Photometrics

Photometrics is the latest TOTAL Sketch Pro feature to be released. It allows you to import an image file, such as a plat map or aerial photo, into a sketch. Then, you're able to use that image as a reference point to set a custom scale. This is especially useful when you're recreating existing image documents within the sketch to an exact scale.

To use Photometrics, you must have a TOTAL Sketch Pro license. If you use other TOTAL Sketch Pro features, such as Trace Mode, you already have a TOTAL Sketch Pro license. If you're interested in learning more about TOTAL Sketch Pro, click here.

Importing your image

Importing the image in to TOTAL Sketch is easy. Here's how:

  1. First, click the Photometrics button in the toolbar at the top to activate it. If you're prompted for your a la mode log in, enter it and click OK.

  2. When Photometrics loads, you'll notice a new toolbar at the top of the screen. To import your image, click Load Image.

  3. Now, simply browse to the location of your image, select it, and click Open.

Fine‑tuning your image

If you need to fine‑tune how the image appears on your screen, there are three options:

Fit to Screen
The Fit to Screen feature automatically scales the imported image to the constraints of the sketch window.
Contrast
Contrast allows you to lighten and darken the image, making it easier to pick out points on the image from which to set the scale.
Show/Hide Image
Using the Show/Hide Image feature, you can choose to hide or show the imported image without having to reimport it again later

Once your image has been imported and adjusted, you're ready to move on to Setting the Scale, below. 

Setting the Scale

To set the scale of your sketch with Photometrics

  1. Click Set Scale in the toolbar at the top of the screen.

  2. Once you've clicked Set Scale, a window appears with some brief instructions on how to set the scale. Review the information, and when you're ready, click Continue.

  3. Now, simply draw a line between two points with a known distance, like two property lines, and enter the known distance.

That's it! After you've set the sketch scale, continue drawing your sketch as you normally would.