C3D 2013: What is the Input Format of Survey?

[scottchang]

Hi all,

I just learned the input formats of points (like PENZD, PNEZD, etc.).  I want to know the input format of Survey. Please help and give me the information of input format of Survey.

Thanks,

Scott Chang

[mathewkol]

There is no one format. As you've seen, there is an entire list, PNEZD, NEZ etc. As you import survey data you choose which one is appropriate.

Maybe elaborate on what exactly it is you mean.

[AllenJessup]

If you import Survey data from a point file. That's the same method as you've been working with. If you're importing a Field Book (FBK) from a Data Collector the format will depend on how the Total Station and Data Collector are set.

Allen

[DaveM]

You may or may not know this already, but

P = Point Number

N = Northing

E = Easting

Z = Elevation

D = Description

The format of the file you have could be different combinations of the above code, whats is important is that you choose the format that your .csv, or txt ect.

[scottchang]

Hi Allen,  Thanks for your nice response.

I just heard the name "Data Collector" from you and some results of my Google search.  Where can I find a Data Collector to be used in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013? How can I create FBK files from Data Collector directly? Please kindly help and respond again.

Many Thanks,

Scott Chang 

[DaveM]

Data Collector is really a general term. How are you collecting the survey data yourself, or are you being provided the data. There are many different types of software that run on data collectors. each exports different ways, so there really is not a catch all answer.

[AllenJessup]

---

@scottchang wrote:

Hi Allen,  Thanks for your nice response.

I just heard the name "Data Collector" from you and some results of my Google search.  Where can I find a Data Collector to be used in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013? How can I create FBK files from Data Collector directly? Please kindly help and respond again.

Many Thanks,

Scott Chang 

---

A Data Collector in the world of surveying is an electronic device connected to a Total Station (Surveying Instrument) that logs each shot taken on a point in the field. Along with the necessary data about the instrument setup. Out Data Collector costs $5,000 US. You can gain experience with FBK files by doing the Tutorials for Survey Input.
 

This is an example of one of those files.

UNIT FOOT DMS
HORIZ ANGLE RIGHT
PRISM CONSTANT 0
PRISM OFFSET 0
EDM OFFSET 0
CR OFF
ATMOS OFF
COLLIMATION OFF
JOB LINEWORK SAMPLE
SCALE FACTOR 1.000000
VERT ANGLE ZENITH
NE 1 5000.000 5000.000 263.650 "STA1"
NE 6 5088.000 6104.000 249.635 "STA6"
AZ 6 6000 135.000000
AZ 1 1000 315.000000
STN 1 0.000000 "STA1"
PRISM 0.000000
FC1 VA 1000 0.000000 00.000 90.000000 "AZMK"
FC1 VA 2 117.563300 300.023 90.421692 "STA2"
FC1 VA 101 29.082602 91.481  89.454093 "SDWK1 B"
FC1 VA 102 28.024103 85.731  89.401866 "SHD1 B"
FC1 VA 103 27.134289 81.910  89.495311 "EP1 B"
FC1 VA 104 20.092686 59.515  89.171525 "EP2 B"

This is an example of one from our Data Collector.

UNIT FOOT DMS
HORIZ ANGLE RIGHT
PRISM CONSTANT 0
PRISM OFFSET 0
EDM OFFSET 0
CR OFF
ATMOS OFF
COLLIMATION OFF                                                   
!NOTE   TS SUN 05/19/91 10:07:30A
REM NE 1 5000.00000 5000.00000 100.00000 
NE 2 401100.000 609350.000 430.00000 
AZ 2 9999 0.000000
NE 8 400948.089 608031.344 370.05000 
STN 2 0.000000
BS 9999
PRISM 0.000000
FC1 VA 3 20.000000 261.03194  85.211192 "LN 3-SET"
!NOTE  ASSUMED BEARING USED
STN 2 4.970000
PRISM 4.450000
FC1 VA 200 0.000000 260.98500  85.422999 "BSCHKSET"
PRISM 5.050000

I may have misread your original post. If you were referring to manually entering Survey observations. see HERE.

Allen

[scottchang]

Hi Allen, Thanks for your nice, informative response.

This morning, I read Survey in the HELP of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 and I studied Survey Workflow: (1) Prepare for Survey Data, (2) Obtain and Create Survey Data, (3) Adjust, Analyze, and Output Survery Data, (4) Query Survey Data, and (5) Add Survey Query Results to a Surface, a little bit closely. So I understand your last response  much better.  You said that your Data Collector costs $5,000.  What kind/what brand of Data Collector for the Civil 3D 2013 do you have? Are many Data Collectors for the Civil 3 D 2013 in the market? Please help and respond again.

Thanks,

Scott Chang

P. S. I am going to read/study the Tutorials for Survey input closely and then use your FBK files to gain experince as you suggest.

[AllenJessup]

Hello Scott,

Let me try to be clearer. There are NO Data Collectors made to work with Civil 3D. The type of Data Collector that collects Survey data are make to work with Survey instruments. Civil 3D is written to allow import of the FBK files that these Data Collectors can output. The more advance Data Collectors can output anything from a TXT file to DXF and SHP files.

On page 3 of THIS brochure you will see Survey Total Stations in the background and Data Collectors in the foreground.

Allen

[scottchang]

Hi Allen, Thanks for your response.

I read Leica Viva you gave me - it is interesting, but it is above my head.

I studied the first 2 Survey Tutorials: (i) Survey Setup and (ii) Importing Survey Data. Then, I played with your 2 FBK files in "Importing Survey Data - I guess I was lucky to get (a) imported Survey data without linework coding (I kept "NO" for "Process linework during import", ....)  from your first FBK file and (b) imported data with linework coding (I set "Yes" for "Process linework during import",....) from your second FBK file - see the attached 2 jpg files. Are the Survey Points in these 2 output right or not?  Please comment on (a) and (b) I got.

Many Thanks,

Scott Chang

[AllenJessup]

I realy couldn't tell you. The first I just stripped a few lines out of a FBK in the tutorials. The second is a few lines out of an old one I had floating around. I haven't dealt with them in quite a while myself. Our Surveyor does all the reduction, analysis and base mapping.

Allen

[_Hathaway]

As a few have stated there are numerous 'Inputs' for survey from standard .txt files to FieldBook (.fbk) files that can be used for input.  However, input is only 1/4 of the battle as it doesn't do you any good to input data if your template file, figure prefix file or description key file, just to name a few, are not setup.  Civil3d takes a ton of setup to function properly in conjunction with your field data input.

[scottchang]

Hi Allen, Thank you for your response anyway. I am getting close to what I want to do in dealing with Survey and Survey Data.

In the Survey Overview of Survey Totorial in the HELP of C3D 2013, the 2 results/diagrams (Imported Survey data without linework coding and Linework created by importing survey data using linework coding) are exactly I want to do for my real soil sampling projects. (1) Do you know where I can the import data for these 2 diagrams? (2)  What are Survey Settings? (3) What is a tranverse for Least Square Analysis and Mapcheck Analysis? (4) What is Equipment Database? (5) What is Figure Prefix Database?   Please kindly help and respond again.

Many Thanks,

Scott Chang 

[wfberry]

Scott:

Please note that this newsgroup is for "correcting problems".  You are requesting way too much, especially if you are trying to do work for a client.

You would be best served if you did your line work manually.  It is not that difficult.

Bill