SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide

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Harry Austin
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1 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide etech Technical Support Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm:

2 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide Camera Settings Colour Saturation As many images with

distortion in artificial and low light conditions are brought to the fore.

lowering the current colour saturation setting on both PDAs.

icon, as circled bottom left in the first screen shot below.

2 2 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide Camera Settings Colour Saturation As many images with SMART Survey are taken inside the building, any issues with colour rendering or colour distortion in artificial and low light conditions are brought to the fore. We have undertaken a series of trials with varying camera settings on both the HTC HD2 and P6500. There is a significant advantage to be gained in image quality in all light conditions by lowering the current colour saturation setting on both PDAs. Altering Colour Saturation on the P6500 When the camera is activated on the PDA, tap the iii icon, as circled bottom left in the first screen shot below. Now tap the cog icon, and using the page up and down arrows, select Page 2/3 which contains the Image Properties option. Tap on this and select Saturation. Lower the Saturation figure to 2 using the control arrow and tap OK circled green below. Then tap OK which returns you to the camera screen.

3 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide Altering

the first screen shot below to display the cog

Now tap the smaller cog icon shown in the Menu

Using the > arrow key circled in red in the

3 3 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide Altering Colour Saturation on the HCT HD2 When the camera is activated on the PDA, tap the rectangular icon, as circled bottom left in the first screen shot below to display the cog icon. Tap the cog Icon. Now tap the smaller cog icon shown in the Menu which takes you to the Advanced menu. Using the > arrow key circled in red in the third picture below, scroll to page 3/5 and tap on Image Properties. Tap on Saturation and set this at 2. Tap OK circled green below, and Back which returns you to the camera screen.

4 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide In addition to changing your Colour Saturation setting, the following tips may also help: Camera Tips As noted above, SMAAMRT Survey relies on good images to

4 4 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide In addition to changing your Colour Saturation setting, the following tips may also help: Camera Tips As noted above, SMAAMRT Survey relies on good images to produce a good quality report. The key to taking good pictures with a PDA is to be aware of light levels. Low light levels can affect the colour rendering of photos, giving a pinkish or blueish tone. The focus of an image may also be affected. The steadier the hand, the better the image. Take your time when capturing images. Ensure the device is still and keep it still until the image has been taken. Open curtains in a room and turn any available lights on to get as much light in the room as possible. Use the flash where lighting conditions are poor. You are able to review the captured image on the PDA and it is obvious when the camera is struggling for light. One of the most useful functions on the camera is the White Balance control. This function enables you to set the camera for different internal lighting conditionslighting conditions such as low lighting or florescent lighting. Changing the White Balance can have a big impact on image quality and accurate colour rendering. Access the White Balance setting on the P6500 through the settings menu in the camera as circled in red. Formatted: Font: (Default) Verdana, 14 pt, Bold, No underline, Font color: Custom Color(RGB(54,95,145)), Add space between paragraphs of the same style, Bulleted + Level: 1 + Aligned at: 0.63 cm + Indent at: 1.27 cm, Add space between paragraphs of the same style, Bulleted + Level: 1 + Aligned at: 0.63 cm + Indent at: 1.27 cm, Add space between paragraphs of the same style, Bulleted + Level: 1 + Aligned at: 0.63 cm + Indent at: 1.27 cm Formatted: Font: Bold, No underline, No Formatted Table P6500 P6500

5 5 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide On the HD2, tap the green circled icon to reveal the orange circled cog icon below. You can scroll through the White Balance settings by tapping the icon circled red below: Formatted Table Formatted: Font: 11 pt HD2 The effect of changing the white balance can be seen in the images below. The same shot has been taken with different White Balance settings displayed to the left of the PDA image:, No, No

6 6 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide, No As you scroll through the White Balance settings with the camera activated, the colouration of the image on the PDA screen will change, enabling you to pick the best setting for the light levels in the room.

7 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide 1) When taking an image near a light source, avoid pointing the camera into the light source.

Taking a shot of the windowsill from the angle shown in the photo on the left, over-exposes the shot resulting in the loss of the window sill detail.

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7 7 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide 1) When taking an image near a light source, avoid pointing the camera into the light source. In the example below, the light is falling into the room in the direction of the orange arrow. Taking a shot of the windowsill from the angle shown in the photo on the left, over-exposes the shot resulting in the loss of the window sill detail. By moving so that the sunlight is not falling directly into the camera lens (as per the example on the left), the shot is more evenly exposed and the detail of the sill is visible. Formatted: Normal, Justified, No bullets or numbering pt, Font color: Black Formatted: Font: (Default) Verdana, 14 pt, Bold, No underline, Font color: Custom Color(RGB(54,95,145)) Formatted: Font: (Default) Verdana, 14 pt, Bold, No underline, Font color: Custom Color(RGB(54,95,145)) 2) When taking photographs of defects, some SMART Survey users adopt a tagging technique with numbered markers. This ensures that both the detail of the defect and its specific location can be recorded in two separate photos. The example below from a SMART Inventory report shows the chip to the cabinet (left) and where that chip is located (right). Formatted: Normal, Justified, No bullets or numbering, No

8 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide You can adopt this technique to great effect in recording the location of small defects on large elements such as stains and marks on walls and floors.

8 8 SMART Survey Camera Settings Guide You can adopt this technique to great effect in recording the location of small defects on large elements such as stains and marks on walls and floors. In the example below from a SMART Inventory report the three scratches in a wooden floor are picked out with a photo showing location of markers 1, 2 and 3. This ensures the Inventory has adequate detail of the location of the defects. 3) Formatted: Normal, Justified, No bullets or numbering, No Photographing paper notes When taking images of the paper notes, remove the PDA from the clip board if you re using one. Place the paper sheet flat on a table in as much natural light as possible. Hold the device directly above the paper, framing the paper closely to the screen size of the PDA. You can steady yourself against the edge of the table. Squeeze the camera button rather than jabbing it. Again, take your time if the images of your notes aren t legible in the generated Site Note, you will need to manually scan and upload a copy of the plan to the Site Note for the inspection via If you re struggling to get a legible image of your notes on an A4 sheet, take two photos of the sheet, holding the PDA in a landscape orientation and taking a shot of one half of the A4 page followed by the other half. Always check your site notes for image quality once they have been generated.

istar Panoramas for HDS Point Clouds Hugh Anderson Illustrations, descriptions and technical specification are not binding and may change.

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