Last month I submitted my review for Trimble Business Center, (TBC). Shortly after that I had a remote meeting with Trimble’s Alan Sharpe and he walked me through some of the new features of the program as well as what we can expect in the future.

My initial impression was that the program had some interesting concepts, but needed to mature to make it a player for those of us involved in data prep. Trimble’s Terramodel has met the needs of data prep for many users over the years, so any new product would need to fill some pretty big shoes.

Pricing is available from your dealer, but the program is module based allowing you to add as you see fit. There are data prep and takeoff modules available now or very soon. The core of the program is the use of a single linestring for the production of 2D and 3D lines. What impressed me with the recent enhancements was the ability of the program to perform.

The biggest advantage I see to the new engine and design of the product is the programs ability to dynamically produce a model. What I mean is you can work on the points that make up the model in real time and see how the changes affect things in the area. The normal process is to make changes in plan view, then view the results as a surface model. Though it will most likely not be used from the start of a project, this feature will help when it comes time to finesse the surface to achieve desired results.

The best tools are of no use if you can’t identify what you want to change. The selection tools are organized in a pull down window so you can filter from large groups and make the selection set smaller until you get what you want. While I was working with the program, this came in handy and was found to be a real time saver.

Old habits die hard, I call them roads but TBC users refer to them as corridors. Terramodel has always been a robust platform for road building. TBC has included features that will make seasoned road pros take notice. All the normal features are available for producing road files and intersections. Your work can be either template or dynamically driven. This will allow you to produce a road according to typical sections and then adjust it in 3D to match the detail sheets.

The takeoff module has all the expected reporting and surface features of a comprehensive takeoff package. There were no unpleasant surprises during my walk through of a takeoff. The best thing anyone can say about a takeoff module is that it’s predictable. Commands are easy to understand, the product is intuitive, and results are easy to obtain.  You want to get dirt numbers, not have to train for a month. TBC’s takeoff module fits the bill.

Trimble is paying special attention to connectivity. When it is possible to send and receive data from the field, a bottle neck is opened up. I can see the advantage in being able to extract production data from the field, as well as send file updates to the machines. Surfaces can be easily named and tracked so the field knows what they are loading. The multi-window frame looking layout of the screen will allow you to open as many panels as required to accomplish a task.

Stay tuned for additional information about the advances being made in the program. In the mean time, get a tour of the product.

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