Question about practical differences between via/way/ shaping points

Yes, you create shaping points when you click on roadpoints that are not user waypoints or POIs (business etc.). You need to zoom in close enough in order to avoid clicking on POIs. You could also try to remove the POIs from the map (edit Activity Profile, Map Display Features). Note that not all GPSs support non-announcement of shaping points. My Zumo does, my Montana does not.

Thanks.

My GPS is a Nuvi 550*. I have no idea how it performs with Basecamp yet. :rolleyes:

I haven't yet transferred any routes to my GPS, but I'm making up a couple of convoluted test routes and will be trying them out on the road soon. I figure my learning curve will be a bit more manageable if I take things one step at a time...Creating routes being the first item.

More to the heart of my question:
On a long, complex route, the very reason I'm hoping to become familiar with Basecamp, let's say I get lazy and instead of substituting a shaping point, I just leave Joe's Auto Repair as the via/way? point...Or if I neglect to change Joe's Auto Repair to a shaping point....

Am I still merrily on my way? I would think that it would make no practical difference of getting me to my destination along the route I've chosen, but I'd rather find out in the comfy warmth of my home than in the currently cold and rainy weather on my motorcycle.

*I should mention that years ago, I was a MapSource user. This is not all new to me. However, I subsequently lost the program in a computer crash and never bothered reloading it. Recently I decided to get back with the program, so to speak, and found Basecamp was the new flavor, a flavor that would turn out to be a acquired taste. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I resolved to learn how to use it over the cold-weather season so I'd be adept at it when the weather warms back up. I was able to plan complex routes in MapSource literally within hours of first use, so Basecamp came as a bit of a shock. It does more, but it's obvious that I'll have to learn more to use it properly...hence all these little questions. Please bear with me. :D

More to the heart of my question:
On a long, complex route, the very reason I'm hoping to become familiar with Basecamp, let's say I get lazy and instead of substituting a shaping point, I just leave Joe's Auto Repair as the via/way? point...Or if I neglect to change Joe's Auto Repair to a shaping point....

Am I still merrily on my way? I would think that it would make no practical difference of getting me to my destination along the route I've chosen, but I'd rather find out in the comfy warmth of my home than in the currently cold and rainy weather on my motorcycle.

This happens to me a lot, and I usually just leave the POI's in there. What will sometimes happen, though, is that the POI is very slightly off the route/road, and you may get an instruction like "turn right and go 100 feet to "?"

One way to avoid this is to zoom in really tight when checking the route and if there is a short side line or a loop, then use the move point tool or the erase tool to get rid of the off route anomaly. Or you can just ignore the voice (not an issue if you are not using audio) since you can see plainly at your zoom level where you need to go. If you move a POI, it will retain the name, but will no longer take you sideways.

If you have purchased CNNA, the easiest way to create routes is to use as few shaping/via/waypoints as possible that still allows you to get the route to go where desired. This just takes time and practice, but you will not get all the undesired alerts, and won't have to go over every one and tell it not to alert. The more convoluted and complex the route, especially on back roads, the more likely autorouting will require a lot of editing. It's just the nature of the Navteq technology.

Being too lazy may drive you crazy.....:rolleyes::D

Actually, I'm not really lazy about routing...More like desperately inquisitive. If I'm gonna spend a few hours planning a very specific route, I'd like to make sure I'm getting it right. I was curious to see what would happen if I missed something.

OK, So I know now that quick and dirty routing will still get me to my destination, but I may be required to perform some silly sidewise riding antics along the way. :rolleyes:

Luckily, I can get a quick look at the route properties and pick out where I need to make corrections. Drawing in for an extreme close-up on some of those uncorrected points, I can see exactly what you mean: I saw a couple of little side trips that weren't visible from further out.

I was surprised that the name of a point is retained when it's moved...Joe's Auto Service is now in the middle of an intersection. If that bothers me, I suppose I could erase the point in question and substitute the proper one, though.

OK...Good stuff. Thanks to all.

Now, onward to my next dilemma, whatever that may be. :)

When I create a route, I start by creating a rough outline of where I want to go. Then I go back and fill in the fine details, back roads, generally shaping points. I ad additional points instead of moving them. This way I stand a good chance of it being a shaping point, and not announced, instead of the waypoint. At this point I ignore how many points I am using. Once I am happy whit the route as it exists, I go to the next stage. The final stage is to remove as many points as I can while keeping the integrity of the desired route intact.

Yes it can take a little time, however I have been very happy with the results. Depending on what route, and how much I want to micromanage the routing,determines the length of time the route takes.

On a long, complex route, the very reason I'm hoping to become familiar with Basecamp, let's say I get lazy and instead of substituting a shaping point, I just leave Joe's Auto Repair as the via/way? point...Or if I neglect to change Joe's Auto Repair to a shaping point....

Am I still merrily on my way? I would think that it would make no practical difference of getting me to my destination along the route I've chosen, but I'd rather find out in the comfy warmth of my home than in the currently cold and rainy weather on my motorcycle.

Good question. The answer is yes...there is no practical difference between a shaping point or a via point other than it will be announced as you approach it while routing with your nuvi. And you're correct, if you click on a POI with the routing tool that would typically be considered a via point, not a shaping point.

.....

I was surprised that the name of a point is retained when it's moved...Joe's Auto Service is now in the middle of an intersection. If that bothers me, I suppose I could erase the point in question and substitute the proper one, though.

....

It is unfortunate that BaseCamp retains the name of point that is moved. Mapsource did not do that. The problem is that even though I move a point to an intersection in BaseCamp it will still be announced and flagged on the Zumo. I wish the BaseCamp developers would fix that and make BaseCamp behave as Mapsource in that respect.