Chose the 3D scan over hand drawing the trench, worst call of my season
At a dig outside Santa Fe last month, I had to pick between spending 4 hours with a total station or doing a quick sketch before the rain hit. I went with the scan because my supervisor pushed it, and the software glitched, wiping the data while my hand notes were already trashed. Anyone else had a sketch save their ass when the tech failed, or am I the only one who should've trusted the pencil?
Last winter at a site in Texas my total station died mid-grid, and the half-finished sketch I'd done on graph paper saved three days of rework. The scan gives you fancy data but it can't think for you, and a pencil sketch at least tells you what you saw even if the measurements vanish. Keep a field notebook in your pocket no matter what the tech crew says, because when that software glitches it's the only thing you'll trust.