Intersect / Join Two Lines

[Decorationarts]

Is it possible to join several cad lines into a single segment at once? I imported some contour lines and they are all separate segments. 

Terrain Data Multiple Line Connections.plan

Raccoon Trail 18354 Terrain.dwg

[Chopsaw]

I think chief makes it easier to disconnect than to connect other than assigning a hot key to the "Join two Lines" tool, however when you imported did you select the Polylines option?

[Decorationarts]

Yes I did, Chip, and no success. 

[johnny]

I dont think there is a tool or command that connects touching line segments in Chief.  You can click each line end-node and move it slightly for a "snap-join" operation, and do that for each instance..... but that is about it as far as I know.

 

In your situation, I just import the file and set the lines to a layer (background) to then "sketch" over with Chief's terrain tools.  Chief's terrains are tricky enough on their own without trying more complicated imports.

[Chopsaw]

8 minutes ago, johnny said:

I don't think there is a tool or command that connects touching line segments in Chief.  You can click each line end-node and move it slightly for a "snap-join" operation, and do that for each instance..... but that is about it as far as I know.

 

Johnny,  I think that this tool would work  and would not be that slow if a hot key was assigned to it then at least you could attack the problem with two hands.  I will take a look at the file and see if it is practical or not.  Might be faster than a redraw.

[johnny]

Just now, Chopsaw said:

 

Johnny,  I think that this tool would work  and would not be that slow if a hot key was assigned to it then at least you could attack the problem with two hands.  I will take a look at the file and see if it is practical or not.  Might be faster than a redraw.

 

I took the OP's question as wanting to combine multiple lines at once....like many other apps do.  Doesn't the tool you show only combine 2 lines at a time?

 

[Chopsaw]

47 minutes ago, johnny said:

 

I took the OP's question as wanting to combine multiple lines at once....like many other apps do.  Doesn't the tool you show only combine 2 lines at a time?

 

 

Yes that is correct Johnny and now that I have looked at the file it would take hours to accomplish that.

 

3 hours ago, Decorationarts said:

Yes I did, Chip, and no success. 

 

I have a good bit of experience working with plot plans and terrain yet have not relied on data from surveyors.  It would be good to talk to your surveyor because when I import the data there does not seem to be any Z or elevation value so the lines are not much use to you and cannot be interpreted by Chief.  I would personally ask for his elevation points and let chief plot the contour lines so that you have the control that you need for your purposes.   I know that others will not agree with this but that is the way I would do it.  If you do not want or can not risk any liability then ask for contour lines with the elevation value from you surveyor.  Don't waste a whole lot of time trying to connect the lines as they do not seem to be of any use anyway without talking to your surveyor first.  Unless of course I am dead wrong and someone else has a brilliant solution based on more experience working with DWG files.  Possibly if you knew what his layers were they could be imported more accurately.

[yusuf-333]

45 minutes ago, Chopsaw said:

 

Yes that is correct Johnny and now that I have looked at the file it would take hours to accomplish that.

 

 

I have a good bit of experience working with plot plans and terrain yet have not relied on data from surveyors.  It would be good to talk to your surveyor because when I import the data there does not seem to be any Z or elevation value so the lines are not much use to you and cannot be interpreted by Chief.  I would personally ask for his elevation points and let chief plot the contour lines so that you have the control that you need for your purposes.   I know that others will not agree with this but that is the way I would do it.  If you do not want or can not risk any liability then ask for contour lines with the elevation value from you surveyor.  Don't waste a whole lot of time trying to connect the lines as they do not seem to be of any use anyway without talking to your surveyor first.  Unless of course I am dead wrong and someone else has a brilliant solution based on more experience working with DWG files.  Possibly if you knew what his layers were they could be imported more accurately.

