Disto / Laser Input

Disto / Laser Input lets you build walls and shapes from precise laser measurements. Pick a start point on the sketch, then walk around the space entering lengths in clockwise or counter-clockwise order.

Status & Basic Workflow

The Disto / Laser panel has a status bar and a simple workflow: choose a start point, choose how you enter lengths, choose a direction, then place segments.

Status Bar

  • HID – shows the current Bluetooth HID state of your laser device (for example, Idle or Capturing).
  • Gyro – shows if phone gyro/direction is available and active.
  • Close gap – shows how much distance remains to close the loop back to your start point, useful when tracing a full perimeter.

Pick Start & Options

  1. Click Pick Start, then click on the sketch canvas to choose your starting point (for example, a corner of a room).
  2. The Start pill shows the coordinates of that start point; the Cursor pill shows the current cursor position.
  3. Auto-add (on by default) places each length immediately as it is entered.
  4. Auto-close (optional) automatically draws the final segment back to the start when you are done, closing the shape.

For most room perimeters: pick a start, walk around the room measuring each wall in order, and keep Auto-add turned on so segments appear as you go.

Entering Lengths

There are two ways to enter lengths: directly from a Bluetooth HID laser device, or by pasting a list of measurements.

Bluetooth HID (Live from Device)

  1. In the Lengths section, select Bluetooth HID as the input mode.
  2. Click into the Capture box so it has focus. Only lengths sent while this box is focused are processed.
  3. On your laser device, send a measurement (for example, 1120 3/8in followed by Enter).
  4. Each valid length is queued and, if Auto-add is on, placed immediately as a new segment in the current direction.

The capture box accepts whatever the Disto types, including fractions and units. ApProsal parses the value and converts it to your current units.

Paste a List of Lengths

  1. Select Paste as the input mode in the Lengths section.
  2. In the text area, paste or type one length per line, for example: 1120 3/8in
    10'
    2.438m
    12.5
  3. For lines without an explicit unit, choose a Bare unit (in, ft, m, cm, or auto) so they can be interpreted consistently.
  4. Click Queue Lengths to move all parsed values into the Disto queue for later placement.

Pasted values work well for measurements taken earlier or imported from another source. Use with Auto-add off if you want to review the queue before placing.

Choosing Direction

Every length is placed in a specific direction. You can control direction manually or use your phone’s gyro as a live compass.

Manual Direction

  1. In the Direction section, choose Manual.
  2. Use the on-screen compass:
    • Drag the knob around the ring to change heading.
    • Or tap anywhere on the ring to jump to that direction.
  3. Adjust the Degrees box directly for fine control (0° = East, 90° = North, 180° = West, 270° = South).
  4. Use the quick compass pad (NW, N, NE, etc.) to snap instantly to common directions.
  5. Ortho Snap snaps to 0/90/180/270. Include 45° also includes diagonal directions (every 45°).

Phone Gyro Direction

  1. Choose Phone Gyro in the Direction section (on supported devices).
  2. The compass updates as you physically rotate your phone, giving you a live heading.
  3. Turn on Lock angle to freeze the placement angle at the current heading while the compass continues to move for preview.
  4. Use Lock from current to capture the current angle, or Unlock to return to live headings for placement.
  5. Under Calibration options:
    • Zero – resets your offset so the current phone heading becomes the reference.
    • Recal – recalibrates gyro readings if they drift.
    • Calibrate North – tells the system to treat your current direction as true North.
    • Declination° – apply local magnetic declination (positive for East, negative for West) so headings align with true North.

Gyro mode is useful when you physically walk the building and want the sketch direction to follow the orientation of your device.

Queue & Auto-add Behavior

Lengths can be placed immediately as they arrive, or stored in a queue for batch placement.

Auto-add On (Default)

  • Each new length is placed at once using the current direction settings.
  • Ideal for walking a perimeter in order and seeing walls appear in real time.
  • The Close gap value updates as you go, indicating how close you are to closing the loop.

Auto-add Off & Queue

When Auto-add is turned off, lengths are queued instead of being placed immediately.

  • The Queue panel appears, showing all queued lengths in order.
  • Use Undo and Redo to step backwards or forwards through queue operations.
  • Click Finish (Place All) to place every queued length in sequence with the selected directions.

Queue mode is useful when pasting many measurements at once or when you want full control before drawing anything on the canvas.

Advanced Options

Use advanced options when you need to align measurements with a site grid or correct for small direction offsets.

Angle Offset

  • Angle Offset° adds a fixed rotation to whatever direction you have selected (manual or gyro).
  • Example: if your building is rotated 5° off the main grid, set an offset of 5° so all subsequent placements follow that rotation.
  • This does not change stored measurements; it only rotates how they are drawn on the sketch.

Bluetooth Navigation & Tips

The Disto / Laser panel supports navigation using the arrow keys generated by some laser devices, so you can keep your hands mostly on the Disto.

  • Double ▶▶ (Right Arrow) – jumps focus into the Direction group:
    1. Compass knob – use left/right to nudge heading; Enter confirms and returns to Capture.
    2. Degrees box – right arrow increases, left arrow decreases; Enter confirms and returns to Capture.
    3. Quick compass pad – arrows move between directions; Enter selects and returns to Capture.
  • Double ◀◀ (Left Arrow) – returns focus to the Bluetooth Capture box from anywhere in the panel.
  • Lock angle – in gyro mode, the compass can continue to move, but placements use the locked value until unlocked.
  • When calibrating North in gyro mode, your current phone heading becomes the new reference for North.

For best results, pick a clear start corner, walk the room in a consistent direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise), and verify the Close gap value before finishing the loop.