Being Civil

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 New Feature: Survey Query

One of the new and cool features introduced this year are the additions to the Survey functionality. Survey Query tool can be used to filter points and figures from Survey database by their properties. Since survey data is stored externally in survey database, it can be brought or referenced into a drawing-we all know that by now. Survey Queries now allow us to filter by any of the survey properties listed in either general or extended properties defined by user defined properties or brought in via LandXML.

One other thing you may notice when building a Survey query is the Survey ribbon that allows us to not only create new queries but to also insert them into the drawing or add them to the surface. It looks like this.

In survey tab you will see a new node “Survey Queries”, right-clicking on it will bring you to the Survey Query Builder.There you can name your query, add criteria and even preview it or save the query. So let’s see how to create one simple query out of points with description containing SDWK value. For lack of better idea, let’s say our goal is to filter all points defining our sidewalks. 

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 New Feature: Labeling Survey Figures

All of you that work with Survey Databases and Survey Figures… How many times you have wished to label your figures without having to convert them into a parcel?

We were able to label survey figure lines and curves earlier, but now we are able to label survey figures so that information is displayed in other label types, such as the General Note label.

The Survey Figure properties that can be labeled include figure properties, as well as any user-defined properties for your figures.

How to Import Description Key Sets?...

I have been asked this question before and I thought that it will make a good post…

How can I use Description Keys from other drawings???... Can I import Description Keys on my drawing???... When I try to drag and drop them, it doesn’t work…

Sure it is way, just open one of your drawings that has your DescKey Set on it in Civil 3D 2010 or any older version, make sure that you delete all the information on it (for this call the ERASE (E) command from the command line and type ALL, please check that all your layers are ON, THAWED and UNLOCKED before doing this) and PURGE the drawing, do a save as just in case, so you don’t damage or overwrite something…

Now open your Civil 3D 2012 and insert the drawing that you just created and clean in 2010 or any oldest version using the INSERT (I) command.

This will bring any styles and also the Description Key set to your drawing in 2012 that you can save as a template or work on it.

Here is a short video that illustrates what I am saying, just in case that you are like me…

“If I can see it, I can recreate it”

How to Import Description Key Sets?...

Hope this will give you some ideas...

Import JOB File Into AutoCAD Civil 3D

Civil 3D is a program that works pretty well with other programs and it also allows other third party applications to be installed and configured to work with Civil 3D.  Many times, especially if working with survey data, you may receive JOB file which you would like to import into Civil 3D. Although you can’t directly import JOB file in Civil 3D, there is a way to make it work. See how after the jump.

To use survey information collected in JOB files we have to have Trimble Link extensions installed, so we can import job files. You may install them from Trimble web site http://www.trimble.com/link_ts.asp?Nav=Collection-27103

Here are the steps to take to make conversion of JOB file into FBK.

1. Create drawing from any available templates (_AutoCad Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS Extended.dwt) and save it

2. From Trimble ribbon that will show up after you installed Trimble Link choose Import Job

3. From Open dialog click on Create New Device icon

4. From Create New Device dialog box select Survey Data Card 

5. Browse to the folder location of your .job file, OK and Next and name New Device (Trimble files)

6. Back in Open dialog box, select newly added Device (Trimble files) and Open 

7. Select .job file, Open to initiate file conversion which will bring Check In dialog box, hit OK. 

8. Program will convert JOB file into FBK on your Desktop and you will be able to import  FBK file

Note: You have some additional options in the dialog; please use help to get familiar with it.

9. In Import Survey Data Select Survey database or create new one

10. Then just continue with creating Survey database and import into drawing. At the end you will be able to see your Survey Database in Survey tab and your line work in the drawing.

 

How to Flatten Survey Figures?

Sometimes we see the Service Requests that steps on the boundary of what program can do at the time. Recently we worked on a case where our customer was trying to produce a  survey plan in 2d for his client. I guess the goal here is to convert those “survey figures” to a polyline with no elevation so clients can open our drawings without having Civil 3D. We all know that in the Survey Figure Style there is an option to show figures in 2D, but that is only a representation of figure. In reality the figure will still have elevations assigned. So, the survey figure style does not work properly when set to import figures in 2D.  If we explode the survey figures they become a 3D polyline with elevation at every vertex. The problem here is that when the figures have curves it also turns those curves into line segments.

The figure style only shows the display of figures but the intelligence is still not changed- this is where we left off.

After some intensive hear scratching, I made my conclusion (with a great sorrow J)- the only viable way we can flatten figures is by using Elevation Editor, but unfortunately it will only do one at the time.

The Survey Database Does Not Exist And Could Not Be Recreated

Recycling is good, it helps in many fronts. Few months ago I wrote a blog post about the unpleasant error “Unable to find the Requested .NET Framework Data Provider” Source: AeccAdoNetWrapper. This morning my co-worker came out with similar error happening to a customer trying to create new Survey Database or edit the existing one. The post above immediately rang a bell in my increasingly deteriorating memory. One thing I remembered that the message was suggesting something with .NET Framework which was not correct the last time I encounter this issue.

 

This time I took a slightly different approach and went straight into repairing of Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 and voila…after a restart I was able to create new Survey Database. If you go into Control Panel>Programs and Features you may notice the offender -  Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 x64 ENU (x64 indicates that the 64-bit version is installed and ENU stands for English). You get the picture.

 

Vault and Survey Database

 

I recently got asked few questions about Survey Database and Vault and how the two communicate. Questions like “How do I replace Survey Database in the Vault?” and “I got corrupted Survey.SDBX file and would like to restore it?” or “Can I delete the old Survey database and import FBK file into new Survey Database and replace the  corrupted one?” then “What will happen if the file is replaced, will it be able to find project association?”

Well, short answer for all these question is “yes, you can” and “easily”. It’s no secret, that there are some people out there that use Vault for storage of Survey database files for all versions of them. You also know that Vault can sore other types of files, not just drawings or points, you can even add Field book file (FBK) if you wish. In the following paragraphs I will describe what happens in the background during this workflow. This will most likely answer some of those questions above. You will also notice that Vault treats Survey.SDBX file pretty much like regular drawing (DWG) file.

Unable to find the Requested .NET Framework Data Provider

Not a pretty looking error. Maybe bit scary…..Although I personally have not seen many customer’s reports of this message, I had it on my own machine and by coincidence I had a question about the same exact issue coming around the same time I was struggling to figure out what went wrong and how to dig myself out of this hole. That, along with somehow misleading error message made me decide to share my findings and save some of you from the headache I had. I don’t know for sure what the cause of this misbehavior was but my doubts are that originates from my multiple install and uninstall of Subassembly Creator and the requirements for it. .NET Framework 4.0 and SQL Compact Edition. So when I tried to open an existing Survey Database for edit I was greeted by this message:

Source: System.Data
Message: Unable to find the Requested .NET Framework Data Provider. It may not be installed.