To scan using a VX or S series instrument

  1. To access the Scanning screen, tap and select Measure / Scanning. The options available in the Scanning screen depend on the connected instrument.

  2. Select the scan method. You can scan a full 360° horizontally and vertically down to 130° (144 gon).

    • To scan a complex surface when you cannot use a plane to approximate the surface you are scanning, select HA VA interval.
    • To scan plane surfaces where you need a regular grid interval, select Vertical plane, Horizontal plane, or Tilted plane.

    • To scan from a centerline that has offsets to the left and/or right, select Line and offset.

      The Trimble Access software defines the surface using horizontal offsets perpendicular to the centerline.

     

    • Scan time is increased if there are areas within the scan that will not return an EDM signal. Where possible, try to minimize blank space in the scan area.
    • When you perform a scan using a robotic connection, Trimble recommends that you stay within the range of the radio link to ensure that all necessary data is collected successfully. If you lose the radio link, the remainder of the current scan line is skipped.
    • Make sure that the DR maximum distance configured in Instrument / EDM settings is set high enough to achieve the required scanning range.

  3. To select the area inside the video window that needs to be captured, select the framing method and then define the frame area. To define a:

    • Rectangle, tap on the video screen to define the first corner and then the opposite corner of the scan rectangle. Tap and drag the rectangle to resize it.
    • Polygon, tap on the video screen to define each vertex of the polygon scan area. Tap and drag the last vertex to move it.
    • Horizontal band, tap on the video screen to define the upper and lower vertical edges of the full 360° horizontal band.
    • Plane, aim to and measure each point to define the plane, then tap on the video screen and define the frame area.
    • Line and offset, aim to the first point of the centerline and tap Meas A, and then aim to the end point of the centerline and tap Meas B.

    When defining the frame area, tap Undo to remove the last created frame point, or tap Reset region to clear the framing region and start again.

  4. Tap Next.

  5. Define the scan parameters.

    The scan parameter options depend on the scan method selected.

    Select one of the following options and then enter the appropriate value(s):

    • Horizontal and vertical distance intervals
    • Horizontal and vertical angle intervals
    • Total number of points in the scan

    • Total time

    Defining the scanning grid through distance intervals assumes that the scanning object is a constant distance from the instrument. In other cases, the scan points will not constitute an even grid.

    Select one of the following options and then enter the appropriate value(s):

    • Grid interval
    • Total number of points in the scan

    • Total time

    The defined scan area may not exactly fit the grid interval. There may be an area left over along the scan extents that is smaller than the grid interval. If the width of this area is less than one‑fifth of the grid interval, the points along this scan area will not be measured. If the width is more than one‑fifth of the grid interval, then an extra point is scanned.

    Select one of the following options and then enter the appropriate value(s):

    • Interval, entering the left and right Offset values, the Offset interval, and the Station interval
    • Total number of points in the scan

    • Total time

    The software uses the defined frame area to calculate the Number of points and Estimated time required to complete the scan.

    The time to complete a scan is an estimate only. Actual scan times will vary depending on the surface or object being scanned.

  6. To change the appearance of point clouds in the Scanning screen, tap Options.

  7. Enter the approximate distance from the instrument to the object being scanned in the At distance field.

    The camera is not coaxial with the telescope. Entering the correct distance enables the software to correct for the offset between the camera and the telescope. Alternatively, have the instrument in DR and TRK mode when framing.

  8. To capture a panorama image with the scan, select the Panorama check box. Tap Next to specify the panorama settings.

  9. Select the Scanning mode.

    Available scanning modes depend on the connected instrument:

    • High speed scans up to 15 points per second to a maximum range of about 150 m.
    • Long range (TRK) scans with the EDM in TRK mode and scans up to 2 points per second to a maximum range of about 300 m.

    • Long range (STD) scans with the EDM in STD mode and scans up to 1 point per second to a maximum range of about 300 m.

     

    • Higher speed scans can result in more skipped points. Select a scanning mode appropriate to the object you are scanning.
    • When using long range scanning mode, intensity information is not available and is not saved to the TSF file.
  10. Select the EDM timeout value.

  11. Tap Start.

    The software shows the progress of the scan. When the scan is complete, the instrument returns to its original position.

To cancel a scan that is in progress, tap Esc and then tap Yes. The scanning record and associated TSF file will still be written if you manually cancel a scan.