Field General Controller takes all the features of InSite SiteWork and Field General, and interfaces directly to a robotic total station. The operator carries a wireless touchpad, and has complete control of site layout and data collection using the same familiar interface.

The touch screen interface is very similar to the InSite SiteWork CAD import interface. Notice the CAD file, and the CAD layer list, and the InSite take-off screen. you can swap the CAD file and the take-off by clicking 

It all starts with Site Alignment.  Set the Total Station on a known point, and sight  to a second Known point. Use the Field General touch screen to select alignment points, or select them from a points list, or type in the coordinates. This process is similar to locating the map on an InSite SiteWork take-off.  It gets you and your files coordinated to the site.

Field General asks to sight the target on the back sight and click OK and the site is aligned. You’ll see an Icon representing the instrument on the screen and the toolbox in the lower left of the screen. If the prism rod is moved, the crosshair shows the operators position on the screen. You can see the Northing and Easting Coordinates, and the current elevation update as the prism is moved around.

Topographic Survey. Once the site is aligned, you can take a Topographic survey of the site. Choose Topo from the Tool Box, and select new file.  You can walk the site and choose collect for each point, or automate the collection by mounting the prism rod on a vehicle, and select collect by distance. Very quickly, at high speeds, the surface elevation of the site is recorded. This data can then be imported to the original site take-off, right in the field, to verify the original topo.

Imported data can be used a variety of ways. The recorded surface can be imported into the take-off, to verify the original bid numbers.  You can also create a schematic showing a comparison of the provided surface from the original take-off compared to the recorded (or correct) topo. All this can be done right on the Field General touch screen.

Put a Grade Stake anywhere. Field General gives you the ability to quickly do rough grade staking. Remember that the data available to Field General includes the CAD File, the Take-off from InSite with it’s triangulated surface model, and any saved data points. Click the Staking tab, and the Cut & Fill is shown. As the Field General operator moves around the site,  a continuous read-out of the Cut & Fill elevations is shown. If you wish to place a grade stake in the ground, Just stop and Field General displays your positions current value.

To increase your productivity even further put the instrument into Topo mode, and record the surface topography at the same time grade layout is done.  In one trip to the site you can verify existing grade and stake the site.

Pinpoint Placement. To layout a points file, such as the one created earlier using Field General, the instrument is set up, connected, and the is site aligned.  Open up a points file. Select a point from the list. It’s location is highlighted on the display. On the Staking tab, the distance from the current location to the actual point location is shown as 143 feet. When using a total station, the gun location is considered at 12:00.

Field general is indicating to the operator to move in a direction of almost 1 o’clock to move towards the point.  As the operator moves, the distance decreases and the direction is constantly updated. Once the point is occupied, the cut or fill is listed in the Staking column.

If you wish to record the staked point, just click record, and the all the data for this point is saved into a file. To stake out the next point, select it with the stylus, and Field General guides you to it. It is recorded. If the continuous checkmark is selected, the 3D surface model readout from the InSite Take-off is shown.  You can check work in progress or set grade at any point on the way to the next point in the list. And as was demonstrated before, you can collect surface verification points while moving using the TOPO feature.

 Additional Field General Controller® Features:

• Two point resection
• Automatic Back sight checks
• Calculates distances between points
• Perform individual contour layouts,
• Layout Profile information,
• Dual offset Road Centerlines
• Mark multiple Cut & Fills per Stake
• Export to machine control

Call us at 1(877)746-7483 to set up a demonstration of how InSite SiteWork and Field General can handle all your take-off and layout needs.