AutoCAD Civil 3D

[#1]

Hi. I have seen one post similar to this, but haven't seen this exact question asked. We have had to switch our software from Land Desktop and Survey to Autodesk Civil - since they are discontinuing land desktop. Years ago I figured out a method for our office to do this with Land Desktop. I'm wondering if it will still work with Civil, now that the block is the actual point. The following are instructions I wrote for the office to do this. We have the trunk and canopy size in the description key when we shoot the point - we only shoot one point per tree and don't want to have to shoot it twice if we don't have to. I have not yet used Autodesk Civil, but I'm going to have to be creating our templates for the office. We had a block for the Canopy, and another block for the trunk. The first step inserts and sizes the trunk block, the step after that inserts and sizes the canopy block and all the rest of the points. I am wondering if something similar will still work with Autodesk Civil.

These are our instructions we've written for Land Desktop:

Make sure when you start a drawing that you bring in both the Default, and the Tree Trunks Description Key File from the Office Prototype we've created.

Before inserting points the first time

Switch to the Tree Trunk point label style

Insert all points to drawing

Isolate the layer l-plnt-tree-trunk-exst

Explode all of the tree trunk blocks

Turn all the layers back on

Switch to the label style active deskeys only

Reinsert the points, replacing them all. The trunk blocks should stay.

.....

Relevant Portions of our two Description key files
Tree Trunks Description Key File
KCODE DFORMAT DLAYER SYMBOL SLAYER SFLAGS SSPARM SSFIXD SRPARM SRFIXD
TREED trunk 9 1 1 1 0
TREEE trunk 9 1 1 1 0

Default Description Key file
KCODE DFORMAT DLAYER SYMBOL SLAYER SFLAGS SSPARM SSFIXD SRPARM SRFIXD
TREED "$1"" $3 TREE" L-PLNT-TREE-EXST dectree L-PLNT-TREE-EXST 41 2 5 1 0
TREEE "$1"" $3 TREE" L-PLNT-TREE-EXST evtree L-PLNT-TREE-EXST 9 2 5 1 0

I should mention we also have them inserted as evergreens if they are evergreens, and deciduous if they are deciduous.
This is the format we type codes into the data collector.

TreeD 1 30 Oak Trunk Diam. (Inch) Canopy Rad. (Feet) Species (If Known) In Main Code
TreeE 6 12 Holly Trunk Diam. (Inch) Canopy Rad. (Feet) Species (If Known) In Main Code

Tree names come in as 1" Oak Tree (to use an example)

Thanks.

[#2]

I want to congratulate you for posting the most complicated question ever posed in this discussion group. Job well done!

[#3]

Sort answer - yes - I think you can do the same thing. It might be just as easy to just insert the point file twice adding and offset and changing the description keys accordingly.

[#4]

Moynihan,

When you code the tree in the field do you shoot it twice? One separate shot (point number) for the trunk size and then a separate shot (point number) for the canopy?

[#5]

Thanks - Sorry it's taken me so long to get back. Things have been so crazy at work, that I haven't had time to check back. I am going to study the software to try and learn it. Sorry for the complicated question. My boss is very particular in how our trees look, so what we do wouldn't be typical for every office. Glad to know you think it might work. I just wasn't sure since it seems like from the little I've read that the trees were now the points.

Meg

[#6]

No, we just shoot one point at the center of the trunk, then measure with a tape measure for the caliper and canopy size and code those into the data collector. It's slow enough to shoot the trees as it is, I am hoping to avoid having to shoot it twice.

Meg

[#7]

Hi Meg,

Does taking that second shot really take that long?

An experienced surveyor I've worked with measured the time taking two
shots with separate descriptions and that taking one with a longer multi
description and concluded that there was no effective time difference.
His company of 4 field crews all dual shot trees as required.


Regards


Laurie Comerford


mbergen@sbcglobal.net wrote:
> No, we just shoot one point at the center of the trunk, then measure
> with a tape measure for the caliper and canopy size and code those into
> the data collector. It's slow enough to shoot the trees as it is, I am
> hoping to avoid having to shoot it twice. Meg

[#8]

It can be done by use of the Linework Code Set.

For a tree with canopy 15m diameter and trunk diameter of 0.8m I would use a code of "TREE 15 TR C.4"

TREE is in my description key set with the first parameter a scale parameter.

TR is in my Figure prefix database.

C is for circle in the Linework Code Set.

So as long as you only use the circle code for tree trunks it should be fine.

[#9]

We have trees coded as TR 0.8 10 15. Where 0.8 is diameter, 10 is spread, 15 is height.

I have always found it much quicker not to shoot twice in the field but once then reduce the fieldwork data to csv or fbk then copy and paste the tree shots back into the csv or fbk and change there code to trunk. So effectively you have exactly the same points twice but with different codes. Then have a description key set up to bring in symbols based on the tree spread and trunk diameter. Works well.

Cheers

Ben