Copying Point Groups & Retaining Group Order

[camptech]

The reader may wish to skim / read this older thread:  https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/civil-3d-forum/copying-point-groups/m-p/2172324/highlight/true#M67259 

I use point groups to sort through points.  At my new place of employment they do not seem to be used much and the default templates do not have many (if any?) point groups.

I have developed the following work flow that has enabled me to bring in the point groups that I like to use that are keyed to my employer's Point Description Codes:

1. I started with a default Civil3D 2021 Imperial .dwg drawing and created the point groups in this drawing.  I saved it as a .dwg in my personal "templates" folder.
2. Starting with a company template .dwg, I import various linestyles / text styles / dimension styles / blocks that I have found useful in previous drawings.
3. I import the .dwg created in step 1 above, exploding it as I do.  (There is nothing in this drawing -- no line work etc.  In fact, if memory serves, I think I ran a PURGEALL two or three times before creating my Point Groups.

In the working drawing, Step 3 above brings in the Point Groups as I created them... BUT, they are not in the sorted order that existed when I saved the .dwg in Step 1 above.

I took a bit of time to sort the point groups into some reasonable order / groups.  Something like:

1. Control point-related point groups first
2. Property boundary-related point groups second
3. Road-related point groups next
4. Structure / building-related point groups next
5. Water
6. Electric
7. other Utilities
8. etc

However, after Step 3 above, although the Point Groups with their Include / Exclude filters come in nicely... the order appears random -- certainly not reflecting the time I spent putting them in order a)-h) above.

Any thoughts / ideas / HowTos on preserving Point Group order when bringing them into a new drawing?

TIA.

[ChicagoLooper]

Hello @camptech 

Huh? Why should it matter?

Point groups are meant to move—the order in which the groups are displayed is based on HOW and WHEN you want your points to be displayed. This makes it possible to put a point in two or more point groups. Putting points in more than one group enables the point to be displayed in more than one way during different times of analyses. 

If you really want to change the order, open your personal template then go to Toolspace=>Prospector tab=>right click Point Groups=>Properties=>highlight a group=>Use arrows on right side to change the point group hierarchy. Finally, SAVE this drawing using dwt extension to overwrite your ‘old’ personal template. 

 

[camptech]

It matters because I have a "default ordering" that I expect the groups to appear.  My workflow has me starting with certain types of points.  When the point groups are imported in a helter skelter order (NOT the order in the file from which they are being imported)... it increases the time it takes for me to visually scan for the point group of interest.

Perhaps this is but one reason that my boss dislikes point groups and pretty much refuses to use them.  He sorts everything by layers.  I may need to head that direction.  A pity.

[ChicagoLooper]

How are you importing the points? From a file? Txt? Csv?

You can add the points to any existing point group (or create a new one from scratch) during the import.

 

[camptech]

I am not asking about how to import points.  I am not asking about how to put points into point groups.  I am not asking about how to use point groups.

I am asking if there is a way to import point groups en-masse from another drawing such that the order in which the point groups appear in the other can be retained?  If the answer is no, then I guess I'll look at using layers to sort through points and making sense of the field data.

[Pointdump]

Hi Stephen,
When you import the point groups are they coming in alphabetically?
Dave