AutoCAD Map 3D

[#1]

Hello all,

I'm going to preface this post by saying I'm a complete newbie to mapping with AutoCad. That being said, I do have experience with other CAD products.

The project: Taking survey data (x,yz) where x,y are coordinates and z is elevation and drawing a 3d polyline in the program. It is my hopes that I can do so over a basemap of the area we are working in. I am hoping to do this as simply as possible.

I was wondering if someone could speak to the basics of how to do this or provide me some good references to use. In addition, I am a student (this project is for engineers without borders) so I have access to a wide variety of CAD and GIS suites if you feel that one will suite my needs better.

Thanks in advance,

Grant

[#2]

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glanglois wrote:

Taking survey data ... and drawing a 3d polyline

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Would you please elaborate that, e.g. with a couple of screenshots?

[#3]

Thanks for the reply! I don't have much now to take a screenshot of. Let me try to clarify my intent?

We are contructing a water pipeline in a foreign country as volunteers. Our survey team recently surveyed the area and gave us various coordinates for the pipeline.

They are in the form <Easting,Northing,Elevation>

I am able to plot the line to problem using these points; however I would like to incorporate a basemap of the area to go under this data. (e.g so that the points of the pipeline corrsepond to a point on the map). 

I guess i'm just wondering what the best way to approach this project is.

Thanks

[#4]

Well, if you want to put a background aerial image under your 3Dpoly, you may _MAPCONNECT to a WMS server like http://wms.latlon.org/?layers=osm

[#5]

If I understand you correctly, you wish to draw a polyline between a set of xyz points. 

I use civil3D. I don't really use Map3D but maybe the commands are similar or if you also have civil3D, then it is pretty easy:

- insert menu, import tab, create points from file (say ENZ space delimited for x y z file). Each individual points will automatically be assigned a number starting at 1. 

- now you can create either a 2D or 3D poly depending on your needs - similar process. 

- command 3DPOLY (PLINE for 2D)

- when it asks to specify the start: type the following to specify you'll reference point numbers:     'pn

- then when it asks for the point number type in the point number range to include:   1-50 (assuming you have 50 points)

Hopefully the process is similar in map3d.

Cheers

- Mick

[#6]

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autoMick wrote:
PLINE for 2D

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The above command closes automatically the chain, while a simple _LINE command will create an open one in the 1-N range.

I wonder why the OP wrote "I am able to plot the line...": I think he'd like only to have a background imagery under his existing polyline...