Tutorials Page 1 of 146

Carlson
Software

Tutorials
Summarized below are numerous Carlson tutorials and the (module[s]) they cover. If you are new to CAD (e.g. IntelliCAD or AutoCAD) or are starting Carlson for the first
time, it is suggested you explore:

CAD Basics (General/All)

As you get familiar with the basics of CAD and Carlson, numerous tutorials designed to assist you in learning the Carlson Desktop CAD product line. They are:

Lesson 1 - Entering a Deed (Survey)

Lesson 2 - Making a Plat (Survey)
Lesson 3 - Field to Finish - Faster Survey Work (Survey)
Lesson 4 - Intersections and Subdivisions (Survey)
Lesson 5 - Contouring DTM and Design (Civil)
Lesson 6 - Contour Break Lines Stockpiles (Survey)
Lesson 7 - Basic Road Design with Volumes (Civil)
Lesson 8 - Hydrology & Watershed Analysis (Hydrology)
Lesson 9 - Dozen Tools of Surface Design (Civil)
Lesson 10 - Takeoff Basics (Construction)
Lesson 11 - Takeoff Drillholes and Strata (GeoTech)
Lesson 12 - Trenches (Construction, Trench)
Lesson 13 - Digitizing (CADnet, Construction)

Other tutorials of interest include:

Cut Sheets (Survey)

ESRI Office Field (GIS, SurvCE, Survey)
Geodetic Reports (Survey)
SurvNET Least Squares Adjustment (Survey)
Calculate Volumes By 5 Methods (Civil)
Road Rehab (Civil)
Carlson Hydrology/Hydrocad Tutorial (Hydro)
Stormwater Network Design (Hydro)
Pressure Pipe Network (Hydro)
PDF Section Import (CADnet, Construction)
GeoTech Reports (GeoTech)

Pulldown Menu Location(s): Help

Keyboard Command: -na-
Prerequisite: An available license of the specified module/product

CAD Basics
Carlson Software's office products utilize either an AutoCAD or IntelliCAD-based CAD engine. This section will review some basics of CAD software that will be useful in
running Carlson Software. Running Carlson on IntelliCAD is largely the same as running on AutoCAD.

Starting Carlson
Once installed to your computer, one or more Carlson start-up icons (based on the product[s] contained within the product serial number) will typically be placed on your
computer desktop. Carlson recommends launching the software through the desktop icon so proper software initialization parameters can be set. Once the Carlson software
environment has been initialized, you can choose to open an existing document type (e.g. an existing *.DWG file) or create a new document type (e.g. a new *.DWG file).
Based on your desired (or established) interface settings, one of three "start-up" environments may be presented:

1. Start Page (IntelliCAD users) - When this environment is active (i.e. variable STARTMODE = On), a generic "Start Page" will be displayed with common first-time
commands and the software will wait for your to generally create a New Drawing or Open Files that the CAD application supports:
Start
Page
Clicking New Drawing will launch the Startup Wizard which provides a step-by-step process for the creation of a new, supported document type.
Clicking Open Files will launch a File Selector which permits navigation to a desired folder location on your computer (and/or shared network drive, if available)
which provides the ability to directly open an existing, supported document type.
A primary benefit of the Start Page environment is that only the drawing(s)/documents that you choose to create or open will be in use by the application. In this
fashion, when exiting from the software, you'll have the benefit of only having to save changes to documents that are open and that have changed.

NOTE: The complement of commands offered by the Carlson module(s) will not be fully loaded until at least one supported drawing document type is either created or
opened.

NOTE: The "Start Page" environment can be suppressed by enabling the Skip Start Page Next Time toggle in the lower left corner of the "Start Page." Enabling this
feature will (by default) revert to the Startup Wizard interface the next time the application is restarted. The "Start Page" environment can be re-enabled by:
1. Opening an existing drawing document, and,
2. Keying-in STARTMODE into the Command: prompt, and,
3. Setting the value of the variable to On.
2. Startup Wizard - When this environment is active, CAD will launch with a default drawing document (e.g. Drawing1.dwg) pre-loaded along with an interface with a
step-by-step (aka wizard) approach for the creation of a new drawing document type:
Startup
Wizard
Clicking Browse will launch a File Selector which permits navigation to a desired folder location on your computer (and/or shared network drive, if available)
which provides the ability to directly open an existing, supported document type.
Clicking Open Recent will open the currently selected/highlighted drawing document which has been previously opened by the application.
Clicking Exit will dismiss the Startup Wizard dialog box and leave the default drawing document active and available for data entry.

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Clicking New will start the formal Startup Wizard process which generally entails the following sequence:
a. Establish the desired document type (and/or source) and click Next >:
Type of
Document
b. Establish the source document type (aka "template") and click Finish to launch into the drawing-specific settings:
Source
Template
c. Establish the document name (e.g. use the Set button to establish the desired Folder and Document name) along with expected plot scale and desired
Coordinate System information as desired and click Next to continue with additional information:
Document
Name
d. Validate the Destination Folder and establish the related "Coordinate File" name to house designated point data and whether an existing Coordinate File
(e.g. such as that created by Carlson SurvPC or SurvCE) or if a new Coordinate File should be created along with the source for any inbound Point Data
and click Next to continue with further processing instructions (if applicable):
Document
Name
NOTE: The precise sequence of steps within the Startup Wizard will vary based on the option(s) selected within each step of the Wizard. It is recommended that
the Wizard be followed to its logical conclusion and the click of a resulting Finish button.

NOTE: The "Startup Wizard" environment can be suppressed by enabling the Skip Startup Wizard Next Time toggle in the lower left corner of the opening
"Startup Wizard" dialog box or the tertiary Document Name dialog box. Enabling this feature will (by default) revert to the standard CAD interface the next time
the application is restarted. The "Startup Wizard" environment can be re-enabled by:
1. Opening an existing drawing document, and,
2. From the Settings menu, click Carlson Configure, and,
3. Clicking the General Settings and enabling the Use Startup Wizard option.
3. Standard CAD - When this environment is active, the CAD application starts with a default document name (e.g. Drawing1.dwg) pre-loaded and ready for data entry.
It is up to the user to properly save and rename the drawing document to a desired folder and file name.

CAD "GUI" (Graphical User Interface) Overview

When configuring the "GUI" (gooey) interface and/or effectively communicating with Carlson Technical Support, it is helpful to understand the various components,
terminology and their locations within the CAD application:

GUI
Overview

Issuing Commands
Virtually all commands in CAD software have three or more ways they can be initiated. The two most common are through the Pull-down Menus and the Toolbars, but the
persons who are comfortable with the "Ribbon" interface or Command line interface (for quick keystroke entry) have various options available to them. Using the Menus and
Toolbars should be second nature to Windows users, so this section will mainly focus on the Command line usage in CAD.

Command Line Prompt (Command:)

CAD softwares have a Command line prompt where commands are issued and the status of a command is reported. When you select a command from a menu or toolbar, that
key-in command name is sent to the Command line and is executed. When a command is issued, the Command line acts as a status bar that will show the available options
and prompt for input from you (either in the form of Command line options and/or a dialog box).

Before most commands can begin, all other commands must be terminated. The exceptions are referred to as Transparent commands. The easiest way to see if no commands
are running is to look at the Command line. If it displays "Command:" no commands are currently in progress.

General Key Commands

Enter

When you are required to press the Enter key in CAD, you can use the Enter key on the keyboard or you can press the spacebar or click the right mouse button.

Pressing the Enter key will perform different operations depending on your location within a command:

If you are in the process of running a command which has no sub-options, the Enter key will end the command.
If you are in the process of running a command which has sub-options and a desired sub-option other than the default option has not been specified, the Enter key will
initiate the default sub-option (the option between the < > characters).
If you are in the process of running a command which has sub-options and you wish to exercise a sub-option other than the default, left-click the desired sub-option or
type the Capitalized character(s) (not case-sensitive) and press Enter.
If you are in the process of selecting entities for a desired action, the Enter action will complete the current selection method and a second Enter will initiate the
command on the selected entity(ies).

To avoid any problems with using the above methods to end a command, you can press the Escape key (Esc) as described below.

Repeating Commands

When you press the Enter key (or its equivalents) at the Command: prompt without a command running, you will repeat the last command.

Right Mouse Button

As mentioned above, the right mouse button can be used as Enter. However, you can set the right mouse button to perform different functions as well. When so configured, a
right mouse may provide a context-sensitive list of commands and can select the desired one (e.g. Move the cursor the desired option and click on it with the left mouse
button).

Canceling a Command (Esc)

The Escape key (ESC) key can be used to cancel any command. Some commands (such as Transparent commands) may require pressing the Escape key more than once.

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For example, if the command line displays something other than Command: or if a command you want to run does not start because you are using another command, you will
want to end the command and return to the command prompt. Using the Escape (Esc) key will accomplish this every time.

NOTE: If you accidentally left-click a location on the screen and start a selection window, the command prompt will prompt for another corner. Either select another point on
the screen to finish the selection (not advised) or press the Esc key to return to the Command: prompt.

Undo

Undo reverses the effect of the previous command. Type U or use the shortcut Ctrl+Z to run Undo.

Redo

Redo reverses an UNDO command. You must use the UNDO command before you can use the REDO command. Type REDO or use the shortcut Ctrl+Y to run Redo.

Navigating Within the Drawing

NOTE: Panning and Zooming is made easy if your mouse has a center wheel. You can use it to zoom in and out by rolling the mouse wheel up or down. By holding the
center wheel down on the mouse, you can pan in any direction.

Pan

Press and hold the middle (wheel) button of a 3-button mouse and drag the view to the desired location. Alternatively, type 'P for a transparent Pan then click and hold the
left-button of the mouse on the point from which you want to move the display. Drag the mouse to the desired area, then release the mouse.

Zoom

Typing Z for Zoom will give you several options: To specify the scale, enter the magnification value. To zoom in, choose In. To zoom out, choose Out. To display the entire
drawing, choose All. To view a window defined by a center point and the magnification value or height, choose Center. To display the drawing extents, choose Extents. To
view a window by selecting the desired area in the drawing, choose Dynamic. To view a window defined by the left point and the magnification value or height, choose Left.
To return to the previous display, choose Previous. To view a window defined by the right point and the magnification value or height, choose Right. To view a window
defined by specifying two (opposite) corners, choose Window.

Transparent Commands

Several commands in CAD software can be run transparently. This means that they can be performed while another command is running. For example, if you are in a
command and are trying to select something in the drawing but it is too small to see, you can use the zoom command transparently. Zoom to the area where the object is, then
select the object without ending the initial command. The most commonly used commands are the View commands of Zoom and Pan, and the Properties commands including
the Layer dialog box.

To issue a transparent command, type an ' (apostrophe) before the command name. For example, 'Z would be Transparent Zoom. Note that many commands will
automatically be assumed to be transparent if they are issued from the toolbar while another command is running.

When you are in a command that is running transparently, this will be indicated with a >> at the far left of the command line preceding any options or other text. When a
transparent command is complete, you will return to the command you were previously running. If you are in a transparent command and want to end the command to get
back to the command prompt, you will need to press the Esc key twice.

NOTE: If you select a View command while running another command, the other command will not end. You will be running the View command transparently. This is one
of the exceptions to the rules for ending a command. If you do not want to run the View command transparently, you need to complete the other command or end it by
pressing the Esc key.

Command Sub-options

The Command line changes as a command is running. When there are options available for the command you are running, they will display at the Command line with capital
letters in the option name. To use one of the options, type the capital letter(s) at the prompt (but know that these "accelerators" are case-insensitive).

