Point Groups

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Introduction

Point Groups provide very important functionality for managing COGO Points created in the drawing:

• A Point Group can collect 'like' points together, based on a multitude of inclusion methods: Code (Description), Point Number, Elevation, coordinate range and layer

• A Point Group can create a surface.  When ticked on for surface creation, a Surface will be created with these COGO Points included

• Users can export tables (as CAD tables in the drawing or external files) via a Point Group

• Multiple edits can be made to COGO Points in a Point Group, including renumbering, editing position and changing the applied Point Style

• A Point Group is used to create Survey Strings.

Any number of Point Groups can be created.  By default, Point Groups are saved with the current project (-Data folder), however users can elect to save all the Point Groups to the Settings (Global) folder for default inclusion in any new project (the global Settings are copied into new projects to become the local settings).

Editing Individual Points

To edit a single point in the Point Group list use the left mouse button to double-click select the desired Pont.  This will open the Edit Point form.

Point Groups and Civil 3D COGO Points

In Civil 3D, the Point Group command will also list Civil 3D Point Groups.  All Civil 3D point groups are named with (Civil 3D) appended to the suffix.

Details

Upon selecting the command the following form is displayed:

Groups	This lists all created Point Groups and allows creation/deletion of Point Groups
[List of Groups]	List of created Point Groups.  Click on a Point Group to set it for editing on the RHS of the form
Add Point Group	Click to add a new Point Group.  A default Name will be assigned and this will be set on the RHS of the form for editing
Delete Point Group	Deletes the highlighted Point Group in the Point Group list
Set as Global	Edits to Point Groups apply to the current drawing only. Click to set all Point Groups in the current drawing as the 'Global' Point Group list.  This will overwrite the current Point Group settings in the Settings folder and replace with the ones established here.  Individual points are not included. A confirmation message will display to set these as the global/default - yes to overwrite or no to retain the current default Point Groups.
	The Right Hand Side of the form provides functionality to edit the selected Point Group in the Point Group List
Name	Type in a name for the Point Group.  As a name is typed it will edit the saved Point Group name
Update	Click to update the Point Group, in the event that points have been added/removed from the list following editing in this form
Create Surface	This allows users to create a Surface inclusive of all points in this Point Group
Create Surface tick box	Tick on to create a surface
Surface Name	Type in a name for the surface to create.   Note: It is highly recommended that every Surface name in each Point Group is unique to prevent overwriting or other unintended results.
Point Visibility	Set the display of the point on/off, or turn the text element/s on/off
Show Points	Tick on to show the points of the point group in the drawing
Symbol only	Tick on to hide the Text for all points in the point group.  Blocks and other objects used in the Point Style will still be shown.
Points List Tab	This tab displays all points that belong in the group.  Points in the group can be edited via this tab
Use Property List	Tick on to enable control of what columns are displayed in the points list, as well as the column names. Note: The columns set here are used for the CAD Table output only.  Output to external files is handled by the selected Point Format.
Setup Property List	See the Point Property List help for full details on these controls.  The Point Property List lets users establish what Properties (fields) of information are stored for a COGO Point.  Some fields (Properties) are core fields that every Point needs such as: number identification (Point Number), position (Easting, Northing, Elevation), description, scale and rotation.  Other Properties may be relevant based on what data is associated with the point (for example, the point may be obtaining it's position from an alignment or string, so users may wish to add the alignment name, offset or other information on the point).  Some Properties may be completely managed by the user.  Note: For information to display for the Points, each individual point must have a matching Point Property.  This is usually inherited from the Point Style assigned by the Point Code Set when the point is created.
Export to File	Click here to create an external file.  The format of the file is managed by the selected Point Format (picklist to the right of this Export to File button). Pending the file format, the software will open the file to the native software set to open the file (eg: by default, .csv files will open in Microsoft Excel)
Edit Point Formats	This opens the Point Formats form for creating/editing/managing point formats.
Point Format Pick List	Pick list of Point Formats.  This establishes the point properties to include in the output file as well as the delimiter between fields.
Create Table	Click here to create a Table in the drawing.  The points as displayed in the Point List will be used for the table (column headings and precision of the cells). The user will be prompted to select a location in the drawing to create the table (top left corner).
Points List	Click here to display all points in the selected Point Group.  The following form will display: Type in a point number to filter the list of points.  Click on a point in the list to zoom to the point in the drawing. Zoom level sets the amount of zoom to apply.
Export to KML	Click here to export both the Points and Survey Strings to KML, and open in Google Earth Pro (if installed). Upon starting the command the following form will be displayed: Category Select a location Projection Select a projection Apply Apply the projection and include in the KML export After clicking OK, the user selects a location and types a name for the .KML file. If Google Earth Pro is installed, it will be opened and displayed.
Export to Shape	Click here to export both the Point and Survey Strings to SHP. Upon starting the command, the user will be asked for a save location and file name. Three files will be created with extensions .shp, .shx and .dbf. File names will use the user specified name and append to the to the suffix:   _Points for the point files   _Strings for the survey string files eg: Setting a file name of Outputs will create point files named Outputs_Points.shp, Outputs_Points.shx and Outputs_Points.dbf.
