Tools

Several tools are included with the Survey Core API install.  In general these tools can be found in the Tools subdirectory of your SCAPI SDK install location.

Some of the tools here are used to build the projects created using the Trimble Visual Studio project templates.

TransItApp (Language database utility)

This is the recommended translation database (TDB file) editor, formerly known as TransIt.  This tool is used to create and maintain a database (TDB file) of translations for a SCAPI project. The database is an XML format utf-8 encoded text file, and should contain all translatable strings (those prefixed with "PX_") in the plugin. Any time a string which requires translation is added to the plugin's source code, a corresponding translation unit must be added to the tdb file, either by using TransItApp or manually editing the xml.

A Translation unit is one string with a set of translations in various languages. Each translation unit is addressed by a name, which is equated with a number within Trimble Access. More detail on the Language translations page.

Translations for these strings can be added and edited directly in TransItApp. Alternatively, TransItApp can be used to export a language file in tdb or xliff format for translation. Translation can then be done in any tool which supports the exported format. Once translation work on the language file is complete, the changes can be imported back into the main tdb file using TransItApp.

Of course, the TDB file can be edited by hand in any suitable text editor that supports utf-8 encoding.

GNSS Emulator

This tool is designed to emulate a GNSS receiver for a Survey Core emulator session.  Internally it consumes a traffic file and behaviour will typically be limited to the vocabulary of the traffic file contents.  The GNSS emulator may be launched before survey.exe is run or while it is running.

For example the default traffic identifies the receiver as a R10 and it can quite happily run a basic RTK survey provided the RTK style is set to the default values.  PPK or VRS will not work.  GNSS communications errors are a common symptom that indicates when you are approaching the limits of the traffic file. Other receiver types can be configured on the command line.

There are several optional command line switches that the program accepts including the most useful setting - the emulated WGS84 ellipsoidal position.  It is useful to set up a batch file or shortcut to emulate a simple GNSS receiver at the location of your choice; the latitude and longitude format is in signed decimal degrees, negative meaning West longitudes or South latitudes.  Use the gnss_emulator.exe /? command to obtain full command line help.

Survey Core (survey.exe) may need to be configured to connect to this instrument using the rxip command line switch when launching survey.exe.  For more control the rxip=ip.ad.dr.ess:port format can be used, for example:
rxip=127.0.0.1:200

By default Survey Core will not attempt to find the receiver on mobile device platforms without this command line argument; on the Desktop Emulator the rxip is enabled always and can be overidden by the command line.

The GNSS Emulator has a number of useful features and is under continued development. For more information, run the following command (you may need to adjust the SDK path on the front, notably the version number):
"C:\Program Files\Trimble\Trimble Survey Core API v24.00\Tools\GNSS_Emulator" /?