For example, if you issue the Zoom command, the Command prompt will typically show sub-options of
[In/Out/All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Left/Previous/Right/Window/ENtity/Scale]<Scale (nX/nXP)>:

To select the Dynamic option, type D (or d) at the Command line, then press the Enter key. If you do not input an option and press Enter, you will be selecting the option that
appears between the < > brackets. For the example shown above, that is the Zoom -- Scale option.

Selection of Items
Most commands in CAD software require the selection of objects. When you need to select objects, the command line will prompt Select objects: (or [FILter]/<Select
entities ...>: in IntelliCAD) . When you are at this prompt, your next step will be to create a selection set. While creating the selection set, the prompt Select Objects: repeats
and you can continue to select objects until you press the Enter key, at which time the command you are using will continue and use the objects selected.

Selection Sets

There are several ways to create a selection set from the Select objects: prompt. With all selection methods, the number of objects selected will be displayed in the Command
line along with any objects that were duplicated. Following are the most commonly used methods for creating a selection set:

Single

A single selection is made when you move the object selection target to an object on the screen and click on it. The selected object will highlight and the Select objects:
prompt will return. The cursor changes to a small square when the Command line displays Select objects:.

Window

A Window will select all objects completely inside of the rectangle drawn. Create a window by selecting a point on the view screen and then moving the cursor right. The
window will display as a solid rectangle. You can also create a window by typing W at the Select objects: prompt. In this case, the direction of the window creation does not
matter.

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Crossing

A crossing will select all objects within the rectangle as well as those touched by the rectangle. If you select a point on the view screen and move the cursor to the left, you are
creating a crossing. The crossing will display as a dashed rectangle. You can force a crossing by typing C at the Select objects: prompt, allowing you to move the cursor to
the right and create the crossing.

Previous

After you select several objects, they will be temporarily stored as a selection set. Should you want to re-use the same objects that were selected by the last command for a
different command, you can generally type P at the Select objects: prompt.

Remove

If you select incorrect objects, you can type R to remove objects from the selection set. When you are in Remove mode, the prompt will be Remove objects:. Click on the
objects that you do not want to include in your selection. To return to select (or "add" mode), type A at the Command line.

Snaps

When creating geometry, it is often desireable to locate aspects of the new geometry piece to the precise location of key-points of an existing piece of gemoetry (i.e. setting
the endpoint of one line to the midpoint of another line). This can be accomplished through the use of entity snaps (object snaps in AutoCAD). Desired snaps can be turned on
to be available all the time (through the status bar area of the GUI or via the F3 function key) or issued within a command through a key-in of the first three letters of the snap
(e.g. endpoint, midpoint, nearest, intersection, perpendicular, etc).

Grips

Objects may also be selected before issuing the command and receiving the Select objects: prompt. This selection will turn on CAD grips. Grips appear as small blue squares
(aka "cool grips") in the drawing. All objects with grips will be used when a command is issued. Grips are turned on similar to selecting objects as described in the previous
section, but with the command line at the Command: prompt, not the Select Objects: prompt. You can select single objects by clicking on an object with the standard cursor
or you can select multiple objects by clicking in the view where there are no objects, then creating the window (right) or crossing (left). To remove grips, press the Esc key
twice.

Using Grips

Grips can also be used to edit or change the location of objects in the drawing. Move your cursor to a grip and click. You should notice the cursor snap to the grip. The grip
will turn from blue to red (aka a "hot grip"). The object grip is now attached to the cursor so you can move the object to the desired location and release it by clicking again.

Layers
Layers (and pertinent layer properties) define how an object in CAD is organized and/or displayed. One of the most common properties is the Layer. Layers can be turned off
or frozen so the objects on that layer are hidden from the view of the drawing. Layers that are turned off can still be selected while frozen layers are essentially removed from
the working set of the drawing. After layers are turned off or on, a redraw (which is done automatically) will update the view. A redraw of a file is a rather quick process.
After a frozen layer is thawed, a regeneration may be required to update the view. Regenerations on large files may take a considerable amount of time depending on your
hardware.

Properties Toolbar
Propertie
s Bar

If this toolbar (or any toolbar) is not displayed, you can open it using the Toolbars dialog box. Type toolbar at the Command line or right-click on an existing toolbar for
toolbar options. Common usage of this toolbar includes:

Properties Toolbar
Common
Key-in Toolbar Description
Name
The "MOLC" (Make Object Layer Current) button permits you to select an existing entity in the drawing which makes the layer of
Set i
the selected entity current. The current layer will be the one shown in the Layer drop list box. You can change the current layer by
SETLAYER
Current selecting the desired current layer from the drop list. Finally, you can highlight a layer in the Layer dialog box and click on the
Current button to make the highlighted layer current.
The Layer dialog box provides control of the drawing layers. You can turn layers on, off, freeze or thaw them, change the layer
color and linetype, set the current layer, add new layers, delete layers, etc. To perform any of these functions, click on the Layers
button. In the Layer dialog box, you can highlight several individual layers to perform actions on at once by holding down the
Layer LA Layer Control key and clicking on the desired layers. You can also highlight a continuous range of layers by highlighting one layer,
Button
holding down the Shift key, and clicking on another layer. All layers between the two will be selected. To select all of the layers,
hold down the CTRL key and press A on the keyboard. You cannot freeze the current layer, but you can turn that layer off (not
recommended).
The Current Layer is the layer that you are on and will be working with. The Current Layer is the one shown in the Layer drop list.
Current
-na- i For example, in the above toolbar illustration, the Current Layer is PNTS. When you click on the symbols in the list, the layers
Layer
status will be changed appropriately.

For additional assistance on general CAD software basics, please consult the Introduction section of the Carlson documentation or visit our Knowledge Base at
www.carlsonsw.com/support/knowledge-base/.

Entering a Deed
In this short lesson you will create a simple drawing. You will enter a 6-sided deed, add a title block, bar scale, and north arrow, add a title and certification text, and plot the
deed area.

Note that the Esc key will cancel most commands, so if you choose the wrong command or enter something incorrectly and want to start over, just press Esc.

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1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick New Drawing.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Exit button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, continue as is.
Verify the Survey module is loaded by clicking Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu.
2. Issue the Settings -- Drawing Setup to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Drawing
Setup Set the unit setting to English and the Horizontal Scale to 50. Match other settings as desired and as shown below and click OK.
3. Issue the Points -- Point Defaults command and perform the following:
Clear the Elevations toggle to eliminate the Elevation prompt, and,
Enable the Descriptions toggle, and,
Use the Select Symbol button to set the Point Symbol name to symbol 4 (SPT4), which is the open circle, and,
Enable the Automatic Point Numbering toggle, and,
Match other settings as desired and as shown below and click OK.
Point
Defaults
4. Issue the Survey -- Enter Deed Description. The following dialog box will appear so you can specify where to store the coordinates:
Destination
Coordinate File
Select the New tab and set the file name as shown above which will externally house any collected or computed point locations.
5. Utilize the default settings as shown below in the dialog box image:
Enter Deed
Description Review and click OK when ready. When prompted at the Command line:

Pick point or point number: Left mouse click a point in the lower left quadrant of your screen to start the deed plotting.
Enter Point Description <>: respond with Fence Post and press Enter.

With our Point of Beginning established, supply the additional course information cited below:
Deed Description Courses
Prompt(s) Response Narrative
The quadrant (Q) is 1 for Northeast (2 is Southeast, 3 is Southwest and 4 is
Northwest). The bearing is 25 degrees, 35 minutes, and 00 seconds. If all digits for the
Exit/Curve/Select/<Bearing (Qdd.mmss)>: 125.3500 minutes and seconds are entered as shown above, then the deed call will be fully
plotted, including the seconds. If only the degrees and minutes were entered (as in
125.35), then the plot would appear as "N 25° 35' E".
Note that you can enter old deeds in the forms of Poles and Links, Chains and Links
Undo/Select/Varas/Meters/Rods/Chains/<Distance(ft)
200.51 and even Varas (a unit of measurement formerly used in the southwestern states of the
>:
U.S.)
Enter Point Description <Fence Post>: Iron Pin
Undo/Exit/Curve/Select/Bearing (Qdd.mmss) NOTE: In the data entry prompts you'll see an Undo option (e.g. Undo/Exit/Curve....
189.4321
<125.3500>: Pressing U for Undo would allow you to reenter the previous deed call.
Undo/Select/Varas/Meters/Rods/Chains/<Distance(ft)
225.00
>:
Enter Point Description <Iron Pin>: press Enter Pressing Enter selects the default, which in this case is Iron Pin.
Undo/Exit/Curve/Select/Bearing (Qdd.mmss)
press C (or c) This initiates the Curve sub-command option.
<189.4321>:
Curvecalc/Tangent-out/<Radius>: 75
Curve direction [Left(-)/<Right(+)>]? press Enter for right
Non-tangent/Reverse- If you don't know the arc length, but you know the tangent, you would choose "T" for
118.17
tangent/Bearing/Chord/DeltaAng/Tangent/<Arc Len>: tangent.
Enter Point Description <Iron Pin>: press Enter
Undo/Exit/Curve/Select/Tangent/Bearing (Qdd.mmss) This is due South. If you were to enter just 2 (no degrees, minutes, or seconds), then
200.0000
<c>: the deed call would be plotted "S 000 E".
Undo/Select/Varas/Meters/Rods/Chains/<Distance(ft)
178.00
>:
Enter Point Description <Iron Pin>: Concrete Monument
Undo/Exit/Curve/Select/Bearing (Qdd.mmss)
488.2300 This entry specifies Northwest 88 degrees, 23 minutes.
<200.0000>:
Undo/Select/Varas/Meters/Rods/Chains/<Distance(ft)
300.34
>:
Enter Point Description <Concrete Monument>: Fence Post
Undo/Exit/Curve/Select/Bearing (Qdd.mmss)
454.1109
<488.2300>:
Undo/Select/Varas/Meters/Rods/Chains/<Distance(ft)
106.93
>:
Simply pressing Enter uses the default text (Fence Post) again. To avoid drawing the
press Spacebar, then text "Fence Post" twice on the end point, press the spacebar, skip a blank character,
Enter Point Description <Fence Post>:
press Enter and press Enter.
You have now completed the 6-sided figure (including one curve).
Undo/Exit/Curve/Select/Bearing (Qdd.mmss)
press E This entry specifies Exits the Deed Entry input algorithm.
<454.1109>:
Graphically select the
polyline
Select entity for area calculation:
representation of the
deed.

The following results are reported:

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Area = 83921.758997 sq. units, Perimeter = 1128.95

SQ. FEET: 83922 SQ. YARDS: 9324.6 SQ. MILES: 0.003
ACRES: 1.9266
Closure error distance> 0.0171 Error Bearing> S 52°5'26" E
Closure Precision> 1 in 66076.9 Total Distance Traversed> 1128.950

The resulting deed has a closure of 1:66076.9.

6. Use the View -- Extents command (key-in short-cut ze) to see the entire area. Then choose Zoom Out (key-in short-cut zout) under the View menu giving you adequate
room for the next step.
7. Issue the Settings -- Title Block -- Standard command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Title
Block
Complete the title block entries, as shown above. Select Paper Size B2 (11 x 17), and enter the layer name of BORDER, then choose OK and when prompted:

Pick location: pick a point in the lower left of the survey

The following dialog appears, allowing you to enter the attributes for the Title Block:
Title
Block 2
Set the values as suggested above and click OK when ready.
NOTE: The title line is plotted in large text on the title block. Its length, therefore, should not exceed 15 characters.
Your drawing should look similar to the example below at this point:
Deed with
Border
8. Use the View -- Extents command to see the entire working area. If you want to move the border, use the Edit -- Move command (keyin shortcut M). Pick the border
lines and the title block objects (up to 3 picks total), press Enter (to end object selection), then pick two points representing the vector of the move.

