For example, when I draw a line between cogo points at fence corner locations, I get a 3d line.
I've had osnapz set from the beginning, I've used Flatten, and I tried to change the "z" element in the Properties, but it usually only lets me change one of z's and not the other.
How do you guys make sure you are not going to draw any dangerous "sloped" lines?
Thanks,
Steve (using C3D 2010)
any points that are not going to be used for determining a tin surface should be dropped to zero before drawing linework. use the change elevation and absolute. or if you dont want to adjust your point elevation type .xy before you pick your node. the command line will say need z and you type 0. also 2d polylines hold the same elevation you start them at.
Doug
Thanks Doug,
Regarding your .xy suggestion, I sounds like should use that when drawing a line, circle, etc off of the elevated Cogo pt, or any elevated entity.
Regarding this suggestion: any points that are not going to be used for determining a tin surface should be dropped to zero before drawing linework. use the change elevation and absolute.
Question: is this done before the ascii text file is imported? Can you tell me where the
change elevation and absolute setting is found?
Thank you Doug, I appreciate it.
-Steve
Yes Steve, you could just drop the elevation off before you import, but that can be tedious depending on your editor or size of file. You could export without the elevation but make sure the import in autocad is set up the same way.
If you pick all the points that you want to drop to zero, right click and there will be a pick box that has change elevation on that menu. check absolute and type 0 in that box.
the .xy is old school autocad. you can use that whenever you want to set the elevation of the line, circle, arc, etc.
Doug
Thanks Doug, I will give that a try.
-Steve
Easier Answer
Go to your prospector under toolspace, select the group of points you are working with, or even allpoints, right click, select properties. Edit the point style. Click on 3d geometry and change the point display mode to "flatten points to elevation".
There is no reason to keep your point nodes on 3d elevation. The surface modelling routine can read the elevation data from the point database.
Not sure how to make a 2D line with a 0 elevation from a 3D node but what we do before we import or create the points
Toolspace>settings>pointstyles>edit>3DGeometry>flatten>to zero elevation
Also it is clumsy but you could use quick select and select all lines and see/edit what the start and end elevation is for all the lines in the drawing.
Are you saying you have OSNAPZ set to 1, and you're STILL getting lines with slopes...?
I don't use OSNAPZ=1 very often, but I've never seen that behavior. OSNAPZ=1 always gives me pick points with Elev = 0.
Do you see this a lot? Have you noticed anything in particular that causes it, such as it only happens with certain running osnaps, or when snapping to certain objects, or anything like that?
Easier Answer
We actually prefer leaving our points at elevation. That way the NOD osnap will get the actual elevation. We also have a third-party inverse routine, which returns much more useful information for us Civil types than the DIST command, such as 2D distance, 3D distance, slope and grade between points, and more. So we like having things at elevation. Also, working in 3D makes it possible to look at 3D Orbits of things, which makes a lot of otherwise-obscure problems jump right out.
Another apparent advantage to using an external coordinate database.
JRL
The location of coordinate databases doesn't have anything to do with this issue...
I'm just wondering if perhaps it's caused by the fact that OSNAPZ is kind of a "transient" variable...? In other words, it is not remembered in either the drawing or the registry, and it gets reset to 0 every time you shut down and restart Autocad. Seems like this could potentially cause you to think you have OSNAPZ=1, when it's actually set to 0, because (for example) Autocad crashed and you forgot you restarted it...
I've read about the issue with the OSNAPZ setting and the DIST command on the Autodesk discussion groups. Apparently it is a known issue, and I believe it is limited to the DIST command only.
The only issue I know of is with the PERP osnap - it incorrectly snaps to 3D lines and polylines (but correctly snaps to Survey Figures and Feature Lines).
Andy Nold
Andy,
That is fantastic! Life just got way easier here in Florida. 🙂
I appreciate it,
Steve
Thank you Robert.
-Steve
