Sharing CAD files

We essentially have had to accept this is going to happen and if we want the work we need to accept it. We do however, require that the client signs a release form releasing us of any liability for its use.

Sharing is a two way street, surely there is something you can offer.

Bartering is a fair exchange.

Wanting, being needy and taking is not acceptable without due compensation.

I always take out the points and useless frozen information an create a "send" file with just line work. Then it is essentially jus a CAD file of the finished plotted paperwork.

Oh that project is archived...we have an XXXX dollar archival retrieval fee and require a release of liability form, where can I send the form?

We give CAD files out all the time without hesitation. I always pull points and our property working layers out. I always leave a DTM in there since its more accurate than the contours. This policy has gotten a lot of engineers to continue working with me since many surveyors around here don't give out files. It makes everyone's life easier including mine. As was said before it's a two way street. We get as many as we give. We get engineering files, architect files and even other survey files (we often give CAD files to other surveyors who are doing layout or something of the sort). It all goes around and I don't mind it. Besides a CAD file is part of just about every engineering contract these days.

Tom

> Now I have another architect asking me for a CAD file and he is shocked that I have such an issue with my proprietary data.
We live in the digital age. Perhaps a better question is what you are doing delivering only paper copies? But it is appropriate to truncate the file for delivery and to specify that it is only for the client's project use.

I do the exact same thing.

I do just about the opposite. Most clients want just a digital copy and I do not send a paper signed/sealed drawing unless they ask for it.
The digital drawings are not signed, so this would reduce my liability IMO.

As it's been said, this is the digital age.

I had an incident where an architect changed a setback from 45' to 30' to accommodate his design. My survey, minus signature (so I knew it was the CAD drawing) and showing the 30' setback was included in his plan set. When I refused to stake the house per his plans and showed my original survey as the reason, the architect literally went back to the drawing board. Damn near got himself sued too.
Sharing CAD files is an important part of working with other professionals for me. I simply require that a PDF of my signed, sealed survey be included as a separate page in the plan set.
I ask them to make an inquiry by email so I can reply with the file. My initial reply states the conditions for the use of my work. When they agree to the terms they get the files.

Allright, don't cry when your CAD files wind up in some GIS Map.

It takes me some time to modify and purge my drawings. I made my own blocks, linetypes and associated shapefile. I would rather not share those nor would I like to supply the support files. I am starting to move all of my base data to two separate drawings XREFd into the final drawing (control and boundary) so it becomes time consuming to modify a plan in order to share it.

Yes, we live in a digital age. It does not mean that we have to share all of the data. I have projects where I share data, the others can just use my PDF.

Back in 2000 we shared a drawing with an architect for a mcmansion. The setbacks allowed one location for the septic. The architect kept turning off the septic to site a pool. He finally stopped when we suggested that there was not enough chlorine or a filter large enough to have both in the same location.

Have you ever had the engineer hire someone else to stake based on work he performed on your file?

We work mostly for production builders, whom, in most cases are the developers as well. Our work begins when the site work is substantially complete. To facilitate our work we always request digital copies of all engineering plans and as- builts and of course the subdivision plat. This was sometimes met with resistance. Why people are so protective of their work is mystifying to me. After all the client (developer) paid for it and therefore is entitled to digital copies of plans etc. From a surveying standpoint I gladly give files to other surveyors anytime they ask.

Sometimes we find errors in subdivision plats and contact the signing surveyor who is usually appreciative. Same for engineering plans but these are usually resolved during site development.

All in all I have found that sharing information lends itself to insuring a smooth running project from start to finish. Just my 0.04’.

Y’all have a great weekend! B-)

> ... I simply require that a PDF of my signed, sealed survey be included as a separate page in the plan set...
I like that. I may borrow that idea.

FL/GA, PLS

Actually we own all the information, paper as well as digital, its in all our contracts.

That said, if asked by another fellow professional for my work, 98.04% of the time, I gladly email them the cad file. The board does not look favorably upon surveyors/engineers releasing CAD files to non-professionals.

Joe

> Allright, don't cry when your CAD files wind up in some GIS Map.
You are right to be concerned about your liability for misuse of your work product. Your architect / engineering clients are right to expect a digital deliverable. The challenge for us is to figure out how to deal with those realities.

> It takes me some time to modify and purge my drawings....
Such time has to be built into your costs. If you don't do it the architect / engineer will have to spend a lot of time jury rigging something that will be sub-optimal. When they figure that out you won't get any more jobs from them - or the people they talk to. It is appropriate to modify your CAD standards to simplify the process. For me, this truncation process consists of turning off certain layers (points, calcs, breaklines, etc) and WBLOCK-ing the parts I want to share to a deliverable dwg. About 5 minutes. I don't use any complex shapes, fonts, linetypes that don't come with a basic installation of ACAD. That is somewhat limiting, but it's what has to be done to facilitate effective teaming.

