General Settings Overview

The General Settings tab controls how values are displayed and interpreted in HCL. It includes settings for units, language, angle display, GPS behavior, prism and target handling, and the keyboard.

General

These settings affect how measurements, coordinates, and angles are displayed throughout the application.

Heights

This setting enables the use of height values for measuring, stationing, and CAD view.

• For most 2D layout work, this is recommended to be turned off
• When working with 3D drawings or height‑based workflows, this must be turned on

When heights are enabled, the total station also requires a station height setup, so it knows how high it is positioned on the jobsite.

Distance Units

Choose the distance units used throughout the application, such as meters, feet, or millimeters. This affects how distances are displayed and entered.

Coord. Disp. / Input

Choose how coordinates are displayed and entered in the system.

• NEH (North, East, Height) is the default
• Other coordinate orders may be selected depending on project or regional standards

This setting affects coordinate input fields, point information, and CAD displays.

Decimal Format

Select whether decimal values are displayed using:

• A period (.)
• A comma (,)

This should match regional numeric formatting standards.

Angle Units

Choose how angles are displayed:

• Gradians (Gon)
• Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (DMS)

This affects all angular values shown during stationing, layout, and measurement.

Angle Resolution

Select the smallest angle resolution increment needed for your angle measurements. Higher resolution provides more detailed angular readouts.

Language

Choose the language used throughout the application. This affects menus, settings, shortcuts, and on‑screen text.

VA Zero

Choose where the vertical angle (VA) zero reference is set.

• Horizon - The vertical angle reads as zero when the telescope is level (looking straight forward).
• Zenith - The vertical angle reads as zero when the telescope points straight up.

This setting changes how vertical angles are interpreted and displayed. Using the theodolite application will help you visualize these angular values quickly.

GPS

These settings control how GPS information from the tablet is used to assist orientation and prism searching. See this article for a deeper understanding on how you can apply this in your workflow.

GPS

Enable or disable GPS usage. When enabled and used outdoors, GPS can help the system orient the tool toward your approximate location.

GPS Angle Sector HA / VA

Defines the horizontal and vertical angle range the tool will rotate through when GPS is used to help turn the tool toward your position before starting a prism search. Limiting this range can reduce unnecessary rotation and improve responsiveness.

Prism / Target

Angle Sector HA / VA

Predictive Search

Select how long the system continues to predictively search for a prism or target after it is temporarily lost. This allows the tool to follow the expected movement of the prism when it is briefly obstructed.

Auto Lock on Foils

• On the PLT 300, Auto Lock is always enabled and cannot be turned off. The toggle option will not be visible.
• On the PLT 400, Auto Lock can be toggled on or off in General Settings or directly in the camera view

See this article for more information how to use this in your workflow.

When enabled, the system automatically detects a compatible prism foil within the camera view and moves to the center of the target. This is recommended for most layout and measurement workflows.

Keyboard

These settings control keyboard behavior and input assistance.

Keyboard Language

Choose the language used for the on‑screen keyboard. This can be different from the application language if required.