183

MODULE 12.

EXPORTING DATA AND WORKING WITH AUTOCAD LAND DESKTOP

Learning Outcomes:

Students should be able to export point cloud, geometries and images from RWS and

import them into AutoCAD Land Desktop.

Lecture Contents:

Data including point cloud, geometries, inspection maps and images can be exported to a

variety of formats used by other programs such as AutoCAD and MicroStation. Three types of

exports are discussed in this module. In addition, import of these data into AutoCAD Land

Desktop is covered.

12.1 Exporting to DXF Format

File with extension DXF is a drawing exchange format file used by AutoCAD and others

to facilitate drawing exchange. To export RealWork Survey drawing to DXF format:

1. Select drawings or point clouds to be exported in the Models tree.

184

2. From the File menu, select Export Selection

3. The Exporting Selection dialog box appears. a). choose a folder in the Look in box; b).

select AutoCAD files (*.dxf) from the File of Type dropdown list; c). enter a name in the

File Name box; and d). click the Save button.

185

4. The Export as DXF file dialog box appears. a). select the object(s) to be exported in the

Export of dropdown list; b). select the coordinate frame in the Export Frame dropdown

list; c). select a unit in the Unit dropdown list; d). choose a cloud rendering option in the

last dropdown list; and e). check the other two boxes if necessary.

5. Click the Export button to complete the process.

186

12.2 Exporting to ASCII Format

This option allows the users to export the data (coordinates and attributes) to ASCII format

or plain text format. To export to this format:

1. Select the data to be exported in the Models tree.

2. From the File menu, select Export Selection

187

3. The Exporting Selection dialog box appears. a). choose a folder in the Look in box; b).

select ASCII Format files (*.asc) from the File of Type dropdown list; c). enter a name in

the File Name box; and d). click the Save button.

188

4. The Export as ASCII file dialog box appears. a). select the coordinate frame in the Export

Frame dropdown list; b). select a unit in the Unit dropdown list; c). choose a separator in

the Separator dropdown list; d). select a decimal character from the Decimal Char

dropdown list; e). choose a coordinate format from the Coord System dropdown list; f).

choose the number of decimal places in the last dropdown list; and g). check the other

three boxes if necessary.

189

5. Click the Export button to complete the process.

190

12.3 Exporting Images

Both the photo image and ortho-images can be exported from RWS. The photo images

are exported as .jpg files and the ortho-images as .tif files. Inspection maps can also be exported

as .tif files. When a .tif file is generated, RWS also creates .txt file containing the coordinates of

the four corners of the image so that the image can be properly placed in a drawing when used

later. Here is an example of exporting an ortho-image and the procedures to export photo images

and inspection maps are similar.

1. Select an ortho-image in the List window.

191

2. Right-click the mouse and select Export Ortho-Image from the pop-up menu.

3. The Export Ortho-Image dialog box appears. Enter a file name and click Save. The file

is saved as a .tif file and a .txt file with the same name was also saving.

192

12.4 Working with AutoCAD Land Desktop

The .asc and .dxf files exported by RWS can be imported into AutoCAD Land Desktop

for further processing although many of the civil engineering and surveying functionalities in the

two programs overlap. Nevertheless, AutoCAD provides another alternative for users who are

already familiar with it. In general, the capacity and speed of RWS are superior to Land Desktop

in processing scan data, but Land Desk has more options in presenting the results such as

drawings and graphs.

12.4.1 Importing an .asc File into AutoCAD Land Desktop

The point database and drawings in Land Desktop are generally associated with a project.

Before importing point data into it, make sure that a project is already open and otherwise, create

a project first. The point data (coordinates) imported into Land desktop do not have to be

displayed on the screen, but if the users want to display them, then they have to set up the Point

Settings properly in Land desktop. Points can always be imported into Land Desk top first and

then inserted into the drawing later. The procedures described below assume that the Land

Desktop environment is set up properly.

1. On the Menu bar in Land Desktop, select Points >Import/Export Points > Import Points.

193

2. The Format Manager-Import Points dialog box opens. Select a format from the Format

dropdown list. (In our case, the NEZ (comma delimited)).

3. Click the Open File button next to the Source File box and the Select Source File dialog

box is open. Navigate the folders to find the desired file (Sample_12.asc in this case).

Click the Open button.

194

4. The Select Source File dialog box is closed and click the OK button in the Format

Manager-Import Points dialog box.

5. The COGO Database Import Options dialog box opens. Select options (default in our

case) and click OK.

195

6. Import is in progress. It can take tens of minutes to import a file depending on the

number of points. In addition, Land Desktop can handle far fewer number of points than

RWS.

7. To see points displayed on the screen, On the Menu bar in Land Desktop, select View

>Zoom > extents.

196

8. The point cloud is displayed in the drawing window. To list the imported points in the

database, click Points > List Points on the Menu bar.

9. The List Points dialog box appears. Click the List All Point bubble and the points are

listed.

197

12.4.2 Inserting a .dxf Drawing File into AutoCAD Land Desktop

Drawings exported in .dxf format from RWS can be opened just like other AutoCAD

drawings in AutoCAD. However, in Land Desktop, the best way is to insert it into a drawing as

a block. Here are the steps:

1. From the Menu bar, select Insert > Block.

198

2. The Insert dialog box opens. Click the Browse button.

3. The Select a Drawing File dialog box is open. Choose .dxf as the file type in the File

Type box. Select a .dxf file and click Open.

199

4. The Select a Drawing File dialog box is closed. Click OK in the Insert dialog box.

5. Select an insertion point on the screen and the drawing is inserted.

200

Questions:

1. What is an .asc file? What are the properties of a point that can be exported

besides the XYZ coordinates?

2. What are the file extensions of the two types of exported images? When

exporting an image what is the other type of file that will be generated in addition

to the image file? What are in that file?

3. What are some of things that you should pay attention to when importing an .asc

file into AutoCAD Land Desktop? Discuss the procedure to import an .asc file

into Land Desktop.

4. List the steps to export .asc, .dxf, .jpg and .tif files from RWS.