How many of you regularly use the import drawing file feature of MF? Could it be of use to me when searching for property corners? Sometimes it's a little tough to find property corners on large sweeping curves with little or no clues of occupation.
Import drawing file is my bread and butter. I use it for all kinds of things you never dreamed of. Yes you can and I do bring property lines in using it. You can bring in 2D or 3D lines, road profiles, alignments, cross sections, surfaces, etc.
@field-dog not sure on that. If you want linework on the data collector then importing a cad file is the easiest way for me. But I see what you mean with a pdf. You can likely bring it in as a background image but you’ll need to georeference it.
I found a PDF to DWG converter at Microsoft Apps ( https://apps.microsoft.com). I'm going to experiment with it. Please see the attached PNG files.
If the PDF is vectors, then Magnet will import the PDF and convert it to CAD lines. For raster PDF you I import the PDF into Microstation align it with a horizontal spc datum. Then export it to jpg with the jpw. This cam now be added as a background image in Magnet Field and in Trimble Access or Siteworks.
@field-dog if you have access to Civil3d that can also covert a vector pdf to CAD objects. I do that a lot as well.
Is this a vector PDF document?
Nope, that's definitely a raster PDF.
Vector PDFs are defined by and created from linework i.e., CAD programs. This subdivision plat is from 1956...which I believe actually predates CAD itself.
Nope, that's definitely a raster PDF.
Then I have to georeference, if that's the correct word to use, the raster image? In practice, does that mean importing it into QGIS, for example, and orienting it to two or more SPC points on the ground?
Should reference it to grid. Can do this with Microstation.
In practice, does that mean importing it into QGIS, for example, and orienting it to two or more SPC points on the ground?
There are multiple methods for georeferencing/orienting PDFs. Honestly with an older scanned-in PDF that was hand-drafted, you're going to have distortion both from the drafting and from the scanning process (more from the latter), so in that case sometimes a true rubbersheet method in GIS software will get you closer to the mark. Most of the time I can get away with a translate/rotate/scale routine in C3D.
But that's only if you can get "real-world" values to relate those pixels to. Fencelines from aerials? Road centerlines? Monument cases that are visible in Google Earth (my favorite)? Observed survey points? That last one means going to the field before you can get the georeferencing done.
Honestly most of the time it's only intended to be approximate, so if you can get it close you're good to go. Just be aware that there are lots of ways to go about it, so use whatever works for you.
