using modern survey packages with civil 3d - cooke - using modern survey packages...dec 19, 2011...

10/23/2019 1.02 © Copyright (2019) CivilTraining, LLC – A Davey Company Do not reproduce without permission. 1

Have your Cake and Eat it Too ‐ Using Modern Survey Packages,

Workflows and Applications with Autodesk Civil 3D®

Autodesk Civil 3D is a very powerful – and popular – solution applicable in many Civil Engineering and

Survey firms. Despite its power, Civil 3D’s core survey functionality has not kept pace with

developments by other vendors, including Leica, Trimble, Carlson and others. This class, drawn on real‐

world experience in a medium‐size survey and engineering firm, focuses on two major areas: First, the

class identifies core functionality within Civil 3D essential and common to survey and engineering

applications, and looks at configuring that environment to work optimally. Secondly, the class identifies

and focuses on better survey solutions in other products, including Leica and Carlson, and looks at the

integration of these more modern solutions as replacements for the dated aspects of Civil 3D. The

implementation strategy is to pull the best pieces from different, and sometimes competing, software

products to develop the most efficient solution possible.

Caveats and Constants

The current Survey Functionality in Civil 3D is not going away. At the same time, it’s unlikely to be

markedly improved.

The current survey functionality in Civil 3D is not being discontinued, and will remain in the program for

the foreseeable future. At the same time, the current functionality is dated – the current system in Civil

3D was ported over intact from Land Desktop, and that was derived from what was introduced in

Softdesk 11 (on AutoCAD 11 DOS) in 1988 (written at the time by Maine Surveyors). The underlying

Fieldbook language (FBK format) is even older (circa 1984) and is derived from FOG – Figure Oriented

Geometry.

Softdesk Survey Module Running in Softdesk S8

(Don’t Ask How We Did That)


FBK fieldbooks became something of an industry standard and have worked well – their limitations

however include the inability to incorporate extended GIS data or photos, and the workflow involving

FBK’s in Civil 3D is trouble‐prone when edits must be made when multiple fieldbooks have been

imported.

As an alternative to Fieldbooks, ASCII imports (TXT files) are always an option for transferring data

between almost any survey program. At least one current client uses Benchmark to download a survey

controller, and transfers the data into Civil 3D via ASCII. (Showing 1984 and 2019 technology working

together.)

DOS Version of Benchmark Running on an Android Tablet

(Don’t Ask How We Did That Either)

ASCII files are limited by their inability to transfer raw (observation) data, and their inability to include

extended (GIS) or other data. Also they suffer from limited capabilities for drawing linework in most

applications.

LandXML is also a method available for transfer of data, and offers limited transfer of raw data, but

suffers from other limitations as we’ll describe.

What’s needed are better solutions for using Civil 3D in conjunction with more modern survey packages,

products that can provide more modern survey solutions (better processing of TPS and GNSS data

together), better functionality (more functional network adjustment) or simply supply functionality

missing in Civil 3D (processing level data). This leads to a need to seek solutions from other vendors,

which comes at a time of considerable consolidation in the survey industry. Fortunately there are a

number of solutions available from a variety of vendors – this document will focus on solutions from

Leica and Carlson (with which we have varying levels of familiarity) and will touch on those from

Trimble, although there are others in the marketplace.


Requirements in Civil 3D

The point of beginning for any discussion of how survey data will be handled in Civil 3D is with the

organization of point data themselves – Civil 3D has two types of point data – “Cogo” or drawing points,

and “Survey”, or database points.

Cogo Points –

Exist only as drawing objects; there are no coordinate or data files;

Are easy to create, edit and manage

Can only be displayed in one drawing (unless separately imported into multiple drawings)

Can easily be erased or “screwed up”, unless locked

Must reside in drawing(s) to be used

Survey Points ‐

Exist in an external database, and can be selectively inserted into drawing(s)

Are more difficult to create, and require database creation and management

Can be edited through database tools (ease level varies)

Can be inserted into and displayed in any combination of drawings

Are automatically locked, and are hard to “screw up”

Large volumes of point data can exist outside of drawings, and can be used from DB

There are other implications for the potential use of the survey database in linework creation, as

discussed later.