[Points List]	This lists all the Points that are included in the Point Group.  Users can select point/s in the list for editing (deleting, changing style, editing position, renumbering). Left click on a Point in the list to zoom to it in the drawing.  Zoom scale is set by the Zoom Level. Double click on a Point to open the Point Editor for the point. Use the left mouse, while holding down [Shift] or [Ctrl] to select multiple points for edits to be applied.
Edit Selected	Provides edits that can apply to all Points in the point group (if none or only one id highlighted) or to multiple points that are highlighted by the user.   When an edit command is started, the user will need to confirm whether to proceed. Users can continue with the edit or Cancel and highlight multiple points to change. Edits are as follows:   Number > Sequence Highlighted points will be renumbered starting from a new number typed in: Type in a new start number for the selected points and click OK to edit the point numbers for the points selected.  Cancel to exit without applying a change.   Number > Increment The Point Number of highlighted points will be adjusted by the number typed in: Type in an amount to add/subtract from the current point numbers, then OK to edit the point numbers for the points selected.  Cancel to exit without applying a change.   Elevation > Set Set the elevation of select points OK to apply change to selected points.  Cancel to exit without applying a change.   Elevation > Increment Add a change (positive or negative) to the current elevation of each point OK to apply change to selected points.  Cancel to exit without applying a change.   Elevation > From Surface Point elevations are set to match the elevations of the selected surface, including an optional elevation above/below the selected surface. OK to apply change to selected points.  Cancel to exit without applying a change.   Set Code Change the Description of multiple points. Type in the new point Description and click OK to apply.   Replace Codes This command can be used to change multiple Codes for selected points (commonly this might be a conversion from Alpha codes to Numeric Codes).  Changes are applied as per the Code Convert Settings. Code Set Pick the Code Set applying to the currently highlighted points.  Code Set Conversion Pick a Code Set Conversion file to apply. Edit Click to open the Code Convert Settings form, where users create Code Set Conversion files to enable swapping of Codes. Select Apply the conversion of the Codes for the selected points. 2d Transformations These commands allow the user to apply two dimensional transformations to all points in the current point group. These adjustments will apply to the x,y coordinates only and not alter the point elevations.  2d Transformations > Move This command can be used to move the points within the point group simultaneously. The user will be asked to select a base point within the drawing, before selecting a new location in the drawing to move to. All coordinates will update based upon the selected location. 2d Transformations > Scale This command can be used to apply a scale factor on a 2d plane to the drawing. This is applied by selecting a base location in the drawing to scale off from, before entering the desired Scale Factor. Once the scale factor has been entered, click OK to apply. 2d Transformations > Rotate Allows the user to rotate the points within the point group simultaneously. Once selected, the user will be asked to specify a base location to rotate off of before being asked for the Rotation Point to rotate onto. 2d Transformations > Offset Allows the user to move the point group by a chosen distance in a chosen direction. Enter the distance you wish to move (In Meters) and click OK. Type in the desired angle you wish to move the point in (Based on your drawing settings) and click Ok. Edit Dynamic Position These commands open the Positioning Form for the user to establish or edit dynamic positioning the horizontal (x,y) and/or vertical (z) position of the Point/s.   See the Positioning Form help for more information on the controls available. Special Note: It is highly recommended to select multiple points that have the same type of Reference (eg: Reference string (code)) if applying bulk changes to the Horizontal Position.   The Positioning Form will only display the reference applied to the first point selected in the list of points. Different Reference Types support different inputs, so making changes in the form when multiple different References are being used by the points will result in either the changes being ignored, or those different reference types being changed to match the displayed reference type in the Positioning Form when making the edit. When using Edit Dynamic Position, the point Chainage cannot be edited. Edit Dynamic Position > Horizontal Position Only (keep References) The horizontal position of the selected points will be edited simultaneously, however their horizontal reference to a particular Alignment, String, Code or Polyline will not be edited.  This is very useful if there are multiple points referenced to different strings/codes and it is desired to change the offset of all of them from the string/code. The Positioning Form will display the references of the first point selected in the list of points.  Changes to values will otherwise apply to all Points selected that use the same Horizontal reference Type. The Vertical position controls will be disabled and will not be changed for the selected points. Edit Dynamic Position > Horizontal Position Only The horizontal position of the selected points will be edited simultaneously.  Both the Horizontal reference Type can be changed as well as all the Horizontal reference inputs. Special Note: It is highly recommended that users do NOT select multiple points that have a different Horizontal reference Type, because they will all adopt the Horizontal reference Type selected in the Positioning Form.  Changing from, say, a 2D polyline reference to, say, a Reference string (code) will result in all the points being located at chainage zero on the reference string, because they were originally referenced to a polyline based on a vertex number (not a chainage). In this edit mode, any Chainage assigned to the point/s cannot be edited. The Vertical position controls will be disabled and will not be changed for the selected points. Edit Dynamic Position > Vertical Position Only The vertical position of the selected points will be edited simultaneously.   