This command allows you to stakeout a selected point by guiding you to the point with a series of commands and directions. Various options can be set in EQUIP, Configure, View Point to adjust how the directions are provided to best suit your needs. You should also review the Job Settings under FILE before staking. The dialogs are varied slightly with respect to total station or GPS equipment. Both types are documented here, illustrating the differences between the dialogs.
Note: While in graphics mode stakeout, if you press the down arrow key, you can increase the plan view size and eliminate some of the text information. Pressing the up arrow key again reveals the cut and fill.
After selecting OK, the main stakeout window appears in MAP view. In manual total station mode, the angle to turn to and the distance to the stake point will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. Shown below are the graphic icons, set under EQUIP, Configure, using a robotic total station in prism mode (not reflectorless).
A read function is required to update the directional display information. You should see your points in the map with an icon showing your target location (the circle with the X inside).
Shots are taken typically by pressing Enter. Enter also transitions automatically from the Stake Points entry screen to the Stk Pt shot screens above. Point Stakeout can be conducted without touching the screen. Bpth screens are explained below, starting with the graphic Stk Pt screen.
View Pt
Depending on your settings in the VIEW PT tab of Configure (in the EQUIP tab), the direction to stake will either be Right/Left Distance, Azimuth and Distance, or North/South East/West Distances. The cut or fill is the elevation difference between the point read and the point being staked. Normally, you take a shot simply by pressing Enter. After a total station shot is taken, you will see your “In-Out” distance to the target point. For total station stakeout, the direction of the reference is shown by a little arrow in the lower right of the screen.
Store Point Dialog
Selecting S to Store will display the Stakeout Report. You can turn off the Store Point option, and just reference the Stakeout Report screen for information. If the tolerance distance is exceeded for staking out, you will be notified and asked if you want to continue storing. (Stakeout Tolerances are set under Tolerances in the EQUIP menu).
The coordinates for the Stake Point and the Target Point are displayed. The delta North, East and the elevation difference (Cut/Fill) are also displayed. The vertical offset input boxes allow for elevation calculations based on the input vertical offset values. The vertical offsets can be entered in inches in English units in two forms (10" using the inch designator, or 0.10.3.8 for 0 feet 10 and 3/8ths inches). The second form requires 3 decimals to be used.
If Store Carlson Cutsheet Data in Note File has been enabled, the vertical offset(s) specified will be recorded in the .not file for the job. If under Set Cutsheet Format in the Stakeout section of Job Settings, a Set Pt Cutsheet Format has been established with a named file for storage, then cut and fill data will be saved to a cutsheet ASCII file. If using GPS, the HRMS, VRMS, and PDOP values are also displayed. Fields for Point number and point description input are also displayed. If, for example, you choose not to store a staked point, but only report the design point, design elevation, surveyed elevation and the cut and fill, you could produce a simple cutsheet report as shown below. One vertical offset per shot was recorded (-10"). The cutsheet can be reviewed from within the active stakeout screen using Alt V. You can also click on the helmet and go to View Data, when actively staking out, and you will be returned to the stakeout screen. Cutsheet data is always stored to the raw file, so if you forgot to store the cutsheet information, you could create a new point cutsheet file and select "Cutsheets from Raw File".
Pressing OK (which optionally will Store Point if enabled) will return to the Stakeout Points dialog to select the next point for staking. If the Use Control File option is set under the Job Settings, you have the option of staking control file points. If you enter in a point number to store that is the same as a point number in the control file, the point in the control file will remain unchanged. It will only modify the point in the current coordinate file. If the point being stored is the same as one in the current job file, the Point Protect dialog box appears stating that the point you chose is already used. The next available point number is listed with the option to overwrite the current point, or use the new number.