Fbk files unreliable when exported from Leica

[Bennos1]

hi,
Has anyone encountered this, and has a solution. Our survey work is carried out using Leica 1200's in the field. Most processing we can get away with importing Ascii files, which works well. On occasions we need to bring in lot of line work, so we convert the raw data to fbk files. This is where the fun a games begin. 99% of our survey setups are done by resection. Fbk don't seem to like resection setups. I find on after importing a job with multiple setups it looks like a spilt plate of spaghetti of the screen. All setup orientations incorrect making it a mess.
All our setup points are alphanumeric (i.e. STN1,STN2)
Fbk renames these but then pt number issues occur down the file as that point number has been later used by a survey shot. The editing of the fbk is a pain in the butt, not to mention a 'best practice' issue.
All this comes from needing to get the line work in to automatically create breaklines for surface modelling. This happens only at a great deal of time spent editing the fbk. Attached is an example fbk. Any suggestions, beside an add-on.??

Cheers,

Ben

[davewebb]

I think your best bet is to simply not have alphanumeric point numbers. Why don't you give the points a code? a lot less cumbersome. But even i that doesn't work, i have noticed that if you do a resection from a fix point job on the instrument. the co-ords of those "fixed points" don't come across with the survey. its just a matter of adding those points to the survey database first as control points.

[Bennos1]

thanks Dave,
I'm going to try and get leica Australia to give me a .frt file to export Landxml. May or may not be more reliable. Also try to get them to look at their fbk exporter and why there are so many issues.

cheers
Ben

[Anonymous]

As far as Alphanumeric point numbering is concerned, Civil3D is out of step with the rest of the survey world.

Autodesk, wake up. Purlease.

Having alphanumerics makes the job organisation ten times more flexible. Its like the old layer system where layers were numbered.

Virtually every data recorder has alphanumeric capabiities. I just cannot understand Autodesk's phobia.

[Anonymous]

Bennos

Have you read the Leica Newsletters regarding field coding for .fbk output. The numbers are 39-40 & 47-49. You can find them here;

www.leica-geosystems.com/corporate/en/support/lgs_page_catalog.htm

Having used this system I have found it to be totally S&%t. Unfortunately I can only suggest using num,eric point numbers only and purchasing a copy of Stringer.

Kind Regards
& Best of luck

Bob the Surveyor

[davewebb]

I'm still unsure how alphanumeric point numbers makes anything more flexible. It seems to me your trying to get old methods to fit to new technology. Its the same as the stringer debate. Why would i buy a $40000 total station and not use its data collecting technology, all because i don't want to change my methods, and then go out and spend more money to buy stringer to make it work. I can understand using stringer on older instruments, but on newer instruments that can download to FBK in the field it doesn't make sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Dave

I could'nt agree more, however it's just a matter of efficiency with Stringer. I'd like to say that C3D was competative when it comes to survey reductions and not have to pay for Stringer but regretfully that is not the case. Certainly it's extra money but that was covered in the first month of ownership.

Additionally, I export my data from my TPS1203 via Leica's FDE routine, so in terms of updating field technique and utilising the intruments coding capability there is no problem.

Kind Regards
Bob the Surveyor

[Bennos1]

bob,dave,hans,
I share your frustation. Made more so because this is something critical to the 'production time' autodesk is always referring to.
Dave, I use alphanumeric as some kind of poor safe guard against having two point numbers the same in the same job (talking Leica files here). I can't understand why Leica don't have the option NOT to allow different points to have the same point number in the one job. So all my control points are alphanumeric and all shots are numeric. It's not fool proof but may help. Of course in most cases we use a fix point job and a measure job system.
Thanks Bob i've read them. I've just received from Leica a format file (.frt file) to process the dbx to .rw5. Which I am now going to convert with survey link to bring the data into C3D that way and see if i get the same errors as the fbk creates. If you would like a copy please email me info at crux surveying dot com dot au - no spaces in that address.

[allanbsteven]

Has anyone come up with a solution to the FBK file and resection?

Thanks

Allan

[Anonymous]

Has anyone encountered a problem of seemingly extra erroneous/auto generated points?

Example...I take shot #430, which is a code 133(surface/ground/topo). When I import the file into CAD to create my surfaces I find multiple points, almost as if it is shooting the same point 1-4 times. The points all have the exact same data, but the point #s are now 53607182, instead of in consecutive numbered order like normal....Are these erroneous shots generated because I am doing line work at the same time? If so, will it do any serious damage to just delete all of these points? I can't find a setting for continuous/average/repeat shots, that was my first guess to this problem, but some points are defaulted to this weird 500k numbering system without having the original point beneath them.

I have never used Leica products, but am using a TS16 and a 20 controller. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[rl_jackson]

I've seen this happen on occasion with respect to the 500k#. Usually what I do is delete​ the import event and re-import the file.

[Anonymous]

I tried doing that as well, a few times, seems to not be going anywhere....

Also, are you familiar with the structure of Leica raw data? I used to use a topconn, and all of the templates I have were set up with description key sets by the last person here(for the top conn). I need to figure out how to get all of my Leica data to play nicely with the topconn templates. I figured the easiest way to do it was to re-write the description key sets, or create new ones so I have them for both pieces of equipment...Here is a typical point as done with the Leica TS16...

465,507827.456,2190725.149,4781.006,       514,   1.75 21,          ,          ,          ,    

514 is the type of tree(Pine) 1.75 is the diameter in feet and 21 is the diameter in inches. Normally the code assigns the proper symbol and the 1.75 is a scale for the symbol. Then the 21" shows up in the label because of the key set...But I don't really know how to name my points to get it to do the same thing with my Leica data. And the Leica software isn't working on my computer to get into the raw data....it's kind of a mess...

[rl_jackson]

Lieca has to be the worst platform to use with C3D ever created. It's like there doing the own thing and none of it is compatible with C3D OOTB. They wrote the Smartworx stuff for GIS. Not surveying in my opinion it SUCKS!!!