Handout 5589 CV5589 Parcel&Plat Linework Tables&Labels

Parcel and Plat, Linework, Tables, and Labels for

Beginning Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D Users Paul Kirkendall MasterGraphics, Inc.

CV5589

Learning Objectives At the end of this class, you will be able to:

Insert points and create point groups

Create sites, boundary parcels, and subdivision lot parcels

Use dynamic object labels in several ways

Use and customize labels and tables that are linked to one another

About the Speaker Paul Kirkendall is an application engineer for MasterGraphics, providing consulting, training,

and support for a variety of infrastructure clients. Paul has put together multiple online training

videos for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and he has presented at the Wisconsin

Society of Land Surveyors Conference, and Autodesk University 2013. Before he joined

MasterGraphics, Paul gained valuable knowledge and experience working with popular

Autodesk, Inc., civil design and mapping software. His duties included installation and

implementation, creation of company standards, training of staff, and extensive infrastructure

design and planning. During this time Paul also worked closely with surveying departments,

and he understands the interaction of workflow and data collection across projects. Paul is an

Autodesk Approved Trainer, AutoCAD and AutoCAD Civil 3D Certified Professional, and

InfraWorks Roads & Highways Workflow Certified Professional.

[email protected]

Parcel and Plat, Linework, Tables and Labels

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Points and Point Groups

Importing Points from an ASCI text file

On the Home tab of the ribbon under points, you

will find the Point Creation Tools Icon as shown to

the top right. The Points Creation Tools when

clicked, will open the Create Points toolbar

(below).The import points icon (blue arrow below)

is one of many tools on the toolbar, try out all the

tool drop downs to see what is available. Once we

click on the import points icon, the Import Points

dialog box opens (below right). Another way to get

this dialog box is to go the Insert tab, Import panel

and select Points from File (middle right).

In the Import Points dialog box, click the plus icon

(as shown to the right, blue arrow) and the browse

dialog will open. Select the text file to import. Once

the file is selected, Civil3D will sift through the file

and show what formats are available for import.

For instance, PNEZD is very common for text files

(Point number, Northing, Easting, Elevation and

Description). Be careful to select the correct format

since PENZD looks similar and if selected, will put

your points off in the wrong coordinates. You can

view the format in the window labeled Preview

which specifies the format and shows how the

points are laid out (info wise). Another thing to

keep in mind is if your file is space delimited or

comma delimited. Make sure you select the correct

one if the filter is off.


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Adding these points to a point group is a good idea for a few reasons. One big reason is to

separate out the files as they were shot in the field. This makes it easier to adjust or delete those

shots if something was off (i.e. datum, coordinate shift, etc.). Another reason would be to see

what points were shot on what day by changing the style which will be explained later. Typically I

would add them to a specific point group with the name or date specific to that file. I like to do this

to keep the files separate in the drawing so they are the same as the actual files that were shot

in the field. After selecting the file format, we can click ok and the points will be imported into your

DWG. Zoom extends (type Z enter E enter or double click the mouse wheel) should bring the

points front and center.

Point Groups

Point groups are important in many ways. They are used to apply Marker styles, label styles,

exclude unwanted shots, show certain points and not others (i.e. Control points, Property Pins,

etc.). In the past, layers were used for the purpose of point control. While layers can be used still,

they are not needed if styles and groups are used properly. Lets look at some examples.

To create Point Groups, lets go to the Prospector tab under Point Groups (there is a Point Group

automatically created by C3D when the points were imported called _All Points this point group

cannot be deleted and in most cases should not be used). Right click on the Point Groups and

select New. The Point Group Properties dialog opens. On the information tab, under name enter

All Off. Set the point style and point label style to .


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On the Include tab, check Include all points.

On the overrides tab, check style and point label style. This will make sure the All Off point

group will have no styles.


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Next, create point groups for points such as Centerline, Control points, etc. It is not necessary to

override the styles unless you want to have a point group look different than the description key

set that they are imported on. When creating point groups, it is possible to use different ways to

include and exclude the points from that point group. If you know the numbers of the points, you

can add them With numbers matching by keying in the numbers or selecting the points in the

drawing. In some cases, you will know the raw discription (what the surveyor keyed in the data

collector when the point was shot).

