Trimble® Business Center

Setting Up a Project and Managing Data

Starting the Application When you first open the application, the Start Page is displayed. The Start Page provides an overview of the software's features and links to product tours, help documents, and release notes.

Starting a New Project To begin working with your data, simply start a new project by selecting a template, or accepting the default template. Templates specify the project's measurement units and other settings.

Displaying the Plan View The first view that appears is the Plan View. This is a graphic window in which you can select, review, and manipulate your design or measured data.

Setting Up Your Project Before you import and start working with data, you should set application options, such as startup preferences, default file locations, and display properties. Then, use project settings to specify various parameters, such as settings for coordinate systems, units, and computations for the current project. If you want, you can save these settings for future reuse by saving your project as a project template.

Setting Up Geodetic Reference Data You should also specify a coordinate system for the project before you import, so that the data you bring in will be positioned correctly. A coordinate system can consist of these elements: A datum transformation (between the WGS-84 ellipsoid and the local ellipsoid), a GPS site calibration (consisting of horizontal and vertical adjustments), a projection, and a geoid model.

Importing Data To import data, use the Import command, or simply drag and drop a file into the Plan View from Windows Explorer.

Viewing Your Data Graphically The Plan View shows your data from above, and uses gridlines and coordinates to help you understand the location and scale of your project.

Filtering Graphic Views Use view filters to set the visibility of each data type and layer. They controls what is displayed in graphic views, helping you reduce and simplify what you see. View filters can be customized for each view so that only the useful types of data are shown. With view filters, you can also set the selectability of data types and layers.

Exploring Your Data Use the Project Explorer to view the hierarchy and relationships between objects and files in your project. Point, line, and surface data can be selected from the Plan View or the Project Explorer.

Viewing Properties of Your Data You can review and edit the properties of any object in your project using the Properties pane. If you select multiple objects, you can edit their common properties. Right-clicking an object in the Project Explorer or the Plan View gives you rapid access to the Properties pane for the object.

Using Other Views Spreadsheet views offer another way to review, check, and edit your control point, stakeout, or as staked data.

Using the Status Bar The status bar at the bottom of the window shows the project units and dimensions. In addition, the status bar reports on the state of the current command, and gives you quick access to snap modes, project settings, and the Coordinates scroll.

Navigating the Plan View To make visualizing and selecting data easier, you can change the view by centering specific data, and panning and zooming the view.

Selecting Data Select project data for a command by picking an object in the Project Explorer or from a spreadsheet view.

Selecting Data Graphically You can also pick objects graphically in the Plan, Profile, or 3D View using a selection window or by clicking on them directly.

Using the Selection Explorer The Selection Explorer not only lists the currently selected objects, it enables you to create, modify, and reuse sets of objects for easier selection and editing. Use selection sets to make accessing and selecting groups of commonly-used objects faster and more consistent.

Running Reports You can generate reports on the data and many of the functions you use while working in your project. Report options also enable you to customize your reports. The settings you specify are saved so that output remains consistent each time you run a certain report.

Exporting Data The Export command, Device pane, and data synchronization functions for job sites, designs, and work orders enable you to export data from your project in a variety of formats. Exported files can be saved locally or exported for controllers.

Trimble Connected Community The Trimble Connected Community (TCC) is a web-based set of networking tools that surveyors and construction contractors can use to connect with internal and external partners and clients. As part of the Trimble Connected Site™ portfolio of solutions, the TCC enables you to build information portals, share information, and collaborate with head office management, site office teams, field crews, subcontractors, suppliers, engineers, and clients on projects.

Setting Up a User Profile for TCC If you have an account with an external service, such as the Trimble Connected Community (TCC), you can set up a user profile in the External Services section of the Options dialog by entering your user name, organization, and password. This will enable you to open project files and import data files directly into Trimble Business Center from TCC, and also save project files to TCC for your colleagues to access.

Opening and Importing Files from TCC Once your user profile is set up, you can open a remote project (.vce) or import a remote data file hosted by TCC directly into your current project.

Saving a Project To TCC Make your Trimble Business center projects available to your colleagues by saving them to a shared folder hosted on TCC.

Welcome to Trimble Business Center... A new world of productivity tools awaits.