Great suggestion for the OP, please follow chop's advise.

some times it is very important to explain what some one ultimately wants to achieve, rather than simply asking a minor or step to reach there. This kind of question like "join two or more lines" and without further explanation of where you want to use it, can lead to a kind of confusion or may be missing  a valuable adVises one would get to achieve the main target of the Op.

[Chopsaw]

Ok,  Something strange is going on here and I could use a little help if anyone else cares to test this.  I have solved the OP's initial problem by importing the .dwg file into X7 and and the "Convert lines with shared endpoints into: ( Polylines ) "  seems to have worked fine.  No more thousands of line segments.    I tried this because I am working with a newly downloaded copy of X8 and some other things were not function properly and now I have a mystery to solve.  When I select and item it is not highlighted in the "Active layer Display Options".   Is there some setting that I have forgotten about that controls this?

 

However this is not all good news for the OP as there is still no elevation data associated with the file that I can find.

 

Update: I was able to import the 0 layer as elevation data with X7 but it has no elevation values and everything else seems to also be on that layer.

[johnny]

I have to say, i've gone down the path of trying to import complex topo's into Chief and each time I think time better served just drawing Chief's elevation splines over top.  You'd have a more more efficient and manageable topo if you just recreated the lines IMO.

[Chopsaw]

No need to spend hours drawing over top this time, as it does work in X7.  And there is no topo without elevation values, just lines. I have seen before that this does work however  with elevation points I have never had any issues that could not be solved.

[MPDesign]

I would suggest asking the surveyor for a gpx file if possible. Although it is not lines that are imported, but elevation waypoints.

I used an online tool for getting these waypoints for a simple lot. Relatively flat compared to yours. (geoplaner.com) It takes a lot of clicks of the mouse to get enough points to make it work well. 105 in my example

Yours is much more complex, best if you go with chop's suggestion to use as a tracing layer.

 

[SKnowlde]

I had to convert to my lines to a block.  I simply wasn't going to take the time to reconnect all those lines in my plan one by one as we have these things called deadlines to meet.  I didn't have my 'Connect CAD Lines' in the 'Edit' Pull Down, 'Cad Behaviors' Menu turned on at the time.  I kind of get tired of constantly having to disconnect lines.  Hence Line vs Polyline command would also work, maybe?.

 

I put in an email request to create this command that will let you join multi segmented lines with a single click and a rectangle selection.  Should this already exist?  Some programs are made for design, and others for production.  I want, and we do both.  Some programs are made to make a pretty presentation, and some to make construction documents.  Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be one that does both quickly and efficiently, even Revit.  AutoCad would be great if they would simply get the program to handle the 3D a little better, though it's major drawback is knowing how to manipulate the UCS in 3D.  Once you have that down it isn't so bad.  But the built-in rendering sucks.  On top of which their support sucks and it is expensive.  We need to make money, or what is the use?

 

I am hoping with time, I will get more proficient at Chief and learn all of it;'s nuances.  Maybe then I'll be able to compete with my associates whom are using these other programs.  Each ine creates it's one little challenges that the other does a little more seamlessly.  I guess time will tell if we make the permanent switch in the office or not.  I have to prove I can do both the design and the production, faster, with better quality in all aspects first as none of these programs make the switch from one to the other without some loss in 3D and 2D parametric capabilities and it is quit painful.  I guess, maybe, they all rely on this to some degree to keep you stuck using theirs some degree.

 

There are people out there working hard to create a program that allows the owner to do it all themselves including the code.  Maybe I need a back-up plan just in case.

 

What do you guys think?

 

[Alaskan_Son]

3 hours ago, SKnowlde said:

I had to convert to my lines to a block.  I simply wasn't going to take the time to reconnect all those lines in my plan one by one as we have these things called deadlines to meet.

 

When you have a bunch of CAD segments that are disconnected but otherwise share the same end nodes and have the same basic properties, you can do this to quickly connect them all.

 

1. Group select any group that you want to connect with each other
2. Click on either the Trim or Extend tool
3. Click a blank area of your screen to finish