Mesh from 3D contour DWG?

[Thomas Holm]

Talking about curved cliffs...

I just got this 3D contour DWG file from a local planning office.

I imported it as an object. As you can see there are no surfaces, just contours, and they aren't even contiguous.

Now I wonder if anyone's got a good idea on how to make an Archicad mesh out of this?

Or am I better off using the conventional procedure of creating the mesh in plan from the 2D contours?

[Dwight]

And further, many more facets can be dropped if you create a subjective site form related to a grid estimation system rather than replicating contours.

I place a grid over a contour plan with smaller grids where contours are critical and larger grids where they don't. With this method, you pay attention to important outcroppings and cliffs, but smooth over the rest.

[Thomas Holm]

Thanks for all advice!

As you may have noticed, I've collected a number of links on how to simplify a contour map and create a mesh from it, and also how to manipulate it with SEOs here. It just that I was hoping for a shortcut this time

Karl wrote:
With Virtual Trace in 11, it is easier than with ghost stories in prior versions for this kind of thing since the Trace Reference can be a Worksheet with an xref to the dwg, so no need to create a fake story for the dwg or come up with strange layer combos to accomplish your work since the active and trace can have different layer settings.

Karl, do you mean that a DWG Xrefed into a Worksheet doesn't add its layers to the project, or should I trace a worksheet from another project file this way?

[Karl Ottenstein]

Thomas wrote:
Karl, do you mean that a DWG Xrefed into a Worksheet doesn't add its layers to the project, or should I trace a worksheet from another project file this way?

Nothing that dramatic. Just that until 11, only stories could be ghosted, so you had to put the xref on a story for tracing purposes and now you can use an independent worksheet. The layers come in, but as you know, in 11, they are grouped below all user layers, and they do purge properly if you detach the xref later.

Yeah, to trace from another project, you'd have to use Laci's trick and place a view of the dwg from the other project onto a layout and then use the layout as the trace reference.

Cheers,
Karl

[Thomas Holm]

OK Karl, I thought I'd missed something really important here. I've never used worksheets for that. But since I'll want to plot the imported map along with my project, I might just as well place the Xref on a floor plan storey anyway.

[Karl Ottenstein]

Thomas wrote:
OK Karl, I thought I'd missed something really important here. I've never used worksheets for that. But since I'll want to plot the imported map along with my project, I might just as well place the Xref on a floor plan storey anyway.

Not sure why? You can 'plot' a worksheet as easily as a story, right?

Karl

[Thomas Holm]

Well, I have a habit of using a storey below the lowest floor for site and ground work. I realise I can use a worksheet as well, but since it's only 2D I'd need to place my site mesh on that low storey anyway. So why complicate things by xrefing the dwg into a worksheet instead of into this floor plan directly?

[Karl Ottenstein]

Thomas wrote:
Well, I have a habit of using a storey below the lowest floor for site and ground work. I realise I can use a worksheet as well, but since it's only 2D I'd need to place my site mesh on that low storey anyway. So why complicate things by xrefing the dwg into a worksheet instead of into this floor plan directly?

I did it that way, too, until 11 arrived. I just find it easier now to not have to deal with the xref layers in my layer combos for that site story... and for turning them on/off to trace contours onto the mesh. For me, Virtual Trace of a Worksheet is easier - no template (combo) modifications regardless of the engineer who produced the dwg, easier (IMHO) tracing / visual comparison, and switch trace with active for quickly jumping back and forth between the survey worksheet and my sitework.

Nothing too significant though...mostly just work preference. 😉

Cheers,
Karl

[Edit: typos]

[Thomas Holm]

Guess I'm just being conservative

Thanks Karl!

[Anonymous]

Hi folks,

For site survey I've created a special layer combo and 2 associated layers that works like sweet..
I called the layer combo "Temporary" and a layer "Temp_on" and another "Temp_off".
The layer Temp_on is always locked and visible in all other layer combos that I have.
Each and every dwg/dxf/jpg that I use to help the design I put it grouped in the Temp_off layer.
Every time I need to use one of them (i.e. create the mesh with the dwg survey) I activate the Temporary layer combo
and it hides all other layer except for the Temp_on and Temp_off.
Then I change the object/drawing/image layer from Temp_off to Temp_on.
When I go back to the Design layer combo there it is! The survey dwg locked just to help the mesh design.