Template Drawing

Whether Cogo or Drawing points will be used in Civil 3D (or any other Civil 3D operation is to be

performed for that matter), the Civil 3D template drawing is of critical importance. The template

drawing supplies the organization, management and display control of all Civil 3D objects and

annotation, and controls the coordinate system. These coordinate system and unit settings will need to

be coordinated with whatever other survey software is used, and their interaction can cause difficulties

if ignored. Many other critical settings described later in the process are obtained from the template

drawing.


Description Key Set

Also common to the use of both Cogo or Drawing points, the Description Key Set in Civil 3D plays a key

role in the organization and display of point data within drawings. Importantly, Civil 3D Descriptions are

organized into a system of space‐delimited fields (or attributes) that can control annotation. This is

displayed in the Description Key Manager in the Format column ‐ The Format column handles the

processing of point descriptions entered, and configures the amount and content of the data that will

show up in a point label. Point descriptions in Civil 3D can consist of up to ten (10) attributes, separated

by spaces. The first attribute is the one on which the description key itself is matched; the program

assigns this attribute the number $Ø. Each succeeding attribute, separated again by a space, is assigned a number: $1, $2, $3, etc.

Description Key Manager Displaying Alpha Codes

Description Key Manager Displaying Numeric Codes

The Description Key Set is stored in, and inherited from, the Civil 3D template drawing


Survey Database

As described above, use of the survey database brings a number of advantages over the use of Cogo

points in managing survey data. Care must be taken to insure that survey databases are organized and

managed across projects in a logical manner, and databases are a second place where unit and

coordinate settings are critical and must be matched with other survey applications in use.

Survey Database Open for a Project, with Settings Displayed

While the Civil 3D survey database is used to capture raw (observation) data in a workflow where all

processing takes place in Civil 3D, it will be used instead to store only coordinate and line data when

editing and analysis functions are transferred from Leica, Carlson, Trimble or other software. This will

overcome most of the editing issues associated with the database’s use in pure Civil 3D workflows.


Figure Prefix Library

The Figure Prefix Library controls the organization of linework created through the survey database

(critical to Leica workflows), and interacts with Figure Styles obtained from the template drawing to

determine 2D versus 3D geometry, and interaction with layers for color, linetype and line width. The

Figure Prefix codes must match codes used in the Description Key set, and the Code Table used in the

controller and office software.

Two Figure Prefix Libraries, Alpha (Above) and Numeric (Below)

The Figure Prefix Library is NOT obtained from the template drawing, and is an external file managed

within the Survey Project settings.


Linework Code Set

The Linework Code Set is used by Civil 3D to trigger the creation of figures – intelligent linework. In

Leica workflows, this code set is critically important and must match the corresponding linework

commands in Infinity, Captivate or SmartWorx.

In this illustration, note that the Feature Code Delimiter is set to an asterisk ( * ); by default it will be a

space. The use of the asterisk is required to pass linework commands from Leica but preserve Civil

3D’s ability to perform multi‐attribute labeling through the Description Key Set. Also notice that

Automatic begin on figure prefix match setting is off – necessary to prevent drawing unintended lines

(ask us how we know….).

Leica Linework Code Set

Like the Figure Prefix Library, the Linework Code Set is NOT obtained from the template drawing, and is

an external file managed within the Survey Project settings.


Survey Application Options ‐ Leica

There are several options for processing survey data available from Leica Geosystems which interact

with Civil 3D. These include‐

Leica Infinity – Full featured office software for processing of TPS, GNSS, Image and Point Cloud Data

Leica Captivate – Current Version Controller Software

Leica Viva SmartWorx – Previous Version Controller Software, still extensively used

Leica Infrastructure Link – Plug‐in for Civil 3D to Import/Export Leica HeXML Data

Possible Strategies for Data Transfer

As with any other survey software, transfer of data via ASCII and LandXML are always possible.

