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Edit Point Descriptions

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Message 1 of 27
Rainman1
2652 Views, 26 Replies

Edit Point Descriptions

Please see attachment. The first screen capture shows the settings for point creation. The second screen capture shows the exported point text file. By default C3D gives the description "ALIGNMENT PROP - 0+000.00". We would like to be able to change this default description to our standard "10 0+000 C/L". Is there a way to change this default description in C3D?

26 REPLIES 26
Message 2 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1

If the number a words in the alignment name is consistent (which usually isn't the case), a standard Description Format can be applied via the Description Keys. This will change the Full Description based on the format. So in the case of "ALIGNMENT PROP - 0+000.00" you would use "10 $3 C/L" for the Format with a DescriptionKey of "ALIGN*". Then when you output the text file, output the Full description instead of the Raw description.

 

You can edit the format for points set on alignments with differeing number of words/characters, just change the $3 to the number of items separated by spaces prior to the station value. Again, using your example, "ALIGNMENT PROP - 0+000.00" there are 3 items separated by spaces prior to the station....ALIGNMENT space PROP space HYPHEN/DASH space, therefor we used $3. This is easily editable in the Point Editor Panorama when sorting by raw description.

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 3 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

Where are these settings changed? In the "Create Points" dialogue box? Is this done before or after creating the points? It kind of makes sense but the thing is putting these values in correctly.......where is the "10 $3 C/L" code entered? I'm trying to automate it so I don't have to enter a description for every point as I am creating them or adding the decription after the fact. I placed points along an alignment yesterday, there were almost 250 points and I had to enter the description for each point at the command line or, as I said, I would have to add the description later in the text file.

Message 4 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1

Set the Raw descriptions to be added automatically by object when creating the points on the alignment:

Automatic Descriptions.png

 

Create a Description Key in your DescriptionKeySet to look for "ALIGN*" (note, these are case-sensitive. My image shows "Align*" because that's the format of my alignment naming) as shown:

 

5-21-2014 11-23-51 AM.png

 

Make sure your settings have the option to use description keys on. Then when you create the points these settings will automatically be applied. If you already have the points with the "ALIGNMENT PROP - 0+00.00", then you can select the PointGroup, rightclick, choose Apply Description Keys.

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 5 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

See attachment. On the first page, the key I added is "PROP_ROAD". This is the name of my alignment style...not sure if that is the proper code? You said "Create a Description Key in your DescriptionKeySet to look for "ALIGN*" (note, these are case-sensitive. My image shows "Align*" because that's the format of my alignment naming). Where does the name "ALIGN" come from? I set the point style and point label style. On page 2 you will see what it is spitting out. Not sure where it is getting "ALIGNMENT_PROP_TANGENT" from? The stationing is incorrect, no "10" or "C/L" in the description? Maybe what I am trying to do cannot be done? Thanks for your help.

Message 6 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Rainman1

Sorry, forgot the attachment.

Message 7 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1

You need to provide the Alignment Name, or wildcard facsimile of it. In your first post you showed the same thing I did later, wherein you have the Point Description added automatically bu Object. It uses the Alignment Name and station, in your case "ALIGNMENT PROP - 0+000.00". So your Description Key would need to be "ALIGN*" and the Description format would be "10 $3 C/L". This will match all points set along all alignments whose names begin with ALIGN.

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 8 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

I don't want the alignment name in my description. I just want it to export for example point #1....1,846505.2158,146980.0415,10 0+000 C/L. Point number, northing, easting, description. I don't need to see the description on the actual point in the drawing. I just want it to export in the format I have shown in red. But it has to recognize the stationing and change it accordingly every 15m.

Message 9 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1

If you follow the instructions given, you will get exactly what you have asked for.

 

5-21-2014 2-10-40 PM.png

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 10 of 27
cbaildon001
in reply to: Jeff_M

Jeff is right.

Caleb Baildon
Senior Surveyor
Opus International Consultants Ltd
Wellington, New Zealand
Civil3D 2015 - Windows10
Message 11 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

See attachment. First of all, thanks for your help, much appreciated. On page 1 you will see the Description Key I created, exact settings as in your example. Page 2 shows the settings for point creation (again, same settings). Page 3 shows the exported points (still getting the alignment name in the description)?? Page 4 shows my point properties. Following your instructions exactly but not getting the same result? FYI, we are running C3D 2012. I have to be missing a step or a setting somewhere along the line?

Message 12 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1


@Rainman1 wrote:

I have to be missing a step or a setting somewhere along the line?


Yes, you missed that I said the DescriptionKeys are case-sensitive...Align* will never match ALIGNMENT since one is mixed upper/lower case and the other is all upper case. You also missed that I said you need to accomodate for the number of items prior to the station.chainage separated by spaces, in my example I had 4, whereas yours has just 2, so you would need to change the $4 to $2 in the Description Format. As for the exported text file, because your raw & full descriptions are the same at this point, I don't know if you changed the PointFileFormat used is using the Raw or Full description, so verify this before exporting.

