Carlson Survey XML

[R.K. McSwain]

Carlson Survey XML has been released! This version replaces Carlson Survey CES. The big news is that Carlson Survey is now built on the AutoCAD 2002 OEM engine. This means being able to open and save version 2000 drawings, digitizing capabilities, a full-time command line and several other enhancements just in the CAD engine.

A full list of the 75+ new commands and command enhancements can be seen below or you may visit the following web page http://www.carlsonsw.com/carlsonsurvey.htm

New purchase and upgrade Information
-----------------------
Existing users, take advantage of our "Carlson Customer Appreciation Special Offers". See http://www.carlsonsw.com/dec2002spec.htm
The Carlson Survey upgrade offers apply to Autodesk Field Survey users also.

Not quite sure? Want to see it in action?
Order an evaluation copy of Carlson Survey XML from our infomation request page:
http://update.carlsonsw.com/webforms/inforequest.php

Questions? Give us a call.

Ready to order? Call us, email us, or order from the new Carlson Software Online Store http://store.yahoo.com/carlsonsw/



Carlson Survey XML Improvement List
***************************************
CAD Engine
***************************************
+ Complete new CAD Engine - Built on the AutoCAD 2002 OEM Engine.

+ Full AutoCAD Drawing Support - Reads and writes all AutoCAD drawings (.DWG, .DXF), including AutoCAD 2000 and later.

+ Layouts - Ability to generate multiple layouts (or paperspaces). Layouts provide a WYSIWYG preview of exactly what will plot before the drawing is plotted reducing plotting errors. Non-rectangular viewports are also supported. Viewports can be locked to keep the scale from changing.

+ Digitizing - Ability to connect to a WinTab digitizer for input.

+ MDI Interface - Multiple Drawing Interface means that you can open and work with multiple drawings at the same time. Switch between drawings at any time. Cut, copy, and paste between open drawings.

+ Full Time Command Line - Command line is permanently enabled. The old Carlson Survey method of using "Quick Keys" is no longer necessary.

+ Symbol Names - Symbol names have been extended from 31 to 255 characters including special characters such as spaces, allowing for flexibility in naming.

+ Lineweights - Industry standard lineweights can be assigned on a per object or per layer basis providing WYSIWYG presentation quality drawings on screen.

+ Internet Access - Carlson Survey has Web aware file access which enables the customer to open drawing files (DWG, DXF, etc) directly from a web site.

+ Hyperlinks - Ability to attach Internet hyperlink addresses and descriptions to Carlson Survey objects or graphics.

+ Electronic Plot - The ePlot provides an electronic plot of a drawing file (or an equivalent layout) in a secure, Internet-ready, neutral file format, DWF (Drawing Web Format).

+ Plotting Enhancements - New plotting user interface and improved architecture together with drawing layouts enable WYSIWYG plotting. Plotting data is saved in the drawing. Plot styles enable the application of screening, lineweight, linetype, gray scale, end joint style and fill patterns. Ability to plot multiple copies. Ability to plot multiple layouts at once. Paper sizes are now dictated to Carlson Survey based on the plotting device.

+ Partial Open - Increase overall performance and productivity by opening a portion of a drawing based on specified layers.

+ Object Filtering - New Qselect command allows you to filter a selection set. Include or exclude the objects that meet the select criteria into a new selection set.

+ Object Properties Manager - Replaces approximately 40 different editing commands and dialogs with one very simple 2 column formed based editing tool. The Properties dialog is resizable, dockable, it remembers its last position, size, and docked state. Drawing properties are displayed when no object is selected. Object properties can be quickly accessed since they can be organized in general categories or alphabetically.

+ Context Menus - Extensive right click support with context sensitivity throughout Carlson Survey. Right clicking on the graphic screen with no geometry selected enables access to basic CAD and Windows editing commands. Right clicking while in command mode, parses all command options to the right click menu. Right clicking with a selection set active enables access to the specific object editing commands.

***************************************
Surveying, Drafting Tools
***************************************
+ Add Polyline Vertex - This routine now highlights the polyline vertices and keeps adding points until Enter is pressed.

+ Area By Closed Polylines - New command to report the areas of the selected closed polylines.

+ Best-Fit Line By Least-Squares - New options to hold a point or a bearing.

