Goodbye 2019
It's time to reflect... and look forward to 2020!
Support News
Find the latest firmware updates, fixes and technical hints and tips here.
Honing our skills with the Leica Pegasus: Backpack
Our support team took a quick trip to get aquainted with the Leica Pegasus:Backpack.
Licensing your Leica software
We're talking all about licensing your software in this blog.
Aligning with Autodesk... Captivate v4.5 is released
Sharing Your Scan Data
You don't have a finished project yet, but your client wants to see some scan data? Our support team gives you their tips on sharing what you've got.
Going Underground
Opti-cal comes to the rescue in a potentially hazardous environment.
Goodbye Smartworx Viva, You've Served Us Well (and Other News)
Leica announce that the Smartworx Viva has reached the end of its release cycle.
Training, Constuctionarium and Opti-cal’s Role
Training in a live site environment is a great way to learn - find out why, and how Constructionarium Scotland is helping.
Surveying an Archaeological Site
How do the Leica GS16 GNSS antenna and CS20 fare when surveying an archaeological site? Read on to find out...
GPS Week Update
On the 6th of April the transmitted GPS week number will rollover from 1023 to 0000.
A closer look at the TS13
The final quarter of last year saw Leica Geosystems perform a little housekeeping on their range of total stations.
Looking back…Looking forward (Yep it’s that time of year again)
December is here, the weather is turning (wetter if not colder) and it’s time to look back at the past year and look forward into the year to come.
It’s Alive! Major upgrade to SmartNet network offers access to Galileo and Beidou satellites
The planned upgrade to the OSNet network of GNSS receivers that it operates across the UK mainland has been completed
Flextastic
The international Geomatics trade show InterGeo was on again a few weeks ago and Leica Geosystems have used the platform to announce their new range of manual total stations.
INS and how they are revolutionising the equipment you use
At Opti-cal towers we’re in the privileged position of seeing how survey equipment is developing...
Doing it all on-site
It’s always a little bit of a leap in the dark when you're using your laser scanner on site.
Someone once said, “If only your car was as good as my PC.”
“What? And have it crash every few days?”
My haven’t they grown!
Here at Opti-cal towers we are always investing in what we can offer our customers, and this doesn’t stop at the brand new shiny equipment you will find turning up on your site.
Technical Support – doing what they do best
Rather than work coming to a stand still at the RH Irving Industrial site in Luton, our Technical Support Team went above and beyond to help.
Goodbye GS08
Last week, in amongst a flurry of new product releases from Leica Geosystems, came the quiet news that the GS08+ GNSS receiver has been phased out of production.
Digging in the dirt – taking the knowledge to you
Opti-cal Survey Equipment, in partnership with UK Plant Operators, have developed a unique simulator based training course designed to give practical skills and knowledge to both experienced operators and absolute beginners.
Captivate 3.0..teasers
Here at Opti-cal towers we love a software update.
Breaking news: Windows updates and Infinity
If you are running Leica’s Infinity processing software on a Windows 10 PC then you might have some problems.
Everything you wanted to know about NMEA…(but were afraid to ask)
The National Marine Electronics Association is the US based trade organisation which sets the standard for interfacing electronic devices.
Update and localise your Infinity (v2.3 addendum)
Sometimes a feature will pass you by and it’s not mentioned in the release notes but there’s a couple of neat little options that cropped up in Infinity’s latest update.
Make the Most of your Equipment - With our Training Courses
Our goal is to increase your productivity and give your company the competitive edge.
Captivate Update…version 2.3 is here!
The updates continue and Leica have released v2.3 of their Captivate software for their current instruments and controllers this week.
Infinity v2.3
A new version just been released.
CS35 and CT2000 Safety Notice Update
In an update Panasonic, have announced a voluntary recall for the affected batteries.
Growing the Support Team
As Opti-cal grows as a company we are aware that our customers need the highest of care and support.
Leica Viva CS35 Field Controller - Safety Notice
Panasonic, the manufacturer of the Leica CS35 Field Controller (FZ-G1), has issued an important safety notice.
Captivate v2.20
The software developers at Leica have been busy again improving the functionality of Captivate.
Logging some CPD hours
In such a vibrant and fast changing industry keeping your knowledge and skills up to date is something you can’t neglect.