Additionally, Infinity, Captivate and SmartWorx can create fieldbook files (FBK’s) directly.

Best Practice for Data Transfer

From Infinity, Captivate or SmartWorx, the best data transfer (presently) is via an enhanced ASCII file

containing point and linework data, imported into the Civil 3D survey database. These workflows

provide the full features of observation editing, analysis and adjustment within Leica, and intelligent

transfer of data into Civil 3D to support all workflows.

Requirements in Leica – Infinity, Captivate and SmartWorx

All survey applications share common functionality and themes – in Leica solutions point descriptions

(referred to as codes in Leica) and line commands must be setup.

Point Code Table

The Leica Point Code Table corresponds to the Civil 3D Description Key Set (and must match it), and

controls the processing of point attributes, and display of points within Infinity on layers and with

symbols. The Point Code Table can exist as a Global default within Infinity, and can be uploaded to

Captivate and SmartWorx. When the Point Code Table comes down into an Infinity project with a

“download” it is a project level table, and may or may not match the global table.


The Global Point Code Table is found under Tools on the Infinity menu. The code table shown here will

match the numeric table displayed earlier as a Description Key Set. The organization by Code Groups is

helpful, and there’s a neat trick involved in importing codes from Excel.

Leica Global Code Table


Exploring the Code Table further (this time as a Project Code Table, imported with a DBX project),

reveals the Attribute organization of a selected code – in this instance a fire hydrant. Note that there

are four attributes defined for this code – two are constant, and used for every code – LINENAME and

LINECODE, whereas the others are specific to the fire hydrant code – TYPE and CONNECTION.

Leica Project Code Table Showing Attributes

Leica will use attributes to pass Civil 3D linework commands through an ASCII file. The functionality is

automatic in Infinity and Captivate, and manual (but supported) in SmartWorx. Reserving attribute

definitions 1 and 2 on all codes allows the same Code Table to control linework in any of the three

programs. Attribute 1 (LINENAME) will be unused by Infinity or Captivate, but will be used to enter

the line to be drawn in SmartWorx. Attribute 2 (LINECODE) is optionally used to pass desired

extended commands from the Civil 3D Linework Code Set, such as horizontal and vertical offsets, and

is used by all three products.

Attributes after 1 and 2 in the Code Table are passed as space delimited fields in the ASCII output, and

function as normal annotation fields in Civil 3D. The TYPE and CONNECTION attributes will show up as

point label entries in Civil 3D.


Leica Linework Flags

The Leica Linework Flags correspond to the Linework Code Set in Civil 3D, and must match it exactly.

Within Infinity, the Linework Flag settings are found under Info & Settings within a project. In infinity,

these settings must be correct before the ASCII output is generated, but not necessarily set before data

are collected in the field (provided the fieldwork will be imported by DBX).

Leica Infinity Linework Flags

If data are being transferred directly from Captivate to Civil 3D, these settings must also be made within

Captivate, and must be entered before data are collected (See Captivate specific information below).

Workflow in Leica Infinity

Best practice workflow for the use of Infinity with Civil 3D requires transferring field data from the

controller to Infinity by copying the Leica DBX folder from the controller into Infinity’s configured project

folder. In this manner, Infinity replaces Civil 3D for all aspects of survey editing, analysis and

adjustment. Fieldbook files are not part of the process, and fieldbook edits are performed in Infinity.

A nuance of Infinity workflow should be addressed here; at this time, there is no option within Leica

software to transfer a range of points (or one day’s fieldwork) by DBX – a DBX is “all or nothing”. The

recommended workflow is to use a separate DBX for each day’s work, transferring control from one

“job” to the other as required.

The transfer of data from Infinity to Civil 3D then utilizes an ASCII export, prepared using a specific file

format within Infinity to handle the transfer of linework codes.


