APEX Plat

Getting Started

System Requirements

• Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
• Internet connection for authentication and cloud storage features

Launching the Application

Open the application in your web browser. You'll see the main canvas area with toolbars on both sides.

User Interface Overview

The interface consists of several main areas:

Header

• APEX Plat - Application title
• Project Name - Displays the current project name
• Theme Toggle - Switch between light and dark modes (sun/moon icon)
• Sign In/User Menu - Authentication controls

Left Sidebar

Contains collapsible sections for:

• General - File operations and display settings
• Data - Import/export functionality
• Draw - Drawing tools
• Measure - Measurement and annotation tools
• Description - Legal description generation

Right Sidebar

• Layers - Layer management panel with visibility and frozen controls

Canvas Area

• Main drawing area with toolbar at the top
• Coordinate display at bottom of left sidebar
• Server status indicator

Authentication & Projects

Signing In

1. Click the Sign In button in the header
2. Enter your email address
3. Check your email for a magic link
4. Click the link to authenticate

Managing Projects

After signing in:

• Click Projects to view existing projects or create new ones
• Create New Project - Start a fresh project with optional name and coordinate system
• Search Projects - Find existing projects by name or date
• Open Project - Load a selected project

Coordinate Systems

When creating a new project, you can choose:

• Local Grid (No Projection) - Simple coordinate system
• State Plane Coordinate System - Select state and zone for georeferenced drawings

Canvas Navigation

Toolbar Buttons

Located at the top of the canvas:

Mouse Controls

• Scroll Wheel - Zoom in/out
• Click and Drag (with Pan tool) - Move around the canvas
• Click (with Selection tool) - Select elements

Drawing Tools

Draw Point

Creates a single point marker on the canvas.

1. Select Draw Point from the Draw section
2. Click on the canvas to place the point

Draw Line (Polyline)

Creates connected line segments.

1. Select Draw Line from the Draw section
2. Click to place each vertex
3. Double-click to finish the line
4. Hold Shift while clicking to snap to common angles (0°, 45°, 90°, etc.)

Draw Polygon

Creates closed polygon shapes.

1. Select Draw Polygon from the Draw section
2. Click to place each vertex
3. Double-click to close and finish the polygon
4. Hold Shift while clicking to snap to common angles

Measurement Tools

Dimensions

Measures distance between two points or elements.

1. Select Dimensions from the Measure section
2. Click on the first point or element
3. Click on the second point or element
4. The distance is displayed in feet

Angles

Measures the angle between two lines.

1. Select Angles from the Measure section
2. Click on the first line
3. Click on the second line
4. The angle measurement is displayed at the intersection

Line Crossing

Measures how far a line travels inside a polygon.

1. Select Line Crossing from the Measure section
2. Draw or select a closed polygon
3. Draw a line that crosses through the polygon
4. Click the crossing line
5. Click any line in the polygon
6. The measurement shows the distance (in feet) the line travels inside the polygon

Auto Dimensions

Automatically adds dimension measurements to all segments of selected polygons.

1. Select Auto Dimensions from the Measure section
2. Click on a polygon
3. All edge lengths are automatically calculated and displayed

Auto Angles

Automatically adds angle measurements to all corners of selected polygons.

1. Select Auto Angles from the Measure section
2. Click on a polygon
3. All interior angles are automatically calculated and displayed

Traverse Closure

Analyze the precision and closure error of closed polygon traverses, with options to adjust coordinates using industry-standard methods.

Running a Closure Analysis

1. Select Traverse Closure from the Measure section
2. Click on a closed polygon to analyze
3. The analysis results appear in a modal window

Understanding the Results

The analysis provides the following measurements:

• Total Distance - The sum of all course lengths around the traverse
• Linear Error of Closure - The distance between the calculated end point and start point
• Precision Ratio - The ratio of linear error to total traverse length (e.g., 1:15,000)

Course Details

For each course (segment) in the traverse, the analysis shows:

• Bearing - Direction of the course
• Distance - Length of the course
• Latitude - North/South component (Δy)
• Departure - East/West component (Δx)

Tolerance Standards

The tool compares your closure against common survey standards:

Adjustment Methods

If closure error exists, you can apply adjustments to correct the traverse:

• Compass Rule - Distributes error proportionally based on each course's distance relative to the total traverse length. Best for traverses where angles and distances are measured with similar precision.
• Transit Rule - Distributes error proportionally based on each course's latitude and departure values. Best when distance measurements are more precise than angle measurements.

