Has anybody used the Attributes in Openroads, not Inroads?

Has anybody used the Attributes in Openroads, not Inroads? 

I am trying to use the native codes in Openroads but with no luck.

  • I'm not sure I understand what you are asking. Are you talking about Survey Attributes with Open Roads Survey?
    The success of this requires some specific modifications to variables and more if you want to try and use traditional InRoads Survey Codes. A few are not supported and a number of new/replacement codes have been added. Also, Attributes often rely on a TIW file with specific settings. Open Roads might not be looking in the same location for TIW files as InRoads. Also, there is a GEOPAK TDS format and an InRoads TIW driven TDS format.
    We have also seen newer releases of the data collector software sometimes changes how the attributes at accessed or stored in the raw file. In most cases, you have to either export the file on the data collector, or use an after-the-fact conversion tool to take the XML survey file and transform it to another format. This conversion tool is actually very similar to the InRoads XML Reports - using XML style sheets (XSL) to read and transform one file type to another. They provide a TDS Style sheet, but it writes Attributes in yet another format from the original TDS format. With my skill set from customizing InRoads XML reports, I was able to create a version that wrote out attributes in the manner we have always used.
    Also, InRoads supports a dot notation for attributes, using a Note field. The method is very simple add a new not to a shot and type a period (dot) as the first character. Follow this immediately with the attribute name, a space and the attribute value. Initially, this could only read single word attributes, but later releases were able to read at least three word attribute values.
    We edited the TDS TIW file to make a comma an acceptable delimiter, so our crews could type the period and the attribute name followed by a comma and then, they could write a book, as long as they did not use any commas.

    Charles (Chuck) Rheault
    CADD Manager

    MDOT State Highway Administration

    • MicroStation user since IGDS, InRoads user since TDP.
    • AutoCAD, Land Desktop and Civil 3D, off and on since 1996
  • Hi Chuck,
    How are you? This is Bill from SHA.
     
    Our email was updated and I lost a bunch of contacts, I noticed you are also testing Openroads files on ProjectWise with Mark Van Wert and James Shiu.
     
    I’ve noticed that there are different codes that come as a default with Openroads, I have changed a few so that they work with importing a .RW5 file but I cannot get the Attribute lines to import correctly.
     
    Right now the code is;
     
    AT,TNTY,TVMAC
     
    But I want to be able to use the default codes:
    AN* = attribute name
    AV* = attribute value
    AA* = attribute array
     
    I’m just getting stumped every time I try something different.
     
    FYI – I am not sure if SHA will be using Power Inroads or Openroads Survey in future, I have not been able to get a direct answer, but I know eventually that Inroads will be phased out of Bentley products.
     
    Thank you
    Bill
     
     
  • I thought it was you. The example you posted is the traditional TDS RAW Attribute AT,TNTY,TVMAC. All TDS Records use 2 character codes for almost everything in the file, with commas between fields. I've pasted a link to a PDF of the full TDS Raw Data Spec. 

    So the AT defines that this is an Attribute record. It accepts two String values - TN designates the first field will be the Attribute Name. Every character between the TN and the comma is the Attribute Name. Then there is the TV which designates that the  next field is the Attribute Value. Everything following the TV is read as its value, up to the end of line.

    If the crews use a collector with an Attribute File loaded, it will write the record based upon what the crew enters in the various dialog boxes that the TDS software provides from the supplied attribute file.

    I am not sure how Carlson does Attributes - sometimes they have extended the TDS Specs to meet their needs.

    The main issue. is when the crew is shooting topo, they can either enter attributes using this menu driven approach, of they can use the Dot notation method I mentioned in my first post. There is no mechanism for them to create custom records ion the TDS file.

    So the AN* AV* AA* syntax would require manual edit of raw file after the fact. Unless there is some toggle or data collector out there that creates its attributes in that manner. 

    Here is that link: http://www.microsurvey.com/support/fieldgenius/documentation/TDSRawDataSpec.pdf

    And here is a link for Stylesheets that could be used to create a custom version of a RAW file: http://www.trimble.com/globalTRLTAB.asp?nav=Collection-32914

    Here is more info on that: 

    Trimble ASCII File Generator UtilityDownload this utility program to apply style sheets to Trimble Access/Trimble Survey Controller JobXML or job files in order to create custom export formats or reports on your office computer.

    • Trimble ASCII File generator InstallationWhen you install the Trimble ASCII File Generator a new ASCII File Generator program shortcut will be added to the Start Programs Menu under Trimble Office|Utilities.

      Use the ASCII File Generator utility program to apply custom export style sheets to Trimble Access or Trimble Survey Controller JobXML or job files that you have download from your device. This utility is useful for creating export files or reports for Trimble Access/Trimble Survey Controller jobs that are too large to be processed on the Trimble Access/Trimble Survey Controller TCU, TSC2 or TSC3 devices (the Windows CE and Windows Mobile operating systems have limited memory available for carrying out style sheet transformations).

      As part of this installation a selection of style sheets is installed in the \Trimble Style Sheets\Custom ASCII Files folder on the installation drive.

      See the help information available with the utility program for further details.

      Updated to program version 1.0.26 on 19th October 2016 (modified so that 'Trimble JobXML' can be specified as the 'style sheet' to be applied on the program command line in order to have the program used to convert a Trimble Access job file to a JobXML file).

    This used to be pretty simple. Why did they have to add these extra levels of complexity.


    Charles (Chuck) Rheault
    CADD Manager

    MDOT State Highway Administration

    • MicroStation user since IGDS, InRoads user since TDP.
    • AutoCAD, Land Desktop and Civil 3D, off and on since 1996