Outlines, walls and scale

Outlines and scale are optional, but they make the survey much more useful. An outline keeps the colors inside the house. The scale lets TerraTopo measure slopes and place repair markers in feet.

Draw a floor outline

1. Under 3. Click mode, click Draw floor outline.
2. Click each corner of the floor area on the plan, in order.
3. Click Finish outline. Click Cancel to throw it away.
4. Click Mark elevation points to go back to entering readings.

Outlines are listed under 4. Floor area outlines. Delete one with its ×, or click Clear all outlines. Untick Show outline borders to hide the lines.

Interior walls

Interior piers go along interior walls first. TerraTopo reads blue walls from an ArcSite PDF by itself, and walls come across from TerraPlan. To add or change them, click Draw / edit interior walls under Interior walls, then Done editing walls. Clear walls removes them.

Set the scale

1. Find two points on the plan a known distance apart, for example the ends of a wall you measured.
2. Under 5. Scale & auto-grid, click Set scale (click 2 points).
3. Click the first point, then the second.
4. Type the real distance in feet when asked, for example 44.
5. The line under the button changes from Scale not set to the scale you set.

The scale is needed for Highlight steep transition areas, Mark steepest stress points, the auto-grid, the repair layout and the scale bar on the exported picture.

Related questions

Do I need one outline per room?

No. One outline around the whole floor is enough. Separate outlines stop one area's readings from bleeding into another, for example an addition on a different foundation.