Welcome New MapScenes Dealers and Trainers
Our expanding dealer network will give you more service closer to your area with new dealers Kinderprint, Surveyors Materials, American Blue Print, Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Services, and Fieldworks having offices across the country.

Congratulations to newly qualified MapScenes Systems Trainers Brad Booth, Ryan Woodward, Paul Tilman, Terry Lolacher, and Dwayne Freisen. With five new MapScenes Systems Trainers, taking a course in MapScenes is easier than ever. Check out our list of trainers for one suitable for your agency.

Using Forensic Animation in Court
By Gregory Gravesen

Forensic animation is an extremely powerful tool for shortening hours of expert witness testimony. The animation not only takes minutes, but also presents evidence in a manner that all jurors can understand. After the jury views an animation, there is an increased chance the individual jurors will have a uniform view of what idea the expert witness is trying to convey. There have also been numerous studies showing that jurors have a much higher retention level when information is presented visually instead of verbally.

The animation feature in MapScenes Pro is a welcome addition, once again raising the bar for the other popular programs available. This inclusive package is so nice to work with. No other modules or add-ons. Everything that is needed is on one CD.

The surprise here is the simplicity of MapScenes animation. Creating two-dimensional or three-dimensional animation is very easy while maintaining data integrity. Maintaining data integrity is critical because it is a common point of scrutiny by opposing counsel.

Before beginning the creation of the animation, some planning is involved. The measured locations at impact and rest, orientation, speed, and acceleration of the objects being animated must be determined. The “objects” in this case are mostly motor vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

MapScenes PRO provides the flexibility of two different methods of constructing an animation. It utilizes two methods of generating frames between the keyframes. In animation, a keyframe is a frame that marks the position of an object at a point in time. A series of keyframes show the object at key positions during the course of motion. The first method is a simple linear interpolation between keyframes, or in-betweening. In-betweening is the process of adding frames between keyframes to produce smooth motion. This is based on the time difference between the two keyframes. This interpolation determines the position of each object for each of the in-between frames. The second method defines the speed, acceleration, and direction of movement of an object at a keyframe. The location of each object for the in-between frames is calculated based on the speed, acceleration and direction of movement for that object. The kinematics equations in the Scene Analysis menu can be used to aid in the calculation of the object’s positions and orientations required to create accurate keyframes.

When all the attributes of the various objects within the animation are defined, MapScenes PRO can create a preview. During this preview stage, the user has full control to evaluate the animation. Once the user is satisfied with the results, they can create a movie of the animation that can be viewed on any computer. This is effective in communicating with the jury. The end result is the ultimate method to relay highly technical information to the jury in a manner that individual jurors can understand and retain.

MapScenes Pro is tried and tested technology that meets the needs of today’s reconstructionists while respecting the logical input of data and time management. Whether complex or simple, MapScenes PRO is able to take the data directly from the total station and produce highly detailed diagrams of the scene. Land contours and roadway profiles can be seamlessly created. The software also has a new Symbol Librarian for inserting specialized symbols into a drawing. With over 7,000 two- and three-dimensional symbols, the user usually finds the symbol that is needed. If not, creating one is a simple process.

The Scene Analysis feature is unique when compared to other CAD programs. It allows the user to calculate vehicle speeds using the conservation of linear momentum, kinetic energy, and other methods of speed determination. It can also calculate time and distance values using the numerous kinematics equations listed for this feature. All of these things help the reconstructionist plan out their animation.

This affordable, well-rounded package offers me the tools needed to reconstruct a crash and prepare for court with confidence. Combining the knowledge of the reconstructionist along the innovative features of MapScenes Pro produces professional results that are simply unmatched by the competition.

Gregory Graveson recently became a MapScenes dealer. He is a partner of Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Services in Wisconsin and an AR with the Saint Paul, Minnesota Police Department.

Tip of the Month

How to Make Smooth Road Lines

How can I best fit lines to look like a road edge? Use the Polyline command in MapScenes.

In general, polylines are drawing elements that consist of connected lines or arc segments. Different elements can be of different widths. The width of a polyline segment can be defined differently for the starting- and end-point. A polyline is defined as one element and treated as such for further operations (like Move, or Rotate). Some polylines can have smoothing options applied to them.