The time depends almost entirely on the grid size you choose. For a 10,000 sq ft floor, Area Elevation takes about 35 minutes at a 3' × 3' grid and about 5 hours at a 4" × 4" grid, with the FieldPrinter driving without interruption. A finer grid means more passes across the floor.
Estimated time by grid size
These times assume a 100' × 100' example floor. The FieldPrinter's measuring elevation speed is 1.6 ft/s (0.5 m/s).
| Grid size | Passes across the floor | Total time |
|---|---|---|
| 4" | 300 | About 5 hours 13 minutes |
| 6" | 200 | About 3 hours 28 minutes |
| 1' | 100 | About 1 hour 44 minutes |
| 2' | 50 | About 52 minutes |
| 3' | 33 to 34 | About 35 minutes |
How the estimate works
The FieldPrinter measures elevation by driving back and forth across the floor in straight passes, one pass per grid row. Each pass across a 100' side takes 62.5 seconds (100 ft ÷ 1.6 ft/s). Multiply by the number of passes and the total follows:
- 4" grid: 300 passes × 62.5 seconds = 18,750 seconds
- 3' grid: 33.3 passes × 62.5 seconds ≈ 2,083 seconds
For your own floor, divide the navigation side length by 1.6 ft/s to get the time per pass, divide the adjacent side length by the grid size to get the number of passes, and multiply the two. Or use the following formula:
Area Elevation Time = Area ÷ (1.6 ft/s × grid size)
The robot moves at 1.6 ft/s while measuring elevation, which is the same speed it uses to print text and points. It is slower than the 2.5 ft/s it uses to print a solid line. See FieldPrinter Specs for the other speeds.
What makes the real time longer
The table is the best case. Your measurement will take longer when:
- Obstacles are in the way. The robot has to route around columns, equipment, and stored material, and any area it cannot reach has to be skipped or filled in later.
- You restation the tracker. Large floors often need more than one tracker position, and each restation adds setup and verification time.
- The floor is not a clean rectangle. Irregular shapes and multiple drawn areas add turns and travel between passes.
The table counts driving time only. It does not include idle time, slowing down, turning around, or lining up for the next pass, so expect real measurements to take longer, especially at finer grids with more passes.
How to choose a grid size
Choose the grid size before you start measuring. The grid options in the Dusty app are 4" × 4", 6" × 6", 1' × 1', 2' × 2', and 3' × 3'. A finer grid captures more detail, and a coarser grid covers the floor faster. If you change the grid size after you have measured, the data already collected is discarded. For the full setup steps, see Floor Elevation: Dusty App.