released August 2011
Geodetics are now as much a part of TPC as X,Y coordinates. TPC is a comfortable computing a 'geodesic' as it is computing a straight line on a coordinate grid. And best of all, TPC makes it obvious when you are doing one and not the other.
But the real beauty of using TPC Desktop 2011 for geodetic computations comes in how simple we have made it. Choose a Distance Type and Direction Type anywhere in the program and TPC follows right along. Enter geodetic bearings and ground distance, compute a geodtic inverse with COGO and plot geodetic lines labled with geodtic distance and direction. We're making it sound pretty simple and it is.
If you you continue to work only in grid distances (vs geodetic), TPC Desktop 2011 will make your life much easier with its new Coordinate Distance Types. TPC gives you 5 ways to equate grid distance to ground distance and keeps track of it all the way from data data collection to final drafting.
Choose from options like Ground distance (at project elevation = 1,500’) or Ground distance (Combined Factor = 0.9999865).
The PLSS (Public Lands Survey System) is unique in many aspects including its use of cardinal direction and ground distance. Computations in the PLSS are done per 'The Manual of Surveying Instructions'. The 2009 manual just came out and TPC Desktop 2011 follows it to the letter (including the corrections made after its release). As a result, you'll find new tools for Single Proportion, Double Proportion, Grant Boundary, Irregular Boundary, Areas and more (see Cadastral).
We thought long and hard about how to make PLSS computations available to everyone who uses TPC Desktop. The trick we settled on was to add a 'PLSS' notation to commands that are used the PLSS methods. So when you need to restore one or more lost corners with the Grant Boundary adjustment, go to the Closure View, adjust the coordinates like you always do, but choose the 'Grant Boundary (PLSS)' option. You'll catch on right away.
We've also recorded typical PLSS routines in a set of videos that will help you understand how to make the change from cartesian coordinates to the PLSS.
There are ways to force cartesian coordinate based software like CAD to draw geodetic lines (actually appear as arcs on a large scale drawing) but none of them are simple to use or understand. That all changes with TPC Desktop 2011.
TPC Desktop 2011 makes drawing geodtic lines as simple as selecting a Distance Type and Direction Type. You used these same selections to enter your data, compute your COGO and now to create your map. Just tell TPC what you want to draw and it does the rest.
We've even included drawing variables you can put into your drawing that show the Distance and Direction types being labeled.
Now you can change the most common properties of more than one drawing object at a time with the new Set Object Properties command. Use this command to move a bunch of objects to a layer or make sure they're all using the same font and font size.
The new Lot Table lets you put lot label data like area into a table. Plus, you can also add information not otherwise available like length, linear error and relative error.
Now you can include geodetic information like latitude, longitude, convergence and scale factor in the Point Table.
TPC Desktop 2011 sports a new report layout designed to meet the new 2011 standards for reporting Relative Positional Accuracy.
TPC Desktop 2011 includes support through AutoCAD 201111.