Video 7: Export from TBC, Import into AutoCAD Civil 3D
In this video, I will review how to export total station observations and point cloud data from Trimble Business Center. Then, I will import the data into AutoCAD Civil 3D to set up a project to complete CAD drafting for a Topographic Plan.
In Trimble Business Center, I will export are the points surveyed, to do this I will setup a custom export format. Firstly, select a sample of the points in the project to test a customized export format with. Using the Filter Manager, I will uncheck the Scans tab to display only the survey points and select a sampling of points. In the Home tab, under Data Exchange, expand the Export arrow and select Export Format Editor and a new window will open. This editor allows you to create and edit custom format definitions that can be used to export project data in a text file.
To create a new format definition, click the New button to add a new row to the table, and enter a name in the Definition Name field. To edit an existing format definition, select it in the table and click Next. When you select Next, the Export Record page displays.
On this page, you can select the appropriate export record type such as Delimited, Fixed Width, or Text Delimited. For each Export Record type, the properties can be configured by Default file Extension, Encoding type, and Decimal Separator. Select the Next button to display the Export Fields page.
In the Available Fields list, double-click each field you want to add to the format definition. Or, right-click the field and select Add to Record. Alternatively, you can right-click the expandable field group node and select Add All Fields in Group. To remove a field, right-click the field in either the Available Fields list or Export Record list and select Remove Field. To preview the results of the export format, click the Test button. When you are done adding fields, click the Finish button. For the purpose of this Tutorial, I will export the points, easting, northing, elevation, and code in the format of a CSV.
Next, in the Home tab select Export. In the Export Window, select custom format and choose the format that was just created to export the surveyed points on. Click in the Data field and select all the points in the project drawing to be exported. Alternatively, you can expand the Options menu and more advanced options are available for selection. Name the file and save it to a known location on your computer, select export.
Using the View Filter Manager, check the Scans tab and uncheck the Raw Data tab, this will make it easier to select the point clouds for export. In the Export Tab, select Point Cloud and RCP exporter as the format. I will highlight the point clouds to include, choose a file name, and the scaling - for the purpose of this tutorial, I will export in Grid and select Export.
Now that the data is exported from Trimble Business Center and saved, I will create a new project in AutoCAD Civil 3D.
To set the units and coordinate system in this project, open the File tab, navigate to Drawing Utilities and select Drawing Settings. A new dialog will appear and here you can configure the Units and Zone, Transformation, Object Layers, Abbreviations, and Ambient Settings. For the purpose of this tutorial I will set the drawing units to Meters. The Datum for this dataset is USA, Colorado; and the coordinate system is NAD83 Colorado State Planes, Central Zone, US Foot. Select Apply to save these settings to the project. Now, open the Units and set the insertion scale to meters.
In the Layers Property Manager, select Layer States Manager to open a dialog box that allows you to save, restore and manage the set of layers imported into the project. I will import Topographic.las layers for this project. Finally, we are ready to import the surveyed points and point cloud data.
To do this, select Insert from the top ribbons, and Points from File under the Import tab. Navigate and find the CSV file previously saved, and select the appropriate format. In this case, I exported my points in the format of Points, Easting, Northing, Elevation, and Codes.
Next, I will import the Point Clouds. In the top ribbon, select Insert, and Attach under the Point Cloud Tab. Navigate to and find the RCP file previously exported from Trimble Business Center. Uncheck the ‘Specify on-screen’ option and the point cloud will import in the correct location, and click OK to complete the import. Simply complete this process with the remaining point cloud regions.
To navigate the point cloud in Civil 3D, you can press and hold the shift key to rotate the drawing. To better visualize the point cloud, select the data and a Point Cloud ribbon will appear at the top of the screen. In the Visualization tab, you can toggle the different scan colours and transparency of the point cloud.