Topic: When importing points do you leave the 'Use Point Elevation' ON in point style

[doggarncity]

Hi all
   When I came to work I found that all the points that were imported had there 'Use Point Elevation' enabled
as part of the Point Style for all points imported. This to me is a misstake because everytime I go to
do anything in an old dwg they made I find the polylines/lines have elev on them. Things like boundary lines
with elevation don't make good Bearing/Distance annotations. I want to know in Point styles if you turn
all desc keys to say 'Flatten points to elevation' enabled, does it still allow you to do feature lines in 3D to points and when
making polyline snapped to points they don't use the elevation. In LDT you could turn it off so you that when making
polylines/lines they don't carry a elev or where flattened including line to line connection. I need to prove
to my cad manager that you can do it without any problems. Can anyone verify that for me or give me another
way to bring points that works and why?

Regards,

MJP
Mike

[mjfarrell]

I do not believe that setting ones point style to FLATTEN the elevations has any impact on feature lines or breaklines.
Let me test and report back post haste.

[mjfarrell]

OK Mike here is how you prove this to both yourself and anyone that might want to know.


Import some points use ACAD>DWT as a quick test template.
Set the Standard Style to Flatten
Set the Labels to show Elevation
Build a Surface from those points.
Draw a polyline from Point to Point with NODE snap on.
Convert that Polyline into a Feature line, be sure to assign elevations to it (however NOT at intermediate Grade Breaks)!
Then use the elevation Editor to Verify to all that the Feature Line is at the Correct elevation!  Yes even though the points were, or are flattened! [angels can be heard singing]

Any other questions....?

[mjfarrell]

and NOT to worry about Boundary lines with elevations on them' once they are converted into Parcel Objects...

[sinc]

Up until recently, we put all our points at Actual Elevation.  Recently, however, we started using True Type Fonts in our symbols.  This makes our drawings look better, but TTFs look "bold" or "blobby" unless they are at Z=0.  So now all our symbols that contain TTFs (manholes, etc.) are set to Flatten Elevations to Z=0.

For the most part, we work in 3D.  Parcel lines are done in 2D, as well as Alignments, but much of the rest is 3D.  We pretty much never draw parcel lines from Cogo Points.  Our parcel lines are usually a matter of record, and we draw the linework of record using normal (2D) polylines (usually, with maybe some lines and arcs).  Linework for design surveys and topos, however, is auto-drawn from field data as 3D Survey Figures.

[mjfarrell]

yet another reason I continue to dislike the use of TT fonts....

[sinc]

We like them.  Autodesk seems to have overcome most of the early problems they had.

But this Z=0 issue is pretty obnoxious.  And the plot to PDF features of Autocad also seem to become even more-flakey than usual when TTF's are involved.  Sometimes, not even plotting to DWF and then plotting the DWF to PDF works very well.  But so far, that hasn't been a big issue, because we typically only use PDFs for drafts, and not final documents.

All in all, we prefer TTFs to shape fonts.  The plots sure look better.  But as with almost all Autocad features, there's a give-and-take, as the bugs compromise the good points.

[mjfarrell]

And the plot to PDF features of Autocad also seem to become even more-flakey than usual when TTF's are involved.  Sometimes, not even

But as with almost all Autocad features, there's a give-and-take, as the bugs compromise the good points.

This is supposed to make me like them even less???   

 

[sourdough]

I do not believe that setting ones point style to FLATTEN the elevations has any impact on feature lines or breaklines.
Let me test and report back post haste.

Hi Mike F
   I did find out what happens. If you turn a point style to flatten it does affect Feature Lines.
If flattened when you create a feature line it does the first point to surface if you have one defined.
What is next is what is different. The second pt will not pick up the surface elev by default (with a second step
you can choose (SU) for surface and then it will work. So it does work but with a extra step to make it happen.
If you have the point style to use elevation it allows you to choose the surface by default on acquiring the second pt
and to the end of the feature line.

MJP

[mjfarrell]

I do not believe that setting ones point style to FLATTEN the elevations has any impact on feature lines or breaklines.
Let me test and report back post haste.

Hi Mike F
   I did find out what happens. If you turn a point style to flatten it does affect Feature Lines.
If flattened when you create a feature line it does the first point to surface if you have one defined.
What is next is what is different. The second pt will not pick up the surface elev by default (with a second step
you can choose (SU) for surface and then it will work. So it does work but with a extra step to make it happen.
If you have the point style to use elevation it allows you to choose the surface by default on acquiring the second pt
and to the end of the feature line.

MJP

Mike that is the way that particular tool always works, flatten points or not.
From the command line of a file using a DEM surface...

Command:
Specify start point:
Specify elevation or [Surface] <0.000>: s

Surface:  DEM
Surface elevation or [Select surface] <59.376>:

Specify the next point or [Arc]:
Distance 138.556',  Grade 0.00,  Slope Horizontal,  Elevation 59.376'

Specify grade or [SLope/Elevation/Difference/SUrface/Transition] <0.00>:

notice it prompts for the surface at each endpoint?

In my class I would teach you to use a different technique that is faster and more efficient.


Draw the polyline with your node snap on,
or use point number range; from lines and curves menu...

Now here's the 'trick'

convert this object into a feature line

USE the option to assign elevations to it....
DO NOT get the intermediate breaks...
Use the surface, and all points along the feature line are now set at the point (surface) elevation.
It's faster... really...

[doggarncity]

I do not believe that setting ones point style to FLATTEN the elevations has any impact on feature lines or breaklines.
Let me test and report back post haste.

Hi Mike F
   I did find out what happens. If you turn a point style to flatten it does affect Feature Lines.
If flattened when you create a feature line it does the first point to surface if you have one defined.
What is next is what is different. The second pt will not pick up the surface elev by default (with a second step
you can choose (SU) for surface and then it will work. So it does work but with a extra step to make it happen.
If you have the point style to use elevation it allows you to choose the surface by default on acquiring the second pt
and to the end of the feature line.

MJP

Mike that is the way that particular tool always works, flatten points or not.
From the command line of a file using a DEM surface...

Command:
Specify start point:
Specify elevation or [Surface] <0.000>: s

Surface:  DEM
Surface elevation or [Select surface] <59.376>:

Specify the next point or [Arc]:
Distance 138.556',  Grade 0.00,  Slope Horizontal,  Elevation 59.376'

Specify grade or [SLope/Elevation/Difference/SUrface/Transition] <0.00>:

notice it prompts for the surface at each endpoint?

In my class I would teach you to use a different technique that is faster and more efficient.


Draw the polyline with your node snap on,
or use point number range; from lines and curves menu...

Now here's the 'trick'

convert this object into a feature line

USE the option to assign elevations to it....
DO NOT get the intermediate breaks...
Use the surface, and all points along the feature line are now set at the point (surface) elevation.
It's faster... really...

Awesome I'll do that... thanks

MJP/sourdoug/doggarncity