TheSwamp

CAD Forums => CAD General => Topic started by: cgrob on March 07, 2008, 08:39:20 PM

Title: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: cgrob on March 07, 2008, 08:39:20 PM: SiteTopo is a free surface modelling / contouring program to use with AutoCAD.

Let me know what you think of it, I'll be glad to answer any questions about the code etc.

Loads survey point files, or DXF and XML formats.
Works with plain AutoCAD (no addons needed), and makes no changes to
your CAD setup.
3D view lets you see your survey from any perspective.
No installation, standalone executable.

http://www.sitetopo.com/

Flash movie of the program: http://www.sitetopo.com/flash/demo1/demo1.html
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: architecture68-raff on March 07, 2008, 08:45:07 PM: Looks pretty nifty....wish I had more of a use for it. :wink:
Thanks for sharing
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: CAB on March 07, 2008, 09:06:00 PM: Welcome to TheSwamp.

The video was very nice. I don't do Civil but it looks very useful.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: cgrob on March 07, 2008, 09:51:41 PM: Thanks for the welcome.

If you want to try it, the download includes some sample data, and is only about 2.5MB.

The least intuitive part of the program is moving the viewpoint around, it is modeled after first-person-shooter games like Quake.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: FengK on March 08, 2008, 02:57:10 AM: wow wow wow...

Thank you and welcome to Swamp!
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: It's Alive! on March 08, 2008, 11:53:38 AM: Playing with this now.. Absolutely fantastic!!!
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: MP on March 08, 2008, 12:36:40 PM: Drainage simulation / analysis too? Wow, kudos.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: JohnF on March 08, 2008, 08:11:45 PM: Excellent program - Well done.

Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: chobo on March 08, 2008, 10:03:04 PM: Really Good!!
Rainfall & Pond is Fantastic!!
Thanks x 100
Import any DXF version from R12 to 2007 ?
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: cgrob on March 09, 2008, 01:28:45 AM: Import any DXF version from R12 to 2007?

Yes, any version r12 and later for sure, and as far as I know any version previous as well.

Entities recognized:
point
line
polyline
lwpolyline
arc
circle

And a couple of entities produced by surveying software:
AECC_POINT block
(confusingly named) "POINT" block

all other objects are ignored.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: Glenn R on March 09, 2008, 04:17:39 PM: Charles,

VERY impressive. I noticed from the screens and your vid that the number of points were around the 1000 mark. What is the performance of the program when you give it 100000+ points?

Kudos.

Cheers,
Glenn.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: It's Alive! on March 09, 2008, 10:01:37 PM: I think Glenn is asking you to take part in this http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=15784.0

Glenn, it looks he using VS 6.0/MFC, so it’s probably almost as fast as what you posted :lol:
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: cgrob on March 10, 2008, 01:59:18 AM: What is the performance of the program when you give it 100000+ points?

110 seconds on the data provided, but it is spending most of the time showing the progress of the triangulation. Profiling shows 78% of the time is spent in OnDraw()

I have never optimized the program to work with large data sets. Usually if you've got lots of data it has been gathered by an automated method and you can take advantage of that and generate the surface by some faster method.

For instance this 1.4 million point data loads and displays in about 3 seconds:

http://www.sitetopo.com/images/temp/N46W123.jpg

If you want to try some larger data sets, you can download a few from this page:

http://www.sitetopo.com/gallery.html
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: Glenn R on March 10, 2008, 07:36:06 AM: Dan, I was actually just curious - these types of proggies do get used with serious point sets.

Thanks for that Charles.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: It's Alive! on March 10, 2008, 09:57:00 AM: Quote from: Glenn R on March 10, 2008, 07:36:06 AM
Dan, I was actually just curious - these types of proggies do get used with serious point sets.

I know, I was just giving you a hard time :angel:
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: Dinosaur on March 13, 2008, 11:47:11 PM: Here is a bump to the top of the list for now after the topic move. I will also post a link to here in LandLubber where us civil types hang out more often and delete the second thread.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: cgrob on March 13, 2008, 11:56:32 PM: Thanks Din0
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: Dinosaur on March 14, 2008, 12:01:02 AM: No, thank you for sharing . . . you did all the work with the nifty program; I am just shuffling files.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: dfarris75 on March 15, 2008, 04:24:33 PM: Watching the vid. Very cool. Civil 3D may have some comp eh.
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: Slim© on March 15, 2008, 05:08:24 PM: Way cool, cgrob. I like it very much...
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: surveyor_randy on March 15, 2008, 08:47:00 PM: Very nice indeed! Smooth and fast as well. Autodesk should take some lessons here.

Ummmm.... C++ or C#? I know it wasn't written in VB. ;-)
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: cgrob on March 16, 2008, 02:28:55 AM: C++
Title: Re: free Contouring program - feedback requested
Post by: surveyor_randy on March 16, 2008, 02:21:54 PM: well.... you've definately got some skillz in C++! The smooth rendering alone with the panning would be a bear. I also like the FPS count on the screen. You could eventually be a game developer if you wanted.

Anyways... your program looks like a fine commercial product in the making! I especially like the rainfall and the pond features. Keeping track of, and manipulating that many particles....and smoothly...very cool! :kewl: