Create multiple lines by station offset

[AllenJessup]

I think I remember seeing a solution to this a few years ago. But I haven't found it in a search. I have multiple State acquisition maps defined by Station-Offset. I has thought there was a way to create lines or points from a text file containing the stations and offsets. I know something can be done using the Survey command language but thought there was a simpler way. Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?

[tcorey]

Sounds simple enough with LISP. Post your file..

Or use a script. Open the file, add the correct commands, saveas something.scr.

Back in AutoCAD, use the SCRIPT command to load and run the script.

If it was me, I would use LISP.

[udo.huebner · Accepted solution]

Perhaps tranparent command 'SO  (Station & Offset) is all you need.

Start

Command: LINE 'SO            (select Alignment once)

repeat Station and Offset values

With Lisp at the command Line you can ask for the Alignment first (setq AL (car (entsel "Select alignment:")))

and use 

LINE 'SO !AL 100 1 200 2 ....

[AllenJessup]

@tcorey Thanks. I was considering that. But I didn't know how to select the Alignment in Lisp. @udo.huebner has provided me with that. Now it's just a lot of typing!

[AllenJessup]

---

@udo.huebner wrote:

LINE 'SO !AL 100 1 200 2 ....

---

Thanks. I wanted to avoid doing this from the command line because there are bound to be some typo's. For a Script or Lisp. I can proof read the file before running and rerun it easily if there are any mistakes. I like the use of the ! in your routine to evaluate AL. Don't see that too much.

[tcorey]

Allen, if you do it with a LISP routine, what's to type, other than a few lines of code?

If you attach your text file, I can give you explicit instructions.

[AllenJessup]

@tcorey Every single Station and Offset from 16± acquisition maps. I can either do it right in the lisp or have the lisp call a script. Either way they would have to be typed. I'm thinking of bypassing this step and asking if the state have these coordinated.

[AllenJessup]

@tcorey I created a file that would represent the first map. It's SDF with the first column being the Station and the second being the offset. It takes a bit to glean these from the description. Their format is "to a point 308 feet northwesterly , measured at right angles, to statioin 106+64".

Thanks for your help.

[AllenJessup]

@udo.huebner It look like I'm missing something. After running

(setq AL (car (entsel "Select alignment:"))) and selecting an alignment;

(Command "Line" "'SO" !AL 10582 544) asks me to select an Alighment

[TerryDotson]

Request the full working 30-day evaluation of C3DTools and use it's Alignment Point Import tool.  It works with comma delimited and makes easy work out of space delimited by showing you the text file and letting you tell it the character positions and lengths, etc.

Of course the coordinates won't match yours since I had to make up an alignment.

[tcorey]

Hello @AllenJessup,

Here's some code that will ask for an alignment selection, then read your file line by line, placing an AutoCAD Point at the specified station and offset. It would be easy enough to make it create COGO Points, then you could draw line by point number, zip, done.  You will need to edit the code to your file name and path. 

(defun c:go ( / DES_Alignment fl l1 sppos sta off xy l1) 
  (setq DES_Alignment (vlax-ename->vla-object (car (entsel "\nSelect Alignment: "))))
  

  (while (not (= (vlax-get-property DES_Alignment 'ObjectName) "AeccDbAlignment"))
    (setq DES_Alignment (vlax-ename->vla-object (car (entsel "\nSelect Alignment: "))))
    )
  (setq fl (open "E:\\_Support\\_Usenet\\20180508 Allen Jessup Lines by Sta-Off from file\\142_152.txt" "r"))
  (setq l1 (read-line fl))
  (while (and l1)
  
  (setq sppos (vl-string-position 32 l1))
    (setq sta (substr l1 1 sppos))
    (setq off (substr l1 (+ sppos 2) ))
	(vlax-invoke-method DES_Alignment 'PointLocation (atof sta) (atof off) 'x 'y)
	(setq xy (list x y))
	
	(vl-cmdf "Point" xy)
	
	(setq l1 (read-line fl))
	
	
	
  
  );end while
  (close fl) 
  (princ)
  );end defun

[tcorey · Accepted solution]

Better yet, this draws the lines:

(defun c:go ( / DES_Alignment fl l1 sppos sta off xy l1) 
  (setq DES_Alignment (vlax-ename->vla-object (car (entsel "\nSelect Alignment: "))))
  

  (while (not (= (vlax-get-property DES_Alignment 'ObjectName) "AeccDbAlignment"))
    (setq DES_Alignment (vlax-ename->vla-object (car (entsel "\nSelect Alignment: "))))
    )
  (setq fl (open "E:\\_Support\\_Usenet\\20180508 Allen Jessup Lines by Sta-Off from file\\142_152.txt" "r"))
  (setq l1 (read-line fl))
  (setq lins (ssadd))
  (while (and l1)
  