If you want to see a margin around the working area after you use the Extents command, use the View -- Zoom Out command. Then use the View -- Window
command to capture the view and margin you prefer.

If you make a mistake, enter U for Undo, or select the back arrow toolbar icon that appears at the top of the screen.
9. Issue the Annotate -- Draw North Arrow command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Draw North
Arrow
Accept the default north arrow that is shown at the right side of the dialog, click OK, and when prompted:

Pick insertion point: place it in the above the Title Block (leave enough space for the Barscale to follow)

If you want to reposition the North Arrow, issue the Edit -- Move command.
10. Issue the Annotate -- Draw Barscale to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Draw
Barscale
Accept the defaults and click OK and when prompted:

Pick location for barscale: pick an insertion point below the North Arrow and directly above the "a" in Farmer, and approximately the same distance from both.

You can use the Edit -- Move command if you want/need to re-position the barscale.
11. Issue the Draw -- Text -- Standard command and when prompted:

Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: J

Enter an option [Left/Center/Right/Align/Middle/Fit/TL/TC/TR/ML/MC/MR/BL/BC/BR]: C
Center point of text: pick a point near the top-center of the drawing
Height of text <4.00>: 10 (Entering 10 makes the title text bigger than the default).
Rotation angle of text <E>: press Enter
Text: Farmer Survey
Text: Ashland, KY
Text: press Enter

12. To enter a certification in the lower-right of the drawing, again select Draw -- Text -- Standard (or type "dtext" at the Command line).
NOTE: If you haven't done anything else, such as Zoom or Pan, you can simply press Enter to repeat the last command. If pressing Enter does not repeat the Text
command, restart the command as suggested above and respond to the resulting prompts as shown below:

Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: Pick a point above and to the left of the Title Block for the certification. You don't have to enter L for left-justification. The
DText command defaults to left-justification every time.
Height <10.00>: 4
Rotation angle <E>: press Enter
Text: Surveyor's Certification
Text: press spacebar, then press Enter
Text: I do hereby certify that the survey shown hereon
Text: is a true and correct representation.
Text: press spacebar, then press Enter
Text: _____________________________________
Text: John Doe, PLS #1234
Text: press Enter twice to end

13. Enlarge the two title lines (i.e. Farmer Survey and Surveyor's Certification) by a factor of 2.0 using the Edit -- Text -- Text Enlarge/Reduce command. When
prompted:

Scaling Multiplier: type 2 and press Enter

Select Text for Scaling.
[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: pick the Farmer Survey text and press Enter
[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: pick the Surveyor's Certification text and press Enter
[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: press Enter

NOTE: When you are selecting objects, if you select something you don't want, you have the option to remove undesired entities with the (R) option.
14. The following is a closeup of the North arrow, Bar Scale and Certification label that we just entered:

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Completed
Legend
15. Our next task will be to refine a bearing label; click the Edit -- Text -- Edit Text command. When you are prompted:

Select Text to Edit: pick the due South bearing text of S 00°00'00" E and change it to S 00° E.

NOTE: The degree symbol in CAD SHX fonts is represented as %%d. For example, if you had typed N 15%%d25'35" E in the DText command, Carlson would draw
that entry as N15°25'35"E. Click in the text to the immediate right of the quotation mark and press the Backspace key until the text reads "S 00%%d E and press Enter
(or click OK if in a dialog box) to exit the command.
16. Prepare for area labeling by selecting the Area/Layout -- Area Defaults command. The dialog box shown below appears:
Area
Defaults
Select the Sq. Feet item and click on the Edit button and make the Area Text Size Scaler 0.2 (doubled from the default of 0.1) as shown below. Click OK when
complete.
Edit
Sq. Ft.
Next select the Acres item and click on the Edit button. Also, make the Area Text Size Scaler 0.2 and click OK to dismiss the Acres dialog box and click OK to
dismiss the Area Defaults dialog box.
17. You are going to compute the area by point number by inversing from 1 through 7 and back to 1. Select the Area/Layout -- Inverse with Area and respond to the
prompts as shown below:
Inverse with Area
Prompt(s) Response Narrative
Options/Line/Group/<Pick Starting point or point
1
number>:
Pick point or point numbers (R-RadiusPt,U- Supplying a point range (separated by a dash) is very helpful when dealing with
2-3
Undo,Enter to end): many consecutive straight-leg courses.
Pick point or point numbers (R-RadiusPt,U-
r Point 3 is the PC of the curve so we need to find the radius point of the curve.
Undo,Enter to end):
Radius point number or pick point: cen We wish to use a CENter snap.
pick the arc-portion of the
Snap to CEN of:
polyline
Curve direction [Left/<Right>]? r Pressing Enter would have also executed the default <Right> option.
Pick End of Arc or point number (U-Undo,Enter to
4
end):
Pick point or point numbers (R-RadiusPt,U-
5-6
Undo,Enter to end):
Pick point or point numbers (R-RadiusPt,U-
1 We are establishing the desire to Inverse back to the starting point.
Undo,Enter to end):
Pick point or point numbers (R-RadiusPt,U-
press Enter to end.
Undo,Enter to end):

A Standard Report Viewer dialog box showing the Inverse with Area results will appear. Click the Exit (Doorway) button at the top of the dialog box and also note the
results to the Command window:

Area = 83921.725598 sq. units, Perimeter = 1128.97

SQ. FEET: 83922 SQ. YARDS: 9324.6 SQ. MILES: 0.003
ACRES: 1.9266 PERIMETER: 1129.0

You should be prompted:

Pick area label centering point (Enter for none): Pick a point near the center of the figure, in its interior. The area units you chose in Area Defaults are labeled on the
screen.

You snapped to the radius point using the manually keyed "cen" snap. Additional object snaps appear under Settings -- Object Snap. Since all plotted points have a
node, you could have inversed around this figure by using the "nod" snap for points 1 through 7, and the "cen" snap to capture the radius point. Snaps are typically
entered at the keyboard as 3 characters (for example, "int" for intersect and "end" for endpoint).

Also, you could have chosen the Area by Lines & Arcs command. In that command, you would pick the lines and arcs that make up the figure. But since the closure
was 0.017 off (the distance from point 7 to point 1), you would exceed the default Max gap tolerance. Unless you change that tolerance in the command to something
larger than 0.017, you would not get a result using this method.
18. Freeze the point numbers to finish the drawing by choosing View -- Layer Control. In the PNTNO row, click the Sun icon to change it to a Snowflake icon, which
freezes the PNTNO layer. Click OK. The point numbers remain in the drawing, waiting to be "thawed", but they are not displayed.

The final drawing is shown here:

Completed
Plat

This completes the Lesson 1 tutorial: Entering a Deed.

Making a Plat
In this lesson you will draw out a plat of a single lot, using Carlson drafting techniques. You will make the plat from an ASCII file of points named Plat.txt.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick New Drawing.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Exit button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, continue as is.
Verify the Survey module is loaded by clicking Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu.

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NOTE: You will use the Startup Wizard in Lesson 3 to perform a series of commands to begin a drawing.
2. We'd like to explore some basic configuration settings. Click Settings -- Carlson Configure to display the following menu:
Confi

Click General Settings to display the dialog box shown here:

General
Settings
The options in this dialog box, along with the options in other Configure sub-options, determine default working conditions for Carlson. Make/set the following values:
In anticipation of Lesson 3, make sure the Use Startup Wizard is enabled.
Choose Carlson AlphaNumeric to provide the ability to store points in alphanumeric form (e.g. 1A, 1B, 1C, HUB5, CTRL, SS10, etc). Generally, there is a
slight speed advantage to working with purely numeric point numbers. The highest numeric-only point number allowed is 99999. However, there is no limit to the
number of points in an alphanumeric coordinate file.
Enable the Group Point Entities option which groups point elevations, numbers, and descriptions (all aspects of the points) into a single entity for moving,
erasing and other commands.
Click OK at the bottom of this dialog box.
3. Now we want to set the data path. Another of the Configure sub-options is Project/Data Folders. Click this option and you will see this dialog box:
Project_S
etup
For this lesson, you will keep it simple. Enable the Drawing Folder at the top. This option will, by default, send any data files to the same folder location where the
active drawing is located. Notice the Current Data Folder section at the bottom. This specifies where data files, such as .crd files in this case, are to be stored. Set the
folder to C:\Carlson Projects\ and click OK to return to the main Configure dialog box.
4. Select Drawing Setup from the Configure dialog box to display the dialog box below:
Drawing
Setup
The Horizontal Scale acts as a multiplier on all text annotation. For example, 100 * Text Size (0.08) = 8 (text height of 8 CAD units). The Text Size setting is the
effective height, in inches, that the text will appear when plotted at the specified Horizontal Scale (example here, 100).

Bearing and Distance labels, Legends, Title Blocks, and Point Symbols will size up or down on the basis of the Horizontal Scale set within Drawing Setup. Set the
Horizontal Scale to 100 and match other settings as desired. Then click OK to dismiss the dialog box then click Exit to close the Configure dialog box. If prompted:
Drawing Setup
Change
Click on the Current and Future button.
5. If you have not already saved your drawing, now is a good time to do it. Use the File -- Save command and call the file Lesson2.dwg (store in the C:\Carlson Projects\
folder).
6. Next, you will import the ASCII file called Plat.txt and store the points in a Coordinate file called Plat.crd. However, since you are in a new drawing, you have not yet
set a coordinate file to store the points in. You must have a Carlson coordinate file (.crd) open and established as the container for your points.

Click Points -- Set CooRDinate File to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Coordinate_File_to_Process

Click the New tab, as shown here. To the right of File name, type Plat and click Open. You have now created the required coordinate file.
7. You are now ready to import the points. Click the Points -- Import Text/ASCII File command to display the dialog box:
Import Text
ASCII
Click the Select Text/ASCII Files button and then choose Plat.txt listed in the file list. It is found in the default data folder (C:\Carlson Projects) and click Open when
ready.

Plat.txt is an ASCII file containing 54 points in the form of Point Number, Northing, Easting, Elevation and Description. The format of the points appears in the
Preview Window. The format is: Point (P), Northing (Y), Easting (X), Elevation (Z), Description (D), or, in short, P,Y,X,Z,D. You must match this format in the
Coordinate Order. If you don't see P,Y,X,Z,D in the Coordinate Order box, then select that format from the Common Formats option. Or, you can type the list directly
into the Coordinate Order box. Make sure that Draw Points is set to Off.

Click OK to save/store the data in Plat.crd. A confirming dialog appears as follows:

Carlson Confirmation
Message
Click OK to dismiss the alert.
8. Choose the Points -- List Points command to display the dialog box below:
List
Point
The List Points dialog box will typically default to the full range of points (ALL), which is 1 through 54 in this exercise. You can control the decimal places for the
Northing/Easting and the Elevation of the points in the lower portion of the dialog box. Click OK and the settings shown above result in the report exhibited below in
the Standard Report Viewer:
Standard Report
Viewer
Exit the report by selecting the Exit (doorway) icon at the top of this report viewer box, or by clicking the X in the upper right of the window.
9. Issue the Points -- Point Defaults command and perform the following:
Enable the Elevations toggle, and,

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Enable the Descriptions toggle, and,

Use the Select Symbol button to set the Point Symbol name to symbol 0 (SPT0), which is a standard point, and,
Enable the Automatic Point Numbering toggle, and,
Match other settings as desired and as shown below and click OK.
Point
Defaults
10. Select the Points -- Draw-Locate Points command to draw the points on the screen:
Draw-Locate
Points
As shown in the figure shown above, the current Symbol Name is showing as SPT0, which is a standard CAD node symbol (i.e. a point). You can select a different
default symbol using the Points -- Point Defaults command.

