Site Model

[L-ARCH student]

I have imported a PL topo from AutoCAD and turned the lines into 3Dplys. When I run the site model command I get an Error "A miscellaneous error has occured. (20,1)" I looked tru the help to see if they had an errors reference but no such luck. Up to this point all I got was my program crashing from the Site Model command. I did the Filter command but it distorted the Topo so much I would prefer not using it. I am using VW 11 student version. I will be more than happy to email the file to anyone if they want to take a look at it. I know it is hard to really know the problem without it in front of you. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I have tried converting it to loci but same error.

[Robert Anderson]

I recommmend using the filter command and setting the chord variation value pretty small, and then converting the 3D polys to 3D loci.

[islandmon]

The key to DTM is 3D Loci ... pure & simple. Import from AutoCad is common around here. After importing check the file for scaling weirdness and place 3D loci as required per 3D Poly and/or manually. Then create a site model and check the contour results. Errors are easily spotted and corrected via the 3D loci. Fine tune the 'Existing-site-model symbol' via 3D mesh.

[L-ARCH student]

Ty for your reply. I have tried both sugestions. I can convert to 3d locus but i still get error 20,1 when filtering or site model command. Any idea what this error might be?

One other thing. I made this model to be cut on a lazer cutter. so my contour lines do not just run off the property lines they meet the property line and create a closed shape. could this have any bearing on the error?

Thanks,

Nathan Schaupp

LARCH student

Clemson University

VW 11.5

[Robert Anderson]

You need to reduce your data points. I'm guessing here that you probably imported the site data from a topo map made of splines. Each spline, when converted to a 3D poly, has many hundreds or even thousands of points. The thing to understand is that this topo information is redundant. The DTM doesn't need the topo lines, it prefers evenly distributed surface data. This is why we have the "filter 3D polys" command. You say that this distorted the topo, but the fact is that there's more data there than the DTM needs and you're bogging it down. Try placing 5 or 10 3D loci along each topo line, then -delete- the topo lines entirely. Then make a DTM with the sparse data and compare it to your original topo.

[L-ARCH student]

Robert: The source data was not splined but it was Poly-lined. When I run the filter comand I get an error 20,1 Not sure what these mean.

Thanks, Nathan

[Jonathan Pickup]

try using polygons, not polylines. I found that you only need a few point in each curve to describe it..

[Lynda]

This is the same problem that I was having. Converting polylines to 2d polygons and then 3d polygones/contours produces thousands of data points. I've found that if you use 2d polygons to start with you can more or less create a smooth curve with far fewer data points than with polylines. However, the error 20.1 still occurs on a regular basis.

I think the confusing issue here is that it is not ideal to use your original refined 2d model to create a 3d as it is likely to be too complex.