Topo question

[johnny]

Is there any way to control the topo label location?  What determines their location?  Below is an example where i have 2 sites next to each other and want to show a larger terrain perimeter for a specific reason, but then my topo labels aren't near the actual PL.

 

 

[jscussel]

Johnny,

 

I had a similar problem the other day. Wanted to make the label larger. Never found a way.

 

[Chopsaw]

Johnny,  I don't think this is possible to do automatically but you could just make a plain text overlay for the few that are a problem. It would however be a great thing to have this flexibility for topo and survey lines when things are just a little bit outside of the ordinary four sided lot.

 

Jon,  For next time it is possible to adjust the size, colour, and font of the topo elevation numbers by adjusting the Text Style for the "Terrain, Primary and or Secondary Contours" layers.  By default they are usually much too small.

[johnny]

Thanks guys.  I guess manual text is the solution.

 

I am curious if anyone knows what "controls" the behavior?...is there a rule of thumb?  Notice the 48' text is about where I want....so what made it show up there and not closer to where the other automated text is....?

[Chopsaw]

2 minutes ago, johnny said:

I am curious if anyone knows what "controls" the behavior?...is there a rule of thumb?

 

I think the rule is that they are within the terrain perimeter but beyond that it does not make much sense to me.

[glennw]

Johnny,

 

If you have a simple terrain, and you can use your own Elevation data objects instead of Chief's auto generated contours, you could use the elevation objects Label to display the information. 

That would allow you to place the label wherever you wanted.

[joey_martin]

Are the labels in the center of the contour line?

 

Hardcoded to be in the center point?

[Chopsaw]

4 hours ago, joey_martin said:

Are the labels in the center of the contour line?

 

Hardcoded to be in the center point?

 

It seems to me like the labels are attaching at the point of the contour line that is closest to horizontal on the page which makes them seem to be so random.

 

I think that an option that would be even more powerful  and useful than being able to rotate or reposition the labels on Chief generated contour lines would be the ability to convert them to contour splines that already have that ability and many other features as well.  This would allow us to input our own data and be able to edit and present it without the labels ending up under a building or as Johnny is experiencing, on a neighbouring lot.

[Alaskan_Son]

This is only a workaround solution here Johnny, but once you have the topography finalized, you can...

• Switch to your All Off set and turn on only the terrain
• Create a CAD Detail From View
• Group select all the text by either activating a text tool and shift selecting or by using Match Properties and either cut or copy all that text to your clipboard
• Go back to your plan view and turn off the automatic contour labels
• Paste/Hold Position that text into your plan view and then move it all to a unique layer in case you need to group select and modify later.

You now have labels that can be moved around and resized as necessary.  Again, this is just a workaround and you would have to delete the labels and repeat the process if you change the terrain, but at least it gives you a reasonably quick way to have customizable contour labels.