Special Notes: - The changes made in the Positioning Form apply completely to the Vertical reference all the points selected.   - When the reference is made to a String or a Polyline, each point will search for a perpendicular line from the point to the string/polyline.  Where none can be found, the point reference will be made to the START of the String/Polyline. The horizontal position controls will be disabled and will not be changed for the selected points. Edit Dynamic Position > Both This allows both the horizontal reference and vertical reference to be changed. This is typically NOT recommended for multi point selection, except if the dynamic reference is to a String or Polyline and defined with chainages for positions.  In this case, the chainage assigned to each individual point will not be changed.  Otherwise, all the selected points will adopt the same horizontal and vertical position, as shown in the Positioning Form at the time of doing the edit.   See the Positioning Form help for more information on establishing dynamic references for horizontal and vertical positioning. Note: If Dynamic Reference is ticked on in the Positioning Form, then the Point/s will update when the Update Points command is run.   Replace Style Replaces the Style (and Point Format) for selected points. Select a Point Style and a Point Format, and click Apply.  The Point Style and Point Format will be applied to the selected point/s   Style from Code Set Reapplies the selected Point Code Set to the selected points, to change the  Point Style, Point Format and layer based on matching to codes in the Point Code Set. Select a Point Code Set and click Select.    Append Property List Allows a saved list of Point Properties to be applied to the selected points.   Output Convex Hull Creates a closed polyline around the perimeter of the points in the drawing using the current layer   Delete Deletes the highlighted points.  A form will display to confirm deletion. Note: The is no UNDO for this action - it is permanent.   Duplicates (Keep Lowest Elevation) Assesses the highlighted points and deletes points within an x,y distance from each other.  A form will display for the user to input the search distance. When points are identified as duplicates, the point with the lowest elevation will be retained and the other deleted. Note: The is no UNDO for this action - it is permanent.   Duplicates (Keep Highest Elevation) Assesses the highlighted points and deletes points within an x,y distance from each other.  A form will display for the user to input the search distance. When points are identified as duplicates, the point with the highest elevation will be retained and the other deleted. Note: The is no UNDO for this action - it is permanent.
Display Panel	Displays information about the Point Group (total number of points in group)
Zoom Level	When points are selected in the Points List, the software zooms to them in the drawing.  The Zoom Level controls how 'zoomed in' the drawing is to the point.  A small number zooms in close and a large number zooms out.
Auto Zoom	Untick to stop Auto Zoom when points are selected in the Points List.
Include Tab	Select the conditions for adding COGO Points to the group.
Property Column	After using Add to add an entry, users can pick from the list of Point Properties to use as a filter. Typical properties include: Point Number, Code, Elevation, Easting (x), Northing (y), Layer, Style, Format, Point Group, however the list is appended by the properties set in the Setup Property List for the Point Group.
Type Column	This sets how to apply the Property selected. The types include: Equals (good when matching Point Descriptions), Greater than (good for numeric properties such as elevation), Less than ((good for numeric properties such as elevation) and Between (good for numeric properties such as elevation)
Value 1	Input the value for determining inclusion of Points that meet the criteria
Value 2	Only applies if the Type is set to Between.  This is the second value to be between (it is programmed for Value 1 to be the lower bound and Value 2 to be the upper bound)
Add	Adds an entry (filter criteria).  Once added, the inputs can be edited directly in the filter list. Note: Each criteria forms part of an 'OR' Boolean statement - each criteria that is met will add all Points that meet the condition.
Delete	Remove a selected entry (filter criteria)
Select Points	Click to select points directly in the drawing.  Click to add entry/ies with Point Numbers based on the selections.  Each point is added to the list with a 'Number' filter Property.
Include All Points	Tick on to Include every Point in the Point Group. Note: The Exclude list is used to remove points from the Include list.
Exclude Tab	Select the conditions for excluding (removing) COGO Points from the group.
Property Column	After using Add to add an entry, users can pick from the list of Point Properties to use as a filter. Typical properties include: Point Number, Code, Elevation, Easting (x), Northing (y), Layer, Style, Format, Point Group, however the list is appended by the properties set in the Setup Property List for the Point Group.
Type Column	This sets how to apply the Property selected. The types include: Equals (good when matching Point Descriptions), Greater than (good for numeric properties such as elevation), Less than ((good for numeric properties such as elevation) and Between (good for numeric properties such as elevation)
Value 1	Input the value for determining inclusion of Points that meet the criteria
Value 2	Only applies if the Type is set to Between.  This is the second value to be between (it is programmed for Value 1 to be the lower bound and Value 2 to be the upper bound)
Add	Adds an entry (filter criteria).  Once added, the inputs can be edited directly in the filter list. Note: Each criteria forms part of an 'OR' Boolean statement - each criteria that is met will add all Points that meet the condition.
Delete	Remove a selected entry (filter criteria)
Select Points	Click to select points directly in the drawing.  Click to add entry/ies with Point Numbers based on the selections.  Each point is added to the list with a 'Number' filter Property.
Total Points	Information field describing the total number of COGO Points in the drawing
Apply and Close	Apply any changes to the Point Groups and close the form.