For example, a surveyor collects a point with the description FH to indicate a fire hydrant. When the file is imported into Civil 3D either through the survey database or by point import from a text file, it will be checked against the description key set. If FH exists in the list, as it does in Figure, then the styles, format, layer, and several other parameters are applied to the point as it is placed in the drawing.
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| Description key set. |
- The code is the raw description or field code entered by the person collecting or creating the points. The code works as an identifier for matching the point with the correct description key. Click inside this field to activate it and then type your desired code. Wildcards re useful when more information is added to the shot in addition to the field code. Right-click an existing code to copy or create a new description key or delete an existing one.Codes are case sensitive! The code fh is read differently from FH. A match to the description key set will not be made if the capitalization does not match perfectly.
- Style refers to the point style that will be applied to points that meet the code criteria. Check the box and then click inside the field to activate a point style selection dialog. By default, styles set here will take precedence over styles set elsewhere (unless overridden in a point group).
- This is the point label style that will be applied to points that meet the code criteria. Check the box and then click inside the field to activate a style selection dialog. By default, styles set here will take precedence over styles set elsewhere (unless overridden in a point group).
- The Format column can convert a surveyor’s shorthand into something that is more drafter friendly. In Civil 3D terms, the Format column converts the raw description to the full description. The default of $* means the raw description and full description will have the same value. You can also use $+, which means that information after the main description will appear as the full description. In Figure, Format will convert all codes starting with MB to a full description of MAILBOX.If a survey crew is consistent in coding, even fancier formats can be used. The code should always come first, but the crew can use a space to indicate a parameter.Consider this example raw description: TR 30 PINE ELIM. TR is the code, or $0. Parameter 1 is 30, or $1 in the Format field. PINE is the second bit of information after the code referred to as parameter 2, or $2. ELIM is the third item after the code, so it is $3. Based on the example description key set in Figure, this would translate to a full description of PINE 30. You can have up to nine parameters after the code if your survey crew is feeling verbose. Table 1 shows some example formats and the corresponding full description.
Table 1. Format examples
| Raw Description | Format | Full Description |
|---|---|---|
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | Tree | Tree |
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | $* | TR 30 PINE ELIM |
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | $0 | TR |
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | $1" | 30" |
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | $2 | PINE |
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | $3 | ELIM |
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | $2 $1 | PINE 30 |
| TR 30 PINE ELIM | $+ | 30 PINE ELIM |
- Points that match a description key will be inserted on the layer specified here. Click inside this field to activate a layer selection dialog. The layer set here will take precedence over layer defaults set in the point command settings or the point creation tools.
- The Scale parameter is used to tell Civil 3D which bit of information after the code will be used to scale the symbol. By default, it is checked, but it won’t do anything unless Apply To X-Y is also selected. Once you enable Apply To X-Y (or Apply To Z, which is less frequently used), you can change which parameter contains scale information.In our example, TREE 30 PINE ELIM, 30 ($1) is the Scale parameter.
- Fixed Scale Factor is an additional scale multiplier that can be applied to the symbol size. A common use of Fixed Scale Factor is to convert a field measurement of inches to feet. If the 30 in our example represents a dripline measurement and is meant to be feet, no Fixed Scale Factor is needed. However, if the 30 represents inches (i.e., a trunk diameter), you would need to turn on Fixed Scale Factor and set the value to 0.0833.
- In most cases, you will leave this option unchecked. By default, marker styles dictate that they will grow or shrink based on the annotative scale of the drawing. Generally, this setting is not needed unless you want to scale your point symbol based on a parameter in addition to the scale factor.
- If you want to scale symbols based on information in the field code, you need to turn this option on by placing a check mark in the box. This option works with the marker style and the Scale parameter to increase the size of an item to a scale indicated by the surveyor in the raw description.
- In most cases, you will leave this option unchecked. Most marker symbols are 2D blocks, so selecting this option will have no effect on the point. If your marker symbol consists of a 3D block, it will be stretched by the parameter value, which is rarely needed.
- These options are similar to the scale factor parameter except they dictate the rotation of a symbol or label. They are not widely used, however, because it is often more time effective to have the drafter rotate the points in CAD than to have the surveyor key in a rotation. If you would like to rotate the points for readability, the better method to rotate the text is in the point label style.