Tips

• A higher precision ratio (e.g., 1:15,000) indicates better closure than a lower one (e.g., 1:3,000)
• If closure is perfect (zero error), the result displays as "1:PERFECT"
• For polygons with arc segments, the tool uses chord endpoints for calculations

Data Import/Export

Import DXF

Import CAD drawings from DXF files.

1. Click Import DXF in the Data section
2. Select a .dxf file from your computer
3. The drawing elements and layers are imported

Export DXF

Export your drawing to a DXF file.

1. Click Export DXF in the Data section
2. A DXF file is downloaded with your drawing

Import CSV

Import point data from CSV files.

1. Click Import CSV in the Data section
2. Select a CSV file with point coordinates
3. Preview the data before importing

Paste Data

Manually enter or paste survey point data.

1. Click Paste Data in the Data section
2. Enter point data in the format:

Point_Number, Northing, Easting, Elevation, Description

Example:

1, 1000.50, 2000.75, 100.25, Corner
2, 1001.25, 2001.50, 100.30, Iron Pin
3, 1002.00, 2002.25, 100.35, Monument

3. Click Import to add the points

Layers Management

The Layers panel on the right sidebar provides full control over drawing layers.

Layer Toolbar

• Select All Checkbox - Select/deselect all layers
• Visibility Toggle (eye icon) - Toggle all layers visible/hidden
• Frozen Toggle (snowflake icon) - Toggle all layers frozen/unfrozen
• New Layer (+) - Create a new layer
• Delete Selected (trash) - Delete selected layers

Layer Controls

Each layer has individual controls:

• Checkbox - Select the layer
• Visibility - Show/hide the layer
• Frozen - Lock/unlock the layer for editing

Layer Properties

Imported DXF files include layer information:

• Layer name
• Color
• Line type
• Frozen state
• Visibility state

Legal Description

Generate legal property descriptions from polygon data.

Configure Description

1. Click Legal Description in the Description section
2. Fill in property information:
   • State
   • Grant
   • Original Grant Acreage
   • Abstract No.
   • City
   • Conveyed to
   • Deed
3. Click Select Polygon to choose the property boundary

Insert Legal Description

After configuration:

1. Click where you want the top-left corner of the text box
2. Click where you want the bottom-right corner
3. The legal description includes:
   • Preamble - Property identification
   • POB - Point of Beginning
   • Calls - Boundary descriptions with bearings and distances
   • Closure - Return to point of beginning

Display Settings

Grid Toggle

• Check Show Grid in the General section to display a coordinate grid
• Uncheck to hide the grid

Reset View

• Click Reset View to return to the default zoom and pan position

Clear Canvas

• Click Clear Canvas to remove all elements from the drawing

Theme

• Click the sun/moon icon in the header to toggle between light and dark themes

Keyboard Shortcuts

Status Indicators

Coordinate Display

Shows the current cursor position (X, Y coordinates) on the canvas.

Status Display

Shows the current tool state and any relevant messages.

Projection Display

Shows the current coordinate reference system (CRS).

Server Status

Indicates connection to the geometry calculation server:

• Green - Server Connected
• Red - Server Disconnected (local calculations used)

Tips and Best Practices

1. Save Frequently - Use the Save button regularly to preserve your work
2. Use Layers - Organize your drawing with layers for easier management
3. Zoom to Extents - After importing, use Zoom Extents to see all content
4. Check Projections - Ensure your coordinate system matches your data source
5. Double-click to Finish - Remember to double-click to complete polylines and polygons

Troubleshooting

Attribution

APEX Plat uses icons from the Noun Project (CC BY 3.0):

• Select by PixelX
• Select by Knockout Prezo
• Undo/Redo by Mohamed Mb
• Hand by Marie Van den Broeck
• Trash by kumakamu
• Grab by HDM
• Zoom by Fina Uswania
• Not Visible by yus
• Cursor by Adam Schraff