In this exercise you, let's continue to use SPT0. Later, you will add official property corner and utility symbols. Although you are working without a default symbol,
there will always be a "dot" or a node at the correct insertion point of each point number.

Enable the Fix Overlapping Point Attributes toggle if it is not already checked. Click Draw All and the following dialog will display:
Avoid Point Attribute Overlap

The Avoid Point Attribute Overlap dialog uses different adjustment methods, such as moving attributes and creating leader lines, to fix conflicts with the point labels.
Click Cancel for now so we can view these conflicts:
Screen
Image 1
Here you have a rather busy drawing!
11. You will now be using the Points -- Resize Point Attributes command to declutter a selection set of points. Notice how the lower-right corner of the drawing is very
congested due to many overlapping point attributes. You can specify a window containing these points and scale them down by a designated factor:
Window Polygon

Here is the command line sequence, along with the responses you will enter, after clicking Resize Point Attributes command:

Method for resizing [<Scale>/Absolute]? press Enter

Scaling Multiplier <0.500>: 0.4
Scale symbols only, point labels only or both [Symbols/Labels/<Both>]? b
Select points from screen, group, or by point number [<Screen>/Group/Number]? s
Select Carlson Software points.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: wp
First vertex of inclusive polygon: click a starting point for the polygon
Next vertex: continue picking desired locations
Next vertex: when satisfied, press Enter to complete the Window Polygon
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter to complete the selection set

The following shows the scaled points:

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Scaled Attributes

12. Next, you will prepare for drawing linework by setting the current layer. You should draft linework and symbol work in designated layers. In this example, you will put
linework and symbol work in a layer named Final. A "best-practice" would be to place property linework on a PropLines (or similar) and utility linework on a Utilities
layer, etc, but for now, you will put all linework and symbols on the layer Final. To pick the current working layer, select the View -- Layer Control command
(IntelliCAD shown):
Layer Properties Manager

Click Final. Right click, select Current and close the Layer control.
NOTE: If the "Final" layer does not exist, create it and assign it a suggested color of red.
13. Issue the Draw -- 2D Polyline command which allows you to easily draw a polyline between point numbers. A dialog box might appear as illustrated below. If it does,
accept the defaults and click OK.
2D Polyline
Options
First, connect portions of the property line via the steps outlined below:
2D Polyline Courses
Prompt(s) Response Narrative
[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 1 This instructs the 2D polyline to commence at Point #1.
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 8 This instructs the 2D polyline to be drawn to Point 8
press This creates a polyline. Keep this as a separate polyline because later you will turn
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]:
Enter this back lot line into a fence line. Press Enter to repeat the 2D Polyline command.
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 8-10 This instructs the 2D polyline to be drawn through Points 8, 9 and 10.
<Pick point or point numbers> a This indicates a tangential arc to be drawn starting from Point 10.
[Radius pt/radius Length/Arc length/Chord/Second pt/Undo/<Endpoint
15 This indicates the arc shall terminate at Point 15.
or point number>]:
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point This instructs the polyline to be drawn back to the starting point. The segment from
1
numbers>]: 15 to 1 is not guaranteed to be tangent to the previous arc.
press
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: This creates the full lot.
Enter
You should have the following linework at this point:
Starting
Parcel
14. You will now create a fence line on the polyline you drew from points 1 to 8. Click the Annotate -- Line Types -- Change Polyline Linetype command. This command
creates polylines that respond as one entity when selected.

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Choose Linetype

Notice in the dialog box above that the current Line Type Scaler, governing spacing, should be 0.5 (inches) and the Text (height) Scaler is 0.1. If your settings are
different, you may want to set these items to match the example.

Choose the FenceS option (the solid fence line) and click OK and when prompted:

Select linework to change.

[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: pick the polyline you created from points 1 to 8
[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: press Enter

15. Inspect the result by clicking View -- Isolate Layers command and when prompted:

Select objects on layers to isolate.

[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: pick the property line
[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: press Enter

Here is the result:

Fence
Line
16. Select the View -- Restore Layers command to recover your points. Experiment with the "cadence" of Isolate Layers and Restore Layers. Select Isolate Layers, pick
the layer(s) to isolate and then press Enter twice. Then select Restore Layers.
17. Next, you will connect up the edge of pavement. Select the Draw -- 2D Polyline command. Again, a dialog box might appear as shown below. If it does, make sure that
the options selected are the same. In the future you can choose not to see this box:
2D Polyline
Options
Click OK. Proceed as follows to connect up the edge of pavement:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 45-47,49-51

Press Enter at the next prompt to exit the command and create the road. Note how you can separate range entries using a comma.
18. To smooth the edge of the road, select the Edit -- Polyline Utilities -- Smooth Polylines command and set the values as shown below and click OK:
Smooth
Polylines
When prompted:

Select polylines to smooth.

[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: pick the edge of road polyline
[FILter/?]/<Select entities>: press Enter

19. To offset the smoothed edge-of-road polyline by 24 feet to make the opposite edge of the road, select the Edit -- Offset -- Standard Offset command and provide the
following responses:

Offset: ENTER for Through point/<Distance>: 24

[Undo]/<Select entity>: Pick the edge-of-road polyline
[Both sides]/<Side for parallel copy>: Pick to the right of the polyline
[Undo]/<Select entity>: press Enter
20. Now, select the View -- Isolate Layers command again. Pick on any of your linework and only the entities on the picked layers are displayed.
21. Next, you will draw the shed. Select the Draw -- 2D Polyline command. To draw a two-sided shed, connect points 5 through 7 as follows:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 5-7

Press Enter at the next prompt to exit the command and create two-sides of a shed as shown here:
Two-sided
Building

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22. Turn the 2-sided shed into a 4-sided shed by issuing the Survey -- 4 Sided Building command. Complete the command as follows:

Options/Points/<Pick a line or polyline>: Pick the shed

Options/Points/<Pick a line or polyline> (Enter to end): press Enter

Now the 2-sided building looks like this:

Four-sided
Building
23. Focus your attention on the area of tightly spaced points with point numbers ranging from 27 to 44. This is the driveway and paving area. In the case of the driveway,
assume that the surveyor who collected the points shot in 3-point arcs. They came up to a PC, shot a point on the arc, and finished up at the PT.

Click on the View -- Window and pick a lower left and upper right point that windows the driveway area. If you wish to use the View -- Previous command to zoom
out, then use View -- Window to zoom in again.

Select the Draw -- 2D Polyline command and walk the polyline through the two arcs as follows:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 27

[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 28
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: a
[Radius pt/radius Length/Arc length/Chord/Second pt/Undo/<Endpoint or point number>]: s (Use S for 3-pt arcs)
Second point or point number: 29
Endpoint or point number: 30
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 31
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: a
[Radius pt/radius Length/Arc length/Chord/Second pt/Undo/<Endpoint or point number>]: s
Second point or point number: 32
Endpoint or point number: 33
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter

In the above exercise you started at point 27, went to the PC at point 28 and inserted a 3-point arc through points 29 and 30. You proceeded on a tangent direction to
point 31, which was another PC, then completed a 3-point arc through points 32 and 33, and ended. Now, connect up the basketball court area. Run the Draw -- 2D
Polyline (or press Enter to repeat the previous command).

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 27

[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 44
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 43-39 (you can enter "backwards" ranges)
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: a
[Radius pt/radius Length/Arc length/Chord/Second pt/Undo/<Endpoint or point number>]: s
Second point or point number: 38
Endpoint or point number: 37
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 36
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: a
[Radius pt/radius Length/Arc length/Chord/Second pt/Undo/<Endpoint or point number>]: s
Second point or point number: 35
Endpoint or point number: 34
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter

Shown below is your drawing to this point.

Plat
Progress
24. Next you will make a building footprint. Points 18 and 19 are two shot corners of a building and assume that the surveyors taped the main house, going clockwise from
point 18, as follows:

10'L, 20'R, 40'L, 20'R, 20'L, 83'L, 60'L, 23'L, 10'R.

Let's begin by using the 2D Polyline (keyin 2dp) command to draw the first wall:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 18

[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 19
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter

You can easily create the building "jogs" through the Edit -- Extend -- by Distance command. Complete the prompts as follows:

Pick arc, line or polyline to extend: pick the building line closer to point 18 (This makes the arrow point toward 18 rather than 19. Now you can go clockwise:)
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L10 (lower case "l" and "r" also work)
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): R20
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L40
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): R20
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L20
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L83
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L60
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L23
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): C
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): press Enter

25. Next, you will complete the linework for the sewer line and the electric utility line. Use the View -- Extents (keyin ze) command so you can see all your points.

The sewer line runs from points 52 to 53 to 54. Use the 2D Polyline command and create the sewer line as follows:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 52-54

[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter

To annotate the sewer line with an S, initiate the Annotate -- Line Types -- Change Polyline Linetype command as used earlier. Within the dialog box, set the Spacing
Scaler to 1.5. This will label "S" on the sewer line every 1.5" when plotted at the current scale (1"=100'). Then select the Sewer linetype from the list, and then select
the sewer polyline that runs next to the road. The polyline will be annotated.

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Next, create the electric utility line with the 2D Polyline which runs from point 3 to point 4 to point 17:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 3

[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 4
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 17
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter

No points were taken beyond point 17, due to obstructions from the various setups in the field. So you must extend the polyline from point 17 to beyond the property.
Click the Edit -- Extend -- By Distance command as used earlier. Pick on the electric utility polyline near point 17. Then pick beyond the property line and press Enter
to end.

Before you annotate the electric utility line, you must offset it 25' on both sides, for a 50' total right-of-way. You will do this using Edit -- Offset -- Standard Offset
command. Enter the offset distance of 25. Pick the electric utility polyline and then pick to one side for the first offset. Repeat for the other side, by first picking the
electric utility polyline, then picking the other side for the offset. Press Enter to end.

The next task will be to annotate the central electric line using the Annotate -- Line Types -- Polyline to Special Line command. Choose the Electric linetype, which
appears on the third page of linetypes and then click OK. Then select the electric utility polyline to annotate it, and press Enter.
26. Next, make the Property lines bold. Use the Edit -- Polyline Utilities -- Change Polyline Width command and provide the responses as indicated:

New width <0.00>: 1.5

Select polylines to change width of.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: Pick once for the fence line portion
[FILter]/<Select entities>: Pick once for the remaining property lines
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

27. To add color and improve layer management, make a layer for your road and driveway. Select the View -- Layer Control command.
Click the New Layer button, and enter the name Road for the new layer.
Choose the color Cyan by clicking the color square to the right of the layer name.
Close the dialog.
Initiate the View -- Change Layer command. When prompted:

Select entities to be changed.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: Pick all driveway and road entities
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Specify new layer [Name/Current/<pick entity>]: n

This brings up the dialog box shown below. Select Road and click OK.
Select Layer

Your linework is now complete and is shown below:

Changed
Layers
28. You will add symbols for trees, property corners, manholes and a light pole. Start with the trees. Points 11, 12, and 20 are oak trees of different sizes, and point 14 is a
pine tree. Use symbol 61 for the deciduous oak trees and symbol 53 for the pine tree. We'll use the Draw -- Symbols -- Insert Symbols command. The following dialog
box appears:
Insert
Symbol
The various items to place are summarized below:

Small Deciduous Tree: Symbol: SPT61, Layer: Trees, Size: 18

Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: 11
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: 20
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: press Enter

Press Enter to re-run the command for:

Large Deciduous Tree: Symbol: SPT61, Layer: Trees, Size: 24
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: 12
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: press Enter

Press Enter to re-run the command for:

Small Coniferous Tree: Symbol: SPT53, Layer: Trees, Size: 8
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: 14
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: press Enter

Press Enter to re-run the command for:

Found Iron Pins: Symbol: SPT5, Layer: FINAL, Size: 8

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Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: 8-10,15

Wildcard match of point description <*>: press Enter
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: press Enter

Press Enter to re-run the command for:

Concrete Monument: Symbol: SPT13, Layer: FINAL, Size: 8
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: 13
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: press Enter

Press Enter to re-run the command for:

Sewer Manholes: Symbol: SPT34, Layer: FINAL, Size: 8
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: s (the following dialog box appears, click OK:)
Insert_Sym
bol_1
Select arcs, circles, faces, points, text, lines and polylines.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the Sewer polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter to terminate the selection option
Options/Select entities/Enter coords/<Pick point or point numbers>: press Enter

The symbols are inserted at the three polyline endpoints.

