Worked with this UK survey company this past year and glad to announce they have released their FREE plugin to publish Civil 3D designs for geometry and corridor models to their NRG Survey application for efficient data transfer for Survey Setting Out Engineers
Nice work and a good example of how two companies can work together to find a solution for our joint customers and users with a little API !
Click here to download from the Autodesk Exchange Store
Following the scan of the site from the previous blog post, it was decided to work on a more detailed topographical survey of the site.
So getting my hands dirty again with some survey equipment I took a loan from Topcon again and this time I used a IS-3 total station
Back on site I was able to pick up from the GPS points I captured on my last trip as I was using the same logger.
I could then resection these points to position the equipment survey station and set myself on UK survey ordnance survey coordinates.
So running around the site with the robotic total station following me around was really easy and use of the video camera on board was handy when finding myself through the deep tree coverage.
There are many outputs when it comes to survey, but if you have worked in this method a simple csv file is perfect and simple to understand.
(FBK format is only required if analysis and error reductions are needed.)
Back in AutoCAD Civil 3D, I refined the figure prefix library that I have in the UK and Ireland country kit with some names like ‘BOB’ :) (bottom of bank)
When you bring data through survey in AutoCAD Civil 3D, if you have named your codes in the library, linework automatically draws. You can easily control the linework by adding additional linework coding on the instrument on site, or like me lazy or simply forget, adding these codes back in Civil 3D is easy enough and update the linework.
Hard to see here, but double coding this line from a fence line to a wall on the same point, rather than multiple points can be used.
Here now I can carry out a surface from the data, create contours …
Also I combined in the mapping of the area for a little context and used the map tools to boundary trim out the extents of the survey.
If you are using 2014, set your coordinate system and type ‘Geomap’ and bing mapping will stream down into your session.
Handy to check that you at least setup the equipment correctly.
Finishing off and creating a traditional 2D drawing output from the data with a grid, north point and drawing border, well that is automatic in most AutoCAD’s knowledge :)
Been great to pickup survey equipment again and to get out the wellies and trudge around a site and produce something to be used to get funds in place to give the kids somewhere to have fun again to camp out when it eventually dries out.
Many thanks to Topcon and Faro for the loan of the kit.
(other survey and scanning equipment are available and work well with Autodesk technologies, these are just what were made available to me for this exercise)
Jack Strongitharm
Hi
Lately I have come across a few companies trying to achieve nice looking maps over existing conditions, using the new Survey tools in AutoCAD Civil 3D.
After some initial work they end up with Points and Linework on screen, but it might not look as they prefere.
As many of you are already aware there are a lot of Styles and Settings to get a nice looking map. Point Styles, Survey Figureline Styles, Linework codeset, Description keys…. and where do we find them?
I did a small guide for a company which helped out and I thought I could publish the brief notes from that below. Please be aware that this is not a “step by step” guide, but it highlights some points a user might consider changing in their setup. // Ove
In general it is a good idea to create needed layers before assigning Styles and Codes to them.
In Civil 3D there are a number of search paths (for files stored outside the drawing) that affects all around Survey.
The file path for the Survey databases can be placed anywhere.
If there is a need to move the place, or to connect to different databases, use right click on the row "Survey Databases" and select "Set working folder..."
The Figure Prefix Database contains settings for how Survey Figurelines should be created.
The database contains:
The Linework Code Sets contains information on how lines are created, what code attributes are used for Start/Stop a Survey Figureline and a lot more.
The information for Linework Code Set contains:
When you need to add new codes to be used while doing survey you need to add the same to your settings in Civil 3D. They are Styles for Points and Linework (Survey Figurelines).
Make sure Layer exist with Name, Color and Linetype
Make sure Layer exist with Name, Color and Linetype
Found under Settings tab
Check all settings to make sure they have BYLAYER everywhere
Make sure Layer exist with Name, Color and Linetype
Found under Survey tab
Make sure Layer exist with Name, Color and Linetype
Make sure Layer exist with Name, Color and Linetype
Found under Settings tab
Make sure to set ALL Layers correct under the tab Display.
All Layers under Plan, Model, Profile and Section to correct Layer (See another existing Point Style for example)
Colors must be to ByLayer at all options (just an advise…)
Make sure Layers exist with Name, Color and Linetype
Found under Settings tab
If you need Labels for the Symbol/Point to be presented in a different way (Position, color, text height etc) than the existing Point Label Styles you will have to set up a new Point Label Style
Make sure Layer exist with Name, Color and Linetype
Found under Settings tab
Use Edit Keys (Right click) to add new (or change) Survey codes to the table
// Ove C
Hello WORLD !! Yes - it IS the weird little man from Sweden that is back after a looooong time... Luckily Jack has done a great job here and I like the fact he moved us to this interface instead! Much easier to add blogposts! Nice... ;-) What I like most in the latest release in Civil 3D 2010 is, besides the cool Intersection tool, the enhanced Survey functionality. And it seems customers in my area also like this! GREAT! If you haven't used this before - give it a try. You have a new "guide"/Wizard that really helps out. That one takes you through the different steps when importing data. It sets up the database, the network, etc etc and THEN, in the end, it keeps track of what you have done and when. This is called "Import Events"
If you select one of these Import Events in the Survey tab you get all information what was imported etc. See below.
As Civil 3D 2010 also automatically adds Linework, even from simple PENZD (etc) ASCII-textfiles, you also have the option to later re-import the whole file, or just process the linework ones again. This is great if you for example had to change the coding of the linework.
Give it a try! ;-) I will put more Survey info here on the Blog, and I know Jack has sent some Surveyors out to get us some proper data to work on... See you soon // Ove C
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