AutoCAD Civil 3D

[#1]

Hi Everybody,

After extracing the contours from a surface so I can break them and move them around maybe delete a few that look wrong it's time to label them. I converted the extracted contours to splines so I could move them around and then used PEDIT to decurve them because you can't put a label on splines.

Here's the problem. If I try to use PEDIT, multiple, and then decurve a group of lines at once it decurves them but I still can't add a label to the line. If I use PEDIT on one line and decurve it I can then add a label to that line. I notice that in the property box the individual line I edit is a polyline but when I edit multiple lines at once they are 2d polylines. Is there any workaround to this problem? This drawing I'm working on has 150 foot change in elevation so there a lots of contours and I really don't want to have to PEDIT each individual line I want to add a label to.

Thanks for the help.

-Dan K.

[#2]

Label the contours in 3D, export to AutoCad then edit the contours as needed.

[#3]

Sounds to me like you have a workflow issue not a contour labeling problem.  Surface edits should all be done in the surface, triangle editing, point or line insertion or deletion.  Civil3d has the best surface editing features, bar none!

[#4]

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dankoss wrote:

Hi Everybody,

After extracing the contours from a surface so I can break them and move them around maybe delete a few that look wrong it's time to label them. I converted the extracted contours to splines so I could move them around and then used PEDIT to decurve them because you can't put a label on splines.

Here's the problem. If I try to use PEDIT, multiple, and then decurve a group of lines at once it decurves them but I still can't add a label to the line. If I use PEDIT on one line and decurve it I can then add a label to that line. I notice that in the property box the individual line I edit is a polyline but when I edit multiple lines at once they are 2d polylines. Is there any workaround to this problem? This drawing I'm working on has 150 foot change in elevation so there a lots of contours and I really don't want to have to PEDIT each individual line I want to add a label to.

Thanks for the help.

-Dan K.

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AAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH.....as Mike points out the surface (or the data it is built from) needs to be sorted out.

In all ground modelling the TIN surface is the primary object and the contours are for convenience of display.

[#5]

Yeah, ideally it should be edited in the surface but it takes a hell of a lot longer to go into the surface, delete some TIN lines, see if it looks right, maybe edit a spot elevation or two, and then repeat over and over again. If I just use the contours that Civil3D generates they look terrible. I'm not striving for 100% accuracy, this is for a topo drawing, I'm trying to present a drawing to a client that doesn't look like crap with contours zigging and zagging all over the place.

[#6]

I would have someone experienced show you the benefits of Civil3d surface editing.  All changes can be instantly visualized while you do them, you can create 'save points' try a few things out and then quickly go back to the save location.  You can add points, delete points, add lines, delete lines, swap edges, you name it - it can be done and every change gives you instant contour updates. 

There is NO way editing plines and smoothing them and snapping them around is quicker.  If the contours don't look right you may not have enough data(that is usually one problem I often run into).

[#7]

Add the "manipulated" contours back into C3D as breaklines (on a non plotting layer) and that should help