Features? Figures? Breaklines?

[ehug]

I just started using C3D, and I've loaded some field books for a future project as a "TEST" project ... so I could practice. I'm in the learning mode since I making my leap from Land Desktop 2008 and 2006. Land Desktop worked wonders for me but now I'm lost since making the jump...

I've learned of the many unexpected C3D inadequacies. Like when C3D decided "zoom to point" was no longer needed (a great tool). Yes I know you can get around it using ZC, 'PIN, zoom, zoom and whatever, but I've always learned at the CAD seminars... "Less clicks are better".

One of my other problems.... whatever happened to "edit figures"?.... so I can trim the unwanted figure lines. Are figures lines called features lines now?

I have fault lines (or feature lines?) that go from point to point on "top of curb shots" down the street, across a few parcels and onto other "top of curb shots" It's like the surveyor didn't end his shot sequence and this figure line is all one string. How do I trim out the middle part out so I can create a surface? see attached

[sinc]

Feature Lines and Survey Figures are very similar, but not quite the same. However, both of them can be edited with the figure editing commands in the Grading menu, as can normal polylines. Not all the commands will work on Survey Figures, though, and this is something that has changed significantly between 2007 and 2008 and 2009, so details vary depending on what version of C3D you are using.

For the ZOOMPT command, download the Sincpac-C3D (info in my sig). The free edition will add a bunch of those "missing commands", like ZOOMPT and FREEPT (to see a list of available point numbers) and many more. There is also a retail version with many times more commands, but even the free edition fills many of those gaps you are complaining about.

As for survey linework, are those lines Survey Figures generated from a FBK import? With that, the easiest way to fix the problems is often to edit the FBK file and reimport it. That's why many people are dropping the FBK data import, and switching to linework generation from third parties, like the tools available from Dotsoft or CADApps or Steltman.

[ehug]

I've gone to "edit feature lines" under the grading pulldown, but it seems that the only thing I can edit are elevations and stations. I would really like to find out if "trimming" is possible.
If I continue farther down the pulldown, trimming and breaking are available; but when I select the object to be trimmed, I am unable to select the line (so is it a feature line or a figure line?)
AutoCAD trim does not work on this line either... when I select it, I am unable to trim it like I would be able to if it were a polyline.

[sinc]

If you select the line and look at its properties, what is it? (You can also list it, but you might see a lot of segments; if you see that, look at the beginning of the list of segments, and it should tell you what type of object it is.)

If it's a Survey Figure (or an AECC_SVFIGURE, if you LIST it), then those have changed over the versions:


With C3D 2009, most (if not all) the Feature Line editing tools work on Survey Figures, including Trim.

In C3D 2008, Trim does not work on Survey Figures, but most of the other Feature Line editing tools work.

In C3D 2007, very few of the Feature Line editing tools work on Survey Figures - I think Reverse works, and maybe one or two others, but most of them don't work.

[ehug]

Just so others will know, I got this from an email I received...

Civil 3D 2008 is very limited in this instance. Some explain that the editing of survey figure lines uses the same tools as editing grading feature lines. These tools can be found under the Grading drop-down menu, or on the feature line toolbar. Tools like elevation editor and stepped offset work very well with a survey figure line as well as a grading feature line.

Although some of these tools work well, others like trim & break don’t work at all. The only option for these types of commands in 2008 is to explode the figure to a 3d polyline and work with it. (or convert it into a grading feature line and work with it from there).

As a side note, in 2009 most (if not all) feature line editing commands work on survey figure lines including trim & break.

(My question is.... why did they get rid of that feature in the first place?)

[sinc]

So you had to get that from an email, even though I told you all that in my replies to your post?

[ehug]

Ok Ok... you were the first one to tell me. Didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Geez...

[sinc]

Maybe I need an ehug... :)