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Export To AutoCAD 2010 changes elevation units

17 REPLIES 17
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Message 1 of 18
eladkcem
1089 Views, 17 Replies

Export To AutoCAD 2010 changes elevation units

I'm using the exporttoautocad command to convert a 3D drawing with a proposed surface (a TIN object) into a drawing with just contours (polylines with elevations). My original drawing is in feet and has a NAD83 state plane coordinate system.

 

Everything seems great in the exported dwg, except it is converting the elevation units from feet to inches!?  A contour that was originally at an elevation of 7.0 feet, ends up at 7 inches in the exported drawing. Spatial coordinates are preserved.

 

help please!

 

-d

17 REPLIES 17
Message 2 of 18
troma
in reply to: eladkcem

As a test, use the surface utilities to extract the contours to polylines before you exporttoacad.  What elevation do the polylines come in at?


Mark Green

Working on Civil 3D in Canada

Message 3 of 18
eladkcem
in reply to: troma

@troma, The extract objects from surface utility yields polylines with the correct elevations. (in feet)

 

This is my backup solution, but I really need the export to 2010 command to work because of the batch utility... (I'll eventually have many surfaces and many drawings that I need to convert...)

 

-d

Message 4 of 18
eladkcem
in reply to: eladkcem

Oddly enough, I'm only encountering this elevation unit change issue with a surface that was a data reference. Promoted or not, the data ref'd surface ends up with contours in inches. If I open the orignal drawing that had the surface though, I can export to 2010 and voila, contours are still in feet.... Any ideas why the data reference (promoted or not) would screw up the export command?

 

-d

Message 5 of 18
eladkcem
in reply to: eladkcem

Further experimentation suggests that it isn't the data referenced surface that is causing the problem. If I unload all the x-ref's from the drawing, then the export to autocad 2010 works as intended and the surface contours remain in feet. Any ideas?

 

All the x-ref's have the same drawing units/coordinate system setup and my export to autocad is set up to NOT process the x-ref's anyway...

 

thanks!

 

-d

Message 6 of 18
AllenJessup
in reply to: eladkcem

I'd suggest opening a Support Request with Autodesk. Even if they don't have an immediate answer, it's good to inform them of the problem.

 

Allen



Allen Jessup
Engineering Specialist / CAD Manager

Message 7 of 18
rl_jackson
in reply to: eladkcem

Did you check what units the export file is, sounds like it just may be change the units. Just a thought since 7 is still 7


Rick Jackson
Survey CAD Technician VI

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Message 8 of 18
troma
in reply to: eladkcem

I don't think I can really help you too much, since I've never even worked in a drawing in imperial units.

But I am interested in what you mean that the contours are in inches.

 

Let's say your drawing units are feet, and a certain contour is at an elevation of 12 units.  You export to ACAD. What is your result?

1. A drawing where the units are inches and the contour is at an elevation of 12 units.

2. A drawing where the units are inches and the contour is at an elevation of 144 units.

3. A drawing where the units are feet and the contour is at an elevation of 1 unit.

3. A drawing where the units are feet and the contour is at an elevation of 144 units.

 

As for how a data refernce could affect it, I'm wondering if there is a setting in the creation of a surface by data reference, that makes it different from a surface built locally.  Go to your Toolspace>Settings>Surface>Commands and look at the settings for CreateSurface (which is the local creation command) and CreateSurfaceReference (the command for creating a surface from the data reference).  See if there is something in there that would build the surface differently.


Mark Green

Working on Civil 3D in Canada

Message 9 of 18
eladkcem
in reply to: troma

See attached image showing the results of the list command on the exported contour. The exported drawing is still in the correct units (feet), but the contour now has inches associated. (which is kind of weird, because normally the list command doesn't show the type of unit, it just says 'z=7.0') The other image attached shows the normal (and expected) result of the list command if I had just extract the contours manually...

 

I've seen other posts with a similar issue where meters became mm... I'm worried this might be a bug (though why having an xref attached would cause it is beyond me...)

 

-d

Message 10 of 18
rl_jackson
in reply to: eladkcem

Like I SAID change the units in the export drawing to Engineering there in Architectural at the moment


Rick Jackson
Survey CAD Technician VI

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Message 11 of 18
troma
in reply to: rl_jackson

I agree with what rl_jackson is saying, since the length and area of your polyline are aslo being affected, not just elevation.  (The result is option 1 from my previous list.)


Mark Green

Working on Civil 3D in Canada

Message 12 of 18
eladkcem
in reply to: rl_jackson

rl & troma,

 

Thanks for being patient/helpful with this.... In Civil3D I don't think you can 'switch' between Architectural and Engineering units like you do in basic AutoCAD.

 

I think this may just be an issue with the way Civil3D opens a 2010 drawing... I took the same 'screwed up' acad2010 file that I exported and opened it in basic autocad2011 and the contours are correct. How can I get it to display better in Civ3d though? It'd be nice not to have to switch applications to inspect the export.

 

Thanks !

 

-d

Message 13 of 18
troma
in reply to: troma

OK, I guess it's not actually option 1, since you said the units are feet.  But try that Engineering rather that Architectural stuff that jackson said.  It sounds reasonable.

 

(In my world Engineers use metres and Architechts use milimetres, so I find the terminology rather confusing.)


Mark Green

Working on Civil 3D in Canada

Message 14 of 18
rl_jackson
in reply to: troma

You can set a drawing to anything, and it will react differently based on the system you select. Just do a listing of each as you change units.

 

In my typing I stated engineering units (more a old habit thing.) You should set the units to decimal. The problem should solve itself.


Rick Jackson
Survey CAD Technician VI

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Message 15 of 18
rl_jackson
in reply to: rl_jackson

One other thing to think of is that in autocad 1 unit is 1 unit there is no change in the unit, just in the system used to measure that unit.


Rick Jackson
Survey CAD Technician VI

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Message 16 of 18
eladkcem
in reply to: rl_jackson

I wish this was the issue... but Civil3D really isn't set up to do architectural units... AND my drawing IS set up to use decimal unit display... (see screenshot) I agree though, it looks like the drawing is trying to be in architectural (ft and inches), but everything other than the actual contour seems to be in feet and decimal..

 

Thanks again fellas... this thing is squirrelly. Since the exported drawing behaves normally in autocad2011, this may only be a civ3d issue (and therefore only a small headache... not a big one)..

 

-d

Message 17 of 18
eladkcem
in reply to: eladkcem

Ha! Get this. If I open the exportedto2010 drawing in autoCAD (not in C3D) it is fine as I mentioned before. If i then SAVE the drawing without making any changes.... it will open in C3d with the exported contours in 'feet' as originally expected.

 

*sigh*  There's something goofy about this, but I think the export to autocad command is working fine, and that this is just a display issue with C3D...  Thanks RL and troma for helpin me troubleshoot! Perhaps I'll return the favor someday...

 

-d

Message 18 of 18
snoyola2
in reply to: eladkcem

12 year late LOL:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ_u1v9mZhQ

 

just for the story, oops

Simon Noyola

In this video we are going to analyze how we affect a project when we use data entry formats at the time of design or when we receive formats from third parties at the time of exchanging information. I hope to be of help, greetings! Simon Noyola Rivero BIM Infrastructure SME (DTE & DDSCAD & ...

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