Best Practices for Trimble Site Contractor

Following are some modeling rules and guidelines for creating models that Trimble Site Contractor (TSC) exports correctly. 

• Save the model on your device – TSC can only export a model that is stored locally. 

• Clean up your model before you export – TSC recognizes and uses all visible geometry during the export, even edges and faces that you may not want to include. Remove all floating or unnecessary geometry.

• TSC only exports the visible geometry - TSC will only export geometry that is visible in the SketchUp modeling viewport.  Items that are not visible at the time of export will not be included in the exported design files. Controlling visibility is important when you want to export only part of a model. 
  For more information on controlling visibility in your model, along with ways to hide geometry you don't want in your export, see the following articles: Grouping Geometry, Creating Scenes, Controlling Visibility with Tags, and Softening, Smoothing, and Hiding Geometry.

• Orient your faces so they face upwards - To create a .ttm file, Trimble Site Contractor will attempt to correct for improper face orientation upon export. It’s still considered best practice to model with front faces (white or grey) facing in the inward or upward direction. This face orientation represents the top surface of your terrain model. If there are faces that are not facing in the correct direction, reverse their orientation. To reverse the orientation of a face, right-click it and select Reverse Faces. If only one of multiple connected faces is correctly oriented, right-click the face and select Orient Faces to adjust the other faces.

• Use simple geometry - For example, if your model includes complications like concave walls for your excavation design, use the offset tool to draw a corrected version of the wall while keeping the wall shapes equidistant from each other. For information on using the offset tool, see Offsetting A Line from Existing Geometry.

• Scale is important - SketchUp’s Scale tool () lets you make sure that your model matches the dimensions of your site. To learn how to scale, see Scaling Your Model or Parts of Your Model. You can also check out the Precision Scaling video.

• Keep your model organized - Some of the same tools you use to control visibility can also be used to better organize the entities you're working with in a SketchUp model. For more information, see Organizing a Model.

• Images and textures have no effect on exporting - You can use an image or a  texture to help visualize and create the excavation design model. For more information on textures, see Materials, Textures, and Environments.