  (setq sppos (vl-string-position 32 l1))
    (setq sta (substr l1 1 sppos))
    (setq off (substr l1 (+ sppos 2) ))
	(vlax-invoke-method DES_Alignment 'PointLocation (atof sta) (atof off) 'x 'y)
	(setq xy (list x y))
	
	(vl-cmdf "Point" xy)
	(ssadd (entlast) lins)
	
	
	(setq l1 (read-line fl))
	
	
	
  
  );end while
  (setq ctr 0
		len (sslength lins)
		)
		(while (< ctr len)
		(setq p1 (vlax-get (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname lins ctr)) 'Coordinates))
		
		(setq p2 (vlax-get (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname lins (+ ctr 1))) 'Coordinates))
		(if (and p2) (vl-cmdf "Line" p1 p2 ""))
		(setq ctr (1+ ctr))
		)
  (close fl) 
  (princ)
  );end defun
  
  
  

[AllenJessup]

---

@TerryDotson wrote:

f course the coordinates won't match yours since I had to make up an alignment.

---

[AllenJessup]

@tcorey Thank you. However I'm getting an error that is confusing me.

Select Alignment: Point
Current point modes: PDMODE=0 PDSIZE=0.00000
Specify a point:
Command: Point
Current point modes: PDMODE=0 PDSIZE=0.00000
Specify a point:
Command: Point
Current point modes: PDMODE=0 PDSIZE=0.00000
Specify a point:
Command: Point
Current point modes: PDMODE=0 PDSIZE=0.00000
Specify a point:
Command: Point
Current point modes: PDMODE=0 PDSIZE=0.00000
Specify a point:
Command: Point
Current point modes: PDMODE=0 PDSIZE=0.00000
Specify a point:
Command: ; error: Automation Error. Invalid input

I'm not too good at lisp. But it looks like it stops at: (vl-cmdf "Point" xy). I tried setting PDMODE and PDSIZE to 1..0 but it just repeats the error with 1.00000 instead of 0.00000. 

I changed the function name and the path in the code. I'll attach the file I'm using if you want to check what I have done.

[tcorey]

Automation error. That's a version problem, I think. What version are you using? 

I am using 2018.2/2019. Both work. When I run the routine,  I get an expected error at the end, but the lines are drawn. 

[AllenJessup]

I'm using 2017

[tcorey]

I found an omission that may have been causing that automation error. 

Here's the LISP, with the omission fixed and with a fix for a benign error I was getting after the lines finished being added.

(defun c:go ( / DES_Alignment fl l1 sppos sta off xy l1) 
  (vl-load-com)
  (setq DES_Alignment (vlax-ename->vla-object (car (entsel "\nSelect Alignment: "))))
 

  (while (not (= (vlax-get-property DES_Alignment 'ObjectName) "AeccDbAlignment"))
    (setq DES_Alignment (vlax-ename->vla-object (car (entsel "\nSelect Alignment: "))))
    )
  (setq fl (open "E:\\_Support\\_Usenet\\20180508 Allen Jessup Lines by Sta-Off from file\\142_152.txt" "r"))
  (setq l1 (read-line fl))
  (setq lins (ssadd))
  (while (and l1)
  
  (setq sppos (vl-string-position 32 l1))
    (setq sta (substr l1 1 sppos))
    (setq off (substr l1 (+ sppos 2) ))
	(vlax-invoke-method DES_Alignment 'PointLocation (atof sta) (atof off) 'x 'y)
	(setq xy (list x y))
	
	(vl-cmdf "Point" xy)
	(ssadd (entlast) lins)
	
	
	(setq l1 (read-line fl))
	
	
	
  
  );end while
  (setq ctr 0
		len (sslength lins)
		)
		(while (< ctr len)
		(setq p1 (vlax-get (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname lins ctr)) 'Coordinates))
		(if (< (+ ctr 1) len) 
			(progn
				(setq p2 (vlax-get (vlax-ename->vla-object (ssname lins (+ ctr 1))) 'Coordinates))
				(vl-cmdf "Line" p1 p2 "")
				)
			)
		
		
		(setq ctr (1+ ctr))
		)
  (close fl) 
  (princ)
  );end defun

[AllenJessup]

Now it's: 

Select Alignment: ; error: no function definition: GETDOC

[tcorey]

Get the code again. I saw that and edited it out of my response.