When you import the points, do you set the markers at elevation or at 0? Sorry about so many questions, just trying to get a good handle on this.
BlitzkriegBob, post: 399647, member: 9554 wrote: do you set the markers at elevation or at 0?
I have the points also set to flatten to zero. But the survey figures are drawn from data in the survey database, not from drawing point to drawing point.
Okay, I'm at home and don't have Civil 3D here but here's something that might work. Going from memory so hopefully I'm not too far off. I would make a rectangle around the survey, at elevation 0. Create a surface from that rectangle. I think on the Modify ribbon, there should be an Edit Elevations panel. Within there I think there is an Elevations from Surface option. Choose your Elevation 0 surface. I believe you will get an option to select multiple objects. Do that, and then select your desired survey figures. Finish the command, and I think that might work. Worth a shot anyway.
Mark,
I just tried the above method and it works. Try it out and see if that satisfies your needs. BTW, I unchecked the box to add intermediate points during the Elevations from Surface command. Not sure it matters but that's what I did. I also forgot to use the Multiple option. I think that mattered at one point, but in 2017 you can still select your objects one at a time during the command. Did not try a crossing window as I still had all my layers on. You could isolate the layers you want to change.
Thanks, Bob. That is a great recovery process.
I am still looking for programmatic, process oriented solution. One which would eliminate the need for great recoveries.
I dislike using survey figures for that exact reason. I assume you use C3D's survey database to import the data? (I dislike that as well).
Have you tried editing the "figure style properties" for fence lines and wall lines? So that they default to elevation zero regardless of the point elevation?
If you have one figure style for everything, it might be a good idea to create some new ones so you can control how they behave.
Trundle, post: 400425, member: 12120 wrote: If you have one figure style for everything, it might be a good idea to create some new ones so you can control how they behave.
I have many figure styles. Some set to flatten to zero, some 3d. I also have many point styles ,some flattened to zero and some 3d.
Trundle, post: 400425, member: 12120 wrote: I dislike using survey figures for that exact reason. I assume you use C3D's survey database to import the data?
I dislike the Survey database and figures also. But the survey database must be used if F2f in C3d is going to be used. I am a big proponent of F2f, and F2f in C3d means Survey Figures. I wouldn't be using Survey Figures if I wasn't forced to by the F2f routine. And IMO, if a person is doing topo it is absurd to not be using F2f.
Trundle, post: 400425, member: 12120 wrote: Have you tried editing the "figure style properties" for fence lines and wall lines? So that they default to elevation zero regardless of the point elevation?
You can set the figure style to flatten to zero if you like. The figures will still be at the point elevations. The appearance of the linestyle will be as if it is flattened but that's it. The vertices are still at elevation and when you explode the "flattened" figure you will have a 3d polyline. Explode it again and you will have 3d lines.
I'm looking for a programmatic solution. Not a fix. I'm looking to maximize my employers $7k investment in Civil3d before I recommend spending more money on Sincpac or Carlson. It appears that what I have been doing (flattening the data points prior to import) is the best available solution within those parameters. If only setting the figure style to flatten figures to zero actually did what we all assume it should do. It doesn't.
Mark Mayer, post: 400437, member: 424 wrote: I'm looking for a programmatic solution. Not a fix. I'm looking to maximize my employers $7k investment in Civil3d before I recommend spending more money on Sincpac or Carlson. It appears that what I have been doing (flattening the data points prior to import) is the best available solution within those parameters. If only setting the figure style to flatten figures to zero actually did what we all assume it should do. It doesn't.
Other than using a 3rd party field processing software (which is great, but also has its own problems) my best suggestion would be to explode all figures, convert 3d polylines to 2d polylines, (this command is under the "grading" menu) then set the polyline elevation to zero (for all polylines). This way you end up with regular plain vanilla polylines, at zero elevation.
I would also set all points to come in at zero elevation, just for consistency's sake. Then to build a surface, you can use proximity breaklines (which also make editing the surface far easier).
That process takes about 2 minutes (it should be the first "step" after importing the survey data) and the end result is a drawing with everything "flattened" to zero elevation. It won't effect your surface, and will actually make the drawing size little smaller.
If your client needs those 3d lines for some reason, you could create a block after your first explode of the figures and then re-insert that block after.
Unfortunately, I don't know of another way to do what you are looking for.
Mark Mayer, post: 399715, member: 424 wrote: I am still looking for programmatic, process oriented solution. One which would eliminate the need for great recoveries.
I do not knopw what you import at first in C3d. If these are point lists and not fieldbooks can't you preprocess them and replace these elevations with a 0-value or skip the elevation value and make it a 2d-point. If you can fix it in Excel there's surely a way to program it.
For our own workflow we have severall ways
add a DNC code (Don Not Contour), or a '-' minus before the pointnr. and these points only have E,N
Sometimes we have to scan our fieldbook files for reflectorless shots ... these lines have prism constants = 0
Chr.
Mark Mayer, post: 399533, member: 424 wrote:
I'm familiar with Sincpac and what it can do. I'd just rather not add that overhead. I'll check out the LISP you linked but I suspect that it is going to remove any curves from the figures.
The $350 sincpac cost will more than make up for the the cost in one week, believe me. Its a 2 click process, maybe one, to convert figures into 2d polylines.
christ lambrecht, post: 400877, member: 284 wrote: I do not know what you import at first in C3d. If these are point lists and not fieldbooks can't you preprocess them and replace these elevations with a 0-value or skip the elevation value and make it a 2d-point.
That is pretty much what I am doing now, and it looks more and more like that's as good as it gets.
Ok, I hope this post of mine can help some of you guys out with the Civil 3d Survey Figures problem.
Here is how I have figured out getting around the messy survey figures.
1. In Civil 3d, we use Import Survey Data, create a new database for the job.
2. Import points from a .txt file
3. We bring survey figures in along with the points
4. Once all the points and linework has been brought in, we will use a .lisp routine that I had found somewhere (not sure where or who to give credit to) to convert survey figures into polylines.
5. You just basically select everthing in your drawing and type in "figure2poly" and it converts all figures to polylines and keeps elevations at points.
6. Once this happens though, it basically puts a polyline on top of your survey figure lines. So easiest thing to do is to go to prospector tab, survey, then right click on figures and select remove from drawing.
7. And BAM, all thats left is polylines left in the drawing and it even keeps the layers correct.
So, I have the .lisp I could share if thats acceptable and possible, but not sure how to share on this site? Can i upload a file, or just copy and paste the text?
Autodesk: making surveyors perform work arounds for decades
Autodesk: "The next version is really going to address the survey issues"