Important Note: When entering the raw description, the letters or numbers have to match in

order for the point to be added to the point group. For example, if a centerline shot was keyed in

as CL Smiley Drive. Then the With raw description matching field must be the same. However if

an * (AKA: wild card) is added after the cl. Then any cl with a description after it or not will be

added to the point group.


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Point groups have a hierarchy that controls the way they are represented (On/Off, Point style and

Label style). Once the point groups are created, they are in a list in the prospector, this list is in

order of highest priority to lowest priority. To change the priority around so the centerline point

group is the only group that is on, the CL point group will have to be on top and the ALL OFF point

group will be just below that. So that all the points after CL will be set to the ALL OFF point group

which is . To change the priority listing, go to the prospector. Right click on Point Groups,

select properties. In the Point Groups dialog box, use the arrows to the right to move the point

groups around so the ALL OFF point group is under the point group that needs to be seen. In the

screen shot below, the CL is on top and ALL OFF is under that. You can see that only the CL

points are visible.


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In the screen shot below, the Point group au_2014_Parcel & Plat is on top. It includes all the

points from that file so they are all visible.


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Linework

Lines Creating lines with the Create Line tool has many

options to help speed up the process of drafting

after the points have been imported. Although the

line command is limited in its vertex/grip editing

functionality compared to polylines, lines can always

be converted to polylines after the fact. As you can

see in the picture to the right, there are a few

different ways we can draw lines with information we

already have. Create line by point # Range gives

you the option to enter a point number or a range of

points such as 20-24 in which the lines will be drawn

from point 20 to point 24 in succession. Point Object

lets you select the point object from which to draw

the lines in between. Bearing asks for the Quadrant

1=NE, 2=SE, 3=SW and 4=NW, then the bearing

and lastly the distance. The last one we will look at

is from End of Object. For this line, select the end of

a line and enter a distance this will create a line

(extension) of the previous line at a distance

specified.


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Tip:

In order for linetypes to show properly and to create objects from objects in design, lines should

be made into polylines at a minimum. Select one line segment and right click. At the bottom of

the right click menu is select similar. Select it, go to the Home tab, modify panel dropdown, and

select the Join command. As shown below, the lines are joined into a polyline. Now, as shown

below, polylines have a grip at the midpoint of each segment that allows for adding additional

vertices and for converting line segments into arcs.


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Polylines

Creating Polylines w/ Transparent Commands also provides many options for easy linework

generation. Polylines have extra vertices/grips for editing purposes that lines do not. When

selected, a polyline has a rectangular grip at the midpoint of each segment that allows for

stretching, adding vertex and converting to Arc. Both Polylines and lines can be used with

transparent commands to create linework similar to the line commands. For instance, in order

(left picture below) Angle distance, Bearing Distance, Azimuth Distance and Deflection Distance

then (right picture below) Point Number, Point Name, Point Object and Zoom to Point. These tools

can be used in the same way as the line tools except the polyline, line or arc command has to be

active beforehand. Lets check some out.

On the home tab draw panel, select the polyline command or enter PL in the command line. Now

that a command is active, we can use a Transparent command from the Transparent command

toolbar (view tab, user interface panel, Toolbars dropdown, civil fly out, check Transparent

Commands). Select the Point number transparent command and key in the numbers of points

such as 1-20,1 this will draw a closed polyline from points 1 to 20 then close back at 1.The Point

object Transparent command is for selecting the point objects if for instance the numbers are not

in succession.


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Sites

Site Management

Sites are a collection of Parcels, alignments, grading objects & feature lines. Objects that reside

in the same site react to one another. Multiple sites can be used in one drawing for the purpose

of having objects that will not react to other objects. To create sites, lets go to the prospector tab

of toolspace, right click Sites, select new, enter the name under name on the information tab (as

shown in picture below). 3D geometry can be set to default and Numbering tab should start the

parcel numbering at 1s.