29. Reduce clutter by selecting the View -- Freeze Layer by Selection command and picking a point number. The points freeze, leaving only linework and symbols. To
bring the points back, use the View -- Thaw Layer command. The Freeze Layer/Thaw Layer commands go together, just like the Isolate Layers/Restore Layers
commands.
30. Next, you will create (in reduced size) your building dimensions. You can set the building dimension text size for the current work session using the Annotate -- Survey
Text -- Survey Text Defaults command. The following dialog box appears:
Survey Text Defaults

The changes you will make are in the upper-left section "Building Dimensions." Change the following:
set the Layer to BTXT, so that building dimensions can be frozen to reduce the clutter even more. It is generally a good strategy to use layers for selective
freezing and thawing.
set the Text Size Scaler to 0.04
enable the Drop Trailing Zeros (this option will label 17.0' as 17').
set the Offset From Line to 0.02.
Click OK on the above dialog box. Run the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Building Dimensions command. Click on the middle of the bottom segment of the building and
then drag the alignment to the right, along the same bottom segment being dimensioned. The resulting label is shown below.

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Building Dimension

If you had dragged the cursor to the left rather than to the right, with the same near-parallel angle to the line, the 83' would be drawn below the building rather than
above.

Another example is shown below. Select Annotate -- Survey Text -- Building Dimensions and click on the left-most segment of the building. Then click roughly
perpendicular to the left. This creates a perpendicular, rather than parallel, label as shown below.
Building
Dimension
Label the rest of the building. Notice that the sides of the building that you are dimensioning are measured in even feet. Because you had selected the Drop Trailing
Zeros option when you set the Survey Text Defaults (and even with the Decimal Places defaulting to 0.00), the ".00" is not reflected in the labels:
Completed Building
Dimensions
NOTE: If you choose the wrong direction while you are labeling, a suggestion would be to re-pick the segment and place it in the correct direction and complete the
command. Then Erase the undesired label(s) at the conclusion of the command.
31. Next, you will label the offset dimension from property lines to two building corners, the SE corner as offset from the south property line, and the SW corner as offset
from the west property line. Because of the options you set in the Survey Text Defaults dialog box above, Offset Dimensions will be created on layer DIMENTXT,
and they will be horizontal, with arrowheads.

Re-issue the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Survey Text Defaults command. The dialog previously shown will reappear. Change the following in the Offset Dimension
Text grouping:
set the Text Size Scaler to 0.04
set the Arrow Size Scaler to 0.04
enable the Dual Arrows Line option
Click OK on the above dialog box. Run the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Offset Dimensions command and complete the prompts:

[end on] Pick Bldg/Object Corner: pick on the SE building corner

[perp] Pick Line To Offset From: pick on the South property line (before the arc, near the end of the driveway)

The setback is labeled 43.49'. Note the distance suffix is/was labeled as an apostrophe "'" rather than "ft." If you desire an alternate label, re-examine the Characters to
Append control of the Survey Text Defaults command.

Re-issue the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Survey Text Defaults command. The dialog previously shown will reappear. Change the following:
set the Text Alignment to Parallel
Click OK on the above dialog box. Run the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Offset Dimensions command again and complete the prompts:

[end on] Pick Bldg/Object Corner: pick on the SW building corner

[perp] Pick Line To Offset From: pick on the West property line (avoid the electric right-of-way lin

The result is shown below:

Completed Building Set-
backs
Notice within the above prompts, the use of the [end on] and [perp] snaps. When Carlson sets a snap for temporary use, it displays the snap within the brackets as
shown. A building corner is always an endpoint, so the end snap always applies to the first pick. The offset is the perpendicular distance to the property lines, so the
[perp] snap always applies to the second pick. The per (perpendicular) snap applies to offsets from arcs as well. In the case of arcs, the per snap finds the shortest,
radial distance to the arc.

You could use the Offset Dimension command to label the Electric utility right-of-way distance of 50' total by entering nea (for nearest snap) for the first pick, then
entering the default per snap for the second pick on the other side of the right-of-way.
32. Next, you will add adjoiner ownership text to the property lines. Annotate -- Survey Text -- Survey Text Defaults command. The dialog previously shown will
reappear. Change the following:
set the Adjoiner Text Justification to C for centered
set the Text Size Scaler to 0.06
Click OK on the above dialog box. Run the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Adjoiner Text command and complete the prompts:

Pick Line Or Polyline: pick the west property line

Starting point: pick a centering point west of the property for the adjoiner text
Enter text at the cursor, press Enter to finish the command... supply the text as follows:

Brian W. and Mary T. Jones (press Enter)

D.B. 101, P. 37 (press Enter twice)

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This produces parallel, center-justified text on the west side of the property. Press Enter to repeat the command and complete the following prompts:

Pick Line Or Polyline: pick the north property line

Starting point: pick a centering point north of the north property line
Enter text at the cursor, press Enter to finish the command... supply the text as follows:

Stan W. Bosworth (press Enter)

D.B. 94, P. 272 (press Enter twice)

The results are shown here:

Completed Adjoiner
Text
33. Next, you will add bearing annotation. Select the Annotate -- Angle/Distance -- BearingDistance_ option to place Bearing and Distance above the line and follow the
prompts below:

Select line or polyline [Size/Points]: pick the northern property line to the east, or right side. The bearing direction will be labeled towards the picked end, which is
Northeast.
Select line or polyline [Size/Points] (Enter to end): pick the eastern property line closest to the southern endpoint of the line
Select line or polyline [Size/Points] (Enter to end): press Enter

To label the western property line on the lower (western) side of the line, select the the Annotate -- Angle/Distance -- _BearingDistance option to place Bearing and
Distance below the line and follow the prompts below:

Select line or polyline [Size/Points]: pick the western property line closest to the northern endpoint of the line
Select line or polyline [Size/Points] (Enter to end): press Enter

To label the southern line segment with a leader, run the Annotate -- Annotate with Leader -- Brg-Dist with Leader command and follow the prompts below:

Select line or polyline [Options/Size/Points]: pick the southern property line segment on the southwest side
Pick end point for leader: pick a point for the label position
Select line or polyline [Options/Size/Points] (Enter to end): press Enter
34. Next, you will want to annotate the arc in the drawing. The label will consist of four entries: arc length, radius, chord bearing (direction) and chord distance. Run the
Annotate -- Annotate Arc -- Stack Label Arc Pick Side command and follow the prompts below:

Options/Points/<Select arc>: type O for Options and the Stack Label Arc dialog box appears
Stack Label Arc Options

Set the sequence column to 1, 2, 3 and 4 as shown. When you are done with the dialog box, click OK to resume the command prompts:
Options/Points/<Select arc> (Enter to end): pick the arc
Pick end point for leader: pick a point to the right to place the label. As the cursor moves, the text "ghosts" which allows you to make the best possible placement
decision
Options/Points/<Select arc> (Enter to end): press Enter
35. Next, you will label the trees, the shed, and the building using a special leader, for a hand-drafted appearance. Use the Draw -- Leader -- Special Leader command
which displays the following dialog box:

Draw_Le
ader
Click OK and complete the prompts as follows:

Options/Size/Pick Arrow Location: pick near the southernmost corner of the shed
Text location: pick slightly down and to the right
Text: Shed
Text: press Enter

Repeat the process for all the special leader text items shown in the drawing below. In the case of the 18" Oak trees, create just one leader with text and on the second
oak tree, create only the leader and then press Enter when asked for Text.

Your drawing should be similar to this one:

Screen_Imag
e_15
36. You can add a North Arrow and Bar Scale by selecting these options under the Annotate menu. When you place the North Arrow, pick your North Arrow symbol,
maybe change the scale, and click OK. Then pick an insertion point. You place the Bar Scale by answering the prompts and picking a location. Both the North Arrow

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and the Bar Scale can be moved to desired locations with the Edit -- Move command.
37. Next, you will insert a title block with a border. Select the Settings -- Title Block -- Standard command to display the dialog box below:
Create Title
Block
Choose paper size A1 (portrait view, 8½ by 11) and click OK. Pick a point below and to the left of the survey in order to locate the lower-left corner of the border outer
line. Remember that the title block will be at the bottom, so leave extra room at the bottom.

The following dialog appears, prompting you for the attributes of the title block. Be sure to also click Next in order to enter in more attributes.
Title Block Attributes

Your drawing should resemble the one shown below:

Plat with Title
Block
38. Our next task will add a legend. Pick the Annotate -- Draw Legend command. Choose the New tab and then open a default legend name (i.e. Plat1). When the dialog
box appears, select Add from Drawing. Window select each symbol/linetype you want to appear in the legend and press Enter. You will then see the symbols that you
picked listed.

If you want to change the order of the items in the list, use the Move Up and Move Down buttons, after first selecting and highlighting the item to be moved. After the
list is ordered correctly, highlight one item on the list and click the Edit button to edit the symbol definition. Edit each symbol definition individually and type the
following descriptions in the description box:
SPT5 = Iron Pin
SPT13 = Concrete Monument
SPT34 = Manhole
SPT53 = Pine Tree
SPT61 = Oak Tree
Below is the symbol definition, with Description, for SPT13:
Edit Symbol
Legend
Save the completed legend which is shown below:
Legend_Defini
tions
Select the Draw option from the Legend Definitions dialog box. Set the defaults as shown below:
Draw_Le
gend
Click OK. Pick a point for the legend at a coordinate location approximately at 5311.5,4275 (CAD coordinates) then click Exit. You may need to adjust the position
and/or portions of the legend to fit in the tight space. You also may need to move the previously drawn bar scale. Use the Move command to do this. The following
shows the drawing to this point:
Drawing with
Legend
NOTE: If you wish to reset the spacing of the sewer and electric utility annotation, set a desired value for the LTSCALE box in the Settings -- Drawing Setup dialog
box (the setting is 50 in this example).
39. Next, you will use DText (Dynamic Text) to label the road and MText (Multiline Text) to create a certification block. Zoom in on the area shown below:
Road
Annotation
At the command line, type dtext and complete the following prompts:

Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: j

Enter an option [Left/Center/Right/Align/Middle/Fit/TL/TC/TR/ML/MC/MR/BL/BC/BR]: r
Right point of text: pick a point as shown below, just to the left of the leader annotation
Height of text <8.00>: 10
Rotation angle of text <E>: pick a point as shown below by the location of the crosshair
Text: Meadow Lane
Text: press Enter

This right-justifies the label Meadow Lane, ending it before it contacts the leader line.