In the illustration below, an ASCII export from Infinity has been started; notice the selection of a

Template in the upper right, with the selection set to C3D Linework. This template does not ship with

Infinity, and must be user‐created to handle the requirements. The pencil icon shown triggers the

editing or creation of the template.

Leica Infinity ASCII Export with Template Selection


In the illustration below the ASCII Export template is being shown. Off screen, the Column Separator

has been set to a comma. The Sort by setting has been set to Feature (important). Using the Select

Columns button in the upper right, the columns have been restricted to Point Id ( C3D’s point number),

Northing, Easting, Ortho Height (C3D’s elevation) and Special Code – Special Code will supply Civil 3D’s

description and will do all the magic.

Leica Infinity ASCII Export Template Settings

Clicking the pencil icon in the Code Expression field under Special Code opens an Expression Editor. The

entry in the Expression Editor is:

[C][_N][*L]*[V2]* [V3] [V4] [V5] [V6]

The first portion of this expression, [C][_N][*L]*, will pass the point code with a line number if a line has

been drawn. [V2]* will pass an optional advanced linework code, entered as the LINECODE attribute

described above, to perform an advanced linework command in Civil 3D such as a horizontal or vertical

offset. Notice that there is a space after [V2]*, separating the remainder of the entry as annotation

attributes. The remainder of the format [V3] [V4] [V5] [V6] provides for the export and processing of up

to four additional attributes from within Leica as space delimited entries for the point’s description, to

be processed by the Civil 3D Description Key Manager.


A section of the resulting ASCII export is shown here. Notice that points 2249 and 2285, coded 23 for

culverts, start lines (*B* code). The second set of asterisks do not contain a code, as none was passed

through Attribute 2 (LINECODE). 2249 and 2285 include attribute entries in Attributes 3 and 4, size and

material respectively. Points 2250 and 2286 end their respective lines by the *E* code. 1016 then starts

a wetlands line, running through other points to end at 1022. Also notice that the sort is by feature, not

by point number.

ASCII Files Exported From Infinity

Importing the data into Civil 3D is then a straight‐forward import through the Survey database. With a

Survey database created and a drawing started from an appropriate template, we go to Import Events

Import Survey Data. In the Import Wizard, the ASCII file produced in Infinity is selected.

ASCII Files Selection in Civil 3D


Advancing through the Import Wizard, close attention must be paid on the last screen. The Current

figure prefix database must be set per the configuration described earlier. Also the Current linework

code set must be set per the configuration described earlier. The Process linework sequence must be

set to By Import Order (corresponding to Infinity’s Sort by Feature). The Process linework during

import check box must be on. Finally the Insert figure object and Insert survey points check boxes must

be on to import the points and lines into the drawing (otherwise they go into the database only).

Import Options in Civil 3D

For a detailed walkthrough of the Infinity to Civil 3D process visit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TmGy0YM5mQ (Courtesy of Greg Perkins from Leica).


The resulting information imports directly into Civil 3D as Survey points and Figures, with visibility and

annotation controls handled by the Civil 3D template and Figure Prefix Library.

Resulting Data in Civil 3D

Workflow in Leica Captivate (or SmartWorx)

The process for transfer from Captivate directly into Civil 3D is similar to that described for Infinity, with

two exceptions: the Leica Linework Flags, or linework commands are set in Captivate (and must be set

before the job is collected), and the ASCII export is handled through a Format File, rather than an ASCII

Template.

What does remain the same as Infinity is that the Code Table should be loaded onto the controller, and

should continue to use the Attribute 1 and Attribute 2 reservation for LINENAME and LINECODE (if a

mixed environment including Viva SmartWorx is to be used).


Leica Captivate Linework Commands

To set the linework commands in Captivate, go to Settings Customization Coding, and access the

Linework tab. As described for Infinity, set the commands to correspond to the Civil 3D Linework Code

Set.

