topic Re: Import points with Long and Lat in Civil 3D Forum

Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:23:17 GMT

Hello All,

We received from outside company the survey points with Longitude and Latitude. Can C3D import these coordinates? if not, anyone knows how to convert these Long and Lat to Northing and Easting?

Please help!

Thanks,

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

peterfunkautodesk — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:51:51 GMT

You'll need to build a new point file format for the import of the data base on the lat long information in your file (is it decimal degrees, degrees, mins, secs, DD.MMSSSSS etc), and then use this point file format when in import your point data.

Cheers,

Peter Funk

Autodesk, Inc.

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:46:26 GMT

I really don't understand your advises. The import points just be able to import with Northing, Easting and Z only. Could you be more specific?

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

peterfunkautodesk — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:49:01 GMT

The Civil 3D Point Import tools can import a Lat / Long file, but it will need a new "Point File Format" that fits the data that you have.

Cheers,

Peter Funk

Autodesk, Inc.

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Sinc — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:24:43 GMT

Here's an image, showing a sample of what Peter's talking about:

This Point File Format is using the "Dashed" variant of the Lat and Long. The bottom portion of the dialog box shows a sample input file.

There are other variants of Lat/Long as well, for example, Decimal degrees. All you need to do is create a Point File Format that matches the format of whatever data you want to import.

Oh, and prior to importing data, you must also have the coordinate zone set in your Drawing Settings. Otherwise, Civil 3D has no way to resolve the Lat/Long into a Northing/Easting.

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 19:23:10 GMT

Hello, it's 5 years later and I am struggling with this exact thing. I have a massive point file that is in lat, long that I want to use to create contours. I can't for the life of me find that point file format dialog box mentioned above. Please help!
Thank you
(I use AutoCAD civil 3D 2016)

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Pointdump — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:06:39 GMT

Liesl,

Are you still using UTM Nad83 Zone 11N? Please post some of your lat/long data, and the other big question is what Geographical Coordinate System they are in. Are they LL84(WGS84), LL83(NAD83), or some other?

Dave

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:23:46 GMT

your drawing must be set to the coordinate system that lat long file is derived from. You have to setup a point file format to cover the format of the file you are importing, i.e. if your file is latitude, longitude, elevation, then your point file format is latitude longitude and elevation. Be sure to use the same format of the latitude and longitude, whether it's listed in decimal degrees, dashed etc. and the separator type if it's comma, tab or delimited by another character.

John

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:29:16 GMT

Hey Dave,

I am working in the Nunavut area so it's NAD83 Zone 13.

My points (csv file - about 20 thousand points) are all lat long. These were provided by GegGratis. So I read somewhere that there you can change your point file format when you import it. I even know what the dialog box looks like. But I can't find that box anywhere. Acording to this source you can tell the program to do the conversion from lat long to UTM as you import them.

A sampling of the points (elevation in the third column).

-105.22	69.17286	38
-105.219	69.17286	38
-105.219	69.17286	38
-105.219	69.17286	38
-105.218	69.17286	38
-105.218	69.17286	38

I am trying to create contours of the Cambridge Bay area. The DEM provided by the government is too sparse - 30m intervals. So I am trying to create my own,

Any advice as to how to get that dialog box while importng the points would be very helpful.

Thanks!

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:30:23 GMT

^ The columns came out whacky in my post. The "38" at the end of the lines are the elevations.

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:40:22 GMT

depending on the format of the file, you would specify the separator.

on the import point file dialog, the second box down are the point file types you have setup in the drawing. The button on the top right of that box is used to bring up the point file format tool.

then select new point file format, you get this dialog, where you will specify the settings for the format.

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Pointdump — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:46:37 GMT

Liesl,

You're looking for Point File Formats. Here:

Next question is whether those Longs and Lats are Decimal or DMS.

Dave

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:53:07 GMT

WOOHOOO!!!

That's what I needed. You're my hero. Thanks John!!

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 21:55:10 GMT

Thank you Dave! I've got 'er all figured out. They were decimal degrees, thank goodness THAT I can figure out. Geez this had me scratching my head all day. Ugh. Unbillable time.....

Cheers,

Liesl

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 21:11:44 GMT

So I tried this, and the dialog says it recognizes the format, but I get a message stating that "No points were transferred from the source."

This is the Point File format that I used.

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Pointdump — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 22:19:34 GMT

Chris,

Couple of observations. Your file name is PNEZD Format.csv, but the data looks like PLatLonE. And CA83-IIF is a projected (northings and eastings) coordinate system, not a geographic (Lats and Longs) coordinate system.

Are all of your points at zero elevation? Are those lats and longs in decimal degrees or DD.MMSSss? Where does your data come from?

Dave

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 22:45:33 GMT

Yes, I believe the Lat Longs are deciaml degrees. Ignore the file name, the person who sent it did not know what PNEZD meant. All the elevations are at zero, we are concerned with the horizontal location of the points. I tried the coordinate conversion to see if that would yield something different, but it still said the data was not imported. The data was sent from a potential client.

Thanks,

Chris

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Pointdump — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 23:03:27 GMT

Chris,

Your Point File Format shows the tabular data is Degrees-Lat and Degrees-Long, which are Angles. Under "Coordinate Zone Transform" you're also identifying the data as CA83-IIF coordinates, which are Cartesian. No wonder Civil 3D is confused and refuses to import your data.

Dave

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 23:06:20 GMT

Thank you for criticizing and not offering help. I have gone through all the different Lat Long options as well as not tranform the data to no avail. What I showed you was my last attempt to get it to work.

Re: Import points with Long and Lat

Pointdump — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 00:55:02 GMT

Chris,

Those 4 points look like they are just south of Grass Valley, California:

I've already told you what IS wrong with your data import. Are you interested in what MIGHT be, and I suspect is, wrong?

The hardest thing about helping on this Forum is seeing what you see. You'll need to post your point file before I can confirm my suspicion.

Dave