Create mesh using AECC POINT objects from AutoCAD Arch 2014

SketchUp Pro
,
1

I’ve received a survey file from our land surveyor. It includes AECC_POINT objects and I’m looking to extract the data so that I can import the x,y,z point cloud information into SketchUp to create the site terrain for our project. I have installed the Civil 3D 2014 Object enabler for my AutoCAD Architecture 2014. I’m now able to LIST the information but only a few points come up in the command line every time I run LIST. With over 140 points this might take some time to list, copy, extract, etc.

Here is a sample of two points:

AECC_POINT Layer: “POINTS”

Space: Model space
Linetype scaling = 0.40
Handle = a01e
Text Location : (3875.36, 7787.37, 0.00)
Text Rotation :
Normal : (0.00, 0.00, 1.00)
Group Name :
Point Number : 48
Point Name :
Northing : 4775.85
Easting : 5019.43
Elevation : 5344.23 XDRef:
Raw Description : SW XDRef:
Full Description : SW
Marker Location : (3875.36, 7787.37, 0.00)

AECC_POINT Layer: “POINTS”
Space: Model space
Linetype scaling = 0.40
Handle = a01b
Text Location : (3852.68, 7800.41, 0.00)
Text Rotation :
Normal : (0.00, 0.00, 1.00)
Group Name :
Point Number : 47
Point Name :
Northing : 4776.93
Easting : 5017.54
Elevation : 5343.98 XDRef:
Raw Description : SW XDRef:
Full Description : SW
Marker Location : (3852.68, 7800.41, 0.00)

The main information I’m looking to extract are:

Point Number : 48
Northing : 4775.85
Easting : 5019.43
Elevation : 5344.23

Can anyone walk me through a good process for extracting this information from AutoCAD Arch 2014 and getting this information into SketchUp? Unfortunately all of the points in AutoCAD are flat, as you can see in the ‘z’ coordinate of Marker Location : (3852.68, 7800.41, 0.00). Luckily the AECC POINT tag has the elevation in that so hopefully I can replace this in a CSV file with the 0.00 ‘z’ coordinate.

Thanks in advance for any and all help!!

aecc point survey data.dwg (201.8 KB)

2

The first suggestion is going to be to use a SketchUp extension to import point cloud data.

SketchUp Pro’s DWG import cannot “see” special AEC objects.

See the user guide:

So, if you cannot get DEM file out of AutoCAD,… then some plugins to export from ACAD, and import to SketchUp will be in order.

3

I wonder what you would get if you asked your surveyor to use the “Export to AutoCad” function in AutoCad Civil to produce to you a DWG file with only standard AutoCad objects. Even with an object enabler, it is almost impossible for you to do anything with this data. I don’t think you can even extract anything out of it except by, for instance, using, as you have done, the LIST command and directing the output to a text file.

Anssi

4

Luckily someone was kind enough to convert my CAD file into a .cvs excel file on the Autodesk Civil 3D forum. I think I can use this with a plugin on SketchUp to create my terrain. From now on I think I’ll ask the surveyor to give this file to me as well since I’m starting to do a lot more conceptual modeling for home sites around town.

5

Thank you for your help. I’ll take a look at these links and hopefully I’ll find an easy way or plugin that can help convert the .cvs excel point cloud information into SketchUp!

6

It is usually called CSV (commas separated values.)

Searching on “CVS” is likley to bring up too many hits on pharmacies.

7

Older type survey files often came as flat DWG files with height points denoted with text entities carrying the height data. I wrote a simple AutoLisp routine to add in AutoCad a vertical height line at every text insertion point with the text value used as the length. When imported into SketchUp these could be used directly with the Sandbox from Contours tool to create a terrain mesh.

Anssi

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