Linework Commands in Captivate

Leica Captivate Export

To export data from Captivate, within the job, go to Export Data

Captivate Menu


Under Export Data, go to ASCII with format file

Captivate Export, ASCII with Format File

Select a Format File to process the Captivate (or SmartWorx) codes and attributes in a manner similar to

that described above for Infinity.

Captivate Format File Selection

Once the file is output from Captivate, the import process into Civil 3D and the Survey database is

exactly as described for Infinity above.

The format file required for Captivate, as well as a video walking through the Captivate to Civil 3D

process can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awF9JaoA_P0 , again courtesy of Greg

Perkins from Leica.


Other Workflow Options From Leica Controllers

Direct Survey LandXML Import

The workflow described from Infinity, Captivate and SmartWorx does a good job of transferring both

points and linework, but requires the use of the Survey database – while the database has advantages,

its use is considered overkill by some. Since Leica and other controllers can export LandXML files

directly, these LandXML files can be imported directly to Civil 3D as Cogo points and 3D polylines.

To import LandXML points and linework directly, go to the Insert tab of the ribbon in Civil 3D, and use

the LandXML button as shown.

LandXML Import in Civil 3D

With a LandXML from Leica, use the Edit LandXML Settings button and change the Point Description

setting to use “code” value.


The XML data will be imported, with the points coming in as Cogo points and the linework as 3D

polylines.

Resulting Survey LandXML Data in Civil 3D

Leica Infrastructure Link

Leica Infrastructure Link is a plug‐in that is

available for download from Leica

(https://leica‐geosystems.com/en‐

US/products/construction‐tps‐and‐

gnss/software/software‐plugins ).

Infrastructure Link is intended as a bridge

for HeXML files (Leica branded XML files

containing additional data beyond the

LandXML schema). While Infrastructure

Link is intended as a bidirectional tool,

our experience with it has been solely in

transferring design data to controllers for

stakeout. Infrastructure Link reads data

from the Civil 3D drawing, and exports

selected data in the HeXML format for use

by Captivate or other controllers. Leica Infrastructure Link in Civil 3D


Direct Production of ESRI Shape Files

Leica Captivate, like other controller software, can directly produce ESRI Shape Files. While this has not

been a widely accepted method of transfer of data for survey professionals (as opposed to the GIS

community), this capability bears watching in the coming year. Civil 3D 2020 will include new

functionality for exchange of ESRI data late in calendar year 2019, so new options may be on the

horizon.

Survey Application Options ‐ Carlson

There are several options for processing survey data available from Carlson which interact with Civil 3D.

These include‐

Carlson Survey and Carlson Civil Suite – Full featured office software for processing of TPS, GNSS, Image

and Point Cloud Data

Carlson SurvCE and SurvPC – Current Version Controller Software running on CE or Windows operating

systems

Carlson Connect – Plug‐in for Civil 3D to transfer and convert Carlson format data

Carlson X‐Port – Windows program for file transfer and data editing, designed to aid in the processing of

electronic data collection files

Possible Strategies for Data Transfer

As with any other survey software, transfer of data via ASCII and LandXML are always possible.

Additionally, Carlson X‐Port can create fieldbook files (FBK’s) directly from Carlson raw data produced by

SurvCE or SurvPC.

Best Practice for Data Transfer

New in Carlson, the best data transfer (presently) is via a Civil 3D drawing produced and exported

directly from Carlson Survey or Suite. This workflow supports the best of both worlds, with the superior

survey editing, analysis and adjustment offered by Carlson, as well as Carlson’s highly desirable surface

modelling for existing conditions.

Requirements in Carlson

Again, all survey applications share common functionality and themes – in Carlson solutions point

descriptions and line commands must be setup, and are handled through Carlson Field to Finish settings.


Field to Finish Setup

Carlson’s Field to Finish capabilities and configuration are extensive, and immensely powerful. Since this

document will not begin to do justice to them, the user is referred to the Carlson Field to Finish guide,

available at http://info.carlsonsw.com/f2f‐guide?hsCtaTracking=644164dc‐b417‐4b96‐9c4e‐

73bcb219f2ce%7C751fe470‐c1fb‐439b‐b930‐c6fc2c4ee235.

