This command will stake out up to two user-defined horizontal offsets to a centerline at any station, as well as an unlimited number of offsets per station, if you are using a predefined Cutsheet Station and Offset List (loaded using the Settings button). It will also stake out the centerline itself. Station intervals can be entered, and the program will auto-detect, at the user’s option, special stations such as the TS, SC, PC, PT, CS, ST and vertical curve points (including high and low points). Because individual stations and offsets can be entered, and also because pre-made station and offset lists can be recalled in the field, Offset Stakeout can be applied to virtually any offset point along a centerline.
Prerequisites and Procedures
Stake Offset requires both a horizontal and vertical alignment. If total stations are involved, Stake Offset passes through the normal backsight confirmation screens that Store Points and other forms of Stakeout require.
The Offset Stakeout command is a three-screen routine. The first screen identifies and loads in the alignment files. The second screen identifies the offset points to stake (slopes and distances) and the intervals or lists of stations/offsets to stake. The final screen goes to the standard graphics, shows the target points, and guides you to the destination, with N for Next continuing onto the next station in the interval or list.
Identifying the Alignments
The first screen has tabs for selecting both the horizontal and vertical alignments. See Stake Line/Arc for more detail.
Settings 
Use this button in the upper part of the screen to select predefined station lists and critical stopping points along the alignments.

Within this option, you can click the Stake tab and edit your default Stake Offset Descriptions shown below. See Job Settings (Stake) for more details.

Entering the Offset Points as Slopes and Distances
The Offset Stakeout screen allows you to enter one or two offsets from the centerline. The first offset requires a presentage slope and a distance. The second offset is for a curb or ditch, and is prompted in the form of “distance over” and “elevation change up or down”.

- Settings: The Settings button returns to the Settings dialog, allowing you to load another cutsheet list or specify more or less special stations. Note that in Settings, if you called for a Station and Offset List, then most of the options in the Offset Stakeout dialog are fixed, and your only choice is to stake the particular offsets named in the list. Also note that Offset Stakeout, when not using a List, allows for the staking of three points on the Left or Right Side: Center, Curb (or Ditch) and EOP. On the left, it becomes LEOP, LCurb or LDitch. On the right, it becomes REOP, RCurb or RDitch. You must enter data for the right as well as the left if you are staking both sides of a road. So there are five points total that can be staked when you use the dialog entry, since the centerline is covered in both the Left and Right scenarios.
- Back: The Back button returns to the first screen.
- Station: This is where you enter the station you wish to stakeout.
Station +: You can advance to the next station as defined by the alignment points or station interval using the right green arrow icons.
Station -: You can go back to the previous station as defined by the alignment points or station interval using the left green arrow icon.
Station List: Select a specific station using the station list icon.

- Interval: This is where you enter the distance by which the stations should be incremented.
Calculate Interval: This is used to divide the entire line into equal parts, which results in a calculated, non-rounded, incremental station.
Next Offset: The green arrow found to the right of the offset entry box will switch from RCurb to REOP to CL and back, and the large solid circle will move and highlight the correct location. These abbreviations are defined in the Settings dialog or the Stakeout tab of Job Settings.
- Left/Right: You can specify whether to stake the left or right side of the road. The offsets are applied symmetrically. If you have a special case on a specific side of the road, do the right and left separately, with separate slope and distance entries.
- Offset: This is the first offset from centerline. Units are as configured in Job Settings (feet or meters).
- X-Slope: This is the first offset slope. Negative represents downhill.
- Stake Curb/Ditch: This will allow the user to input and activate a second offset defined by offset distance and height from the first offset.
- Stake Curb/Ditch (Height): This is the vertical difference from the first offset to the second offset. A positive entry is interpreted as a curb and a negative (downhill) entry is interpreted as a ditch.
- Stake Curb/Ditch (Offset): This is the distance from the first offset to the second (outer) offset.
When using a Cutsheet Station and Offset list, you must select the List button, highlight the offset you wish to use and press Select. The routine will stay on this offset as it progresses through the stations until the user selects List again and specifies a new offset.
The Stake Offset command will store to the Alignment Stakes cutsheet file format if the file is named and made active for storing. The data can include station and offsets as formatted.
