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Contour plans for layouts, from the points to the printed sheet.
For a layout or a land survey, the contour plan is often the deliverable. CivilSurvey Expert takes the DGPS or total station points, honours nalas and tracks as breaklines, draws labelled contours at the interval you choose, and prints the plan on A3 to A1 with a legend, notes and your title block, or exports it to AutoCAD.
On the plan
The layout, in plan
Sector 7 in the sample is a DGPS survey of 547 points, with breaklines along the points coded NALA and TRK. It is a contour plan only: contours, the boundary and the points, with no volumes.
Schematic plan, made-up levels.
- Points
- Each surveyed point as a cross in its code's colour, with its name and spot level when you turn them on.
- Breaklines
- Nalas and tracks joined by their codes, so the contours bend where the ground does.
- Contours
- Minor contours at the interval; major contours bolder and labelled.
- Boundary
- The layout's boundary: joined from its pillars, run round the points, or drawn.
The job, start to finish
A layout contour plan, step by step
Each step links to the full details of that part of the Contour screen.
- 01
Import the points
Import the DGPS or total station file; Merge File… adds a second one. Points under 5 cm apart are merged.
- 02
Breaklines and boundary
Tick the codes of nalas, tracks and drains to make them breaklines, and set the boundary by code, by outline or by drawing it.
- 03
Interval and labels
Choose the interval, how often a major contour comes, where the labels go, and any extra levels to draw bold.
- 04
Correct a level
Type a new R.L. in the Points sheet and the contours are made again at once; Ctrl+Z undoes it.
- 05
A profile or sections
Run a profile along a road of the layout, or sections every 5 to 25 m along a line.
- 06
Print the plan
Print / PDF on A3, A2 or A1 at a scale chosen so the boundary fits, or export to AutoCAD in real coordinates.
What you hand over
From one project file
| Output | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Contour plan | Labelled contours, the points and spot levels, a north arrow, scale bar, legend, notes and your title block. PDF or print. |
| AutoCAD drawing | DXF or DWG in real eastings and northings: contours as polylines at their own level on CONTOUR_MAJOR and CONTOUR_MINOR, with labels, boundary and points. |
| Excel workbook | The Points sheet: point, easting, northing, R.L., remark and whether it is in the boundary. |
| Profile | A long section along any line, with ground levels at the interval and at each contour crossing. |
Common questions about layout contour plans
Which contour interval can I use?
0.10, 0.20, 0.25, 0.50, 1, 2 or 5 m, with a major contour every so many contours, bolder and labelled.
Will the contours follow a nala or a track?
Yes, when its points are surveyed with one code and that code is ticked as a breakline. No triangle crosses the line, so the contours bend where the ground does.
Can I give the drawing to an architect in AutoCAD?
Yes. Export to AutoCAD writes DXF or DWG in real coordinates, with contours as polylines at their own level and each part on its own layer.
What scale does the contour plan print at?
The largest of the usual scales, from 1:100 to 1:2500, at which the boundary fits the sheet, on A3, A2 or A1.
Does the plan need a boundary?
No, but it helps. With a boundary, contours can be kept inside it and the scale is chosen so it fits; without one, the plan fits all the points.