topic Re: what is dc file how can i convert to autocad for working in AutoCAD Forum

what is dc file how can i convert to autocad for working

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 06:55:03 GMT

dears,

I am joining in a golf course project newly. and my background is landscape drafting. but this new job in golf project surveyors giving the data in dc files, i didn't know about it so far. in previous company am giving data to surveyors csv and dxf formats (surveyors working with GPS machine in both new and old companies) and they are give back data in same formats. but new company surveyors saying they cant do anything with dxf. and they have and they know about only dc files.

so can any one say what is dc files and how is convert to autocad and how can i give this dc files to surveyors from autocad ?

this problem effecting my job.

Re: what is dc file how can i convert to autocad for working

imadHabash — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 08:05:00 GMT

HI,

here is a link that may help . >> Click <<

Re: what is dc file how can i convert to autocad for working

Alfred.NESWADBA — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 12:37:49 GMT

Hi,

>> so can any one say what is dc files

Can you please let us know which program they have which writes DC-files?

Can you upload such a file, maybe we can find something inside the files which gives us the option to find a way to import the file(s) into AutoCAD.

- alfred -

Re: what is dc file how can i convert to autocad for working

ChicagoLooper — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 00:32:51 GMT

Ate you sure it’s dc and not cd?

Re: what is dc file how can i convert to autocad for working

R_Tweed — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 02:21:32 GMT

An earlier post has a link to a site that says it's a DesignCad format. The issue with that is that I went to the designcad site and it supports dxf and dwg files.

Re: what is dc file how can i convert to autocad for working

srleone — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:55:33 GMT

Five years late, but hope this helps future people finding this question:

A .dc file is the default output from a survey data collector running Trimble Access field software. It is the file type that most easily communicates with Trimble's CAD software. Of course they make the easiest thing to do the one that keeps you in the Trimble ecosystem.

Surveyors using Trimble Access absolutely CAN use dxf files. If they don't know how, then they need to read the manual and stop being a button-pusher. Here's a Reddit post explaining how. https://www.reddit.com/r/Surveying/comments/15lgmat/trimble_access_question/

They can also export their files as dxf files or even txt files to give a list of coordinates. Again, they are just being button-pushers and need to expand their horizons.

Here's a YouTube video about converting Trimble files to TopCon machine control files. Again, you must have Trimble Business Center to do that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jCxj8KqLSY

Better yet, ask for the raw file and their field notes telling which point the set up on to shoot the points (or set the base station up on, or localized to). That way you can use Carlson Survey to process the data (compute points) using the actual angles and distances so it will be relative to the point numbers already adjusted by the control traverse.

Here's a Trimble how-to export the raw file, a dxf file or whatever else it can do: https://help.fieldsystems.trimble.com/trimble-access/latest/en/job-export-data.htm

As far as READING a dc file, AutoCAD cannot do that. You must convert it from within the Trimble Business Center (TBC). Trimble is well hated in the industry for being so proprietary.

Best of luck,