Category Archives: OCAD 2018

Keep your OCAD App and Projects up to date

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These days, many computer programs update themselves automatically and save data to the cloud. However, since the OCAD App can be used offline (doing field work in remote locations), data is stored locally on the device. If the mobile device breaks, is lost or experiences an unexpected software error, the app’s data will be lost too.  

Unfortunately, the saying “shit happens” is sometimes true, so we encourage our users to follow these best practices to minimize data loss in an emergency as much as possible.

Upload projects regularly

Manually upload the project to the OCAD Server, for example during your lunch break and at the end of the day. For this, the mobile device must have internet access via a SIM card, Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot.

In OCAD Desktop, the project can be imported via the OCAD App Data Exchange for further processing.  If you have done multiple uploads, you would only need to import the latest one to get all your changes.

Install app updates

We publish regular updates to improve the app and expand its functionality.

Apps are automatically updated by default on iOS and Android. You can also update the app manually. *

You can view the current app version at the bottom of the Projects page, the current version is 1.2.4 and 1.3.0 is coming soon!

Note: we recommend uploading projects before updating the app to minimize the risk of issues arising during the update process.

Conclusion

Be proactive: Upload data regularly and keep the app up to date.

* For those of you who were part of our beta-testing program you may need to leave this to enable updates, contact support if you need assistance.

Layouts With or Without Bleed

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In this blog post, we’ll explain the term “bleed” and show you how to correctly create and export a layout with bleed.

What Is Bleed?

The reason for using bleed is that it’s technically not possible to print exactly to the edge of a sheet of paper. That’s why, in professional printing, maps are printed in a slightly larger format than the final map size and then cut (trimmed) to the final size. If the map or layout is supposed to extend all the way to the edge of the paper, it must be extended beyond the trim mark to create a bleed area. The bleed area is then the part that gets cut off. This ensures a professional look as there will be no white borders after cutting.

Two Types of Layouts

Layout without bleed

The easiest way is to create a layout that does not extend all the way to the edge of the map.

When exporting, make sure that no relevant map or course setting objects are too close to the edge of the print extent, so that they are guaranteed to be fully visible on the printed map.

To ensure this, define a margin of 5mm in the Define Paper Size function (red dashed line in the image above).

This type of layout also works well for home printers.

Layout with bleed

If the layout should last all the way to the edge, all layout elements should be 3 – 5 mm larger on all four sides than the final map format. 

You’ll find instructions here on how to correctly export a PDF for printing companies.

If no bleed area is defined and, for example, a standard A4 sheet is exported, the printer will, if possible, trim the map so that no white borders are visible. The final map format will be slightly smaller than the standard A4 sheet, but this ultimately doesn’t matter.

When printing this type of layout on a home printer, a white border appears around the layout elements, which does not look very good. But also this ultimately doesn’t matter.

Conclusion

A layout can be designed in various ways and exported along with the map.

The important point is to ensure that no relevant layout, map or course setting objects are positioned too close to the edge of the print extent. This guarantees that they will be fully visible on the printed map.

See the OCAD Wiki for more information.

Create and Load Extents

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An extent is an area in OCAD that you define and save, which you can use for various purposes, such as printing, exporting, or creating a layout.

The latest OCAD Update brought improvements to reuse extents.

How to create an extent?

Use the Define Paper Size function to create and save a new extent. This can be a standard paper format like A4 or any custom format.

The extent will be shown in the drawing area and the area outside will be grayed out. This is helpful, for example, when you’re creating a layout for a map.

How to use an extent for exporting and printing

If you have saved an extent, it is also available both in the export dialog (Menu File > Export > Load extent) and in the print dialog (Menu File > Print > Part of map > Set Up…). In the latter dialog it is also possible to save and delete extents.

Improvements since the latest OCAD Update

Since the latest OCAD Update, also extents from background maps can be loaded in the Define Paper Size and Canvas function.

This can be useful, for example, for course setting projects when you use the Canvas function and load already defined extents from your layouts files.

Improved Course Setting Layer in OCAD App

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We have improved the Course Setting Layer in the OCAD App to make the app even more appealing to course setters, controllers and control setters.

-> Video on YouTube

What’s new?

  • Show information about courses and controls. Display one or multiple courses or show control details like the description or assigned courses. This is helpful if you need to make sketches and notes directly in the terrain regarding changes to the control placement, the control description, or even the map itself.
  • Show legs in/out to see which courses will have to punch a specific control and from which direction the runners will arrive and in which the will leave. A useful feature when it comes to the questions on which site of the object to place the control.
  • Auto-Select tool, that selects the control that is nearest to the center of the screen. Ideal to use in combination with GPS and the auto-center tool, to automatically select the control that is nearest to your current position.

How to display the Course Setting Layer?

Open the Right-hand Panel on the top right and go to the Course Setting tab.

Note that the Course Setting panel is only available for course setting projects. When you start the OCAD App, you will see whether a project is labeled as Map or Course Setting project.

Tip: Click the + button in the top right to download a Course Setting Sample Project and test the new features.

How the Course Setting Layer can be used

Are you a course setter, controller or control setter? Then give the OCAD Course Setting Layer a try!

Course setters and Controllers can display information about controls and courses directly in the terrain. This is really useful if you are checking control sites and need to make sketches and notes directly in the terrain regarding changes to the control placement, the control description, or even the map itself – always supported by the GPS position of your mobile device.

Control setters also benefit from the GPS position of the OCAD App to mark control sites or putting out controls. While having a pile of controls in your hand, it’s probably more convenient to use a paper map. But a phone in your pocket that gives you the possibility to display the GPS position can serve as a valuable backup, whether you have found the right hilltop.

Limitations of the Course Setting Layer

It is not possible to edit courses or course objects in the app. However, you can make sketches and notes directly in the terrain regarding changes to the control placement, the control description, or even the map itself.
Use the OCAD App Data Exchange to import the sketches and notes from the field work in OCAD Desktop and adjust courses and controls there.

Save Not-smoothed Contours as separate Background Map

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In this blog we show you how to save not-smoothed contours in a separate .ocd file and load it as background map to improve performance and interaction.

Introduction

OCAD offers great possibilites for generating useful outputs from LiDAR data, as we recently noted in a blog post. A key feature is the generation of smoothed and not-smoothed contour lines.

Unlike relief shading or vegetation maps, OCAD does not generate raster background maps for contours; instead, it generates vector objects that you can edit and that are saved directly in the map file.

When generating not-smoothed contours, the file size can quickly increase. This may lead to display delays if you want to show or hide the contours. Additionally, exchanging data with the OCAD App will become more cumbersome.

Therefore, it can be a good idea to save not-smoothed contours in a separate .ocd file and load it as background map.

Step-by-step instructions

  • Select the not-smoothed contour symbols in the symbol box (use the CTRL-key to select multiple symbols at once) and export them to a new .ocd file with the Map > Export Objects by Selected Symbols function.
  • After exporting, right-click the selected symbols in the symbol box and Delete them. You will be asked to delete the assigned objects as well, what you need to confirm.
  • Now only the smoothed contours are left in our map file, which you can Reshape were needed.
  • Go to menu Background Map > Open to open the exported not-smoothed contours as a background map.
  • Run the Optimize/Repair command in the Map menu to reduce the file size.

Advantages

  • Not-smoothed contours can be shown or hidden more quickly in OCAD Desktop and in the OCAD App.
  • The transparency of not-smoothed contours can be easily adjusted.
  • Not-smoothed contours are always in the background and do not obscure other map objects.
  • File size is significantly reduced.
    PS: You find more tips to reduce the file size in this blog post.