Creating a Surface Using shape files

[andy7918]

I was given a job where i need to create a surface from a gis file. I have no idea how to do this, have been messing with my civ 3d 2013 a little bit and have been able to get a surface comprised of a bunch of polylines to appear (not a true surface). I will need to create profiles so i need a true surface. I downloaded a compressed shape file from the county and need to know how to insert this into a drawing and build a surface using my own surface style. I am familair with building surfaces using surveyed data, but this shape file stuff has got me pretty confused.  I could eventually figure this out myself, but i am hoping there's someone out there who can give some tips to speed things along.

The files i have to work with:

.dbf

.idx

.prj

.sbn

.sbx

"autocad shape source"

.shp

"autocad complied shape"

[AllenJessup]

Start by importing the shape file. Make sure to import attribute Data and Check Import polygons as closed polylines.

How you proceed from there will depend on what you get out of the shape file. If it's just polylines. You'll have to save the drawing, open a new drawing and query the polylines while using an Alter Properties to bring them to the correct elevation. Then use them as breaklines to create the Surface. I won't get into greater detail until you find out what you'll actually get.

Allen

[KirkNoonan]

Try this

[antoniovinci]

If you are lucky, that shapeset could be already 3D, so you should not query anything.

Feel free to upload it on http://ge.tt so we can advise you better, sir.

[andy7918]

Followed your import steps, i have made it this far before. I have a bunch of polylines for contours, but still no real surface. If i open the "properties" dialog box for one of the polylines i have  a geometry elevation of 0.00, but i have a feature id with an elevation thats probably correct. How do i get from a bunch of polylines to a surface that i can edit to display with my own surface style? (plot styles, labeling, major/minor intervals, etc...) Do some of the other files that i recieved need to come into play somehow?

[andy7918]

Kirk, i have tried the method you showed before. How long does it typically take to build the surface? The ribbon command method you show seems to only crash my machine. I gave it perhaps 10 minuted to generate and never got anywhere.

[KirkNoonan]

It usually pops up the dialog box to map the elevation to the proper field in the shapefile data relatively quickly and then it churns for a while. If it isn't popping up the initial dialog box right away, then you probably won't get it to work in this case. It doesn't always work, but it is the simplest method to do what you are trying to do.

[AllenJessup]

No other file needed. This is where you need to save that drawing, open a new one, attach the file you just saved and do a query using the Alter Propertied. http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=14478662&linkID=9240857

See: http://www.thecadmasters.com/wordpress/index.php/2011/03/16/assign-elevations-to-contours-from-an-es...

Allen

[mathewkol]

You typically don't need to query anything anymore since we have that surface from GIS tool. Unless, of course, it's not working. But there may be something you're doing incorrectly. Give Allen's technique a try as it was what we used before the new tool. Like Kirk said, attach the shape files so we can try it out.

[andy7918]

Allen, i followed thge steps as outlined in your message, and was able to get all of the 2d polylines in the seperate drawing to attach in a second drawing. I did the query and the lines now have a z elevation. I need to turn this thing into a surface though, where do i go from here?

[KirkNoonan]

Now you just create a new surface and add your poly lines as contours. You will likely have to do some face flipping, or edge swapping in new terminology, since creating a surface from contours is arguably the sloppiest way. But you don't always have a choice.

[ceethreedee.com]

Read MatthewK's post... this is the easiest method for creating surfaces from shape files containing contours... the wizard takes you though everything, you can map the Z values directly to the surface...no more nonsense outdated map crap...

[AllenJessup]

Add the polylines to a Surface as Breaklines.

Allen

[AllenJessup]

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@bkanthergolder wrote:
Read MatthewK's post...

---

Read the OP's reply to KirkNoonan.

Create Surface from GIS Data is a good tool. But I don't think they've gotten all the bugs out of it yet.

Allen

[andy7918]

Allen, i added the 3d polylines as "contours" and as "standard breaklines" in my surface definition, and created a boundary since these contours cover half of my county. I was lucky enough to have a county gps monument in the area to check elevation of my contours and they are within a foot so sucess there. It was easy to orient myself with rivers & roadways, though i think the surface still needs some massaging to look the way it should. What type of breakline do you reccomend for this type of application?  I thought that Kirk's suggestion of adding the 3d ploylines as contours created a "cleaner" looking map.

-Andy 

[AllenJessup · Accepted solution]

At this point it's whatever gives you the best Surface. I usually go with breaklines because adding the polyline contours as contours doesn't always match the original contours exactly. You can also adjust Weeding and Supplementing factors as well as the setting in Minimize flat areas. You have to add a little Art to the Science.

Allen