Now you will enter a certification using MText. The MText command stretches an entire block of text. This command breaks up the lines in the block of text depending
on how you edit and adjust the MText window. First, use the View -- Extents command to view the entire drawing. Then type mtext at the command line and follow
the prompts:

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Multiline Text: First corner for block of text: 5660,4980 (or pick an approximate location)
[Justification/Rotation/Style/Height/Width]/<Opposite corner for block of text>: pick a point below and to the right of the first, but inside the inside border line

You now see the MText interface that displays word-processing style editing options. Indicate text height of 8 (press Enter to commit) then type the following into the
dialog box:

Surveyor's Certification

I do hereby certify that the survey shown heron was performed under my direction by method of random traverse and that the error of closure was 1:52544.

____________________
John Doe, PLS #1234

The command "wraps" the text when it runs out of space in the MText window. Click OK at the upper right to place this text into the drawing.

After the MText is placed, you can click on the text to activate the grips. All four corners highlight as grips. When you pick on a grip, you can expand or change the
shape of the MText rectangle. When you do this the text adjusts automatically, wrapping into more or fewer lines of text based on the size of the MText window. You
can also move the entire text block to a new location.
40. Next, you will define a text style and then add text using that style. Use the Draw -- Text -- Set Style command to display the dialog box below:
Text Style
Manager
Click New, enter Bold in the New Text Style dialog, and click OK.
Define the Bold style consisting of the Arial Black font and an Oblique Angle of 10° by entering the settings as show below:
New Text
Style
Then click OK. Now, run the DText command by typing dtext at the command line, and place the text at the top of the drawing as follows:

Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: pick a point near the northwest corner of the drawing
Height of text <8.00>: 20
Rotation angle of text <N53d56'51"E>: E (for due East)
Text: William T. Farmer
Text: press Enter
41. Next, you will create an area label for the drawing. Select the Area/Layout -- Area Defaults command. Select the Acres entry and click Edit to change the Precision for
the Acres labels to 2 decimal places. Click OK to dismiss the Acres settings dialog box and click OK to dismiss the Area Defaults dialog box.

Select the Area/Layout -- Area by Lines & Arcs command. When prompted to Select objects, pick the two polylines that taken together, completely enclose the
property.

Pick an area labeling centering point for the area label under the William T. Farmer title at the top of the drawing.
42. Next, bring the points back and draw a contour map. To re-see the points, use the View -- Thaw/On All Layer command.

Initiate the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command. On the Triangulate tab, set the following values:
Triangulate and
Contour
Also make sure to enable the Use Inclusion/Exclusion Areas option. Navigate to the Contour tab and set the Contour Interval to 1.0. Click OK and then answer as
follows:

Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter for none.
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: select the building and the shed, and then press Enter. Since the building and shed are closed polygons acting as exclusion perimeters, the
contours will not pass through them when they are created.
Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: all
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

The contour map is created. Freeze the points again by using View -- Freeze Layer by Select and picking one of the points.
43. Next, label the contours (this could have also been accomplished via the Triangulate & Contour interface but this approach gives us more control). Run the Surface --
Contour Utilities -- Contour Elevation Label command. Select OK after matching the settings in the dialog box shown here:
Label Contour
Settings
Specify the surface model (*.tin) created earlier and click the Open button on the Carlson File Selector dialog box. Now pick two points that cross through one or more
Index contours. The contours are automatically labeled using the specified text style.

The Completed Plat is shown here:

Completed
Plat

If you have not saved your drawing for awhile, now is a good time to do it. Use the File -- Save command.

This completes the Lesson 2 tutorial: Making a Plat.

Field to Finish for Faster Drafting

In this lesson, you will make a plat using "Field to Finish" techniques, with the help of the Startup Wizard.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick New Drawing.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click New.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click the File -- New command.
NOTE: If you want to consistently use the Startup Wizard, issue the Settings -- Carlson Configure -- General Settings and enable the Use Startup Wizard
option. Click OK to dismiss the dialog boxes. The Startup Wizard will be used the next time the software is started.
The first of several Startup Wizard dialog boxes appears:
a. Choose the DWG document type and the desire to base the document on a Drawing Template as illustrated below and then click Next >:

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New
DWG
b. Choose the carlson.dwt as illustrated below (or surv.dwt if carlson.dwt is not available) and click Finish:
Templat
e File
c. We can now begin the more pertinent settings for the project to come based on some preliminary settings that should be similar to the default scenario shown
below:
Startup Drawing
Wizard
Click Set at the top of the dialog box, and enter in a NEW Drawing Name called Plat3. Verify that the other settings match the settings shown below, and click
Next.
d. You will see the Startup Wizard Data Files dialog to set/confirm where to store data and indicate an information source for points/coordinates. Set/match the
values as shown below and click Next:
Startup Wizard Data
Files
e. The Import Text/ASCII File dialog box appears. Our source is the same file as in Lesson 2 (e.g. the ASCII-based Plat.txt file). Click the Select Text/ASCII Files
button and navigate to and choose the C:\Carlson Projects\Plat.txt file and click Open when ready. Set the other values as shown in the dialog box below paying
particular attention to the Draw Points toward the bottom of the dialog box and click OK when ready:
Import Text/ASCII Files

f. When you complete the import, the following dialog box appears (click OK to dismiss):
Carlson Confirmation
Message
g. A Draw Points confirmation dialog box displays. Set/confirm the Field to Finish option, and click Next:
Data Import
Wizard
h. If this is your first time running Field-To-Finish, then the program will prompt to select a Field Code Definition file. In this case, select the C:\Carlson
Projects\Settings\carlson.fld file and click Open when ready.
i. A dialog box now appears with a warning that some codes have two descriptions:
Possible Muitiple Codes
Found
The command is asking whether these codes are to be treated as two separate descriptions, or as one description that has a space in it. Choose the Split all
multiple codes to tell the command that codes with spaces are really two separate descriptions and click OK.
j. We are about ready to place the Field to Finish data into the drawing. Take a moment to review (and optionally set) the values shown below:
Draw Field to
Finish
k. Let's review/set some additional options. Click Additional Draw Options to display the dialog box below:
Additional Draw
Options
Set as shown above. Click OK for the Additional Draw Options and then click OK for the Draw Field to Finish dialog box.
Draw Field to Finish now draws the points and linework. Draw Field to Finish saves you many manual steps. Your plat is shown below:
Drawn Field to
Finish
Verify the Survey module is loaded by clicking Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu.
2. To understand how the above drawing was created, select Survey -- Draw Field to Finish command. If you are prompted about Possible Multiple Codes Found, accept
the default to Split all multiple codes option and click OK. On the Draw Field to Finish dialog box, select the Edit Codes button. This takes you to the Field to Finish
dialog box as shown below:

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Field to Finish

The display window shows a list of point codes, such as IP for iron pin and FL for fence line, that are converted to special symbols and linetypes by Draw Field to
Finish. For an example of how the codes are used, look at the sewer line running from point 52 to 53 to 54 (the southernmost point), which is based on a field code of
MH. Select the Utilities category and select the MH (for Manhole) code as shown above, and then click Edit. The following dialog box is displayed:
Edit Field Code Definition

The MH code has several attributes that are used by Draw Field to Finish. For this code, Draw Field to Finish:
places the manhole on layer SEWER
labels a text description of MANHOLE underneath the symbol (Descriptions can be upper or lower case)
Click on the Symbol tab and notice that it draws a manhole using the symbol SPT34
Click on the Linetype and notice that it draws a sewer line with the letter S (for Sewer)
When you are done looking at the MH field code definition dialog, click OK.

Other codes have different attributes:

LP is set only to draw a symbol and text (Light Pole), but not to draw linework
FL (for fence line) is set to draw linework but not corner symbols or points descriptions
The CAD symbology attributes for a code depends on the entries in the Layer, Description, Entity Type, Set Symbol and Set Linetype options (among others).

The "Carlson.fld" Field to Finish code table is provided with Carlson Software. This table shows one possible system, but with likely far too many codes for a field
crew to remember. You can make your own code table by:
a. choosing the Code Table Settings option from the Field to Finish dialog box
b. choosing the Set button at the top right, and,
c. selecting the New or the Existing tab from the top of the Specify the Code Definition File dialog box.
Click Exit to dismiss the Field to Finish dialog box and then click OK to re-draw the data again.
3. Use the Inquiry -- Layer ID command to verify the layers of the various entities that have been placed into the drawing. Pick on the fence line, the road and the utility
line, and notice the different layers (FENCE, EOP, UTILITY). You can also use the Inquiry -- Drawing Inspector command to hover over entities to see their layer. You
should study the layers in a drawing before deciding what to freeze and thaw. To reduce clutter on the screen, select the View -- Layer Control command (the
appearance of this dialog box might vary from that shown below). Freeze the following layers by turning the sun into a snowflake:
PNTS

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PNTELEV
SPOT
Layers_Properties_Manager

Exit the Layer Manager when done.

4. Now you will do some drawing cleanup. Note that a single property line is drawn from point 8 to 9 to 10 and to 15. The chord from point 10 to 15 should be an arc. You
will erase the segment from 9 to 10 and from 10 to 15, so that you can re-draw it, establish the tangent, then draw the arc and finish back at point 1. Click Edit --
Polyline Utilities -- Remove Polyline -- Remove Polyline Segment command and follow the prompts below:

Mode: break polyline at removal

Select polyline segment to remove [Options]: Pick the segment from 9 to 10
Select polyline segment to remove (Enter to end): Pick the segment from 10 to 15
Select polyline segment to remove (Enter to end): press Enter

To draw the correct polyline, use the Draw -- 2D Polyline command (keyin 2dp). Presuming the Polyline 2D Options dialog box appears, use the Pick button to and
select the western property line to get its layer as shown below (this keeps the new linework and the existing linework on the same layer) and click OK and follow the
prompts below (these steps are also covered in Lesson 2):
2D Polyline
Options
2D Polyline Courses
Prompt(s) Response Narrative
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 9-10 This instructs the 2D polyline to be drawn through Points 9 and 10.
<Pick point or point numbers> a This indicates a tangential arc to be drawn starting from Point 10.
[Radius pt/radius Length/Arc length/Chord/Second pt/Undo/<Endpoint or
15 This indicates the arc shall terminate at Point 15.
point number>]:
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point This instructs the polyline to be drawn back to the starting point. The segment from
1
numbers>]: 15 to 1 is not guaranteed to be tangent to the previous arc.
press
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: This completes the needed polyline segments.
Enter
5. Turn the 2-sided shed into a 4-sided shed by issuing the Survey -- 4 Sided Building command. Complete the command as follows:

Options/Points/<Pick a line or polyline>: Pick the shed

Options/Points/<Pick a line or polyline> (Enter to end): press Enter

6. Next, we will create a building which will be less complex than the building you created in Lesson 2 but with an added twist. Thankfully, Field to Finish already
started one building wall segment for us. Click the Edit -- Extend -- by Distance command. Complete the prompts as follows:

Pick arc, line or polyline to extend: pick the western side of the small line segment west of the 12" pine and north of the driveway (This makes the arrow point toward
18 rather than 19. Now you can go clockwise:)
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): T50 ("T" or "t" means "total" distance or "to" the distance - so extend "to" 50 feet total)
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L62.5
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L35
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): L30
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): R15
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): C
Enter or pick distance to Draw (A,B,C,E,I,L,M,N,O,P,R,S,T,U,V,Z,?,Help): press Enter

