 Paul I
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Posted: 21 May 2010, 4:22 AM
For some odd reason i've settled with a different colour scheme when fieldworking sanddune terrain, for the contours i usually use a thin 0.3mm hard carbon lead, i find black so much more controlable than red, it also doesn't break as often even tho it's thinner. The narrow diameter really comes into it's own esp if having to map at 1:7500. I then use blue for tracks, Green for veg and Red for open ground. Blue isn't and issue but i have a orange lead for unusual stuff.
In reeally confusing areas i have been known to either number each contour line or even draw different height lines in different colours so they don't get mixed up.
At the end of a days fieldwork it all gets redrawn onto a master sheet using all the 'normal' colours you would expect, like red for contours.
Does anyone else do weird things like that?
BTW my preference for f/w scale is 1:5000 as you can pace count an calculate in your head so easily, 1:7500 which is better for avioding mapping to much detail is a real pain for measuring stuff all day long.
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Michael
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Posted: 21 May 2010, 6:44 AM
Jim, when I tried transparencies I found the colours not so intense as a laminated print. Paul, I too like black pencil and will use it for the contours in preference to black or red on my pen if there is a lot of contour work to do. In which case red for the black features.
I won't tell you what scale I fieldwork at but I reckon that 63-yr-old eyes and some experience can justify bending the rules. There is good reason for them though, and I managed to keep to 7500 through a Naseby job in my mid 50's.
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Michael
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Posted: 21 May 2010, 9:10 AM
I spent $30 on some of the new topo maps today. You know, the great new ones that were introduced with a fanfare last year. I haven't stopped laughing, great investment on a gray wet Friday. Now its getting a bit chilly, think I'll light the fire...
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Michael
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Posted: 14 June 2010, 4:28 AM
A detail question. I'm doing some drawing on a mining area and I'm looking for comment on the rocky knolls found at Bannockburn, Roxburgh and in some places at Naseby. The really concentrated ones where its essentially a pile of stones rather than a hill with stony ground.
They have been drawn with the stony dots within the formline or the brown dot. What about 537 cairn for this? Against that is that 537 is quite a large symbol. Do you think its the pile of stones that's important, or the bump on the earths surface?
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Paul I
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Posted: 14 June 2010, 5:13 AM
I've always been inclined to imagine a cairn to be a man-made 'object', where you'd expect to see a distinct pile of stones stacked on top of one another to be some sort of min height. Personally i'd be more comfortable with the stoney ground symbol if it doesn't stand out like an object.
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Richard H
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Posted: 15 June 2010, 1:13 PM
"TopoOnline will no longer be available from 30 June 2010. LINZ has made each of the Topo50 map sheets available as image files (TIFF and GeoTIFF formats) and data files (Shape and IFF formats). These files are available for free download using the choose a map tool at www.linz.govt.nz/map-chooser."
So no more screen grabs, you download data for each topo map.
Could be sizeable. Probably not going to be ideal for the selective areas we are interested in. We will end up making a big map and then taking partial maps off it.
The shape files can be converted to dxf files for use in OCAD 8 and 9 by using a free download FGIS.
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Michael
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Posted: 16 June 2010, 4:21 AM
I won't shed a tear, I was never on the same wavelength with it, one blink and you'd be back looking at all of NZ.
But it IS strange that the alternative tool is based on the artificial concept of "sheets". NZ's best areas are all between the sheets. I'll rephrase that, on the border of two sheets if not at the junction of four. With the old maps there was a junction on a MTBO/rogaine area at Te Marua, Upper Hutt. With the new sheets there's a junction above Greenacres, Tawa which is crying out for a map. Which would of course be named after the trig, "BONK".
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The Map Guy
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Posted: 17 June 2010, 3:56 AM
OCAD 10.03.00 (957) Service Update has just been released. Quite a few updates which affects both Standard and Pro versions, including course setting.
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The Map Guy
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Posted: 17 June 2010, 4:41 AM
Thanks for the info on NZTopoOnLine Richard.
Getting rid on NZTopoOnLine is a BIG step forward. Unlike Michael, I have successfully used it many times, but it has been a pain when you are limited to small areas for downloading, and have to do multiple downloads. I used to keep forgetting to select key features (e.g. native bush).
With the new system you get EVERYTHING on the sheet (around 3.5MB zipped Shape files). Beats the 140MB of the Tiff files.
Sod's Law seems to always apply to the area you want: always along the seam of multiple sheets.
But it is no big deal if the area you want covers 2, 3 or 4 sheets. Just download what you need, and convert into OCAD. Everything should butt together as do the printed NZTopo50 maps.
OCAD10 Pro handles BIG maps. You can always crop out the section required and then import them onto your main map if you are using OCAD8Pro or OCAD9Pro.
This is long overdue!!!!!!! Good move LINZ :-)
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Linley
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Posted: 21 June 2010, 2:30 PM
Thanks for all your discussions about pens and pencils. It is a matter of trial, error and preference. I like the sound of the Pentel however I've settled happily with my Staedler pencils. Eric in Aus sold me some red leads, the local specialist drawing shop got me green and blue and those are all 0.5 Staedler. My main tool is a 0.3 black Staedler which I don't tend to break once I get going for the day and stop pressing too hard. Rock areas are a simple purple child's colouring pencil - invaluable at Earnscleugh.
I often write such small notes with the 0.3 pencil that I have to use a glass when I get home to read them! They are perfectly legible, just minature.
What is this mapping in the rain all about? That's the time I use for catching up with previous fieldwork on the screen.
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Bryan
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Posted: 22 June 2010, 12:25 AM
There have been several maps I've done which I'd class as wet areas - constantly raining or wet in the bush. If I only mapped in the dry then it would take ages to map. Also, I don't have as much spare time
as I used to so I have to maximise the time in the field.
'Deadlines and commitments - what to leave in, what to leave out' - Bog Segar.
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Michael
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Posted: 2 July 2010, 8:05 AM
There's a special offer of 20% off OCAD from now until 31 August.
This is a very good opportunity for clubs to upgrade and/or buy more licences. Among other features is the most significant for some time, map transformation by "rubber-sheeting". This revolutionises the fixing of older maps, most of which are distorted. IMHO clubs should have a programme to geo-reference and straighten out their most-used maps.
It's also an opportunity to think about the ethics of using pirate copies of OCAD. I am frustrated by wanting to spread OCAD expertise all round my club, at the same time as respecting the terms of the licence and the work that has gone into the software.
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Michael
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Posted: 12 July 2010, 3:32 PM
There are new MTBO mapping specifications. Summary on the MTBO website www.mapsport.co.nz/mtbo/mtbo.html
This message was edited by Michael on 12 July 2010, 11:33 PM
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The Map Guy
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Posted: 29 July 2010, 6:12 AM
OCAD 10 update 10.3.1 has just been released. A couple of things (there are others)which affect the the Standard and Pro versions include:
FIX Background Map Options Dialog: Problem with Spot color combobox fixed. OCAD did not load the items correctly.
ADD Map Information: Report button for symbols, colors, fonts etc. added to map info dialog
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Michael
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Posted: 29 July 2010, 9:42 AM
That report button might help with my nemesis - symbol table maintenance. Which symbols are used by each colour, how many objects etc. How many rocky objects on Earnscleugh Linley?
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