Grid to Ground Labels?

[laura_nelson_WSP_FOCUS]

Does anyone know if the annotation feature with Civil 3D 2014 has the ability to apply a scale factor to label a line with ground level distance's while the linework is drawn in grid? Normally our procedure is very clunky for labeling grid fabric with ground level distances, currently cad users are changing the text distances manually, but for big jobs, this is very time consuming and it leaves a lot of room for error.

Any help would be wonderful.

Thank you.

Laura

[Lisa_Pohlmeyer · Accepted solution]

How about creating an expression that uses the CSF (combined scale factor) multiplied by your grid distance?  Your surveyor should be able to give you a CSF for your project. (each project is different, technically)

[ed.meyers]

I know this is an old post, but im coming from Carlson survey and this was such a simple process. You entered the scale factor in the drawing setup and all annotation was based on that one input. Acres, line/curve tables, distance/inverse commands. the way I see it in c3d you create an expression in the line label. and then you do the same for curves. So that is 2 inputs. which wouldn't be bad except my project will have 10 to 20 CSF due to the length of the project. setting up a template for this it seems like once you create the expression you cant see the properties. also it doesn't look like tables work cause there is no expression option available. however there might be a way for parcel tables to work. but it seem like im going to have a hoard of styles to cover all the CSF's. please let there be a simple way to apply a scale factor to annotate the lines in the drawing. I have a very old lisp routine that placed simple text labels on lines I might be ahead of the game if I could apply that instead.

[rl_jackson]

To get a Geodetic Distance vs. Ground Distance you simply need to enter the appropriate information in the Transforms Tab of the Drawing Settings after setting the correct zone information (i.e. CSF, average elevation). And then set the label to provide the information you want to display, this is probably just about the same cluster****** way Carlson does it. Unfortunately, this is a single point transformation of the data (again probably the same cluster****** way that Carlson does it) and is best left up to things that do those sort of transforms by individual point, like TBC (Trimble Bus. Ctr), or other GPS manufactured post-processing software or the data collector.

In my time, I've personally seen the Ground vs Grid thing completely misunderstood. I consistently see surveyors provide coordinates that don't reflect what is on the ground, ALL because there provided  the "GRID" coordinates, yet label everything as a ground distance or better yet they draw it all GRID and label like its GROUND. Where I live this is almost irrelevant, however in Denver its a major issue. For this reason, I have adopted a policy that, all crews localize so that they get there CSF, and everything is then provided to me on the ground. Then if I need to supply a coordinate to a contractor or the county for a play it is on GROUND, just like every single plat recorded through time.

PS: For me the Grid Plane is about 7 stories above me, and there are easier/better solutions than expressions.

[rl_jackson]

@ed.meyers

If you have an issue, help us help you, post your question in a new thread, I like others are here to solve issues, best part its free advice, no strings attached. We (everyone here) use this stuff in the real world, we make it work, sometimes the solution doesn't come out of the box, but it does exist, sometimes if you work it......