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Purpose

To create a structured survey drawing in 3D (or 2D) from a simple ASCII feature coded co-ordinate file (see previous menu item). Features such as tops and bottoms of banks, road channel lines etc. will be drawn as 3D Polylines on appropriate layers and point features such as levels and street furniture represented as blocks with attributes for Level values.

 

Operation

Select the input .txt file.

 

         

Code assignments

Settings are saved to default.stc and default.spc (or user named files) in the user support folder.

Standard...

This dialogue enables the linking of a standard code to how it will be drawn.

Polyline and Level Block Toggle one or both to draw Polylien and/or Level blocks for this code

Layer... for drawing Polylines and Blocks on specified layers
Level block name Level block name to draw. This block has KTF specific attributes for Level, Code and Number

Prefixes and Postfix Add text before or after the attribute data fields

Postfix position How to position the Postfix text on code attribute field

Browse... to find and modify an existing code, Add to define a new one or Delete an existing one.

Click Active "on" to make it work and check that you have not used a first character that exists in special codes.

Note that the first and second characters of the code can be recognised to define layers - see Parameters below. etc.

 

Special...

This dialogue enables the linking of a special code to how it will be drawn.

Browse to select the type of special feature.

Layer... Polyline will default to be be suitable for the type of special code.

Layer... for block one defines the layer for the symbol.

Layer... for block two defines the layer for the location marker with attributes.

Click both Active and On "on" to make it work and check that you have not used a first character that exists in standard codes.

 

Parameters...

Set null level marking.

Special cases :-

Click the upper Add/Edit... button to assign a special codes to layers. E.g. PRS1 (or, with wildcards PRS?) to be on layer Roadsigns.

Click the lower Add/Edit... button to set a special code not to have a level annotated (e.g. PLC will not mark levels for PLC* coded points).

Code width. Set just the first character or the first two characters to control the layer.

If -E and -C flags have been used to end and close features this controls if these points are to be drawn or not.

If curve fitting flags are included in the .txt co-ordinate file this needs to be turned  "On" and the interval set.

P coded point (street furniture etc.) has the option to annotate the point number or the middle two characters of the code.

If comments are included (at the end of the line after the code) these can be added to the drawing on the specified layer.

If a code has not been assigned a substitute block can be drawn on a specified layer.

 

Feature Codes

The correct use of the coding system can provide rapid input of the data to create a “joined” together 3D survey with features on appropriate layers. The system is flexible and user definable but the following examples illustrate typical use with the initial default settings :-

 

Linear features (Standard Codes)

Features such as buildings, channel lines, tops and bottoms of ditches etc. are classed as standard codes and will be drawn as 3D Polylines.

Examples using the first character of the code to define the layer :-  

 

         

Examples using the first two characters of the code to define the layer :-  

 

Features may be assigned individual codes (e.g. C001, C001, C003 etc. for channel lines) or all channel lines coded CHAN for example as long as another feature is picked up to break the feature or a feature end indicator is encountered.

 

Spot levels (Standard Codes)

These are standard codes and represent levels as PL level blocks where the attribute is used for subsequent ground modelling and section functions. Default first character of the code is L.

 

 

Symbols (Special Codes)

 

Street furniture

These are special codes and referred to as "P" coded points and used to draw lamp columns, manholes and stop valves etc. from one surveyed point. This works by having a block (typically in the user support directory) with the same name as the four character feature code. For example feature code PMH1 will insert a PMH1 block in “real size” and an attribute block PM that includes the level. The symbol blocks must not prompt for attributes. If a symbol block is not found then a default PP block (just a cross) is substituted. All different types of street furniture may be drawn on specified layers by the Input Survey data dialogue, Parameters, Use special layers. A few example blocks such as PMH1 and PSC1 are supplied but the idea is to define your own. The middle two characters of the code are used for annotation.

 

 

 

Rectangle/Square defined by two points

With X as the default first character of the code for the first corner this will draw a rectangle or a square to represent a feature such as a concrete base or large inspection cover. The feature is drawn by picking up two points to fix one side and, depending on coding, the rectangle or square is drawn. The middle two characters of the code will be used to annotate the feature. The last, 4th character of the code defines the shape and orientation.

 

* --> Rectangle (clockwise) when any character other that L, S or Q; width in 2nd point's code
L --> Rectangle (counter clockwise); width in 2nd point's code
S --> Square (clockwise); side length the distance between the two points
Q --> Square (counter clockwise); side length the distance between the two points

 

Note that you can use the "Options" button in to change the above default values.

 

 

 

See also the "--X" control comments

 

 

Rectangle defined by three points

With R as the default first character of the code for the first corner this will draw a rectangle to represent a feature such as a concrete base, shed or manhole cover by picking up three of the corners working clockwise.

 

 

Block with orientation from two points

With Y as the default first character of the code for the first point that fixes the insertion point of a block this will orientate the block by the location of the next point picked. The code of the second point determines the block to be

inserted. Layers are set using the code for the first point.

 

 

Circle from two points – centre and radius

With O as the default first character of the codes this will draw a circle defined by the centre and a point on it’s circumference. Layers set by using the code for the first point.

 

 

Circle from two points – diametrically opposite

With Q as the default first character of the codes this will draw a circle defined by two points on it’s circumference. Layers set by using the code for the first point.

 

 

Circle from three points

With Z as the default first character of the codes this will draw a circle defined by three points on it’s circumference. Layers set by using the code for the first point.

 

 

Gates from two points

With G as the default first character of the codes this will draw a traditional gates symbol between two points.

 

 

Block with orientation and scale from two points

With M as the default first character of the code for the first point that fixes the insertion point of a block this will orientate and scale the block by the location of the next point. The code of the second point determines the block to be inserted. Layers are set using the code for the first point.

 

 

 

Control Comments (Extended special codes)

Extended functionality for standard codes and Trees. The Control Comment is read from the surveyed point's Comment field. The coding format is "--[code letter]" ; two dashes and then the command code itself.

 

 

 

Code examples

 

Manhole from 1 point

 

 

Tree from 1 point

Trees (special codes) are drawn with trunk and spread at real size as fixed by the middle two and end digits in the code respectively. The default trigger is "T" as the first character of the code. Trees are represented as a G block for the trunk, an S block for the spread and optionally a PT block including the level as an attribute.

 

 

 

Tree from 1 point and control comment

Tree with dimensions specified via Control Comments.

 

 

 

 

Tree from 3, 4 or 5 points

As above but the dimensions are calculated automatically based on number of observations.

 

 

 

 

 

Linear feature control

 

 

X code (2 point rectangles)

 

 

--CD[n] and --CR[n], Adding a circle to an observation

 

 

 

 

 

River section info

This uses I as the default first character and is a river specific feature.

 

 

A ktf_tag_info block is inserted to store four pieces of information as attributes to be used in extracting river sections. See "sequences".