to see if this doesn't fix my problem.

I agree, over the last five years major leaps have been made and it gets better every year. For the majority of my work the tools at hand have me covered. The addition of Side Slope is a great tool for most of my 3d drafting. Its the drafting in 2d for details that leaves me wanting more. I find it hard to justify a two or three step input when I can go to sketch-up and create in one step. But then there is an export and an additional file import, as well as the subscription fee...and I have to leave TBC.

I am pretty confident in my knowledge of both the CAD and the Drafting tools but sure appreciate the link.

Nate

You can do this using Linestrings and using the Deflection Command, here are some screenshots showing the workflow.

and I made a liar out of myself straight away...I am not sure when deflection showed up and why I have never tried it but that is exactly what I need. Thanks a bunch. 

Nate

No problem, it's one of my most used functions too.

It's really useful for checking block references against house working drawings.

I have been using the deflection like its gonna get removed soon and here is one malfunction of Deflection. The created line string cannot be rotated. even on copy. the deflection is dependent on the start coordinate and the associated deflection from that point. It can be moved all day...no rotation. 

Good to know.  Thank you!

I have been working my way through Alan Sharp's on line drafting tutorials.

I am trying to work out how to insert a company logo jpg or pdf into a sheet set.

#TBC