+ Break By Closed Polyline - Now handles more entities and polylines with arcs.

+ Calculate Offsets - Added option to round the stations for the report to the specified tolerance.

+ Change Block/Inserts - Added option to screen pick the symbol in addition to typing the name.

+ Change Polyline Elevation - New command to assign elevations to polylines.

+ Change Polyline Linetype - Added several new linetypes. More than 55 linetypes are now available, not including user defined.

+ Close Polylines - New command to close the endpoints of the selected polylines.

+ Coordinate File Utilities - New function to switch the format of the current coordinate file between numeric and alphanumeric point number format.

+ Curve Table - Added support for railroad curves.

+ Cut Sheet - New option to create a report based only design station and offset without survey data. This report can then be used to make labels before stakeout. New controls for settings the decimals places for X,Y coordinates separately from the elevations. Added options whether to report points missing in the design or survey file. When using the report formatter, the cut and fill fields can be separate columns and there are separate options for whether to report the design and survey northing, easting and description. When comparing coordinate files, the names of the coordinates files are included in the report title. For comparing points from the same coordinate file, there is a dialog for matching points to compare. This dialog allows for assigning multiple design points to the same survey point. Also this dialog has a function to automatically match points based on a specified tolerance distance. When comparing points, there is a new setting for distance tolerance to flag points in the report that exceed this tolerance.

+ Data Transfer - Added transfer support for Topcon 210/310/220/2000 total stations.

+ Design Pad Template - The inside slopes option has a new option to go to a set elevation. For outside slopes, there is a new option to specify different slopes on different sides.

+ Draw 3D Polyline - Added option to create arcs in the 3D polyline. The 3D arc is drawn as a series of short chords.

+ Draw Legend - Legend entries can be set on or off by matching selected entities from the drawing. Symbol color has been added as a defined attribute for legend entries.

+ Draw Line/Polyline - These routines now show the point descriptions when drawing by point numbers.

+ Draw-Locate Points - This command now uses the Points Defaults option for using the Field-To-Finish code table for the point layer and symbol. Added new option to erase existing duplicate points already in the drawing.

+ Draw Lot File - New option to label lot names.

+ Drawing Inspector - New command to show entity information as pointer is dragged over entities. Available data includes entity layer name, elevation, bearing-distance, etc.

+ Edit Points - This command now can edit point notes in the spreadsheet. The search and replace functions have new options to match case and match the whole word.

+ Edit Polyline Vertex - This routine now highlights the polyline vertices. The coordinates are edited in a dialog and there is a new option to set the elevation by a slope from a neighboring vertex.

+ Edit Process Raw File - New attached graphics window to show points and traverse lines in real-time. Vertical error adjustment now has an option to adjust by least-squares in addition to linear interpolated. The least-squares parameters can be saved and loaded as a way to store settings for different equipment. The process with no adjust routine has a new option whether to report closure. The Renumber Points routine now prompts for the line number to start the renumbering. There are new user-defined setting for the angle and distance tolerances for direct-reverse sets. The search and replace functions have new options to match case and match the whole word. The closure routines now handle using the same point number for the starting and ending points of a closed loop.

+ Enter Deed Description - New option to output deed data to a raw (.RW5) file. Another option whether to draw linework. For non-tangent curves, added the option to specify the curve by radial bearing.

+ Export Text/ASCII File - Added a user-defined format to define the order of the fields output.

+ Field To Finish - The Report Code Table routine now uses the report formatter to customize the layout of the report. In the main dialog, added a function to search and find a code in the table. Each code now has the option for complete control of all the point attribute layers for point number, elevation, description and symbol. Also codes now can set the point attribute layout format. New code setting to set the elevation label of a code to none. New JPN special code to join linework to a specific point number. New JOG special code for entering "jogs" to draw linework with left and right perpendicular offsets. New RECT special code to close the linework as a rectangle. Also RECT code can be used with user-specified offset distances and two points to create a polyline rectangle. Changed the behavior of the CLO special code to both close and end the linework. For the SZ code, if no size number follows the SZ code in the description, then the next point is used to size the symbol. New companion codes settings to allow connecting linework between different codes. Codes can contain a '*' for wildcard matching with point descriptions. In the Draw Points & Lines function, there is a new option to pause and prompt when a description is not defined. At the stage of the Draw Points & Lines and Draw Lines Only dialogs, added the option for linework real Z as either on (3D), off (2D) or by code. For drawing point elevations, there is a new option to put brackets around the elevation label. Added support for processing Eagle Point style coding.

