Need to fix a serious flaw

[Neilw_05]

I have encountered a serious flaw in the software. The problem is how LandXML files are imported and exported. I have a drawing that is set to US Survey feet in the Units and Zone settings. I have assumed that when I export data to LandXML format, the exported file would be set to US Survey feet. However this is not the case. There are settings for LandXML Import/Export that I was not aware of. These settings will override the settings of the drawing if there is a mismatch. There is no warning to the user that the exported file will not match the drawing. This has resulted in construction staking being shifted with obviously devastating consequences.

The software should at least give a warning if there is a mismatch. A better solution is to include the units options in the Import Export dialog rather than having them in a separate dialog.

[TimYarris]

Hi @Neilw_05 . I tried this out and it appears the units in the resulting LandXML file matches the source DWG. The problem seems to be that when you import that file into a new DWG (that doesn't use the same units), the units in the new DWG don't update to match the units in the LandXML file. I agree that at the very least, Civil 3D should warn the user if the LandXML file don't match the units in the DWG.

[Neilw_05]

My experience that led to this was I exported an alignment to LandXML from a drawing that had units=US Survey feet. When I opened the XML file the units were set to international. I subsequently checked another XML file and it too had International units. I checked my LandXML export settings and they were set to International feet. My conclusion was the XML settings are overriding the DWG settings. Can you please check?

[TimYarris]

Hi @Neilw_05. I tried the workflow you described and the resulting XML file used US Survey Feet. Would you please have a look at the following Screencast and let me know if I missed anything?

https://autode.sk/2VUKsAH

I tried this on 2020.3; which version of Civil 3D are you using?

[Neilw_05]

Tim, please change your landXML export units to International feet so that you have a mismatch between the drawing units and the export units. The resulting XML should end up with International units. I am using 2018.

[TimYarris]

Hi Neil,

Got it. So the issue here is that the export and import work as expected when you have all the units matching on:

• the source DWG
• LandXML Export Settings
• LandXML Import Settings
• the consuming DWG

The ask is that the software warns the user if there is a mismatch in units at any step in that process?

[Neilw_05]

Having a warning is critical. Otherwise how is a user to know the data that is exported is wrong if he was not aware of the mismatch? The data would then go out for construction and the whole project would be wrong. Very serious situation. It has actually happened to us but we discovered it before it became a big problem. We are still liable but thankfully it is not serious.

So yes there needs to be a warning. Also there needs to be a way to convey to the user that there are settings affecting the export. Right now there is no button or information in the export dialog to indicate to the user what those settings are. So a warning alone is not sufficient. Either a button to open the export settings or some text that shows what the settings are would be enough to alert the user that something is off. Hopefully you get what I am trying to convey here.

[Cadguru42]

Seems like an easy fix is to have C3D make the default LandXML units match the C3D drawing settings units. If a user needs to export a different unit type, then the user would need to do that manually. This should be the default state and mostly likely what everyone has always thought the software was doing.

[Anonymous]

Yeahp - and ReCap will quietly set your point cloud project to default to "meters" even if you imported the cloud with a "US Feet" state plane projection specified as both the source units and target units.

ReCap goes a step beyond quietly switching everything to meters and will actually switch it back to meters sometimes after you've already gone into the .rcp file settings and fixed it.

Best feature ever. Has saved me from *loads* of time in a toxic relationship - by keeping me at work scratching my head over units instead of at home getting things thrown at me.