In general Carlson’s Field to Finish settings are a combination of the Description Key Manager, Linework

Code Set and Figure Prefix library within Civil 3D. Since the workflows from Carlson to Civil 3D will not

involve figures, only the Code Table should be a match to Civil 3D, corresponding to the Description Key

Set. Linework settings and codes will be setup in Carlson only, as linework will transfer to Civil 3D as 2D

or 3D polylines.

Field to Finish Code Table in Carlson Survey


Within the Carlson Code Table, each Field Code

definition should correspond to a point description

to be used in Civil 3D, as its eventual match to the

Description Key Set will determine display style

and annotation. Notice as shown here that the

Field Code definition also determines the

processing of lines, as 2D and/or 3D polylines. All

layer settings should correspond to settings within

the eventual Civil 3D template that will be used.

Field Code Definition in Carlson Survey

The Carlson equivalent of the Civil 3D Linework Code Set is found in Field to Finish settings under Code

Table Settings Special Codes.

Field to Finish Special Codes in Carlson Survey


While these settings need not match settings in Civil 3D, we edited several of them to match the

organization and commands in the ASCII file used in this document, which was originally formatted for

SmartDraft linework rather than Carlson – an advantage of Carlson’s structure is the ease with which it

can be adapted to a wide variety of files and formats.

Portion of ASCII File Used, with Modified Commands

Direct Export to Civil 3D Drawing From Carlson Survey or Civil Suite

In this example, the ASCII file shown was imported, and the imported data were then used within

Carlson to produce an existing surface, contours and a road centerline as displayed here. The surface

did utilize an exclusion boundary prepared from the outer most 2D polyline linework generated by the

Field to Finish codes.

Data Within Carlson Suite


To begin the transfer of the data to Civil 3D, access File Export Civil 3D Drawing

Export Civil 3D Drawing

After supplying the drawing name and destination

folder, a dialog box displays, confirming the data

types to be converted. Since a surface was created

and a TIN file produced at the time of surface

creation, the surface TIN file was selected for

inclusion as shown.

Convert to Civil 3D Options

The process completed, indicating the number of points, surfaces and centerlines converted, with the

drawing automatically saved.


Shifting to Civil 3D, opening the resulting drawing directly in Civil 3D shows that the exported data

transferred into Civil 3D successfully.

Converted Drawing in Civil 3D

Note that the exclusion boundary set in Carlson did not survive the trip, as the surface (triangles) are not

clipped to the limits of the linework (as they were in Carlson). This is not surprising, and consistent with

the erratic behavior of boundaries in surfaces experienced with LandXML transfers. It is easy to

reproduce the boundary on the surface in Civil 3D, so that’s of no consequence. Also notice that the

contours are still displayed as they were in Carlson – that’s because they’re the highly desirable 2D

polylines at elevation (without a gazillion vertices), and produced through the Carlson algorithms for

contouring rather than Autodesk’s (a huge advantage in our opinion).

The nature of the way the drawing was produced by Carlson bypassed the content of a Civil 3D template

drawing, but the desired content can be easily imported into the drawing with the

ImportStylesAndSettings command from the Manage tab in Civil 3D.

Direct Import of Civil 3D Drawing Into Carlson Survey or Civil Suite

Although somewhat beyond the scope of this presentation, it should be noted that Carlson’s Civil 3D

conversion capabilities are bidirectional, including the ability to convert Civil 3D drawings to Carlson’s

format. Additionally, the transfer to Carlson extends to Profiles, whereby Carlson can harvest Civil 3D’s

profile and profile styles(s) to reproduce profile data within Carlson.


