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Create contours from elevation points

Surveyors, land-use engineers, and architects often need to create contours that show the elevation of land. You can easily do this using the SPLINE command.

First, set an easily visible point style. Choose Home tab> Utilities panel drop-down, Point Style in the Drafting & Annotation workspace. (This is the DDPTYPE command or PDMODE system variable.)

Then use the POINT command to insert the points into the drawing. If you have a list of points in an external file, you can create a script file that sets PDMODE, starts the POINT command, and inserts all the points. You’ll need to strip the external file of everything except the points and then format them (in a text-only file) so that each one is on a separate line.

Finally, use the SPLINE command. Use the NODE osnap variable to snap to the points.

Ellen Finkelstein

7 comments to Create contours from elevation points

  • MUKERATABARO OLIVIER

    I AM RWANDAN STUDENT OF SURVEYING AND GEOMATICS ENGINEERING,I NEED SOME TIPS AND SHORT NOTES ABOUT TRAVERSING,MAP DRAWING,CONTOURING AND ROADS PROFILE.YOUR BOOK HAS INTERESTED ME AND I HOPE YOU WILL PROVIDE ME MORE THAN WHAT I AM EXPECTING.THANKS!

  • Anil Kumar B H

    I AM ANIL KUMAR SURVEYOR IN CUNTRUCTION COMPANY I NEED SOME TIPS AND SHORT NOTES ABOUT TRAVERSING,MAP DRAWING,CONTOURING AND ROADS PROFILE.YOUR BOOK HAS INTERESTED ME AND I HOPE YOU WILL PROVIDE ME MORE THAN WHAT I AM EXPECTING.

  • I MICHEAL STUDENT OF SURVEYING AND GEO-INFORMATIC ,I NEED SOME TIPS AND SHORT NOTE ON HOW TO PLOT HEIGHT OF ROAD

  • MWANDHA JONATHAN

    I do appreciate the good you are doing in us. Thank you very much

  • Good Tricks … Keep it up..
    Also Read Best Contour Software

  • Good Tricks … Keep it up..

  • Ratnakar

    This content does not adequetely cover the subject as per topic. As per the topic name, you have already points in AutoCAD with correct elevations. The points may have random elevations and positions. Then how to draw contour lines? Vanilla version of AutoCAD does not have this direct functiinality. Either you need to use AutoCAD 3D or you need to develop some VBA or AutoLISP routines.
    The basic concept is to draw TIN or DTM and then draw contour lines on each face of triangle comprising the TIN model. Finally join contours of all the triangles and make smooth SPLINEs.

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