Surface Created from Contour is 1000m below the Contour level

[patrickoT4YDR]

Please could any help me understand why my surface created from contours imported into Civil3D as a dxf file is 1000m lower that the level of the contours.

The contour lines are polylines with elevations ranging from 1300 to 1500m, but when I create a surface from the contour lines, the surface is at an elevation that range from 300 to 500m. So the level on the surface corresponding to a contour line of 1300m will be 300m. I tried using MAPCLEAN to clean up the contour polyline first before creating the surface, but the problem persists. 

The contour dxf file is attached.

[neilyj666]

I'm not seeing an issue here - I INSERTED the dxf into my standard template, built the surface from the contours and surface label shows 1425 and polyline used to build surface also shows 1425

Can you share the dwg with this issue? 

[patrickoT4YDR]

Do you mind explaining how you INSERTED the dxf?

I went about it another way, by opening the dxf file and then saving it as a dwg.

[patrickoT4YDR]

Do you mind explaining how you INSERTED the dxf? I went about it another way, by opening the dxf file and then saving it as a dwg.

[neilyj666 · Accepted solution]

I would never recommend this workflow as it usually causes scaling issues etc.; furthermore if you use your standard Civil template you have all the styles etc available

I'm assuming this is a metric drawing, use the command INSERT and select the dxf, basepoint 0,0,0 (if asked) 

[Pointdump]

Hi Patrick,
"...by opening the dxf file and then saving it as a dwg."
That's what I did too, and the surface I created seems OK.
Dave

[AllenJessup]

There's also the old DXFIN command.

[neilyj666]

@AllenJessup yes a oldie but still works also less control compared with INSERT.

More often than not I have to scale dxf/dwg files from third parties as they have been provided in mm

[AllenJessup]

@neilyj666 Yes. I use the open & save method most of the time. Just happened to remember the command.

I usually don't need to scale or rotate the DXF since most of the ones I deal with I've created from a GDB using QGIS.