New Year, New Updates
There's a few little tweaks to be found in the December release of Leica's SmartWorx Viva v6.13 and Captivate v2.13.
Getting your shapefiles out
Tucked away is several centres across the globe are Leica Geosystems Software Development Centres
Waiting for the Great Leap forward
The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) in Paris has announced the introduction of a leap second to occur on 31 December 2016
Time for another software update...
This time Leica and Faro share the honours of a couple of minor software updates for Cyclone, Cloudworx, Scene and the Leica P series scanners.
Major Solar Storm on its way
The Australian Space Forecast Centre issued a warning of increased geomagnetic activity over the next three days.
Captivate V2.10
Last month Leica released version 2.10 of their Captivate software.
Mapping with Ease
In an exclusive agreement the Ordnance Survey have made their premiere MasterMap service exclusively available on Leica Geosystems Zeno 20.
HDR – What is it and why do you want it in your Laser scanner?
The latest must have capability in the world of terrestrial laser scanners.
More Firmware Updates
Nothing as significant as a shift in the Ordnance Survey GB coordinate system this time. Just a few little tweaks to the Leica Viva and Captivate operating system. 6.04 has been released for the Leica Viva range and 2.04 for Captivate.
Somebody’s been tinkering….changes to the OS coordinate system and what they mean for you.
It’s always the way isn’t it. You go away for a few weeks for some well-earned R&R and someone goes and updates the OS grid.
Updates, Updates, Updates…
Sometimes it feels I only ever write about software updates from Leica... so here’s some more.
Check and Adjust (or that nagging message on your total station)
Here at Opti-cal towers we see instruments in all manner of disrepair and our dedicated service team are constantly challenged with keeping your Leica Total Station operating at its highest precision
Tunneling through with the FlexLine (or FlexField v6.0)
Leica have turned their attention to using the FlexLine series of instruments in tunnels.
Leica P Series Scanner Software Update
There’s a few nifty little features in version 2.60 of Leica’s software for their P series Laser Scanners
Style Sheets
The Format File is dead. Long live the Style Sheet.
SmartLink Fill or Full?
When the GS16 was released last month I wrote that I’d go into a little more depth about SmartLink, what it is, where it came from and (I guess) whether it’s worth it.
Ooo oo ooh Zeno!
I’ve been meaning to write a post about Leica’s Zeno 20 GIS data collector for a while, and since there’s a minor software update just been released, now I can.
Captivate version 2 is here!
June sees a couple of big releases for those of us interested in Leica’s software development. The second version of Captivate has dropped with a bundle of new features and bug fixes, as has the 6th release of the SmartWorx Viva interface for the CS10 and CS15 controllers.
SmartWorx 6 Released
Tweaks and improvements ahoy as we creep from SmartWorx Viva version 5 to version 6.
There’s a couple of software improvements (as opposed to bug fixes) which entirely relate to advances in GNSS technology
Captivate Guide for Importing DTM Data
Leica Captivate has been the software to use for a while now. Indeed, we are now very close to the release date of Captivate V2.0.
To mark this occasion, I will be editing my existing guides and writing new ones to cover some of the less often used applications.
Antennas & Controllers, SmartLink & RTK+ (or "How many dishes do you need?")
The GS16 has been released and all is well in the world of Leica GNSS... sort of. Its appearance has muddied the waters somewhat and I thought I’d write this blog to try and explain what is going on in the world of Leica GNSS antennas.
DISTO D810 & S910 Firmware Update
Leica have just released new firmware updates for the Leica DISTO D810 touch and the Leica DISTO S910.
Software Update: Leica Captivate v1.3
The eagerly awaited release of version 1.3 of the new Leica Captivate has arrived, and it brings with it a couple of interesting new features as well as improvements to the stability of the program.
Software Update: Leica Viva SmartWorx v5.70 is here!
Hot off the press is the new version of the SmartWorx software for the Leica Viva range of Controllers, Total Stations and GNSS products.
All Things Flexline...
Announced today were two important pieces of information for users of Leica Flexline instruments
Computation Service Errors!
During the time period of July 1st to August 12th, 2015, users of the SmartNet/SpiderWeb online Computation Service may have recognised that their uploaded baselines were not successfully computed with fixed ambiguities.