Tip:

It is a very good idea to name things logically according to the project. It will maintain a consistency

in projects and so if you fell off of your roof and Joe designer had to finish, he would understand

what was going on in said project.


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Parcels

Parcels are created within a site. In most cases, parcels represent real estate parcels, such as

Boundary parcels and subdivision lots. Parcels can also be used for any closed boundaries, such

as soil regions or ponds. Parcels are defined by parcel segments, which can be lines or curves.

Boundary Parcels

Creating a Boundary parcel from objects gives us

the flexibility to choose Lines, Polylines and Arcs

from the drawing. To do this, we will go to the

Parcel drop down on the Create Design panel of

the Home tab (shown below). Select Create Parcel

from Objects, select polyline or lines, click enter

and the Create Parcels From Objects dialog

opens. Set the site to your specified site (i.e. Condo

Plat), set your parcel style which controls the color,

linetype, etc. of your boundary line, layer can be set

to default, label styles should be set for the area

label style and if you check the Automatically add

segment labels the parcel segments will be labeled

automatically.


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In the example below, I left that unchecked and checked Erase existing entities, click ok. Now you

can see the parcel boundary has changed color and an area label has been added to the centroid

of the parcel.


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Subdivision Parcels

Creating Parcels by Layout allows the user to enter parameters and edit parcels on the fly. In this

example, I will create the boundary parcel by object (same as previous example) and then use

the layout tools to subdivide the parcel.

To subdivide parcels, go to the Parcel drop down on the

Create Design panel of the Home tab. Select Parcel Creation

Tools and the Parcel Layout Tools toolbar opens. Select Add

fixed line two points.

The Create Parcels Layout dialog opens Select the

Site (i.e. Subdivision), change the Parcel style to

Single-Family, and leave the layers to default. Change

the Area Label Style to Name Square Foot & Acres.

Leave the Automatically add segment labels box

unchecked, click ok. Now I can draw my lines from the

points in the middle of the parcel as displayed on the

following page.


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Next, we will subdivide the top parcel into lots using the automatic parcel option in the parcel

creation tools dialog box. To do this, I will go back to the Parcel Creation tools and enter the

parameters shown (picture below left) by clicking the chevron (blue arrow). Then select slide line

create icon (orange bubble) and fill in the Create Parcels- layout dialog as shown in picture below

right. Click ok.


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Select the area parcel label, use the endpoint snap to select the top left corner of the parcel. Move

the cursor from left to right as shown in the screen shot below. You will see a yellow line follow

your curser from the start of the frontage line along the top most line of the parcel. Use object

snap endpoint to select the end of the frontage line. Click enter to accept the default angle and a

diagram shows up representing the parameters entered in the previous step. We can except the

result, change some sizing, or select no.


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Next, I will subdivide the bottom parcel into lots using the automatic parcel option located in the

parcel creation tools dialog box. To do this, I will go back to the Parcel Creation tools and enter

the parameters shown by clicking the chevron. Then select slide line create icon and fill in the

Create Parcels- layout dialog as shown in picture below right. Click ok.


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Select on the area parcel label and select from right to left this time. You will see a yellow line

follow your curser from the start of the frontage line to the end. Click enter to accept the default

angle and a diagram shows up representing the parameters entered in the previous step. Change

the parameters and watch the parcels update.

The results of the subdivided parcel are as shown below.


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Renumber/Rename tool

Select the area parcel label. On the contextual ribbon modify drop down, select

Renumber/Rename. The Renumber/Rename Parcels dialog opens, make sure the correct site

appears in the site area and that the Renumber is selected as shown (picture on right). Click ok

and the command line asks for a start point, draw a fence through the parcels in the order you

would like to see renumbered.


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Labels

Labels can be added during or after the creation of parcels. Labels can be customized to look like

the current labels used for plans or they can be something new. Civil3D labels are dynamic so

when you move a line that is connected to the parcels the label reflects the change.

