Knowledge base
Files by brand and system
Every machine control system reads its own files. How we handle the different brands, which exchange formats are widely accepted and why you always check the file on your own system.
Each system its own format
European sites use several machine control brands, including Trimble, Topcon, Leica, Unicontrol and CHCNAV, as well as systems fitted or supported from the factory by manufacturers such as Komatsu and Caterpillar.
Each of these systems uses its own software and reads its own project files. Even within one brand, different generations or software versions can have their own requirements for how a project is delivered: which files belong together, how they are named and where they must be placed on the storage medium.
That is why for every order we ask which system and which software version run on the machine. The model is then delivered in the form that system expects.
Exchange formats
Besides the manufacturers’ own formats, there are open exchange formats that most systems and office software can read:
- LandXML: an open standard that can hold surfaces (TIN), linework, alignments and points with their coordinates. Many machine control packages can import it directly or convert it.
- DXF: the common CAD exchange format, mainly useful for linework and 3D polylines, and as a background drawing.
- A TIN surface in a neutral format, for those who want to keep working on the model in their own software.
Several systems at once
Do you run machines of different brands on the same site, or hire in a machine with another system? Then the same model is delivered separately for each system. The underlying surface and linework are identical; only the packaging differs.
This prevents two machines on the same site from working to slightly different designs. List every system that will use the model when you place your request.
Checking on your own system
We deliver a model that matches the drawings supplied, in the agreed coordinate system and in the format that belongs to your system. The machine control system itself, however, remains your responsibility: installation, machine calibration, site calibration, software version and settings.
Always load the file on your own system and check it before work starts:
- is the project found and does it open;
- is the model in the expected place relative to the machine;
- is the level correct on a known point;
- are the expected surfaces and layers present.