Contour lines

[alrun]

How can I create contour lines from coordinates?

[MHultgren]

If the coordinates are Points, you can create a point group or an ASCII text file and use this to create a surface and generate the contours from that surface. Note: You will need to define any breaklines in order for the contours to show correctly.

[alrun]

I´m relly new to MAP and weeryy green, so if I would have a tutorial or a good book about MAP it would help a lot

[Glenn Pope]

First you will need a surface. Go to the help pull down and click on tutorials. At the very bottom of the list there is one for surfaces. The surface tutorial also includes stuff about surface styles. This is were the contours can be created. Hopefully this will get you started. I haven't messed with this myself.

[alrun]

This tutorial didn´t help me much...this file i´m using is a dwg with coordinates. So if there is anyone who can and have a time to help me, would that make me very grateful :-) The file can be downloaded from : http://www.alrun.com/kordi/points.htm

With big thanks
Fúsi

[mjfarrell]

Fusi,

I just downloaded the points drawing and will push it
through land desktop and create your contours.
I will either post here or foward to your email in about 5 minutes....

[alrun]

That´s great :-) You are a true Autodesk GURU (Y)
But where can I find tutorial or books about MAP 3D? I find books about almost every other Autodesk product...but nothing about MAP, except MAP 2000.
What do you recommend for a totally beginner...who has started to work with MAP 3D. Is there any book that I can buy?

Fúsi

[Glenn Pope]

I couldn't find any books for the current version either. I did find a list of tutorials on Autodesk's web site. I don't know if these are any different then the ones in the help menu.
Autodesk Map - Tutorials and How-to (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/autoindex?siteID=123112&id=2253423&linkID=2786836)

There might be a manual that you can get from Autodesk or your reseller. I don't know if they have it for the current version. The last one we got was for MAP 6.

You might also look into training from your reseller.

I'll try to keep a look out on any books.

[mjfarrell]

Glen,

From a recent email with FUSI, they had recieved training from their
local resource.

I downloaded the linked drawing file.
Opened a MAP session, and attached it.
Performed a Location Query of ALL to review the data set.
Then with Land Desktop, I started a project based drawing using
FUSI as the project name and test.dwg as the drawing name.
Attached the drawing file through map, performed a location
query of ALL, and a property query looking for POINT objects.
Then in Land's terrain model explorer, I created a surface
and chose >Point File, add points from objects POINTS
built the surface model and then generated 1 meter contours
across the site. I have since forwarded those resultant contours to
the user.

Note: the terrain model may or may not be accurate, as there appeard
to be no break line data, and perhaps some elevations that should have
been excluded from the model, only I have no way to verify, as the data
and layer names are all in either Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian or other
language I can not read. Thankfully data is universal.

[alrun]

Thanks a lot Michael, I look at the files at work tomorrow. But is not a easier way to do it :-), like in Quick Surf and with out a dynamic connection?
But is there any books about MAP? Arc View and other GIS program have a dozen which I can choose from.

[alrun]

How do I create breakline and boundaries? And is it necessary?

[sinc]

There are a number of ways of creating breaklines, depending on what breakline you need and what data you have.

Are you running Autocad as Map or as Land Desktop? I think you want to be running it as Land Desktop to do your surface work. If you look in the help for the Terrain Model Explorer, you'll find a lot of useful information about how to go about all these tasks...

[alrun]

I´m using MAP 3D. But is it necessary to create and use break. or bond. lines if i´m just creating contour lines?

[Glenn Pope]

Breaklines are needed when you have a sudden change in elevation (like a curb or the top and bottom of a ditch). So they are needed to make a accurate surface of the area, which then gives you accurate contours. If the area is relatively flat open land, then you really don't need breaklines.

[mjfarrell]

As the others stated, breaklines are required to define
sudden changes in elevation like curbs and building pads.
They should also be used where there is a defined change
in grade, think top and bottom of roadway side slopes.
The reason breaklines are required is that the terrain model
is created pretty much randomly and is referred to as a
Triangulated IRREGULAR Network (TIN) for short.
The breaklines are to add order; so that the triangulation
best fits the actual surface.
Boundaries, may or may not be required. The definition
or reason for using them, is to prevent the TIN lines from being
created across areas where you DID NOT collect any data
and thus the information would be an interpolation between
the data points you did collect, and most likely any surface
created between them will be incorrect compared to actual ground data.
Also one can establish show/hide boundaries to isolate a
smaller portion within a much larger terrain model to speed the
work effort.

[sinc]

Here's (http://www.ejsurveying.com/quux/breaklines.jpg) an example of breaklines. The exact same data was used to generate the contours, but the image on the bottom includes the breaklines. Notice how contours are "pulled" toward the property corner (the white circle) in the top image.

[alrun]

Hi again you guru´s.
Here is another one from a totally green beginner :-)
Is it possible to have a step by step info about how i make contorlines in MAP 3D...the tutorial which follow MAP dosen´t help much. I have this dwg file with coordinates in y-x-z to start with.
http://www.alrun.com/kordi/points.htm

[mjfarrell]

Hi again you guru´s.
Here is another one from a totally green beginner :-)
Is it possible to have a step by step info about how i make contorlines in MAP 3D...the tutorial which follow MAP dosen´t help much. I have this dwg file with coordinates in y-x-z to start with.
http://www.alrun.com/kordi/points.htm


Fusi, the problem is not your experience, it is the state of the data in that file
you have posted. Yes there are points in it with pieces of text that look like
point numbers and elevations. Only thes are not civil point objects they are just
autocad points.
Open a BLANK MAP drawing.
Use the Mapworkspace, and attach the file that you have us linked to.
You will then query in the points from that file. Then in the terrain modeler
you should be able to create points (that it can use) to build the terrain model.
Or you may have to configure your query to export the x,y,z data into a
CSV file and use that for the surfaace creation. After the surface is built you
will then be able to create your contour objects. The end result should match
the contours that I sent you yesterday.

[jurven007]

I was wondering if it is possible to create contour lines in Autodesk MAP. I understand that you can create one in MAP 3D but I don't have that version....

[Glenn Pope]

Only Map 3D can do it.