In Extend by Distance, the "T" option (for total distance) solves the dilemma of making an existing line of unknown length extend to an exact known length. The end
result is shown below:
Parcel and Shed
Lines
7. NOTE: Not every drawing can (or should) be plotted "due North." Sometimes the plat needs to be oriented so that property lines and important features run nearly left-
to-right or top-to-bottom on the plotted page. In this drawing, you want the western line from point 8 to point 9 to run left-to-right on a sheet that will be plotted in
landscape style (longer left-to-right than top-to-bottom). Use the View -- Twist Screen -- Line, Polyline or Text command to accomplish this and follow the prompts
below:

Pick a line, polyline or text: pick the western line from point 8 to point 9, closer to point 9
Twist azimuth for selected POLYLINE (Use 90 for Due East) <90.0>: press Enter

Now the drawing appears as shown below:

Twisted
Screen
NOTE: Within CAD, the desired World Coordinate System (as indicated by the USCICON, if shown at the lower left) is still maintained and coordinate locations for
all points and directions of lines have not changed. In other words, only the orientation of the data on the screen has changed!
8. Much of the text in the above drawing, such as tree sizes and types, the manhole text, and the light pole text can be used in the final drawing. But some of the text, such
as the text placed for iron pins and poles, can be fully described in a Legend without the redundancy of plotting to the screen. However, if you use the Edit -- Erase
command to remove the iron pin and pole text, the entire point will be erased because the attributes are grouped with the point. Instead, use the Points -- Erase Point

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Attributes command and follow the prompts below:

Select attribute(s) to erase (Enter to end): pick the 3 poles and the 4 iron pins and then press Enter when complete

9. Let's correct the orientation of the attributes. Use the Points -- Twist Point Attributes command and follow the prompts below:

Twist by [<Twist screen>/Azimuth/Entity segment/Follow polyline]? press Enter for Twist Screen
Attributes to twist [<All>/Symbol/Name/Elevation/Description]? press Enter for All
Enter angle relative to current twist screen<45.0>:? 0 (press Enter)
Select points from screen, group, or by point number [<Screen>/Group/Number]? press Enter for Screen
Select Carlson Software points.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: all (press Enter)
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

The points then twist back orthogonal to the screen, reading once again from left-to-right.
10. The remaining descriptions associated with the points can be used in the final drawing, but they should be moved slightly for a better appearance. For example, the tree
descriptions would look better if they were not inside the tree canopies. Use the Points -- Move Point Attributes. The steps of the command are:

Select attribute(s) to move: pick an attribute to move

Displacement: pick the new location for the attribute
Rotation: press Enter to keep the existing orientation or pick the new orientation for the attribute

Then the command repeats. Notice how the text "ghosts" as it moves, which helps you place it in the best position. Try to duplicate this result:
Attribute Positions

11. Because of the earlier Twist Screen command, the E's in the electric utility polyline are upside down. Use the Edit -- Text -- Flip Selected Text command to correct this
through the prompt below:

Select the text to flip.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the upside down E's individually and then press Enter (see above image)
12. We wish to apply building dimension labels to the exterior of the building created earlier. Click the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Survey Text Defaults command and set
the Exterior option and set other values as shown below:
Survey Text Defaults

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Click OK when complete. Then click the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Building Dimensions command and pick on the house.
13. In preparation for the vector annotation to follow, let's check (set) some desired annotation values. Click the Annotate -- Annotate Defaults command. On the various
tabs, check/set the following:
General tab - Previous Labels: Erase
Angle tab - Bearing Annotation Precision: Deg, Min, Sec
Distance tab - Decimals: 0.00
Click OK when ready.
14. We now wish to annotate linear bearings and distance, as well as arcs. Pick Annotate -- Auto Annotate command. When the dialog box appears, under the Lines tab,
select the options you would like to use so that the bearings and distance labels appear as you would like and click OK. Then pick the three polylines that fully define
the perimeter:
the fence line
the polyline containing the arc
the lower polyline, which is still the western polyline although you have twisted the screen so that it runs along the lower portion of the drawing
Use the Move command to move the bearing and distance labels to avoid overwriting other features.

NOTE: When you move the lower bearing or distance label (the 404.90' or S 17°05'38" E bearing) to the left, you want to move perfectly level to the screen, since this
was the line you used to twist the screen, and it runs perfectly left-to-right. To do this, press the F8 function key to activate Orthogonal (ortho) mode. Then pick the
desired piece(s) of text and move it/them to the left, picking the final position. After you move the item(s), press F8 again to turn off Ortho. Sometimes you will load a
drawing from another client or source, and the Ortho setting has been left on. This may initially confuse you during the Move commands. Press F8 to deactivate Ortho.
Notice that F8 works even with Twist Screen active.
15. Auto Annotate may center the arc annotation above and/or below the arc, which may cause the arc data to overwrite the surveyed edge-of-pavement (EOP) polyline.
Let's experiment with some more precise annotation.

If needed, erase selected portions of the arc annotation via Edit -- Erase -- Select (keyin e). When prompted to Select objects:, simply click the pieces of arc annotation
and press Enter when complete:
Erase
Annotation
As needed, use the Annotate -- Annotate Arc -- Label Arc command to better control the placement of the arc annotation. When prompted, select the arc from the
screen. The Label Arc Settings dialog box appears:
Custom Arc Label

Experiment with:
locate the Arc Length and Radius inside and closest to the arc and in the order cied, and,
locating the Delta Angle inside the arc and a bit further from the arc, and,
replacing the "D" letter with the triangular Greek "Delta" letter as is often commonly practiced.
Click OK when ready. The new arc text might overwrite the 8" Pine and if it does, use the previously discussed Points -- Move Point Attributes command to relocate
the 8" Pine description. With the annotations placed in new positions, your drawing should be similar to the one shown below. Move your annotations to match this
drawing:

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Adjusted Annotation

16. Next, you will create an area label for the drawing. Select the Area/Layout -- Area Defaults command. Select the Sq. Feet entry and click Edit to change to the nearest
whole unit (no decimals) with a Text Size of 0.100 and Acres to 2 decimal places with a Text Size of 0.100. Click OK to dismiss the Acres settings dialog box and click
OK to dismiss the Area Defaults dialog box.

Select the Area/Layout -- Area by Lines & Arcs command. When prompted to Select objects, pick the three polylines that taken together, completely enclose the
property.

Pick an area labeling centering point for the area label approximately centered within the parcel as shown below:
Area Annotation

17. Before completing the final formatting of your drawing, you need to do some minor cleanup. Items we don't want to see prior to plotting are:
the symbol of Point 16 (the PL point)
the "hub" symbols (triangles)
We'll freeze these items via the View -- Freeze Layer by Pick command. Pick each of the items specified above and press Enter when done.

We'll complete the remainder of the cleanup process by manually freezing the PNTNO layer via the View -- Layer Control command. Locate the PNTNO layer and
turn the sun icon into a snowflake and close the Layer Control dialog box when complete.
18. To insert an A1 (8½ x 11) border and title block with a landscape orientation (not portrait), select the Settings -- Title Block -- Standard command to display this dialog
box.
Create_Title_
Block
Be sure the items above match your own. Click OK. For the insertion point, select a point at the very lower-left of the screen, so that your drawing plan entities fit
inside the border and somewhat nearer to the top. Pick your screen location. You will then be prompted for the attributes of the title block. Fill them in and click OK.

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Edit_Block_Attributes

If you prefer, you can use the Edit -- Move (keyin m) command (pick the title block and two border perimeters) to a desired location. Refrain from moving the drawing
because you will change the coordinates if you do.
19. Click the Annotate -- Draw Legend command. Select the Existing tab and choose the .lgd file that you saved in Lesson 2 and click Open. Then select Draw and OK to
close out the dialog boxes that follow, and then click Exit.

Pick an upper-left location point in the available space to the lower-left of the plat. If you did not save a legend in Lesson 2 (or you skipped Lesson 2), follow the steps
in that lesson. As desired, you may use the Points -- Resize Point Attributes command and scale up the oak tree symbol in the Legend by a factor of 1.5.

Use the Annotate -- Survey Text -- Survey Text Defaults command. Change the Offset Dimension Text - Text Alignment to Horizontal and click OK. Then, click the
Annotate -- Survey Text -- Offset Dimensions command and pick the lower right corner of the building, and then the lowermost property line (in the current twist
screen position). This labels the offset dimension horizontal to the current twist screen.

Click the Annotate -- Draw North Arrow command and find and select the North Arrow symbol that is shown in the figure below. Change the Symbol Size Scaler, if
necessary. Click OK. Then pick an appropriate location and press Enter. Note how the arrow draws due North, respecting the twist screen.

Click the Annotate -- Bar Scale command and pick a location near the lower-left portion of the drawing.

Your drawing should now look similar to this:

20. Pick the Draw -- Hatch -- Standard Hatch command to display a dialog similar or as shown below:
Annotated Drawing

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Hatch and Gradient

a. Select the Gradient tab

b. Use the "..." color-picker and choose Index color 9 for Color 1 and Index color 8 for Color 2
c. Click the "Radially centered" tile
d. Click the Add: Pick internal points and when prompted, pick an internal point in the house and the shed, and press Enter
e. Enable the Create separate hatches toggle
f. Set the Layer to be BLDG (the same as the house and shed)
Click OK when ready.
21. To offset the EOP polyline:
1. First try using the Edit -- Offset -- Standard Offset command and try offsetting the edge-of-pavement polyline that runs roughly parallel to the sewer line. You
will see an error message because that object is a 3D Polyline, created by the Draw Field to Finish command.
2. To offset a 3D Polyline, you must use a command specifically designed to offset 3D Polylines. Use the Edit -- 3D Polyline Utilities -- Offset 3D Polyline
command. Enter the offset method as Interval, press OK.
Offset 3D
Polyline
When prompted:

Vertical/<Horizontal offset amount>: 30

Percent/Degree/Ratio/Vertical offset amount <0>: press Enter
Select a polyline to offset: pick the EOP polyline
Select side to offset [Both]: pick out and away from parcel for the other side of the road
Select a polyline to offset (Enter to end): press Enter
22. Before you add a title to the drawing, create a text style for the title. Use the Draw -- Text -- Set Style command to display the dialog box below:
Text Style
Manager
Click New, enter TITLE in the New Text Style dialog, and click OK.
Define the TITLE style consisting of the ic-romant.shx font (or romant.shx if using an AutoCAD-based platform) and an Oblique Angle of 10° by entering the settings
as show below:
New Text
Style
Then click OK. Now, run the DText command by typing dtext at the command line, and place the text at the top of the drawing as follows:

Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: J

Enter an option [Left/Center/Right/Align/Middle/Fit/TL/TC/TR/ML/MC/MR/BL/BC/BR]: c
Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]: pick a point near the top-right of the drawing
Height of text <8.00>: 20
Rotation angle of text <E>: pick a point to right of first point with <Ortho on> (F8), dynamically stretch right
Text: Farmer Survey (press Enter)
Text: April 5, 2021 (press Enter) Text: press Enter

Use the Edit -- Text -- Text Enlarge/Reduce command. When prompted for Scaling Multiplier, enter 0.8 and pick the date you just entered.
23. Verify your Horizontal plot scale through the Settings -- Drawing Setup command. Your drawing should have a Horizontal Scale of 100 with a Text Plot Size of 0.08.
Change the Text Plot Size to 0.06 to shrink the building labels we are about to place and click OK.

