topic Importing an ASCII File? in AutoCAD Forum

Importing an ASCII File?

bill — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 18:09:28 GMT

I have an excel spreadsheet from a surveyor=containing coordinates, piint numbers and an elevation for additional spot shots. I converted it to a .txt file and want to import these points into my existing topo file (dwg).

It seems I need to create a ".crd" file. I keep getting asked to possibly dump these points into a .crd file.

Am I on the right track?

There must be a way to import spot elevations?

Re: Importing an ASCII File?

pendean — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 20:36:15 GMT

Which exact Autodesk program are you using? You opted to post in a forum that literally has nothing to do with your topic in any way shape or form.

Re: Importing an ASCII File?

Pointdump — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 17:07:15 GMT

Bill,
"It seems I need to create a ".crd" file. I keep getting asked to possibly dump these points into a .crd file."
Need more information on that. Maybe a screen shot? Are you using Vanilla AutoCAD or a vertical like Civil 3D? Can you post your point file?
Dave

Re: Importing an ASCII File?

TerryDotson — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 02:33:19 GMT

I have an excel spreadsheet from a surveyor=containing coordinates, piint numbers and an elevation for additional spot shots. I converted it to a .txt file and want to import these points into my existing topo file (dwg).

It seems I need to create a ".crd" file. I keep getting asked to possibly dump these points into a .crd file.

If you are creative, you can take the content in Excel, create a block definition with attributes and create a script file that will play in AutoCAD and produce the results.

Otherwise, post your XLS file and someone will create a .DWG you can insert into your topo and assuming they are on the same coordinate system, it should overlay. Also, a .CRD is most likely a Carlson Software Coordinate file which is binary and not going to help you at all without an application to handle it.

Re: Importing an ASCII File?

ChicagoLooper — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 09:01:40 GMT

If your work will involve frequent interaction with survey work then Vanilla AutoCAD may not be a suitable software. AutoCAD Civil3D (or perhaps Map3D) is what you’ll need. The csv and txt formats are only some of the file types understood by C3D/M3D.

Being able to read and insert points from an ASCII file is just one part of creating a drawing. You’ll still be faced with ‘interpreting’ the coordinates used by the surveyor. For example, the coordinates sent to you can be in feet, meters or Lat/Long degrees. If coordinates are geographic lat/longs then you, or the program you use, will need to convert them to feet (or meters) so they can be inserted accurately into your drawing. Common formats for lat/longs are decimal degrees and deg-min-sec (DMS).

If you are tasked to go beyond point insertion, e.g. create a surface, cut a surface profile or perform volumetric computations, then Vanilla Cad won’t suffice. You most def need C3D.