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 13 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

So I changed the code to "ALIGN*" and the format to "10 $2 C/L". It is still exporting the alignment name as the description. I am exporting using the "PNEZD (comma delimited)" Point File Format. I went to the properties of this Point File Format but don't see anywhere to tell it to use the Raw description as opposed to the full description? Sorry for the confusion. Very frustrating knowing that what we are trying to do can be done but cannot get it to work. This would save a lot of time IF we could get it working.

Message 14 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1

After making the change to the DescriptionKey, did you Apply the description keys to the Points?

5-22-2014 7-02-26 AM.png

 

And in the PointFileFormat editor, select the column for the Raw Description in order o change it to Full Description:

5-22-2014 7-04-48 AM.png

 

 

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 15 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

WOW!!! That did it! Awesome! Now, one last thing.....the point data is exporting as - 2,48500.5376,50043.7160,10 0+015.00 C/L. How do I get rid of the 2 decimal places? Our standard is - 2,846512.8515,146992.9525,10 0+015 C/L. Thank you so much, this is going to save a lot of time on long alignments.

Message 16 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1

Dropping the decimals in the station.chainage needs to be done before creating the points. You can set the Drawing's Ambient settings for Stations to drop decimals for whole number stations.

 

If you find a response which answers your question, please be sure to accept the actual post(s) which helped you as the solution(s). This will help future searchers quickly find answers to their own questions. Thanks!

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 17 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

I added points to another alignment in the same drawing but when I export the points I am getting - 59,48699.0122,50728.3547,-99999,10 - C/L. It does not show the stationing? The alignment has a different name. Do I have to create a description key for each alignment? Is the description key code tied in with the alignment name?

 

18,48716.8604,50147.6605,10 0+255.00 C/L these are the original points, work fine
19,48730.3805,50154.1570,10 0+270.00 C/L
20,48743.9007,50160.6535,10 0+285.00 C/L
21,48757.4209,50167.1501,10 0+300.00 C/L
22,48592.8100,50252.3846,10 - C/L additional points, no stationing?
23,48602.3903,50263.9267,10 - C/L
24,48611.9705,50275.4687,10 - C/L

Message 18 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1


@Rainman1 wrote:

 The alignment has a different name. Do I have to create a description key for each alignment? Is the description key code tied in with the alignment name?

 

22,48592.8100,50252.3846,10 - C/L additional points, no stationing?


The DescriptionKeys look at the first block of text in the Point's Raw description. As long as your alignments all start with ALIGN then you do not need to have separate keys. However, again this was mentioned previously, if the alignment names have differing numbers of items in their names you will need to adjust the formatting string. You can make this change easily in the Points Edit Panorama by selecting all of the points on an alignment (sort the points by the raw description column to make this easier), right click the column header for the Description Format, choose edit, then change the $2 to $whateverisneededforthatalignment.

 

The only way I know of to keep this fully automatic is to setup the alignment name defaults and never change the name of the alignments. So if the default is "ALIGNMENT - ({NextCounter})" the alignments will be "ALIGNMENT - (01)", "ALIGNMENT - (02)", etc. and the description format would always use $3. But if you have different named alignments then, yes, you'd need different description keys as well.

 

All of this may mean some changes to workflows, or just a bit of extra work. But I'm willing to bet it is still far quicker than manually editing every description.

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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Message 19 of 27
Rainman1
in reply to: Jeff_M

I went into the "Point Editor" panorama and changed the description format for all the points that weren't coming in properly to "10 $3 C/L" and it worked. What does the "2" and "3" represent in the code? Most times we have more than one alignment in the drawing and as you know you cannot duplicate alignment names in one drawing. One alignment I am using is called "ALIGNMENT_PROP_TANGENT" and the other is called "ALIGNMENT PROP". The "ALIGNMENT_PROP_TANGENT" alignment is the one that I changed the code to "10 $3 C/L" and it worked.

Message 20 of 27
Jeff_M
in reply to: Rainman1

I feel like I'm repeating myself here...Smiley Happy

 

The number used in this: $3 is the number of items in the description separated by spaces that occur prior to the station.

 

In your 2 alignmnet names you have

ALIGNMENT_PROP_TANGENT

and

ALIGNMENT PROP

 

 

The first has Zero spaces in the name, but C3D always places a dash/hyphen with spaces on either side before adding the station. So this one needs a format that uses $2 (2 spaces are in the description prior to the station)

The second has One space in the name. And since C3D adds another 2 for the dash, this alignment will need a format that uses $3.

 

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
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