Points Here, Points There.

Points are the first things you should know when using Civil 3D.

So what are Points created in Civil 3D? are they different from the Points created in Autocad?

Points Created in Autocad contains only the coordinate data (XYZ), while Points created in Civil 3D contains different information such as Point number, Point Description and the coordinate data (XYZ). This Points are called COGO (Coordinate Geometry) Points. Good thing about COGO points is that they can be referenced, Placed outside the drawing and be used by different Users.

So Let's do a small Exercise in Using COGO Points.

Importing COGO Points:

When starting a Project, The first thing you would need is a Topographic Survey. There are Different ways a Engineering Surveyor would give you a Topographic Survey but for this exercise we would assume the survey was given as a Point File in .CSV format.

You can Download the CSV file here

Once Downloaded, here are the steps to input the file in Civil 3D
1.) Inspect the CSV file.
As seen in the CSV file the first Column is the Point number, 2nd is the Northing, 3rd is the Easting, 4th is the Z value or elevation. (Please see Image)

2.) after Inspecting the CSV file, Open Civil 3D. Use the Standard Template "_AutoCad Civil 3D (Metric) NCS" (Please see Image)

3.) In The Home Ribbon, Click Points>Point Creation Tools. A Create Point Dialog Box will appear. Select the Import Points Button. (Please see Image)

4.) After Clicking the Import Points Button, a Import Points Dialog Box will appear. Click Add Files Button. (Please see Image)

5.) Browse to where the CSV file downloaded was saved. Open the File.
6.) Specify the Point File Format. Based on our Inspection on Step 1, we will be using PNEZ (Comma Delimited). (Please see Image) then Click "Ok"

7.) A Duplicate Point Number may show if there are existing Points in the Drawing or if the Point file has Duplicate Point Number. I recommend to use Merge as the Resolution if we are not sure about the duplicated Points. (please see image) Click "Ok"

8.) We are Finished with the Exercise. You should be able to see the COGO Points in your Drawings. (Please see image)

You could now use the Points imported to Create a Existing Surface/Terrain. which will be discussed in the Upcoming Posts and the Other features of Civil 3D. Thank You.

Note: For your Reference,The COGO Points used in this exercise are from Actual Engineering Survey done at the San Fernando Interchange NLEX located at City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines.