Help Database

Is there a way to configure my DISTO™ distance finder to work together with my Chief Architect software to take measurements of an existing job site?

Leica Geosystems manufactures several types of laser measurement devices among which are the DISTO™ distance measuring devices.

Depending on the device, many of these support Bluetooth integration which allows you to interface with several devices including a computer that supports Bluetooth.

Included with these devices you have the option to download and install DISTO™ Transfer, a program designed to accept input from your DISTO™ device for use on your computer.

In this article we will learn how to configure DISTO™ Transfer to enter values into a Chief Architect drawing.

Configuring

1. After you have downloaded and installed DISTO™ Transfer, open it and power on your DISTO™ device.
   
   
   
2. Press the Bluetooth  button on your DISTO™ device and wait for it to connect to the software on the computer.
   
   
   
3. Press the Maximize button to gain access to the program's main menu.
   
    
   
   
   
4. Under the main menu click on the Send tab and select Send to current input position.
    
    
   
    
5. Under the Data Format category, input the data to be transmitted.
   
   
   **In this example, we will input Feet' Inch InchFract##Return. This way DISTO™ Transfer will transmit the value for the number of feet measured followed by an apostrophe '.
   
   Then it will transmit the whole number value for inches, then the fractional value for inches and send the Return command which is what you would do if you press the Enter/Return key on your keyboard.
   
   Click the Change Data Format... button to see a list of the different commands supported by DISTO™ Transfer and a description of their function.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Click the Minimize button on the DISTO™ Transfer window.
   
    
   
   
   

Working in Chief Architect

1. With DISTO™ Transfer running, select a wall or other object in Chief Architect and click on the wall's controlling dimension.
   
     
   
   
   
2. Take your DISTO™ device and take your first measurement. 
   
   
   
3. Press the Bluetooth  button to send the measurement to the computer and DISTO™ Transfer will transmit the data to Chief Architect's open dimension field and automatically press Enter/Return to move the object to the new distance.
   
   
   
4. Repeat the process until you are done measuring the rest of the structure and save the plan.
   
   
   

For additional documentation on how to use DISTO™ Transfer or your DISTO™ device, please consult the Leica help documentation.