Can I use a points text file?

[patricks]

I received a CAD site layout from a surveyor with some contour lines on it, but I really need the actual point elevations in and around the buildings on the site. The surveyor sent me a text file with points, but I'm not sure how to use that. Any help?

[tomnewsom]

The points file has to be formatted exactly as

3.1231, 5.1321, 123.12
3.1231, 5.1321, 123.12

Where the numbers are X, Y and ELEVATION

So that's

number, comma, space, number, comma, space, number

Some caref ul Search/Replace in notepad can help you achieve this. Save the file with a .CSV extension

Then start a new topo object in revit and click Use Imported - Points File

[patricks]

Thanks I got it.

The file actually had the point number preceding the x,y,z numbers, so I brought the file into Excel, which used the commas as column separators, and I just deleted the point number column, and saved it back out as a CSV file.

[patricks]

hmmm when I use the modified points file, the surface comes in backwards and rotated. Could it be because the points are miles from the origin and Revit placed it at the center of the drawing? Or maybe the X and Y coordinates are reversed in the file?

[tomnewsom]

hmmm when I use the modified points file, the surface comes in backwards and rotated. Could it be because the points are miles from the origin and Revit placed it at the center of the drawing? Or maybe the X and Y coordinates are reversed in the file?
Possibly. Revit doesn't like things far away from the origin.

If you're happy manipulating the data in Excel, I guess that'd be the way to massage the data to the right place. Even invert it if you have to. In these sorts of situations I just tend to bludgeon away with as much kludge as the problem needs. Once you've got your data in, the method doesn' matter any more :)

[arqt49]

I sometimes include a first line with "LINE" in those files and change the extension to SCR.
In Autocad I run it as a script and it draws lines between the survey points.
Then I usualy insert the dwg with lines file into revit, so that I can place it in the position as the 2d survey base. That way you get more control over it's position before you use it as a import instace.
And that is because I must use very big coordinate numbers.

[s_morgan_b]

If you only need to "see" the points, the surveyor could explode the original AECC objects (in either Civil3D or LDD) and resend the drawing so that the elevation would come across as text and the "node" would come across as lines/circles.

It wouldn't allow for manipulation of data but would allow you to reinsert the points and move them.

LDD and Civil3D read as Northing (Y), Easting (X) and Elevation (Z) in their coordinate files. I'm going to assume that Revit uses standard autocad coordination at x,y,z so you would have to shift columns for x and y.

Hope that helps.

[bbeck]

Survey uses Northing and Easting.....PNEZ files - Point, Northing, Easting, Elevation. PNEZ does not equal #, X, Y, Z...it is #, Y, X, Z. Try and transpose your x and y and see if it works for you. It's been ages since I've dealt with points files from survey and I'm not sure how Revit responds to them on an import. Let me know what happens :)

[mcox.157847]

That is correct. You need to simply edit the CSV file by moving or deleting the first PointID column, then swap the second and third columns.

This will result in the correct format of Y, X and Z. As long as the first three columns are arranged in this manner the other columns of information is ignored.

This results in an accurate topo from the points file provided. I would recommend that all Revit users ask the Surveyor to provide the points file. It is quick and easy.

The problem I have is why doesn't Revit read the file accurately, from the CSV file, if this it the standard output from Surveyors. We shouldn't have to edit this file in this manner. This workaround isn't really documented very well.

[patricks]

That is correct. You need to simply edit the CSV file by moving or deleting the first PointID column, then swap the second and third columns.

This will result in the correct format of Y, X and Z. As long as the first three columns are arranged in this manner the other columns of information is ignored.

This results in an accurate topo from the points file provided. I would recommend that all Revit users ask the Surveyor to provide the points file. It is quick and easy.

The problem I have is why doesn't Revit read the file accurately, from the CSV file, if this it the standard output from Surveyors. We shouldn't have to edit this file in this manner. This workaround isn't really documented very well.

Yeah I figured that out recently about swapping the coordinate columns.

On my last project with this one particular surveyor, I asked him to send me a points file with the 0,0 origin right on the corner of an existing building where we're tying in our new building. Worked pretty well.