Smartphones and tablets are important part of our lives. We are constantly using them to access social media, shop online, read the news or weather forecasts, navigate, access entertainment, and much more. The same applies to our professional lives as we use them to access business emails, create and exchange information, and most importantly, using the right app as a perfect tool to improve our daily work.
It starts with simple things, such as a chat group for your team. Project teams can be connected with smartphones for punch-lists, document exchange spaces and time management. This goes up to solutions, which enable construction workers in the field accessing a digital model of their site to work, update, refine, and document everything in a central place. Each member can access relevant information wherever and whenever they want to. This kind of connectivity is what helps teams become more precise and efficient.
Our first Bluetooth® powered Leica DISTO plus was released in 2004. For the very early adopters, it was already a step into the digital age of work by creating floor plans and documentation digitally with their personal digital assistants (PDA) or laptops on site. During this time, such devices were considered technologically advanced. I remember myself having to share a PDF from one PDA to the other with an infrared interface, having them sit next to each other for about three minutes. If I want to send a friend a two-minute video from my phone, I can use Dropbox or OneDrive and I don’t need to watch the process with our phones side by side.
The development of smartphones and their arrival in our life made us at Leica DISTO think about our instruments being able to communicate with smartphones. When Apple announced the iPhone 4S back in September 2011, people were mainly disappointed because they were expecting an iPhone 5 to come up. But we were fascinated about this announcement, because of one small piece of hardware in it: a Bluetooth 4.0 chip.
Why were we so fascinated about a Bluetooth chip?
Well, with Bluetooth 4.0, we have finally been able to equip all of our Leica DISTO models with a low-power, small size, and easy-to-use connectivity element, which works with a wide range of smartphones, and we had been looking for this for a very long time. But the timing was just a bit too late. We had already started the development of our Leica DISTO D510 back then and we were in the middle of the project—the hardware design was already done. After long internal discussions, planning sessions, and negotiations, we decided to implement this Bluetooth 4.0 chip. We completely changed the project plan, hardware and software, because we were so convinced that apps would become an essential part for us in the future. And speaking of apps, we also had to develop out own app in parallel.
Long story short, after a very intense project we were able to launch our Leica DISTO D510 and the Leica DISTO sketch app in December 2012.
2004
2015
With our Leica DISTO sketch app, construction documentation has never been easier and convenient. Measure everything you need with Leica DISTO accuracy and reliability to create your documentation digitally on the spot. You can add simple measurements to a photo or a grid to save you those extra descriptions as to which measurement belongs to what.
But it doesn’t stop here. We have a number of partners supporting our Leica DISTO models within their apps, specifically designed for your purpose, workflows, and needs.
For instance: the Orthograph app, which is an app perfectly suited for indoor surveys, creating as-builds and placing BIM objects (furniture, windows, doors, etc.), includes a 3D walkthrough and seamless Leica DISTO integration.
Or check out MagicPlan, an app that is perfectly suited for creating floor plans and models from scratch, even with the camera from your smartphone. If you require pinpoint accuracy, use a Leica DISTO to improve the quality of your work.
With Floor Plan Creator, you can create floor plans and 3D models with BIM objects, and it supports a 3D walk through just like MagicPlan and Orthograph.
My Measures PRO or WinWorker, for example, allow you to create floor plans or photo documentation, team collaboration, and more.
If you are more into room planning? Try the Room Planner Home Design app from Chief Architect.
If you are used to working with CAD systems, we have a perfect partner with RedStick, who provides an easy to use and straightforward CAD system for the field.
So go ahead and check the links below for our partner apps, and unleash the versatility of your DISTO today with an app that fits your needs. We were convinced that our Leica DISTO models will become even more powerful with apps, and we can now say that they are.
Leica DISTO Partner Apps
