Apex Software v4

OVERVIEW
MobileSketch enables you to draw sketches and calculate the square footages of areas directly on your Pocket PC. Measurements can be transferred automatically to your Pocket PC if you use a Bluetooth®-enabled advanced measuring tool like the DISTO™ plus with a Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PC . If you don't have those tools yet, you can also manually enter your dimensions directly to your Pocket PC with MobileSketch.

You can also use MobileSketch alone to draw your floor plans in the field.

MobileSketch works much the same as Apex IV™ (desktop version). Once you've synced with your desktop PC, the sketches you have created in MobileSketch will be fully editable in both the integrated and non-integrated versions of Apex IV.

This summary will give you information about the features and the benefits of using MobileSketch.
For more detailed information and easy step-by-step instruction download the full MobileSketch help file. You can Also watch the MobileSketch Video.

EASY INTERFACE MAKES POCKET PC SKETCHING A SNAP
Making a switch in your work style by sketching on a Pocket PC instead of hand-drawing may be intimidating at first, but sketching on your Pocket PC works much the same way as in the office with Apex IV. Take a look at the MobileSketch interface and you will see it's very easy to use so you can immediately take advantage of the time savings and increased accuracy from sketching in the field without learning a
whole new software application.

DEFINING YOUR AREA AND PREFERENCES

Define Area Screen

When you begin, you will be asked to define the area –
just like in Apex IV.

Name Area Screen

Then you will be asked to name the area. You can use the default name or you can use the integrated virtual keypad to give the area a different name. Choose the positive or negative radio button to add or subtract this area's square footage from the property's total square footage.

Line Styles and Color Screens

You can also choose dimension colors, line colors and styles. These options are helpful if you want to differentiate the floors of the building from one another or if you want to differentiate between positive and negative areas. Once you've selected your preferences, you will advance to the drawing pad.

Display Screen

The Display screen dialog determines how your sketch appears on your mobile device. After choosing your preferences, choose “Apply” to see your preferences reflected on your device.

SKETCHING WITH THE DISTO plus

If you're using a DISTO plus, you can set MobileSketch to automatically capture your measurements and line directions. Your floor plan can then be drawn hands-free on your Pocket PC while you take measurements with the DISTO plus.

First, you will need to establish a Bluetooth connection. It's simple to do, and you can find step-by-step directions in the MobileSketch help file. When you're ready to measure and sketch, you will activate the second function layer on the DISTO plus by pressing the 2nd button.

Take a measurement with the DISTO plus and input a direction using the directional arrow buttons. The line will automatically be drawn in red on the Pocket PC. Press the ENTER button on the DISTO plus to anchor the line. When anchored, the line will turn black. Just repeat those steps for each line you sketch. When you get to the last line, you can simply tap CLOSE on the MobileSketch keypad to finish sketching the area.

Consider using the Pocket PC wrist strap while you are sketching in the field with the DISTO plus and your Pocket PC.

You can purchase the strap in our online store. It makes field sketching really simple since your Pocket PC rests on your wrist so you can easily view the sketch as it automatically draws. Plus, using the wrist strap will free one of your hands so using the DISTO and maneuvering in the field is even faster than before.

USING MOBILESKETCH TO DRAW ON YOUR POCKET PC

Establish Your Point of Beginning

You can also use MobileSketch to sketch your floor plan directly on your Pocket PC. Once you've defined your area and set your preferences as described above, just tap on the screen to establish the point of beginning (POB) for your sketch.

Unanchored Line

Anchored Line

Type a dimension on the keypad and tap the appropriate arrow key to denote a direction. The line will draw in red. Tap Enter to anchor the line, and the line will turn black. If you make a mistake, you can use the "Del" button to correct any typing errors.

Auto-Close

When you get to the last line of your sketch, you can close the area by tapping Close to finish. To sketch additional areas, tap the Define button and continue.

EASILY OVERCOME OBSTACLES IN THE FIELD

MobileSketch will allow you to “reverse” the drawing direction while you're sketching. When measuring, it's not uncommon to come across an obstacle (i.e. a fence) that prevents you from measuring in one direction.

