Learning Center

Quick start

Land Forming chapter of the Ditch Assist app manual. The same text is in the app under Manual.

In the app Manual › Land Forming › Quick start

Five steps from card tap to moving blade:

  1. On the Home screen, tap the Land Forming card. The Forming wizard appears with up to five options: Import LandXML (where available — build-flavor gated), Import XYZP File, Import AGD File, Survey Field (record a whole-field elevation survey on the spot), or Resume Job (continue a saved forming job). If your unit setting is Imperial, the app warns about switching to Metric first because Forming designs are authored in metres.

Switch to Metric prompt — fires when you enter Forming in Imperial mode. Accept to keep numbers consistent with the design file.
Switch to Metric prompt — fires when you enter Forming in Imperial mode. Accept to keep numbers consistent with the design file.

  1. Tap Import XYZP File or Import AGD File. The Land Forming Design dialog opens — tap Select Design File (XYZ / XYZP / AGD) and the file picker opens; browse to your file and pick it. (LandXML is a separate wizard button, Import LandXML, which opens the Import LandXML Surface dialog — its picker accepts only .xml files, so a LandXML file can't be picked from the XYZP/AGD path.)

Land Forming import dialog — pick the design file (XYZ, XYZP, AGD, or LandXML) from disk.
Land Forming import dialog — pick the design file (XYZ, XYZP, AGD, or LandXML) from disk.

  1. The Forming Design dialog shows the file's stats: point count, area, elevation range, average cut and fill (XYZP only), and badges for imported benchmarks and section boundaries (AGD only). Review and tap Apply Design.

Design summary card — file name, format, points, area (hectares in metric / acres in imperial), elevation range, min/max, imported benchmarks, sections, average cut/fill.
Design summary card — file name, format, points, area (hectares in metric / acres in imperial), elevation range, min/max, imported benchmarks, sections, average cut/fill.

  1. Wait for the DEM to build. A progress ring shows the percent. Big designs (20,000+ points) can take a couple of minutes. Don't close the app.

  2. The Grade screen opens with the field surface drawn underneath as a cut/fill heatmap. Drive to a benchmark (AGD) or to a zero-cut spot (XYZP), tap the BM badge, calibrate. Tap Start to begin grading.

Calibrate GPS prompt — fires after applying the design. Skip if you are surveying and grading in the same session; calibrate if the survey was loaded from disk or the RTK base has moved.
Calibrate GPS prompt — fires after applying the design. Skip if you are surveying and grading in the same session; calibrate if the survey was loaded from disk or the RTK base has moved.

Auto-Nudge Mode prompt in metric — pick Max Cut Per Pass for multi-pass grading. Defaults to 5 cm.
Auto-Nudge Mode prompt in metric — pick Max Cut Per Pass for multi-pass grading. Defaults to 5 cm.

Forming Grade screen idle — design loaded, cut/fill heatmap drawn under the machine, ready to tap Start.
Forming Grade screen idle — design loaded, cut/fill heatmap drawn under the machine, ready to tap Start.

Forming auto-grading active — cut/fill heatmap fills in under the machine as you cover ground.
Forming auto-grading active — cut/fill heatmap fills in under the machine as you cover ground.

If your job is one you already started, tap Resume Job instead in step 1 — the saved job loads with all your coverage and graded terrain history intact.

Step-by-step guides for this

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