Virtual Surveyor directly integrates with Dropbox, OneDrive, and SharePoint. Once these cloud services are set up on your computer, they appear automatically alongside your local and network file locations. This means your cloud files are directly accessible in the Virtual Surveyor apps. The result is a seamless and cost-efficient workflow that lets you access your files from anywhere and collaborate effortlessly with your team.

Overview

• Streamlined Cloud Integration and Storage Locations
  • Use the Cloud Storage Systems You Already Use
• Benefits of Working from Cloud Locations
  • Synchronize Your Files
  • Data Follows You
  • Collaborate in Teams
  • Share Externally
• Related Video
• Tips and Tricks

Streamlined Cloud Integration and Storage Locations

Use the Cloud Storage Systems You Already Use

Streamlined Cloud Integration. Both the Terrain Creator and Virtual Surveyor apps use supported cloud storage systems. 

Cloud storage is very simple to use. The cloud service(s) you are using on your computer is automatically available. Once you set up the supported cloud services on your computer, they appear as cloud locations in File Explorer, and in both the Virtual Surveyor and Terrain Creator apps. It really is that simple.

File Explorer	Virtual Surveyor/Terrain Creator App

Compatible Cloud Storage Locations. The following cloud service apps are currently supported and automatically available in Virtual Surveyor apps:

	OneDrive
	SharePoint
	Dropbox

Benefits of Working from Cloud Locations

Synchronize Your Files

The cloud service synchronization apps manage access to the files you need and moves projects that you don’t frequently use back to your cloud space to save memory on your local machine. They help streamline your file management process. The synchronization apps:

• Downloads what you need on command so you can work on files locally.
• Uploads any changes you make to files on your local machine.
• Frees up memory by moving unused files back to the cloud. 

Data Follows You

OneDrive and personal Dropbox files automatically appear in File Explorer once you have downloaded the sync app for each respective cloud service. You can access all your data on these sync apps from anywhere:

• Access your projects on any computer you login to with your Virtual Surveyor ID.
• Recent projects are quickly accessible from any computer and can opened from any synced cloud location.

Desktop (in the office)	Laptop (on the go)

Collaborate in Teams

You can work as a team on a Virtual Surveyor project by using team folders, allowing all members to access and contribute to the same project seamlessly.

What is a team folder? A team folder is a shared workspace that is specifically designed for group collaboration. Unlike a regular personal folder that belongs to a single user, a Team Folder is set up and managed at the administrative organizational or team level.

• Learn about Team folders in Dropbox here.
• Learn how to add and remove people from Team Folders in Dropbox here.

How collaboration works. In a team folder, you'll need a person with admin rights that can manage access for team members on specific folders. If you save a project file to a cloud location that you have allowed others to use within a cloud service (Dropbox or OneDrive/SharePoint), a team member can access that Virtual Surveyor or Terrain Creator project file—along with any terrain files that go with it—on their own computer using their Virtual Surveyor ID.

Where are my SharePoint folders? SharePoint folders do not automatically appear in File Explorer. You need to sync them through the Teams app which will make the folders appear in File Explorer. These files can then be managed through the OneDrive sync app in File Explorer.

View Virtual Surveyor project files simultaneously. You can collaborate on Virtual Surveyor projects using the View Only Mode in the Virtual Surveyor app. When a project is currently open on another Virtual Surveyor ID account, you can still view and use analysis tools on the project file. Any ability to edit the project is disabled, but you can still navigate the Timeline and terrains, as well as see any updates made since the last save. 

Share Externally

As an additional bonus of using Cloud Locations to store your project files, you can use your cloud service provider to share your Virtual Surveyor and Terrain Creator project files externally (with other Virtual Surveyor users outside of your company/organization). You can also share any exported .dxf, .csv, and other exported files from Virtual Surveyor with others outside of your organization.

How to share externally. To share files externally, simply go to File Explorer and access a Cloud Location from there. Then use right-click to access the share menu and grant access to project folders to users outside your organization from there. 

Share Externally with Dropbox

Share Externally with OneDrive

Related Video

Tips and Tricks

• Favorite locations. You can use Favorite Locations to gain quick access to project folders on the cloud that you regularly work from.
• Consolidate terrain files to a single folder. Use Copy Terrains to place all project files in a shared folder along with the project file. This ensures that everyone with access to the project file can view the terrain data in the project file.
  • I.e., anyone you share your project file with will not be able to view the terrain data in the project unless you include the terrain files in the same shared project folder as the .vspx file. 
• Auto backup and versioning. Let your cloud service handle historical versions and restore vital information in the project to avoid losing work.