For example, let's say you begin drawing in the front of a house and eventually move to the side. Half way down the side of the house, there is a doorless fence preventing you from entering the backyard. With MobileSketch, you can reverse your drawing direction to continue sketching.

Move Button

Just measure to the fence and tap “MOVE” on the keypad. The cursor will move to the other end of the area to the Point of Beginning (POB). Now, you can begin drawing in the opposite direction around the house and through the backyard, ultimately ending on the opposite side of the doorless fence.

This feature is a favorite among our customers because it saves time and eliminates the frustration of having to start a sketch over to accommodate obstacles.

DRAWING ANGLES

If your angles are 45 degrees, you can simply draw them by using the angled arrow keys on the keypad.
If they are not, you can draw them by specifying rise and run. For example, to draw a wall that goes down 5 feet and right 6 feet, type 5 and then tap the down arrow. Then, type 6 and the right arrow. Anchor the line by tapping Enter.

If you know the degree of the angle because you measured it with a MITE-R-GAGE, you can tap X. Select Turn. Then, from the dialog, input the distance, direction and angle information and tap OK. Anchor the line by tapping ENTER on the keypad.

QUICK SHAPES FOR FAST SKETCHING

MobileSketch's Quick Shapes feature allows you to quickly draw a rectangle of any size by entering the length and width. If you want the Quick Shape to be a calculated area, you will need to define it as described above so that the calculations are included in the total square footage.

To quickly enter a rectangle, you will first enter the dimension of the length or the width. For this example, let's say your rectangle is 10” X 15”. Enter 10 and then tap the "X" button and choose nXn. You will see in the yellow status bar “10 X”. Now, you can enter the second dimension and you will notice the yellow status bar displays “10 X 15”. Press enter and your rectangle will be drawn automatically.

First, enter the dimension of the length or width. Then tap the "x" button on the keypad and choose nXn.

You will see 10 X in the yellow status bar, indicating MobileSketch is waiting on your second dimension.

Enter “15” as your second dimension. You will see 10 X 15 in the yellow status bar.

Press ENTER and your Quick Shape will be drawn with dimensions labeled.

You can position the area by using the directional arrow buttons and then pressing ENTER to anchor it in place. You can also move the Quick Shape by tapping and dragging the area to the desired location. The Quick Shape will anchor itself as soon as you lift your stylus.

After the Quick Shape is drawn, you can use the directional arrows to move it into place, or tap and drag the area to the desired location.

An anchored Quick Shape in MobileSketch.

AUTOMATIC AREA CALCULATIONS

To view Area calculations in MobileSketch, just tap the Calculations button on the keypad.

MobileSketch automatically calculates your Areas. To view the Area calculations, tap View on the menu bar and then tap All Calculations. You can also quickly access the Area calculations screen by tapping the Calculations button on the toolbar section of the keypad.

You will see a list with three columns – Code, Name and Area:

Code - This column displays all of the areas you have defined. The areas will have a specific code based on the definition you selected at time of creation.
Name - Displays the name you gave the area at time of creation
.
Area - This column gives the respective square footages (or square meters) for each of the defined areas.

DRAWING INTERIOR LINES

Just like Apex IV, you can use the Free Form function to draw interior lines with MobileSketch. To draw interior lines, tap the Free Form key or select Free Form from the Draw menu. You can use your stylus to draw interior lines, but using the directional arrow keys is easy and more accurate. Just position the cursor using the directional arrow buttons and tap Enter. Type in the distance and direction of the line and tap Enter to anchor the line.

If your next line is connected to the first, you can simply type the distance and direction and tap ENTER to anchor the new line. If your next line is not connected to the first, you can use the ENTER key between inputs for each line to draw lines that do not continue from the previous line. For example, draw your first interior line and tap ENTER to anchor it, then tap ENTER and position your cursor at the new location for the beginning of your next line. Tap ENTER to begin the line. Repeat the process for similar lines.

Tap the Free Form lines key to add interior lines to your sketch.

