Below are the commands for this Ribbon Panel.
Any commands that are specific to Civil 3D will be together. AutoCAD/BricsCAD commands will be noted at the bottom of the page.
| Settings | Stringer Settings Parameters | Open Settings Folder | Point Style Creator |
| Tree Block Definition | Replace Code Settings | Display Block at Elevation | Extract Point Attributes |
Settings Setting your Stringer Settings File as the Default in the Template
-To do this you need to go and open your DWT (Drawing Template),
-Open Stringer Settings and set the CSV file in here
-Select No so it sets the CSV as the Master Allocation
-Save the DWT and get out of that drawing template.
Everytime you start a new drawing your Stringer Settings CSV file should already be set as the default.
The Stringer Program is designed to make stringing of Survey Data easy in the AutoDesk Civil3D enviroment.
The program uses the raw point codes from the field in the drawing for creating polylines. The codes are interrogated and those with numeric suffixes are regarded asStringable. With this system points can be strung even if not provided for in the settings file. This settings file allocates the layers to be used for the Strings and it also allows you to specify what sort of line you want the points to be joined with e.g. 2d polyline, 3d breakline, 3d poly or Do Not Join. Parameters associated with the points and strings can be used to enhance the polylines drawn in the program.
Fig. 1
The above form is made directly from the DESCRIPTION KEY SET. When setting up for survey work and how it gets strung the most important item to get right is the Description Key Set. Once this has been completed and you have all your codes on a different layer Stringer Settings can quickly make a CSV file the correlates between the points and the strings in the drawing on the field codes you have set up in the Description Key Set. To make a Stringer Settings CSV file you need to go to the GET CODES FROM KEY DESCRIPTION button at the top right and the display at the bottom will show up.
Fig. 2
1. If you have more than one Description Key Set you need to select it here, otherwise it will already be showing the Description Key Set name you have set up.
2. Pick the Use layers from Key file + Suffix
3. Highlight the _LINE and delete it and press enter. The _LINE will come off all the 2d layer names (leave it if you want it).
4. Select a linetype. I always select 3d breakline in this form.
5. Select Use Fixed Layer for 3d Linework. This will put all your 3d linework on the one layer as they are only needed to create the breaklines in the surface and it is easier to turn off one layer than trying to search for individual layers.
6. Once you have done all this you can now SAVE TO NEW CORRELATION FILE.
Then when you have saved it, cancel out of the form you were in (Fig.2) and go and click on Select Correlation File in Fig.1 above.
You now have a Stringing file that correlates with your points file and everything is now on the same layer.
What you need to do now is to go back to Fig. 1 and go through the codes and assign the correct Linetype to each code so it will string as you have told it to every time you join your strings. An example of this is if you had a re-inforced concrete pipe going under a driveway and you want it to be strung but you dont want it added as a breakline in the surface, then you would change the 3d Breakline type to 2d Join Only. Every time this code strings it will only string it with a 2d polyline.
Stringer Settings Parameters Can change the distance between vertices on strainghts, which will add more triangles on straight lines when no points are there.
Can force the Number of numeric characters for a code, say 3 digits to 4. e.g. 104 to 4052, anything after that will be treated as a string number
You Can set the Tolerance for the Point to Point comaprison (checking in mm's)
They need to be set here as the one in the Stringer Settings form doesn't work
Open Settings FolderThis command will open Windows Explorer and navigate to the default location of the Settings files used by Stringer Topo. Typically we don't recommend editing these files, however they are typically editable using Notepad or similar. Most settings are controllable via the commands in Stringer Topo, so there is no need to edit these files. Some notes about this folder:
Point Style Creator - AutoCAD and BricsCAD - Point Codes, Point Styles and Point DisplayIn the AutoCAD version all COGO points (Points) are created using Stringer Topo commands, and are represented on user definable layers with text and blocks. The total COGO point is contained inside an attributed block, and Stringer Topo includes functionality to easily turn text elements (such as elevation) on/off and to set up text sizes and positions for different elements of text display (eg: point number, elevation and description). When a COGO point is selected it can be edited using Stringer Topo commands and also from the Attributes area of the AutoCAD Properties panel.
Stringer Topo includes a single interface for creating Point Styles, that are then set to display for particular point descriptions. The Point Style Creator is used to manage creation and editing of different Point displays:
Point Style Editor Documentation ►
Tree Block DefinitionThis display is where you set the blocks that you want your trees to look like when you replace them.
This command is fully detailed in the help in Point Edits > Replace Tree Symbol dropdown > Tree Block Definition
Replace Code SettingsThis opens Notepad to allow editing of the code replacements to apply when the Replace Code Settings command is run.
This command is fully details in the help in Point Edits > Replace Code Settings.
Display Block at Elevation (CAD Version Only)This command, when run, will set every Stringer COGO Point object in the drawing to have a z (elevation) value matching to the elevation of each survey point.
This can be useful when wishing to share a 3D drawing to end customers.
Extract Point AttributesWARNING: THIS COMMAND SHOULD ONLY BE USED WHEN YOU ARE WANTING TO PROVIDE A SIMPLIFIED OUTPUT OF BLOCKS AND TEXT TO END CUSTOMERS.
This command will remove Stringer point objects and replace them with simple 'static' CAD entities. This allows you the opportunity to manually edit these items without impacting on the created surface, and it disengages Stringer functionality from acting on the 'points'.
Normally, you would do this just before sending to an end customer.
