Description Keys C3D 2014 / Box Meaning?

Hello,

As mentioned earlier I'm putting together a survey environment in C3D 2014, the company is migrating from LDD 2009. I found the LDD 2009 Description Keys loaded into this template drawing I've created, I did not place them there. In the far left Code Column please see the two boxes, one inside the other....I've not seen these boxes before and prior to loading the file I would like to know what they mean. As you know there is a lot of work involved and I would not like to jeopardize that by some "behind the curtain" setting or a glitch in the system. Please see attached jpeg file.

Also the symbols have been loaded and are docked on the screen. When creating Point Styles for my codes I've had to insert the symbol into the drawing for it to show up in the "Use AutoCAD block for Marker" field. Once inserted I am able to elect it for the marker for the point style. Can someone recommend a better way to load the Symbols blocks?

As always your help would be appreciated!

Thanks, rlshound

Where are you in the world and what data collectors are you using ? Reason being is that some one may be able to supply you a dwt that matches the data coding and has the correct survey symbols created.

When will Autodesk actually wake up and redo the styles in a way that you don't have to be a uni graduate style genius.

Hello BIGAL,

I'm in Phoenix, Arizona, USA and unfortunately there is no standard for field codes....every company has there own. To keep evolving with technology is costly and time consuming with respect to this task. I'm looking at Geelong, are you a fisherman? I grew up on the coast in New England, lived in Maine. Thanks for getting back to me, Take care, rlshound

Get your bean counters to buy you the Land Desktop Migration Tools tools from http://www.steltmansoftware.com/surveytools.html. That page has a link to this page:

http://www.steltmansoftware.com/dsc2c3d.html

It will import descriptor keys and make point styles for them and import the blocks needed to make the styles. There will still be some cleanup, but this will save to a ton of time.

The square in the Code Column is telling you that one or both of the Apply to X-Y or Z check boxes are selected.

Here are the rules:

1. The layer in the Description Keys is the Layer that the Properties dialog box will report when you select a point.

2. In the point style, there is a point layer and a label layer. If these are not the same as each other and the label layer is not the same as the layer in the Description Key, turning off the label layer will turn of the label without turning off the point.

3. In the Point label style, there is a layer. If this is different than any of the others, turning off this layer will turn off any point labels using this style.

4. You can also use point groups to assign point styles and point label styles and if the override checkbox is checked, there can be the styles that control the point and label display and their layers.

5. Forget Layer Freeze. It will always freeze the object layer and that will also turn off all labels and other appurtenances that are part of the object display.

See if you can find the MasterGraphics Inc. Point and Label Layer Outcomes Flow Chart PDF file. http://www.masterg.com. It will help to see that these rules do work, but I have skipped over a number of options.

Our Primary client has over 200 "Alpha Codes" that we used to make our Description Keys. Some are alternate codes where they can code a tree by its type - OAK, MAPLE, PINE, CEDAR, etc. By default, these create a style for each code, in addition to the generic TREE and EVG that we use for deciduous or coniferous. After the import, I reassigned all of the types of trees to TREE or EVG point style and deleted all of the other styles. We also found that some point styles worked better using a plotted height instead of a scale. So even with this type of tool (from the first paragraph), there will be editing to do. But if you have created even only a few point styles, you can see where getting a bulk import will go a long way.

Were lucky here that most field survey uses really 2 styles Alphanumeric or numeric these were set down by state Road authorities, most people adopted them with subtle changes. Some examples here is a nice page http://www.geocomp.com.au/support/geocomp/fcodes.pdf

Hello caddcop,

Thanks for taking the time to explain this and appreciate your detail. This helps a great deal....given the time involved I was concerned about those boxes. I forwarded the steltman on to the boss, we'll see.

Again thanks for your comprehensive answer. Have a good week end.

Thanks BIGAL.....interesting wording...thanks for sending it along.... rlshound

Another question caddcop if you would....the line work generated from the correct field coding should have its own layer as well? and that is set in the figure prefix library? The line work that you want to appear on your finished plat is generated in the field as well as your figures to create models from?

That's correct. The early forms of Civil 3D use an access database but somewhere in the 2011-2013 cycle it migrates to XML. But it will also create an xml from an access database at any time and you can practically create that from Excel. So if you want to make bulk changes you can use access and create the xml from it.

When used, it will create survey figure styles on the fly - but here, another annoying Civil 3D defaults rears its ugly head. There is no place to set default values for these styles - some get bylevel or byblock, but the figure styles always default to color=cyan. So you have to visit each style that gets created and make some edits.

I also experimented with a single figure style - all set to layer zero, bylevel across the board.

This can be used, but the info a figure style gives you is more generic when using that workflow.

And since the figure prefix knows which figures are breaklines, you can setup point groups for random points and import them and then import survey figures an you have your surface.

Morning caddcop, Thanks for the info, that's what I needed to know. The cyan color, vertices and inability to edit readily is frustrating.

I thought there was something more to it and your post helps explain it. I set up a system in LDD 2009 a few years ago and found that point groups helped get around the obstacles.

I agree, use the figures for what there intended but don't expect more from them. Thanks again for your help. See you.