> ...I have projects where I share data, the others can just use my PDF...
Here is my deliverable process. I keep a Correspondence directory under the [Project] root, subdivided by Incoming and Outgoing, each further subdivided by dates. A deliverable is, in my mind, an outgoing correspondence. I WBLOCK a deliverable dwg file to the appropriate correspondence subdirectory. A pdf of the signed sheet file also goes in, along with any project data files I may be sharing (xml, csv, etc). These then get attached to an email for delivery, and a copy of the email get saved as a .msg (I use Outlook). A printout of that pdf and email go in my paper files. That way I have a record of exactly what was delivered, and when. If the files are too large to transfer via email it's all the same except that the files go on a CD and a copy of the CD goes in the files.

I rarely deliver a paper copy of a topo drawing anymore. Who wants it?

There is some risk that some member of the project team will alter a drawing and cause problems. Choose your friends carefully. But if they do, I will be able to prove exactly what I delivered.

BTW, I don't copy every single email to these correspondence directories, just important ones. NTPs, scope changes, deliverables, etc. I do keep them all in Outlook where I maintain project subfolders.

The subject of my thread was completed 18 months ago with the contractual deliverable being a hard copies.

It was approved by the local Zoning Board of Appeals; the decision was appealed to Court. Now a different architect is working on the project and requesting something different.

same here

I gave my file to a friend for him to tie his topo data to.

Well, when I do a job I often have a number of preliminaries while I get more data. I try, but often don't erase all my old files.

ANYWAY, to make a long story short, I was out of town(medical), and gave him the file I had. I just so happened to have my little laptop with some files, but no cad program to work with them on.

Keep in mind, this file was ONLY to reconcile his topo. The deed for this property was recorded and the only reason for the file was to make things easier on him.

ANYWAY . . . after a while, there comes to be a big brewhaw over a couple of calls on the property(but quite a bit away from the construction), about a line that went to a point about 2' away from where it should've been. The topo data was reconciled, but the 2' disagreed with the recorded description

This point was actually as point from a different survey about 15 or more years earlier when I set a point on one side of a fence to get a pin on the other . . . about 2' away.

ANYWAY, my complete data-set has now made it to the architect and the architect was told my data was in error and all hell breaks loose over this point 800 feet away, in the woods.

To make things worse, the other surveyor located 6(I think 6), pins that were shown on my recorded survey and told me that 5 of the pins were "off" by 2-3 feet. I was certain this couldn't be, since I had located these same pins a number of time using GPS and traditional methods(some of the pins actually had as many as 4, separate, but very close(a few hundreths), locations).

After I looked at his data for these 6 pins(?), I see that, in actuality 5 pins are all good and agree very closely while one pin is off by a few feet. Just so happened the one pin that was off was at the corner of a fellow who had graded his ENTIRE property, not long before, with a bulldozer. In fact, I remember driving past and thinking to myself that he's probably knocked all his pins out. I think his crew chose the one pin(which was closest to their setup), that actually was disturbed to establish a new backsite, and never looked at the relative location of the other five pins.

Now, I'm being told I have to certify the topo to the architect because of this relatively unimportant point/pin about 800+ feet away, in the woods were it has absolutely no bearing on the topo or subsequent construction. I mean EVERYONE is in an uproar over this 2', on my own cad file, which was resolved before the deed filing.

In hindsite, I shouldn't have given the file and should've told him to just use the recorded description.

So much for doing a favor. This has left me really, really sour that these operatives wanted me, over this ridiculous 2' somethingorother, to now certify this other surveyor's work that it now more fully(?), agrees with the actual location of the pin, 800' from the construction area where it has absolutely no bearing on that construction and isn't in the recorded description . . . had I only told the other surveyor to forget it, just use the recorded description.

No good deed goes un-punished.

Keep your data safely away from other people and only release what you've actually signed and certified to.

> The subject of my thread was completed 18 months ago with the contractual deliverable being a hard copies...Now a different architect is working on the project and requesting something different.
These are very important tidbits of information. You have a right to expect to be paid at least a reasonable T&M to recover and format these new deliverables. A redo of your map-in-hand check is also appropriate, and you should be paid for that. You may even be able to argue that the survey prepared 18 months ago is not suitable for the intended new purpose and refuse to deliver on that basis.

But I still think, in general, that you should know that sharing CAD files is the expected normal, and conduct yourself accordingly.

Signed PDF goes along with the cad file as an Archive of what was sent , every job .