Create Templates To Save Time and Reuse Your Favorite Settings | Back to User Tips

One of the slickest features in MapScenes Pro and MapScenes 2006 is the ability to work from a template. Whether you are starting a drawing from a direct total station download, previously downloaded file, an Evidence Recorder job through Sync Wizard, or using hand measurements, templates can be a big time saver and give you a consistent workspace.

Save most of the settings you are habitually tweaking such as Layers, Layer settings, Text settings, Drawing Scale, Line Type Scales, Snap Setting, Construction points and more.

To create a template, open a new drawing, and select the Scale and drawing units as you normally would. Do not download a scene at this time, i.e. say 'No' to the prompts. Save this blank drawing using the name Template.

Click the Layer Manager button, or type 'Layer' at the command prompt. Now you can add the layers you commonly use and tweak their color and assigned line type settings. For drawings I start with a standard set of layers: ROADWAY, TIREMARKS, EVIDENCE, VEHICLES, and LABELS as the layers I actually draw on. I also create the layers the AutoMap library function uses to sort my points: ROADWAY_REF, TIREMARKS_REF, EVIDENCE_REF, VEHICLES_REF, and DIMENSIONS. This way I can always check my underlying points against the drawn lines.

Next, set up your Snap and Construction Point settings by typing settings at the command prompt, or Click the Settings Icon. Choose you favorite construction point type and size (I use the “X” and set it to “1” relative to screen size). Select your running SNAP, or the “always on” SNAP setting. Click the “Object Snap” Tab. I usually set this to POINT since it snaps to your measured point. Don’t forget to put a check mark in the box “Marker” if you want a visual cue for your SNAP points.

If you have created Custom line types, now is the time to load them by typing linetype at the command prompt. You can also set up how your dimension lines and arrows are drawn by clicking Dim/Dimension Type or typing dimtype at the command prompt. To use this feature specify template as the Style Name (changing any of the settings to suit your preferences). Here you can change the default arrow line /extension line text color and size, as well as the placement and fonts.

Default Text styles can also be saved in the Template. Click Text/Fonts or type font at the command prompt to add or modify custom Font settings. Choose from CAD fonts and TrueType fonts for your default styles instead of Standard. By not entering a size in the Height box, MapScenes will select a height based on your current drawing scale. This also allows you to change the height via the command prompt Textsize at any time.

Think of the time you just spent changing all your settings for this ONE diagram, and multiply that by the number of drawings you do. Add in the long day, or the late, late late of the night shift and trying to remember to set it all up right every time. Here is the pay off. Since you saved this as a blank drawing called TEMPLATE, let go and set this as the default template for your future drawings. Close the TEMPLATE drawing, making sure to save your last changes.

Click NEW or type new at the command prompt to start a new drawing. Put a checkmark in the box labeled: USE TEMPLATE, then click SET TEMPLATE. Navigate to your drawing directory where you just saved the drawing TEMPLATE and select this file. Now when you open the NEW drawing, all the settings changes you made are waiting for you. To start a new drawing based on your template that you shot in EvR, just open a new drawing first, using the USE TEMPLATE feature and make sure you choose to import the data to Current Scene.

For those users that plot to standard scales and sizes of paper, you can set up multiple templates based on your needs, choosing the appropriate template for the job at hand.

by Constable Brad Muir
Constable Brad Muir is the Senior Reconstructionist with the Greater Toronto Region of the Ontario Provincial Police and the Crash Test Data Coordinator for the Collision Safety Institute.