Does C3D support alpha numerical point numbers?

C3D is funny that way.  Each point has a number and a name.  The number needs to be an integer while the name can be alpha numeric.  It seems to me that the name used to need to begin with a letter but I recently installed v2025 and the name can also be an integer and/or start with one.

@john-putnam I guess that's the work around, code whatever I need into the name/description rather than the point number.

I am not a civil 3d guru at all. I used alpha numeric a lot. We had Trimble gear and TBC for office. All of that data ended up the typical points file csv or txt into civil 3d . If your use to using the alpha like I was for control and property corners and other important task here is what I did. We used alpha in collector and a code or description. Inside of tbc i had a OPUS-1 northing easting elevation nail set. I made a custom export that added an additional field the order doesn’t matter. So now blank field. Opus north east elev nail set. I just used excel and placed a # a place holder if you will auto increment in that blank column. Then inside civil 3d I created a custom import. Then the true gurus did some labeling magic so I never saw the point number just my opus-1 so to speak. But I have been told that there is a set somewhere that solves this but it is clunky. 

In C3D the 'name' is a unique point identifier just like the point 'number'.  Each point actually has both a 'number and 'name'.  You can create a file import type that includes the name vs the number or both.  I'm not really up on the specifics since primarily utilized integer point numbers.  Once populated, labels can be modified to use the 'name' if so desired.

Trimble is alpha numeric friendly but Civil3d is not.

In my experience, we would just use the point description to add the letter(s) needed so Civil3d didn't wig out. We don't use point names so the number and description are the driving force.

@squirl I’m coming from being more or less being a complete Trimble shop from start to finish for last 20 + years, to using a complete mish mash of Topcon robot, iGage receivers being run with SurvPC on Topcon tablets and C3D for drafting and surfaces. To say the learning curve is steep, is a slight understatement. My new mantra, from pain …will come pleasure.

@williwaw 

As my former PC liked to say, "nothing but a hill to a high stepper!"

Long time Civi3d user here and unless you have someone that knows the ropes and all the proper setups i would not use alpha numeric.  Just use point numbers and modify your codes in a manner that suites your needs.  That's what we do and have not had any issues.  With that aside, i would like better alpha numeric functionality in CIvil3d, but it simply isn't there.

@wa-id-surveyor I'm early into this C3D beast trying to work out the settings and work flow. Can you point me to the best way to translate and rotate cogo and surveyed points? This beast is altogether different from anything I'm use to. As it stands I'm going in through the Toolspace Tab to Survey and trying to work it out from there. Ideally I want to be able to lock down surveyed points and be able to translate/rotate comp points and associated line work. It would appear through my perusal of what's available on Youtube that the 'Survey Databases' is the place to start.

@williwaw all survey points should be in their final location prior to importing to any files through the survey database.  We do all our adjustments prior to importing.  However, if you must use Civil3d to rotate points you will have to import them outside of the survey database through teh import points pulldown.  Then you can move/rotate/scale them to your hearts content.  We do that about once a year

Otherwise, once they are imported through the database they cannot be moved at all(our preferred method as it makes things much safer data wise.

@wa-id-surveyor Two questions. First, what do you use for any point manipulation prior to import into C3D and second, I'm piecing together that points in C3D co-exist two separate locations within C3D, in the drawing and separately in the database. Is this accurate and could you elaborate? I'm just trying to get a better handle on how points are handled in this program and quietly muttering prayers that I can eventually convince the powers that be to allow me a seat of Carlson Survey. It's my understanding that for engineering type work, surfaces and so forth, C3D is the better tool, but I'm finding for general day to day survey purposes, it's not.

Posted by: @williwaw

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points in C3D co-exist two separate locations within C3D, in the drawing and separately in the database.

They can. I minimize my use of the survey database. You can import the points directly to the drawing - from a csv or txt file - where they are Cogo Points, without any connection to a Survey Database. These Cogo Points can be manipulated in various ways within the drawing, some of these ways being common AutoCAD functions. 

To run F2f you do need to make use of a Survey Database. This I do by importing drawing cogo points to said database from the drawing.  In this way the Survey database exists but solely as a function of what is in the drawing file. Personally, I do no point manipulation in the survey database. 

IF...IF...IF...you import points to your drawing from, or via, a Survey database they become Survey Points which can only be manipulated via the Survey Database functionality. This prevents other users who have no access to the survey database from messing with your survey points. Which may be nice but it does make things more complicated for you.  

@norman-oklahoma Thanks. That helps a lot. It threw me having my points as both cogo points in the drawing and survey points in the database, why the two were not working together. It does not appear to be a dynamic relationship. Some things I have to learn the hard way. For my immediate needs I'll avoid the network and database route and stick with cogo points and just use the basic CAD commands to manipulate things. I tell all the girls (as if they're lined up around the block), I may be slow, but I'm goooood. Cheers!

We use TBC Enterprise but our designers are all using C3D 2025.  Alpha point names is not an issue, but you'll need to watch some YouTube videos relating to Point Labels and Point Styles.  Additionally, you'll need to create an import option, similar to PNEZD or PENZD, and replace Point Number with Point Name.  C3D will still assign a point number to your imports, but with a custom Point Label, you can view the Point Names on your screen.  On average, a basic C3D template for survey data will take around forty hours to develop if you have familiarity with AutoDesk. 

You also need to watch a video about Description Keys.  When you have them setup in your template, they'll recognize when you import a Point Description, such as IPF, and automatically assign your symbol for an Iron Pipe Found. High level C3D users can make the survey data base work, but most users will have better luck exporting field data linework from their DC.  I would sooner buy an old version of StarNet as try to make least squares work in efficiently in C3D.

Good luck

@murphy Brilliant. Thank you. 

I have to say that all of your responses are a large part of why I value Wendell's work on this forum so highly. 

Cheers to all of you.

Posted by: @murphy

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most users will have better luck exporting field data linework from their DC

The F2f in C3d does take some effort to set up. Templates & Styles at a minimum.  Descriptor Keys to sort points to layers and marker styles per their descriptors. Figure Prefix Database, Linework Code Set if you want to do F2f. Once all that is done the F2f works very well. Without those things set up C3d would be a nightmare.