Knowledge Base

This is in regards to creating custom Symbols for SurvCE 2.5 and above. This procedure is for data collectors without a high resolution screen.
Here is the link to the PDF document with screenshots:
 Creating Customized Symbols
Scroll down to the Bottom of this article to find the two Attached sample files mentioned below.
You can create your own custom symbols by making a *.DXF drawing and *.BMP bitmap image and copying both of these files into your Data Collector under the SurvStar folder by opening the "Symbols" subfolder and copying them into a Predefined folder such as "TREE" or "INLET" or creating your own subfolder such as "SurvStarSymbolsCUSTOM"
The DXF and BMP file must have the exact same filename where only the file extension is unique.

The DXF file is usually composed of lines, lwpolylines, polylines, circles, arcs, centered at 0,0 coordinates. (to minimize the size of the file we recommend saving it in DXF R12 format). The entities must be stored on the layer "0". The Feature Code Layer will be used when saving each one of the entities that make-up the symbol.
The BMP image file has to be 14x14 pixels, monochrome, 16 color BMP, or 256 color BMP. Higher resolution images, such as 24 bit or 32 bit, are not valid. It is recommended to use only one color in the BMP bitmap image which will be used to draw the symbol's preview.

The file "custom_tree.bmp" is a sample symbol, complex enough to see how the system works.
It also requires the file "custom_tree.dxf"
If you were to copy these two sample files "custom_tree.bmp" and "custom_tree.dxf" into the "SurvStarSymbolsTREE" folder then in SurvCE you can use File / Feature Code List and create or edit a Feature such as "TR" then tap "Set Symbols" and set the Pulldown in the upper left to "TREE" and select the "custom_tree" symbol displayed and tap Green Check to save your changes.
The next time you are in Survey / Store Points and you store a point with the TR it will create the symbol in your map.
Visit Carlson Knowledgebase Article 724 for an extensive collection of pre-defined symbols.