Floor Elevation workflows, availability, and outputs may change between releases as the feature is refined.
Overview
This is a step-by-step guide for setting up your FieldPrinter and recording elevation data on a real jobsite.
Measure in the field
Complete these setup steps for either mode:
- Set up the tracker on a stable tripod and level it.
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Open the Setup panel on the iPad and toggle Measure Elevation on. Toggle Background Measurement on to measure floor elevation everywhere the FieldPrinter navigates. If you only need to measure floor elevation on certain areas, do not toggle Background Measurement on.
Image 1. Setup panel Measure Elevation and Background Measurement toggled on. -
Complete every setup step until each shows a green check mark. Completing the Verify Station Location step is required before you can collect elevation.
Image 2. Verification point recorded.
To measure Point Elevation:
- In the Dusty App, confirm the measure-layer CSV is published — the measurement points show in purple.
- Select the points to record (all of them or a subset) and tap Start.
- The FieldPrinter drives to each point and records its elevation; each point updates as it is measured.
To measure Area Elevation:
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Set the grid size in the app before you measure — options are 4" × 4", 6" x 6", 1' x 1', 2' x 2', and 3' × 3'. A finer grid captures more detail; a coarser grid covers ground faster. Changing the grid size after you've measured discards the data already collected, so choose it before you start.
Image 3. Heatmap grid size selection on Settings panel. - To measure continuously across the whole area, toggle Background Measurement on during Setup — the robot records elevation wherever it drives.
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To measure a specific region, use the Measure Area tool to draw the area, then tap Start.
Image 4. Measure Area selection. - Watch the heatmap fill in on the Dusty App (see Image 2).
Heatmap Visibility
The heatmap toggle controls whether you see the live elevation overlay on the iPad as the FieldPrinter measures. Data is recorded either way; the toggle only controls what's displayed.
- Open the Settings tab on the iPad or look at the lower right-hand corner of the canvas.
- Tap to toggle the heatmap display on. Color values appear over the layout, scaled to the min and max readings collected so far.
- As more data comes in, the color scale auto-adjusts. High spots and low spots stand out at a glance.
- Toggle the heatmap display off to see the layout without the overlay.
Restationing
If you move the tracker, each new station must share at least one control point with a previous station so the cloud can merge the data. The Dusty App warns you when a new stationing doesn't share a control point — stop and add an overlapping point before continuing. Without a shared control point, each stationing's elevation data is treated independently and appears as a separate heatmap, or section, in the Portal.