+ Import/Export LandXML Files - New routine to import/export LandXML 1.0 files. File types include coordinates (CRD), centerlines (CL), profiles (PRO), grids (GRD), triangulation (FLT) and lot (LOT) files. Read more about LandXML on page 24.

+ Import/Export SHP Files - New routines to import and export ESRI shape (.SHP) files.

+ Input-Edit Lot File - Added function to sort lots and to assign the CRD file for multiple lots at a time. Also multiple lots can be selected for deletion.

+ Insert Symbols - Before drawing a symbol, this routine now detects if a point symbol is already there and prompts whether to erase the old symbol.

+ Intersections and Offsets - New design option to calculate 3D intersections. Offsets are located based on slope or absolute elevations.

+ Interval Along Entity - Added option to have different intervals for straight and curve segments of a polyline. Another new option to create points at the endpoints.

+ Inverse With Area - The report now includes the point descriptions. For curves, the radial bearing in and out and the deflection angle left/right has been added to the report.

+ Label Coordinates/Elevation - New options to label elevation only and to prompt for the elevation. Added option for commas in the numbers. Also the coordinate order can be X,Y or Y,X. New option to pick the angle of the label text instead of being horizontal.

+ Label Latitude/Longitude - Added option to label in decimal degrees format.

+ Label Station/Offset - New option to select the points to label by drawing selection set. New layout method for perpendicular at a fixed offset. The label text size can be set in this command instead of having to run Drawing Setup.

+ Layer Report - More layer attributes are included in the report such as color and linetype.

+ Legal Description - Added option to report angles in azimuth format.

+ Lot Report - New option to base closure on precision of angle and distances in report instead of starting and ending points.

+ Map Check - Added area into the report.

+ Mortgage Block - New option for user-defined border sizes.

+ Offset - Standard Offset command is now included in addition to 3D Offset command.

+ Offset Point Entry - New option to use a 3D reference polyline for elevations for the points.

+ Offset Dimensions - New option to turn off the endpoint object snap when picking the second point.

+ Open Polylines - New command to open the endpoints of the selected polylines.

+ Point Object Snap - New object snap method that shows point data in a context menu as the cursor is moved over points. Picking will snap to the node of the point.

+ Polyline Report - Added deflection angle to the report.

+ Profiles - New commands to create, edit and draw profiles. Multiple sheet profiles use new layouts.

+ Profile to Points - New command to create 3D points in plan view based on profile.

+ Raw File Conversions - Added more support for C&G, MapTech and Russian 3TA5 formats. Added export routine to convert RW5 to SDR and Caice formats. More support added to Leica raw file conversion to handle multiple simultaneous direct-reverse shots and to handle C&G style linework coding.

+ Raw File Output - New option to automatically output to the RW5 file for COGO routines of Inverse, Traverse and Sideshot. The RW5 file name will be the same as the coordinate file except with a RW5 extension.

+ Remove Polyline Vertex - This routine now highlights the polyline vertices and keeps removing points until Enter is pressed.

+ Standard Report Viewer - Added support for more Windows standard methods such as Ctrl-A to select all. The output report to screen feature has a new option to draw the report as MText. There are new printer settings such as font and size.

+ Station Polyline/Centerline - New settings to control the layers and sizes for the text and station marks. New option to pick points to station. When creating points, there are new options to specify a profile and cross slopes to set the elevations of the points.

+ Switch Bearing Quadrant - Now works with azimuths and with line and curve tables.

+ Text Import - New dialog interface, more options.

+ Text Export - Now sorts selected text based on Y location.

+ Translate Points - Added ability to define translation by selecting points on the screen. Also added option to output results to a separate CRD file.

+ Triangulate & Contour - The layers for contour labels for main and index intervals can be set separately. New option to erase existing contours before drawing the new contours. During triangulation, there is a progress bar in the status line to show the progress of the routine.

+ Write Polyline File - Now handles lines and arcs in addition to polylines.

+ 3D Viewer Window - This routine has been redesigned with new features like vertical exaggeration.