Stitch Overview
An overview of Stitch.
What is Stitch?
Stitch is a program used by Operators to confirm an iGUIDE’s data prior to submission for drafting. This includes:
Checking for laser data alignment
Checking for laser data coverage
Disabling unwanted panos (such as closets)
Leaving notes for the drafting team
Modifying panos through image enhancements.
Setting the Initial Pano & Angle (initial pano is the first pano shown when opening an iGUIDE)
Where do I download Stitch?
To download Stitch, or update Stitch, please visit our main website: https://goiguide.com/downloads and select Stitch for PC or Stitch for Mac
What are Stitch's hardware requirements?
Stitch's requirements are low, however, we do recommend a PC that has at least 16GB of RAM, running on an SSD, and a processor that can run up to speeds of 3.0GHz+. The better your computer is, the smoother the application will run with larger projects along with increased export and processing speeds.
UI and Function breakdown:
Laser data portion - this shows the laser data as captured by the system the data should look similar to the above image, with no lines out of place. See Stitch Laser Data Explained and Stitch: Data Alignment for useful videos.
Pano view portion - This shows the panorama view of the currently selected scan. As you move your mouse pointer around in the laser data portion, you can see that the line in the pano moves to the corresponding angle.
Project, Building, Floor and Pano list - This section contains the structure that was created during the property Survey; The building, floor order, panos and project/floor names can be modified here as required. Occasionally, Operators will have 2 separate buildings, in which case they need to create a new building and drag the corresponding floors over. Our system does not provide a site plan, so 2 buildings can not be on one floor. Red highlighted text means a pano is disabled, panos can also be deleted from here if they are not required.
Load Project Icon - This brings up the “Browse” window so that you can open your project. A common error with operators is that they “Open” the Project folder instead of selecting the Project folder to open.
Save Project Icon - Saves all changes made since opening.
Export Project Icon - When all editing is complete, this will export the project as a .tar file; which the drafting team then opens to draft the data. They will be greeted with an info screen if there are any errors preventing the export - the “Common Errors” section in this document will review some of these.
Move/Rotate Scans Icon - This allows you to manipulate the laser data by selecting a pano, operators sometimes struggle with this, we do recommend they use a 3-button mouse for navigation within Stitch.
Add Note Icon - This allows you to add a note on-screen in the laser data area, this is convenient if operators want a room to be given a specific name, See Stitch Adding Notes
Set Initial Pano Angle - This allows an operator to set the initial pano angle, which will be the first portion of the panorama displayed when selected. Please also note that an “Initial Pano” must be set when in Stitch, otherwise the project will not export. See Stitch: Setting Initial Pano and Angle
Arrange All Scans - This will attempt to auto-arrange all the scans so that they are snapped together neatly. Line of sight from pano to pano is important for auto snapping as well as this feature, this is where operators sometimes go wrong. Line of sight is key to the auto-arrangement of scans.
Arrange Selected Scans - This will attempt to auto-place any selected scans, useful if you can't figure out where one scan goes, but most scans are correctly placed. If this function does not work, there is a good chance the panos do not have a line of sight/overlapping laser data.
Fine Tune Selected Scans - This will fine-tune a scan's placement as long as the laser data is close to being overlapped.
Square Up Floor - Aligns the floor so that the upper horizontal line is straight.
Show Scan Coverage - Enables the scan coverage function, so that you can see if any areas are missing data. This is useful if operators miss a space (missing space will show up in black) interior walls and obstructions will also be highlighted by this, see the below image.
Zoom to Fit - Zooms the laser data portion out to show all data.
Adjust Panoramas for Alignment and Colour (Wizard hat) - this allows users to tweak and perfect the pano alignment, and adjust the pano image. With the IMS-5 this can be crucial as the pano stitching is very dependent on their rotation and camera level, many incorrectly stitched images can be fixed here, however, if the operator incorrectly rotated to a greater extent then there may not be a way to save the pano.
Take Snapshot - This allows you to create an image from a panorama - we do not recommend operators use this as a way to provide still images for the gallery as the images are distorted by the fish-eye lens, however, this can substitute a missing image of a room. We recommend a DSLR or similar quality dedicated camera for still images.
Undo - Undoes the last action
Redo - Redoes undone action
Provide hints for Current Property -
Configure settings - this button allows the user to select their preferred units (Metric or Imperial), set an auto-apply preset on import (for auto pano image adjustment) and choose to set initial pano/angle on export as well as the image export sharpness.
Controls & Shortcuts:
Many operators struggle to grapes how to use Stitch when they first encounter it, if you get a ticket with a user complaining about not being able to use Stitch with ease, we have a quick tips video: Stitch: Controls and Shortcuts as well as plenty of training available on the Stitch Training page. One of the major advantages is to use a 3-button mouse, as the scroll wheel, and dedicated left, right and middle click buttons offer a huge benefit to Trackpads or Apple’s touch mouse.
It’s always good to remind Operators that whatever they do in Stitch can be undone using the Undo function (except for deleting a pano). Practice makes perfect, and if they are afraid of ruining their data, advise them to make a copy of the project folder.
Laser data and Pano sections (1 & 2) from the UI:
You may come across an Operator who doesn’t have an aptitude for spatial awareness, we don’t directly point this out, however, we will advise and assist them in bringing the data into simple terminology. Often referring to the laser data as the edges of a jigsaw puzzle that need to be fit together helps out. Showing examples of overlap and methods to recognize the data - such as in the video: Stitch Laser Data Explained can help bring an operator's awareness and recognition around. Be patient with these operators, as a lack of understanding can be frustrating, and they have invested a lot of their money into this product. Escalating to second-line after the first one to 2 responses is advised, and we may schedule a 1:1 training session.
How to align data in stitch:
There are a number of methods, and making sure the Operator has followed the training as listed above (Stitch Training), can be a help. Sometimes we do get rejected iGUIDEs where the operator has failed to align the data, some examples are below. (Click for an enlarged version, opens the browser)
Another Quick Tips video was created to assist users also, please see Stitch: Data Alignment - this should be provided with other training materials.
One of the best methods to align data in stitch is to work from pano 001 downwards. Separate the pano into a blank area of space and then bring the next pano along to snap it in place, if you can not, see if there is a suitable pano to bridge the gap in data. When you are unable to line up data easily and frequently, there is a good chance this property will not be draftable, and the Operator will need to gather more data
For misaligned data, we have the Canned response (CR) called “Stitch data alignment difficulty”
It can be good to obtain a copy of the project folder to see exactly where the Operator went wrong and highlight key areas to improve on where the data is concerned.
Common Errors:
When exporting a project, the Operator may be prompted with an information or error message. Below is a list of common messages and how to solve them:
Initial pano not set: The first one will be selected - Basically, this means that the Operator did not select an initial pano and that the first pano in the list will be selected as the starting pano of the iGUIDE.
Main Building: No exterior wall thickness was specified. The exterior floor area will not be reported - This means the user did not measure or enter the exterior wall thickness into the project, we will draft the iGUIDE with the standard 8” thickness, but this area will not be reported when the iGUIDE is sent out.
ERROR - Main Building/Main floor: Highlighted scans are closer than 50 cm. Adjust the position or disable all but one - This means the operator has taken 2 panos close together and has not disabled one, the system can not process scans close together due to needing ample separation for the panos to be navigated in the iGUIDE viewer later on. The Quick Tips video: Dealing with Overlapping Scans explains how to resolve this issue (basically disable one of the highlighted on-screen panos)
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