AutoCAD Civil 3D

[#1]

I am working on three different projects at once. For each project, I was sent a drawing with contours as polylines. Each contour is broken up into polylines about fifty feet long each at elevation 0. I am trying to set the polylines to proper elevation without editing each one individually. Each drawing contains several hundred polylines to modify. I was hoping for some sort of way to use a fence and interval (2') with a starting elevation.

I've searched the internet but haven't found a lisp routine to do this. I thought I remember Land Desktop having something like this, but can't seem to find it in Civil 3D 2012. I have found several threads asking the same question. Each time the poster was referred to a blog 7629. That blog unfortunately seems to have been taken down. If I can’t find an answer soon, it looks that my best option would be to retrace each contour which makes me glad to be paid hourly.

Any help would be appreciated to make this easier.

Thanks,

Keith

[#2]

Check if the contours contain an Elevation attribute as Object Data.

If so, perform a draw query to elevate 'em automatically.

If not, zip and attach the file here, we're gonna give it a look-over, sir.

[#3]

These contours came from an old microstatin drawing. I've desparatly searched for any kind of data I could use. Its just plain old polylines.

Thanks though

[#4]

I would see if I could get the Microstaion file opened in Microstation with the hope of exporting an xml or ascii point and breakline file of the surface.

[#5]

I have the microstation file. We also have microstation. Unfortunatly there is no elevation data.

I'm working on this now by just retracing the contours with polylines. I could use the short segments and match elevation if there was a match elevation function like match propeties. Does anybody know of something like this?

Thanks though.

[#6]

I presume you know what the contours should be?

Try joining the entities together using Polyline, multiple option then run the 2D contours to 3D contours tool in the tools section of the UKIE Toolbox. Enter the start contour level (low) then end (high) and it will elevate them for you.

[#7]

Yes, I do what the contours should be.

Now, UKIE toolbox? What is this? How do I get to it?

Thanks

[#8]

Attached is a tool you can use in Microstation to set the elevations by dragging a line across them (and more). It is called Civil Tools. Do a web search for more info.

Here is some info from the BE Community:

Description

Civil/Site Tools (CivTools) is an application designed for Surveying and Civil/Site users.

NOTE: This utility application includes very basic surveying and civil/site capabilities. The Bentley Road and Site Design Solutions provides much more comprehensive functionality -- click here for more information.

Installation Instructions

CivTools.ma and CivTools.DLL should be copied into the same folder (i.e. ..\mdlapps\).

To load CivTools

Key in: MDL LOAD CIVTOOLS from the Key-in Browser

or

from Utilities > MDL Applications > Browse, select CivTools

The Civil/Site Tools palette displays.

Place Contour

Used to place 3D line-string or curve-strings that represent contours. Turn on the Planar option to place contours. If the Planar option is off, you can key in different elevations for each datapoint to allow breaklines to be easily defined.

Label Contour

Allows you to label contours individually or in groups. You can label groups by striking a line across all the elements to be labeled. Only contours on major or minor contour levels (as defined in the CivTools parameters) are processed.

Place Breakline

Provides the ability to place breaklines as lines or curves at a specific elevation and optionally increment or decrement the elevation of successive vertices.

Place Coordinate

Allows you to place a coordinate marker with the respective Northing and Easting coordinates (and optionally the elevation) of an identified point. You can choose the output prefixes and suffixes as well as the order of the NE or EN coordinate output (the latter is in the Coordinates tab of the Civil Tool Properties dialog).

Modify Contour

Allows you to modify contour vertices without modifying the vertices' elevation.

Set Elevation by Crossing

Modify the elevations of sequential contours (identified by a crossing line) to a user-specified absolute or delta interval.

Set Element Elevation

Enables you to set Z value for all vertices of a line-string, curve-string, or complex-string to a specified value.

Place Spot Elevation

Enables you to place text and an optional marker to marker elevation. The elevation can either be keyed in, or taken from the datapoint elevation.

Place Composite Curve

Provides the ability to place "curves" using straight lines and arcs.

Civil Tools Settings

Allows you to set the level, symbology, and size of the all the elements placed using the Civil/Site tools.

By default, CivTools uses what is set in Settings > Design File... > Working Units > Linear Units for coordinate placement. You can override that with the "Use Design File Settings" setting in this dialog. Note that not all coordinate readout values are available when overriding Design File Working Unit Linear Units.

Please post any questions or comments regarding this utility in the Bentley Library Forum.

[#9]

If you were to consider third party software, MapWorks Base contains a PolyContour Assign Elevation tool that lets you simply strike a fence across multiple polyllines, tell it up/down hill and contour interval.

You would want to join the shorts first, a join tool is included that even handles 3dPolys, gap distances, etc.

[#10]

The tool is part of the Civil3D UKIE country kit which is already on your CD.