Survey Points

Lecture 2 - By Dr. A.Seeboo

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Points system in Civil 3D
• First you will need to create the Excel file.
• It will have to be created in a specific format,
• Examples of point format
• ENZ (Comma delimited) = Easting (E), Northing (N), Elevation (Z)
• NEZ (Comma delimited) = Northing (N), Easting (E), Elevation (Z)
• PENZ (Comma delimited) = Point Number (P), Easting (E), Northing
(N), Elevation (Z)
• PENZ (Space delimited) = Point Number (P) Easting (E) Northing
(N) Elevation (Z)
• PEN (Space delimited) = Point Number (P) Easting (E) Northing (N)

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Creating Point file in excel for Civil 3D
• We shall choose PENZ (comma delimited)
• Please create an excel file as illustrated below.

PENZ (Comma delimited) =

Point Number (P), Easting (E), Northing
(N), Elevation (Z)

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Saving Point file in excel for Civil 3D
• We shall choose PENZ (comma
delimited)
• The excel file created with all your
points need to be saved in a format
accepted by Civil 3D.
• Normally Excel files need to be
saved as csv files.
• Comma separated value - csv

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Inserting Points from Excel file
• Open Civil 3D software.
• Go to insert tab
• Click on “Points from File”

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Inserting Points
• The following dialog box will open.
• Specify point file format.
• Click on the green +

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Inserting Points
• Select the csv file
• Click Open

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Inserting Points

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Tutorial # 1
• Open a new excel file.
• Generate 1000 random points using a point format of your
choice.
• Save it as tutorial1.csv
• Insert the points in tutorial1.csv file in Civil 3D

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Tutorial # 2
• In this specific tutorial, points will be created using
notepad.
• Open a new file in notepad.
• Create 100 random points using the PENZ point format.
• Save it as tutorial2.csv
• Insert the points in tutorial1.csv file in Civil 3D

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Points from total station to Civil 3D
• When points are downloaded from total stations, the
file format is sdr, which is not accepted by Civil 3D.
• Either convert the sdr file in excel or notepad but
always with extension csv.
• An .sdr file is a SmartDraw drawing. It can be natively
opened in SmartDraw and, once opened, converted into
a number of other standard or popular formats, published
as PDF, or directly inserted into any Microsoft Office
document.

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Point representation
• Points can be used to represent many items
• Examples include
• Spot levels – sl
• Bench marks – BM
• Wells
• Lamps
• Shrubs
• Trees

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Tutorial # 3
• Using notepad, create 100 points in the following format
• PENZD
• P - Point number,
• E- Easting,
• N - Northing,
• E - Elevation,
• D- Description [This is where we shall have the points
properly described]

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Tutorial # 3
• Insert points from notepad file, which has a text extension.
• You might not see the points after insertion, if this is the
case, then press on Z (zoom) followed by enter and then
press e (extent) followed by enter.
• This will zoom the inserted point within the screen window.

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Tutorial # 3
• The points are too
congested.

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Tutorial # 3
• Adjust the scale
below to make it
less cumbersome.

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Tutorial # 3
• Adjust the scale
below to make it
less cumbersome.

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Tutorial # 3
• I want to display the
point description.
• Go to the TOOLSPACE
• Go to Point Groups
• Go to _All points
• Right click on _All
points

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Tutorial # 3
• Right click on _All points
• Dialog box opens
• Click on properties

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Tutorial # 3
• Click on properties
• Point Group properties
dialog box opens
• Leave the point style to
basic
• Click on the Point Label style
you wish to display
• Click on apply

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Tutorial # 3
• Click on description
• Click on apply

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Tutorial # 3
• Repeat the same steps and each time used a different
Point Label Style.

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Tutorial # 3
• Now change the Point Style to say Bench Mark
• Observe what happens….
• All the points are now …..
• Is this correct??

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Tutorial # 3
• We would like to see the point that we have described
as bench marks only be represented by the Point style
bench mark and not all the point.
• How do we do that?

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Tutorial # 3
• Use TOOLSPACE
• Go to Prospector Tab
• Go to Point Groups
• Right Click on Points Group
• In the Dialog box that pops out click on
new

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Tutorial # 3
• Point Group Properties pops out
• Rename the Name to Tree
• In the description – You
describe the type of point or
tree type
• In the Point Style select tree
• Click on apply

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Tutorial # 3
• Rename the Name to
Tree
• In the description –
You describe the
type of point or tree
type
• In the Point Style
select tree
• Click on apply

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Tutorial # 3

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Tutorial # 3
• Define other Point Groups [bench marks, lamps etc….]
• Each time Zoom in and see the results.

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Modifying Points that were wrongly inserted
• If some of the GSL points were meant to define other
items such as lamps, trees among others….
• How to correct them?
•

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Modifying Points that were wrongly inserted
• How to correct them?
• We shall use the change
properties command.
• Select a specific point
• Type CH for change
properties, then press
enter and the Properties
Dialog box appears.

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Modifying Points that were wrongly inserted
• Change the properties of a few points.

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