ADDING TEXT LABELS

The Text Library in MobileSketch allows you to choose from pre-defined text labels for one-tap insertion into your sketch.

With MobileSketch, you can add text labels to denote rooms or other characteristics of the floor plan. With the favorites list feature, it's quick and easy to add standard labels from our built-in Text Library.

You can also add new entries to the library for quick one-tap selections. Tap Draw on the menu bar, and tap Text Library. Then tap within the text field located just below the library list. Using the virtual keypad, type the entry and then tap Insert. The entry will be added to the list alphabetically. The checkmarks next to library entries control which entries will appear in the quick insertion list when you tap “T” from the main drawing screen.

You can use the standard entries from our library, or enter your own. You have total control over which entries appear in your Text Library.

Once selected, the text will have an aqua-colored “handle”. Just tap and drag the handle with your stylus to drop your selection in the appropriate place. You can also delete a text label by selecting it and then pressing DEL.

You can drag and drop the text labels into the desired location by selecting them.

DETAILING YOUR SKETCH WITH SYMBOLS

MobileSketch has a built-in symbol library for quick insertion into your sketch. On your Pocket PC, symbols will appear as rectangular annotation markers (orange in color). If you tap on the symbol marker, its name will appear in the yellow status bar. Once transferred to the Apex IV desktop version, the symbol can be fully viewed and edited.

MobileSketch has a built-in symbol library for one-tap insertion into your sketch.

To quickly add a symbol, just tap the Symbol key in the virtual keypad and choose from the list. To control which symbols appear in this list, tap on Draw and then Symbol. The complete library will appear and all checked entries will be included in the quick Symbol list.

You can always move a symbol by selecting it with your stylus. Once selected, the symbol marker will have a green “handle”. Just drag and drop the symbol to the desired location. You can also delete a symbol by selecting it and then pressing DEL.

To add symbols to the quick Symbol List, go to Draw and then Symbol. The checked symbols are added to your list.

HIDING AND UNHIDING DIMENSIONS

With a smaller viewable area screen, your sketch may look cluttered when all the dimensions are visible. With MobileSketch, you can choose to hide your dimensions temporarily and then unhide them if you need to view them again. When hidden, small markers will appear so you will know where the annotations are actually placed on the sketch. To see one for quick reference, all you have to do is tap once on the marker to display the actual text or dimension.

Unhidden Dimensions

Hidden Dimensions

Moving dimensions is also easy. Just select the dimension with your stylus. Once selected, the dimension label will have a green “handle”. Just drag and drop the label to the desired location with your stylus. You can also delete a dimension by selecting it and then pressing DEL.

TRANSFERRING FILES TO APEX IV (DESKTOP)

Many first time users are shocked to learn how easy it is to transfer files from MobileSketch on your Pocket PC to the desktop version of Apex IV. Just sync your mobile device with your desktop PC. Open Apex IV (v2.82 or newer) on your desktop PC. Cancel the Define Area dialog box if it appears. Select File, then Retrieve from the menu bar. Select the file you want to retrieve and click OK. That's it.

Your MobileSketch file is fully editable in Apex IV on your desktop PC. You can also send desktop files to your Pocket PC using a similar method, by instead choosing File, then Transfer (desktop to Pocket PC). If you are using an integrated version of Apex IV, importing your files is also easy. Click here for step-by-step instructions.

A REVOLUTION IN YOUR WORKFLOW

We hope this quick overview will help you make the switch to mobile floor plan sketching. With the new DISTO plus laser measuring device and Bluetooth-enabled Pocket PCs, you can save 50% of your field inspection time. Even without the DISTO plus, sketching in the field with your Pocket PC saves time and ensures your accuracy. With MobileSketch, you can make sure your floor plan sketch squares up before you leave the site, eliminating wasted trips, hassles and headaches. As with all new technologies, like fax machines and digital cameras, field sketching may be intimidating at first. But take a quick glance at the MobileSketch interface and learn about the powerful features, and you will see how easy and accurate field sketching can be.

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APEX SOFTWARE