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• Generating Points From Lines 
• Generating Points From Points
• Generating Points From Contours
• Generating Points From Symbols
• Generating Points From Text

Lines 

To Generate Points From Lines you first need to create a Model with the CAD backcloth. This can be done by right-clicking on the CAD file then selecting Backcloth create.

Following this, you will be asked to enter a name for your file. Enter a suitable name and then press OK. 

Now, in the GUI view press Points > Generate > Lines. 

You will be presented with a new window. This menu allows us to change and adapt any setting about the Generating Points Tool that we may need.

Height Calculation

The first column identifies how the height of the new points will be calculated, with Assigned being used if the CAD detail is in 3D.  The option Closest Text can be used for 2D detail and searches for CAD text in the vicinity of the new point.

Parameters

The Parameters panel allows setting of a Code and String Numbers are allocated.  The Options panel provide further choices, including checking for duplicates and taking the code from the layer name.  Other non-applicable options are greyed out here.

Options

• Layer is a Code -This is where the CAD folder is structured so layer names are the feature code of detail stored on that layer.
• Prefix Created Points – Will add a G to the point number of points created.
• Check Duplicates – Removed any points that are duplicated.
• Filter Along Lines – This option will both smooth out features and remove redundant points along lines, using an algorithm called Douglas Peucker. It works by calculating the offset of the middle of three points and comparing this to the Filter Offset.
• Trace Lines – Can be used to link individual line segments to make continuous features.
• Trace Tolerance – Allows the ‘touching’ tolerance to be set for segmented lines.
• First Point Only – Identified the first point on a line feature. Remember lines are directional.
• Midpoints Only – Finds the midpoint of segments. Levels are linearly interpolated between endpoints.

Points

To Generate Points From Points you will first need to create a Model with the CAD backcloth. This can be done by right-clicking on the CAD file then selecting Backcloth create.

Following this, you will be asked to enter a name for your file. Enter a suitable name and then press OK. 

Now, in the GUI view press Points > Generate > Points.

You will be presented with a new window. This menu allows us to change and adapt any setting about the Generating Points Tool that we may need.

Height Calculation

The first column identifies how the height of the new points will be calculated, with Assigned being used if the CAD detail is in 3D.  The option Closest Text can be used for 2D detail and searches for CAD text in the vicinity of the new point.

Parameters

The Parameters panel allows setting of a Code and String Numbers are allocated.  The Options panel provide further choices, including checking for duplicates and taking the code from the layer name.  Other non-applicable options are greyed out here.

Options

• Layer is a Code -This is where the CAD folder is structured so layer names are the feature code of detail stored on that layer.
• Prefix Created Points – Will add a G to the point number of points created.
• Check Duplicates – Removed any points that are duplicated.
• Filter Along Lines – This option will both smooth out features and remove redundant points along lines, using an algorithm called Douglas Peucker. It works by calculating the offset of the middle of three points and comparing this to the Filter Offset.
• Trace Lines – Can be used to link individual line segments to make continuous features.
• Trace Tolerance – Allows the ‘touching’ tolerance to be set for segmented lines.
• First Point Only – Identified the first point on a line feature. Remember lines are directional.
• Midpoints Only – Finds the midpoint of segments. Levels are linearly interpolated between endpoints.

Contours 

To Generate Points From Contours you first need to create a Model with the CAD backcloth. This can be done by right-clicking on the CAD file then selecting Backcloth create.

Following this, you will be asked to enter a name for your file. Enter a suitable name and then press OK. 

Now, in the GUI view press Points > Generate > Contours. 

Once this has been selected a new window will appear with many options we can choose from. 

• If you chose Typed, you will be asked to enter the Height after right-clicking.
• If you chose Indicated Text, you will be asked to indicate an item of text in the CAD model that represents the height of the indicated contours. 
• Text at Ends - This option automatically picks the Height text at the end of each contour. This is very useful when selecting all of the contours at once. With this option we can also enter a Max Text Offset, this will mean n4ce will only search within the entered radius to find a value. If a height is not found the contour will not be generated.
• Strike Line - This tool will require you to strike the contour lines and input the first and last contours Heights. N4ce will then calculate the contours interval. 

Symbols (AutoCAD Point)  

To Generate Points From Symbols you first need to create a Model with the CAD backcloth. This can be done by right-clicking on the CAD file then selecting Backcloth create.

Following this, you will be asked to enter a name for your file. Enter a suitable name and then press OK. 

Now, in the GUI view press Points > Generate > Symbols.

You will be presented with a new window. This menu allows us to change and adapt any setting about the Generating Points Tool that we may need.

Height Calculation

The first column identifies how the height of the new points will be calculated, with Assigned being used if the CAD detail is in 3D.  The option Closest Text can be used for 2D detail and searches for CAD text in the vicinity of the new point.

Parameters

The Parameters panel allows setting of a Code and String Numbers are allocated.  The Options panel provide further choices, including checking for duplicates and taking the code from the layer name.  Other non-applicable options are greyed out here.

Options

• Layer is a Code -This is where the CAD folder is structured so layer names are the feature code of detail stored on that layer.
• Prefix Created Points – Will add a G to the point number of points created.
• Check Duplicates – Removed any points that are duplicated.
• Filter Along Lines – This option will both smooth out features and remove redundant points along lines, using an algorithm called Douglas Peucker. It works by calculating the offset of the middle of three points and comparing this to the Filter Offset.
• Trace Lines – Can be used to link individual line segments to make continuous features.
• Trace Tolerance – Allows the ‘touching’ tolerance to be set for segmented lines.
• First Point Only – Identified the first point on a line feature. Remember lines are directional.
• Midpoints Only – Finds the midpoint of segments. Levels are linearly interpolated between endpoints.

Text

To Generate Points From Text you first need to create a Model with the CAD backcloth. This can be done by right-clicking on the CAD file then selecting Backcloth create.

Following this, you will be asked to enter a name for your file. Enter a suitable name and then press OK. 

Now, in the GUI view press Points > Generate > Text.

You will be presented with a new window. This menu allows us to change and adapt any setting about the Generating Points Tool that we may need.

Once you have selected OK make sure that you have rectangle selection tool enabled.

Select in the top corner followed by the opposite bottom corner.

You can manually turn on and off the backcloth to view the Points you have just generated.   However, when you generate points from text, the points that are generated will be offset as the text was originally adjusted. Therefore there will be a slight inaccuracy which the Generated Points and methods such as Generating Points from Lines may be a better option.