Infratech Civil

Product:  Autodesk Civil 3D  |   Subject:  Surveying with Civil 3D

In this exercise, we will learn about the Civil 3D Survey course objective

1.1       Course Objective

The objective is this course is to take the Civil 3D essentials course a step further and explore in more detail the options available to Land Surveyors.

In this Advanced Level course, we will focus on the tools we have to process survey data, from the easiest to the sophisticated approach. This will mainly include using straight custom data files or automated Field to Finish methods. The Field-to-Field option will allow us to accurately represent existing field conditions (topographical elevations, property boundaries, easement, right of way lines, under and above-ground infrastructure, etc.). We can do that in Civil 3D without resorting to manual drafting in office drafting using the Field to Finish process.

To accomplish this, we will learn about the pre-and post-processing setup needed to perform a smooth Field to Finish workflow.

This workflow generally involves:

1. Collecting field data:

This phase includes mission-critical items such as:

• A thorough understanding of the equipment that will be used in the field.
• Preparing a list of survey points numbering systems, point descriptions, list of linear code sets, etc.
• Exporting the survey data from the data collector to an appropriate format depending on the intended use in the CAD software. To meet a field to finish the processing goal, the exported file will need to satisfy a specific setup requirement.

2. Importing the Data into CAD:

Once the data is exported from the field survey data collector, the next step is to import it into the CAD software, Civil 3D in our case. To do that we will need to:

• Set up a Civil 3D template containing the necessary Figures Prefixes, Object Styles, Survey and Equipment Databases, Linework code sets, and more. In this course we will have ample time to know what these items are, and how to use and set them up.  The goal will be to match the setup in the Data Collector software and the one in Civil 3D for a smooth communication between the two. This will ensure that the existing conditions in Civil 3D are reproduced, with minimal drafting.

3. Adjusting and Preparing the Data for Design

Once the data is imported into Civil 3D, we will need to:

• First, make the necessary adjustments to correct any potential mistakes. This is done by adjusting, translating, and querying the survey database, performing least square analysis and traverse analysis, and other typical survey procedures.  
• Then, after the data has been deemed reliable, we can proceed to the creation of predesign data such as feature lines, COGO points, breaklines, and existing ground surfaces.

4. Exporting Design Data

Once the design is completed by the engineering team, we can proceed to the export phase of the project from Civil 3D. Most of the time we have two main scenarios.

• The first case is where we have access to the full Civil 3D dynamic data like cogo points, alignments, profiles, corridors, etc. In this case, we can export the data straight out of Civil 3D or use several other tools to convert that data to a format that is compatible with our field collector software. Among such tools, we have the Leica Civil 3D plugins such as the Leica Xchange, The Infrastructure Link for AutoCAD Civil 3D, Trimble Link, etc.
• The second quite common scenario is when the surveyor is provided with dumb down data. Very often, to protect the design integrity designers will explode and convert the dynamic data to static data. Therefore, cogo points are converted to blocks or text, alignments and profiles to lines, surfaces to polyfaces triangles, and so on. In that case, we will need to have an alternate method to create intelligent data to make our life easier in the field. In this course, we will learn about a few tools available in Civil to reverse engineer the exploded data and create intelligent, usable data in the field.

5. Field stakeout for construction

Once we have created and verified the design data, we then need to get ready for the construction phase. For that, we will need to   export the design data to a field controller software for construction stakeout. In this course, we will learn how to create files for exporting and staking out the following components:

• A Road file: We will learn how to use a civil 3D corridor and export its design parameters to different XML formats that can be used to facilitate the stakeout process in the field.             
• A DTM or Digital Terrain Model. We will convert a Civil 3D surface to appropriate XML files that can be staked out directly from the survey controller.              
• Point Files can also be directly exported from Civil 3D or created from the civil 3D to survey controller converters. This will make the stakeout process much easier.
• Finally, we will also see the options we have to stake out a linework.

6. Creating as-built data for verification and reporting.

Once the construction job is completed, we need to document and report the job that was performed. This process involves collecting post-construction survey data and comparing to original design data. This will help identify and report any deviation from the proposed design data. We will learn in this course about the tools available to us to complete this task.

With that, we have concluded the Field-to-Field process cycle.

Now, let's get started with Advanced Civil 3D: Field to Finish Surveying.

Here we go.