Shaping points, useful or not ?

 

I decided to put this up on the Garmin postings, though I had added it on to a current thread already not particularily about shaping points.
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Allright now, I monkeyed around with my 2797 for about 2-3 hours to see what these shaping points are all about.

First thing I found out it appears you cannot do it with an existing route. It seems that it has to be a NEWLY created route.Even though in an existing route there is a yellow flag next to the waypoint.

I also found out that a shaping point can be reverted back to a waypoint by clicking the odd symbol for the shaping point.
THIS IS OR WAS NOT MENTIONED BY ANY OF OUR KIND CONTRIBUTORS !!!

I am also wondering about the usefulness of shaping points. Apparently a shaping point will not give you an audible clue that you have to be aware of a change in the route. Would that mean you now need to keep an eye on the GPS screen for route direction changes? In my opinion that is useless if you are traveling in unfamiliar territory.
At least a waypoint gives you a warning as to what is about to happen.

Any comments ?

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Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

Shaping points

Typically, when making custom routes, when I drag the route to a different road or intersection, BaseCamp places a waypoint with a waypoint flag there. This will announce as I approach it. Actually it's kinda annoying, since there is not really a waypoint or a turn there. And if I have had to put quite a few in place along my custom route, the screen gets cluttered with flags and announcements that serve no useful purpose to me.

If I double-click to open the route list in BaseCamp, I can multi-select these waypoints and then right-click and turn them into shaping points. The unnecessary flags and announcements for them go away. Yes, you can change them in BaseCamp after the route has been saved.

Note that not all Nuvi's support this. I could never get this to work properly on my older 760. By that I mean BaseCamp would say they were shaping points and would not announce, but the 760 still showed flags and announced them anyway. Works perfectly on the newer 65LM, though.

Having

Having to have a "newly created" route in order to make the changes you are referring to isn't the case on a 3597. I have taken a number of Trip Planner trips that I have created months ago and changed waypoints to shaping point. In addition as a FYI none of those trips were originally created on the Nuvi. All of them were created using Tyre and transferred to the device.

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Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

I agree with JohnC. I use a

I agree with JohnC. I use a Zumo 590 for motorcycling and also use it in the car. When I want a custom route to enjoy back-roads, I plan a route in Basecamp and convert the waypoints to shaping points.

By using shape points (or vias), I don't fill up the GPS with useless Waypoints that I have to see when viewing "Favorites" for a destination. The resulting route is uncluttered without the waypoint flags and there are no announcements for shape points. I'll be doing this for some leaf-peeping trips I'm planning over the next few weeks.

If you don't want to follow the default GPS routing algorithm, you need shaping points or a series of waypoints/destinations. Shape points are far better except for locations that you want to schedule a stop or be aware of a landmark or attraction.

Well ?

Ok, I do a drive over 2,500 miles and sometimes even longer every fall and return in the spring.

In order for me to go the route I WANT TO TAKE, I have to override the sometimes ridiculous routings Garmin presents me, I have to use several waypoints to use MY route and force Garmin to follow that.

I have seen Garmin add several hundred absolutely un-necessary miles to a route.

Now if all of these waypoints (Maybe 20) were changed to shaping points, what will tell me when to go from this highway to that ?

Do I constantly have to eyeball the screen ? Are there still audible clues given to go from this to that highway ?

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Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

Shaping points

Melaqueman wrote:

Do I constantly have to eyeball the screen ? Are there still audible clues given to go from this to that highway ?

No, it just routes you that way, same as with any other routing that it does. When you drag a route from one highway to another, you'll immediately see it change the magenta routing lines.

Waypoints serve a purpose

Waypoints serve a purpose when you want to hear an announcement. Include a few in the route. In Basecamp you can give the waypoints custom names that can act as an announcement. The vias or shape points just ensure your route stays on the roads you intended.

Another tip is to ensure your Recalculation method is set correctly. If you want to strictly follow the route you plan, turn automatic recalculation off. That way, if you miss a turn, the GPS will take you back to the planned route. With automatic recalculation on, the GPS may take you to the next via point on an alternate route, or skip a via point.

Learning to use Basecamp is fundamental to efficient routing. An excellent tutorial was authored by Ed Conde, and you can have it for free. http://www.newenglandriders.org/Learn_BaseCamp_PC.pdf If you follow that tutorial, you will learn Basecamp without the usual frustrating learning curve.

Ya got that right

GPS_Rider wrote:

Learning to use Basecamp is fundamental to efficient routing. An excellent tutorial was authored by Ed Conde, and you can have it for free. http://www.newenglandriders.org/Learn_BaseCamp_PC.pdf If you follow that tutorial, you will learn Basecamp without the usual frustrating learning curve.

Thanks for the Basecamp tutorial, loading it down as I write this, slower than molasses though. Actually in 5 minutes it just sits at page 1 !

As for shaping points, my next short trip I will have to set up using shaping points to see what it will actaully show me and what I'll hear.

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Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

Shaping points, useful or not ?

Call me old fashion. When I plan a trip on Trip Planner, I will follow it since I know where it will take me. If I have to go off my route and do a little sight seeing, I normally use the map to follow the new route. When I am done I will do Go To and pick a destination to get back on the Route. I have never gotten lost by using the GPS the way I want to use it.

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3790LMT; 2595LMT; 3590LMT, 60LMTHD

Follow Garmin ?

rthibodaux wrote:

Call me old fashion. When I plan a trip on Trip Planner, I will follow it since I know where it will take me. If I have to go off my route and do a little sight seeing, I normally use the map to follow the new route. When I am done I will do Go To and pick a destination to get back on the Route. I have never gotten lost by using the GPS the way I want to use it.

I'll give you an example where if I would have followed the sometimes useless GPS directions.

Every winter I drive to about 140 miles south of Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. I cross the border in Laredo and then head south. Now I KNOW which way I should be going !

The GPS wanted me just somewhere south of Nuevo Laredo to head east almost as far as to the Gulf of Mexico, then go south for about 100 miles and then swing west again to take me to where I should really have ended up in the first place. That "detour" would have added about 400 or so useless extra miles.

Would you still be following the GPS with wrong directions like that? I have more situations similar to that where my knowledge of the route I should be taking is far better than the GPS's. I kinda use the GPS to reinforce directions.

OK now back to the shaping points.

I done what I should have done in the first place. Set up a route with shaping points and then use the "Simulator" to take me on that route.

That has answered me what I was leery of not getting anymore, which are the audible directions. They are still there ! I do have to agree that the flags not being there is a bonus.

But on my very long drives I will also have to leave my overnight stops as waypoints so I can set them up for "Duration" and departure times.

So thanks all for any help rendered.

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Nuvi 2797LMT, DriveSmart 50 LMT-HD, Using Windows 10. DashCam A108C with GPS.

Shaping Points

I like shaping points. I don't like to be bugged by waypoints when all I needed was to change roads.

i think shaping points are

i think shaping points are useful

I also like

shaping points. I use them on virtually every planned route.

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(2) Nuvi 1450LMT + 3597LMTHD + 2557LMT + DS61LMT-S Boston MA