Drafting from experience

[pls5528]

Prior to AutoCad and other COGO software (e.g. "Pacsoft etc.) field sketches conveyed the majority of information to be drafted. I believe field notes still are the best way for such communication and records for specific items, e'g. "building footprints", "utilities" and "control". I remember turning in field book sketches of street topo's to two or three draftsmen, and it would perhaps keep them busy for a couple of weeks. When COGO and AutoCad came into play, I found it to be very productive to perform the field topo in a sequence which would follow lines close to the way it would be drafted. In the Pacsoft or even current versions of AutoCad, it allows you to connect the linework by a range of points. It is not a perfect system, in that you would have to go back and delete straight lines with arcs (e.g. on a curve return) or lines connecting point ranges (not intended to connect), but yields a closeness to the way it is in the field. Grade breaks also to be considered, other than picking up necessary grade breaks, I would have the rodman pace out perhaps 50-foot spacing and make a keel mark on the shot taken. This would allow the shots to be taken close to a cross sectional view ( e.g. CL, LIP of Gutter, Flow Line of Gutter, TC and Back of Walk). This would also help and assist in generating a more accurate DTM for ultimate contours. I have also found this useful in driplines of tree canopies to distinguish which canopy belonged to a specific tree. Having spent over twenty five or more years in the field and having to draft many or my own field surveys, I found this to be extremely useful to obtain the finish product and still applies to this day. It does take a little more time in the field and I have evaluated it to perhaps add another 1/2 hour-1 hour per day, but, it pays for itself on the drafting side of things and allows for quality control of the drafting and finished product.