Area & Number Labels

An area & number label is placed at the default location in the center of the parcel when a parcel

is created. Area labels can but do not have to include the area. These labels are used for

information and also to edit the parcels. To change an area label, select the label, in the contextual

ribbon on the modify pull down, select Edit Area Selection Label and the Parcel Area Label Style

dialog opens. Click the dropdown to see what styles are available and select something different.

Presto a new label appears!!

To change multiple labels at once, select the label, in the contextual ribbon select Multiple

Parcel Properties, draw a line through the parcels to be updated, hit enter. The dialog box below

will pop up and give options to edit individual or multiple parcels. The diskette icon (orange

bubble below) allows for all selected parcels to be updated.


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Segment Labels

Segment labels include bearing, distance, direction, crows feet, arrows, table tag numbering, etc.

To add segment labels, go to the annotation tab and select the top portion of the Add Labels Icon.

When the add labels dialog opens, for feature click

the dropdown and select Parcel. For label type,

select Multiple segment. Line label style, select

Bearing over distance and curve label style select

Distance over Length and Radius. Click add, select

the parcel area label and your segments are labeled.


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Editing Labels

Labels will be displayed in the wrong direction at

times. To solve this problem, we will create a new

style that will show correctly in the survey

documentation unlike the label pictured to the right

going right to left.

Lets create a child style of the label

style already being used. On the add

labels dialog box, select the Create

Child of current Selection.


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When the Label Style Composer dialog box opens, give the Label style a name on the

Information tab.


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Switch to the general tab and change the Plan Readability, Plan Readable to false as shown in

the picture below.


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Change the style of the label to the style just created by selecting that label. Right click and select

Label Properties. In the properties change the Line Label Style to Bearing over Distance LR

(below left). This label should now read properly (below right).

Reverse Label & Flip Label

Sometimes labels will display the wrong direction or positions. Remedy this by selecting the label

and on the contextual ribbon select reverse label instead of reading S1423'30.08"E it will read

N1423'30.08"W. To flip the label so the bearing is on top of the line segment verses the bottom,

select the label and on the contextual ribbon select Flip Label.


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Tables

Parcel tables consist of four table styles: lines, curves, segments, and areas. Line and curve

tables list line and curve segment geometric values. Segment tables combine both line and curve

segments. Area tables list the parcels areas and its segments. In the following exercise we will

go over segment tables and area tables. When creating parcel tables the label mode changes to

tag, changing to L1, L2 or C1, C2, the tables then list the geometric values for the

corresponding Tags. Civil3D tables can be dynamic so when you move a line segment that

is connected to the parcels the table reflects the change.

Segment and Area Tables

To add a Parcel Segment or Area table, go to the annotation tab. Next to the add labels icon is

the add tables icon. Click the add tables drop down to see the options for tables. Click Parcel and

select Add Segment Tables. (pictured below right)

The Table Creation dialog pops up

(pictured below). Set the Table style and

then you can either select by checking

which Label Style Name you want to add

or by selecting tags picture below. One

thing to be aware of is the Behavior

Reactivity mode. Dynamic must be

selected in order for the table to react to

changes in segments. If static is selected

the table cannot be changed back to

dynamic.


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Editing Tables

Tables can be edited and customized in many ways.

Lets dig in and change some things. By default the

tables come in with the parcel numbers all over the

place. (pictured on the right) I like my tables to have

parcel number in ascending order. Select the table

that needs to be changed, right click and select Edit

Table Style (pictured middle left), the Table style

dialog box opens (pictured below). Check the box

Sort Data, make sure the sorting column is set to 1

and the Order is ascending, click ok. Your table

should now look like the table on the following page.


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Tables can be further customized to have names put

in the title. For example, the table to the left has a

title of Parcel Area Table. If that name is not suitable,

it can be changed by going back into the Table style

dialog box (review exercise on previous page) data

properties tab. Double click on the title header

(picture below bottom), and the Text Component

Editor opens. Delete the text and type in the proper

name (picture middle).


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Documents

Handout 5589 CV5589 Parcel&Plat Linework Tables&Labels