Conversion of Carlson Drawing Data Using Carlson Connect

An alternative to converting an entire drawing is to use Carlson Connect to transfer point data from

either a Carlson drawing or CRD file (Carlson’s equivalent of the Survey point database). Carlson

Connect is available from the Autodesk App Store

(https://apps.autodesk.com/CIV3D/en/Detail/Index?id=3637713747117062546&appLang=en&os=Win6

4 ) as a plug‐in for Civil 3D. Once installed, it can be used to convert Carlson points in a drawing into Civil

3D Cogo points. This method has the advantage of directly matching desired Civil 3D settings, as the

Carlson drawing can be inserted as an exploded block into a drawing begun from the desired Civil 3D

template. Alternatively, Carlson Connect can be instructed to Import Carlson CRD Points, directly

pointing to the CRD file and inserting the results as Cogo points into the drawing.

Carlson Connect at Work

In our experience, either of these methods employing Carlson Connect will be relatively slow when

there are more than a few hundred points – it’s not locked up – let it work and it will be worth the wait.

Since Carlson Connect will only handle points, the surfaces and centerline (alignments) will need to be

transferred another way, typically via LandXML export from Carlson.


Data Transfer From Carlson SurvCE and SurvPC

CRD, or Coordinate file transfer from SurvCE and SurvPC can be handled through Carlson Connect.

Additionally, Carlson X‐Port can be employed. X‐Port is a poorly understood and rarely utilized program

which is worth its weight in gold. A license of X‐Port is included with the purchase of SurvCE or SurvPC,

and the product is available for purchase individually. X‐Port runs as a separate Windows program,

outside CAD, and can perform a wide variety of file conversions and transfers, including the ability to

produce Autodesk Fieldbooks (FBK) from Carlson raw files. Additionally X‐Port can perform a wide

variety of analyses and adjustments on raw data. The authors had experience in the past year where X‐

Port provided a connection to legacy data collectors running SMI software which had to be employed on

a job due to security restrictions preventing the use of modern equipment. X‐Port could easily be the

starting point for another class and document of this type.

Carlson X‐Port Screen

Direct Production of ESRI Shape Files

As was described in the Leica section, Carlson products can also directly produce ESRI Shape Files. The

authors are currently employing Carlson SurvPC on Dell rugged tablets in Asset Inventory Collection, so

this functionality is proven and solid. As described above, Civil 3D 2020 will include new functionality for

exchange of ESRI data late in calendar year 2019.


Survey Application Options ‐ Trimble

At the risk of slighting our Trimble brethren, we’ll make at least passing mention of Trimble products

here. The absence of content for Trimble should not in any way diminish the reader’s perception of

their products – we simply don’t have the experience with Trimble that we have with Leica and Carlson.

There are several options for processing survey data available from Trimble which interact with Civil 3D.

These include‐

Trimble Business Center – Full featured office software for processing of TPS, GNSS, Image and Point

Cloud Data

Trimble Link – Plug‐in for Civil 3D for transfer of Trimble data

Having worked recently with clients using Trimble Business Center, its integration with Civil 3D does not

appear to be as robust as that offered by Leica or Carlson, and more dependent on moving data into

Civil 3D by ASCII and DXF/DWG imports. While the linework language in field controllers appears to be

very good, our impression is that the transfer into Civil 3D is not as full featured – if we’re incorrect in

that assessment we apologize (and please let us know).

Trimble Link is a product which we utilize, albeit for export of Civil 3D surface data for machine control

rather than survey data import. Trimble Link is a free download from Trimble

(https://www.trimble.com/register‐tls/ ), and adds a ribbon tab to Civil 3D. Once installed and

registered (free registration), Trimble Link provides bidirectional data exchange with Business Center

and a variety of controllers.

Trimble Link in Civil 3D


Contact the Authors

The authors can be reached at [email protected]. Comments and corrections are welcomed.

Credits

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance and support of these individuals, without whom this

class and document would not have been possible:

Greg Perkins, Leica Geosystems

Mike Hyman, Carlson Software

Tim Kerr, Leica Geosystems

using modern survey packages with civil 3d - cooke - using modern survey packages...dec 19, 2011...

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