Click Draw -- Leader -- Leader with Text command and follow the prompts below:

Options/Size/Pick Arrow Location: nea (we want to use a NEArest snap)

Snap to NEA of: pick near or on the left side of the house
To point: pick off to the left
Next point (Enter to end): press Enter
Text: 2-Story
Text: Farm House
Text: press Enter
24. Initiate the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command. On the Triangulate tab, set the following values:
Triangulate and Contour -
Triangulate

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Also make sure to enable the Use Inclusion/Exclusion Areas option. Navigate to the Contour tab and set the values as shown below:
Triangulate and Contour -
Contours
Click on the Labels tab and match the following dialog:
Triangulate and Contour -
Labels
Click on the Selection tab and fill out to match the following:
Triangulate and Contour -
Selection
Press OK and then answer as follows:

Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter for none.
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: select the outlines of the building and the shed, and then press Enter
Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter (we're going to fetch the coordinates out of a specified coordinate file)
Select Coordinate File to Read (dialog): plat3.crd (and click Open)
Points to Triangulate (dialog): click OK

The contour map is created. The final drawing will look similar to this:
Completed Plat

This completes the Lesson 3 tutorial: Field to Finish for Faster Drafting.

Intersections and Subdivisions

In this lesson you will create a basic subdivision including a street intersection. You will make the subdivision from a drawing file named Plat4.dwg.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Plat4.dwg file.
Open
Dialog
Verify the Survey module is loaded by clicking Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu.
2. We'd like to establish a starting coordinate for a street centerline to follow. Select the Points -- Draw-Locate Points command and obtain the dialog shown below:
Draw Locate
Points
At the top, change the symbol to SPT0 by picking Select at the very top of the dialog, and choosing symbol SPT0 from the dialog of symbol choices (not shown here).
Disable the prompting and labeling for Descriptions, Elevations and Locate on Real Z Axis (make them blank as shown). Match the other entries as shown (which are
mostly the default conditions) and click Enter and Assign at the lower left and respond to the prompts as follows:

Enter North(y): 4809.17

East(x): 4391.28

The program will recognize that you have not yet started a coordinate file, so click the New tab and enter the File Name as Plat4.crd (which should be the default). If
you enter Plat4, you do not need to enter the extension .crd. The program will add extensions automatically. You will see this:
Coordinate File to
Process
Click Open. You will be prompted again:

Enter North(y): press Enter

3. We'd like to start the creation of a roadway centerline. Select the COGO -- Traverse command (or alternately just enter T at the command line. T is one of several

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"hotkeys." Other hotkeys are I for Inverse and SS for Sideshot). We're going to traverse from PI to PI (to the two endpoints of our centerline) so reply to the prompts as
follows:

Traverse, Line OFF, RAW FILE OFF

Occupied Point ?
Pick point or point number: 1
Exit/Help/Options/Arc/Points/Line/SideShot/Inverse/Angle-Bearing Code <7>: 1
Enter Bearing Angle (dd.mmss) <90.0000>: 58.1848
Points/<Distance>: 736.73
Exit/Help/Options/Arc/Points/Line/SideShot/Inverse/Angle-Bearing Code <1>: e (to exit)

You could keep on traversing, but we will stop here to review. You have created point 2, traversing NE from point 1. To review, code:
1 is for NE
2 for SE
3 for SW
4 for NW
5 for Azimuth
6 for Angle Left
7 for Angle Right
8 for Deflection Left
9 for Deflection Right
This is the standard way that traverses and sideshots are entered in Carlson with a code entry (followed by Enter), then the angle or bearing entry (followed by Enter).
Lesson 1: Entering a Deed, presented another method, where the angle and bearing are together in the form of 158.1848. That is a rare form, designed to save
keystrokes, and used primarily only in Enter Deed Description. Now you have been exposed to both!
4. Let's explore the including linework with the traverse information. Click COGO -- Line On/Off to turn on simultaneous linework with traversing. This command
toggles on and off each time you click it, with the On status indicated by a check mark. Now repeat the Traverse command (try T at the command line and follow the
prompts below:

Traverse, Line ON, RAW FILE OFF

Exit/Help/Options/Arc/Points/Line/SideShot/Inverse/Angle-Bearing Code <1>: 2
Enter Bearing Angle (dd.mmss) <90.0000>: 75.0627
Points/<Distance>: 553.69
Exit/Help/Options/Arc/Points/Line/SideShot/Inverse/Angle-Bearing Code <2>: e (to exit)

5. We'd like to draw a polyline from Point 1 to Point 2 and then connect the segments together (we could have turned linework with traverse on before we got started, but
now we will do it after-the-fact for illustrative purposes). Pick the Draw -- 2D Polyline command (or simply type-in 2DP at the command line) which starts the Carlson
enhanced Polyline command. If the Polyline 2D Options dialog box appears, set the values shown below and click the OK button:
2D Polyline
Options
[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 1-2
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter to end

Now we have two vector entities. The first, from point 2 to point 3 is a Line. The second, from point 1 to point 2, is a Polyline (even though it is only one segment
long). It will (by default) be a lightweight polyline (LWPOLYLINE). This can be verified by picking it using the Inquiry -- List. Polylines are linked combinations of
one or more line/arc segments that behave as one unit. Carlson encourages the use of polylines versus lines because they offset as a unit, will take on a thickness or
width, are easier to select and have superior editing capabilities.

NOTE: Many entities (e.g. lines, arcs, etc) can be turned into a polyline by issuing the Edit -- Polyline Utilities -- Entities to Polyline command but our next command
will also offer this functionality.

To join the polyline and line entities into a single polyline, pick the Edit -- Join Nearest and set the prompts to those shown below and click OK when ready:
Join Nearest
Options
Select lines, arcs and unclosed polylines to join [Settings].
Select entities: pick the polyline from 1 to 2 and the line from 2 to 3, and then press Enter for no more

Now, see the grips on the new polyline by picking it with the cursor. See how the whole thing highlights? That is proof that it is joined up as a polyline.
6. Let's design an arc with a 500' Radius by using the Draw -- Arc -- 2 Tangents,Radius command and following the prompts below:

Radius of Arc <0.000>: 500

[nea] Pick Point on 1st Tangent Line: pick on the 1st polyline segment closer to point 2
[nea] Pick Point on 2nd Tangent Line: pick on the 2nd polyline segment close to point 2

The arc draws in, and the centerline remains a polyline, now with 3 segments.
7. The Inverse command is a handy way to reset a new "occupied point" to get on a point to begin another traverse so let's practice inversing. Key-in I at the Command
prompt and inverse from point 1, then to point 2, then to point 3 then back to 1. Notice the results being echoed to the Command prompt window (pressing the F2
function button on most keyboards toggles the visibility of the text window results).

You can also inverse (go to) a snapped position on a line or polyline, such as the midpoint of an arc. Let's do that, because we want to traverse south from the midpoint
of the arc. Key-in I and follow the prompts below:

Calculate Bearing & Distance from starting point?

Traverse/SideShot/Options/Arc/Pick point or point number: mid (for midpoint snap of)
Snap to MID of: select the arc
Traverse/SideShot/Options/Arc/Multiple/Pick point or point number: T
Traverse, Line ON, RAW FILE OFF
Exit/Help/Options/Arc/Points/Line/SideShot/Inverse/Angle-Bearing Code <2>: press Enter
Enter Bearing Angle (dd.mmss) <75.0627>: 10.11
Points/<Distance>: 400
Exit/Help/Options/Arc/Points/Line/SideShot/Inverse/Angle-Bearing Code <2>: press E to exit

Notice that you can transition from Inverse, to Traverse, to Sideshot, etc, with these COGO options. We were in inverse, but we did T for traverse, and could have done
I for inverse to return to inverse. This cuts down on keystrokes, and adds to the sense of fluidity of the software.

Turn the resulting Line into a Polyline with the aforementioned Edit -- Polyline Utilities -- Entities to Polyline command as the following command requires Polyline
entities.

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8. We'd now like to create edge of pavement lines and form the intersection. Pick the Area/Layout -- Layout Utilities -- Offsets & Intersections command and follow the
prompts below:

Select all PRIMARY road polylines.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter (we will consider both these subdivision streets secondary)
Select all SECONDARY road polylines.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the main centerline and pick the side road
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Offsets and
Intersections
The street intersections are presented in a dynamic dialog as shown above. Try experimenting with different radii under the Secondary Roads column, then clicking
Calculate. The streets will re-draw in the upper graphical area. But after experimenting, change the four values under Secondary Roads to those shown (ignore Primary
Roads -- those don't apply here), and click Calculate. Then click Finish 2D. Note the drawn-out street intersection.

Now select the Inquiry -- Drawing Inspector command. Right click and make sure Layer is checked. Hover over the outside polyline (it is layer ROW). Hover over the
next polyline inwards from the outer polyline (it is layer EOP). For example, if you had clicked off EOP under the Draw column in the above dialog, the edge-of-
pavement polyline would not have drawn.
9. We'd now like to add some cul-de-sacs to the project. Click the Area/Layout -- Layout Utilities -- Cul-de-Sacs command. You may want to zoom into the area of the
bottom center, near point 4. When finished with the procedure below, zoom back out:

Select all offset polylines to end with cul-de-sac.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: form a crossing selection from right to left across the lower side road, selecting all 5 polylines (ROW-L, EOP-L, CL, EOP-R, ROW-R)
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Pick cul-de-sac center projection onto centerline: pick near the endpoint of the centerline of the lower side road near point 4. Make sure the pick is on the centerline
polyline, or the routine will say the centerline was not found.

This brings up the following dialog:

Design Cul de
Sac 1
Again, you can change the Fillet Radius and the Outside Radius on the EOP or ROW, click Calculate, and check out its effect (don't make the Outside radii too small
or it will fail to Calculate if there is no workable solution). Set values as shown above and then click on Finish 2D.
10. Repeat the Area/Layout -- Layout Utilities -- Cul-de-Sacs command to place a tear-dropped shape Cul-de-Sac:

Select all offset polylines to end with cul-de-sac.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: form a crossing selection pick from right to left across the right main road, selecting all 5 polylines (ROW-L, EOP-L, CL, EOP-R, ROW-R)
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Pick cul-de-sac center projection onto centerline: pick the endpoint of the centerline of the lower side road near point 3
Design Cul de
Sac 2
For a teardrop cul-de-sac, fill out the dialog as shown above then click on Calculate and Finish 2D.

NOTE: Teardrop cul-de-sacs allow moving vans and other large vehicles more turning room, and have been popular in many residential subdivision areas. Our drawing
now appears as shown below, with the exception of the filled reference dots:
Screen
Image 1
11. It's a good idea to create a layer and set it current before beginning the design process. Let's make a layer called LOTS using the View -- Layer Control command and
set the values as shown below:
Layer Properties
Manager
1. Click on for New layer
2. When Layer1 highlights, type over it with LOTS
3. Click under the Color column and change the color to Magenta
4. Click the (Set) Current button up top to make this layer current and then dismiss the dialog box

Our goal is to make 1-acre lots. The automated parcel creation tool prefers frontage lines that do not contain lots of zigs, zags, and jogs in the polylines as this may
cause the perpendicular offset logic to fail to find a solution (Lot sidelines will radiate perpendicular from the frontage polyline). Not only should the front and back
lines tend to run parallel with each other, but they should end at some point before the calculation runs into difficulty with impossible math.
12. Pick the Area/Layout -- Layout Utilities -- Lot Layout command. A dialog appears:
Lot
Layou
Fill out as shown. In particular, change the Remainder to Create Separate End Lot so that we force 1.000 acre lots and don't just get equal lots of some size such as
1.0017 (because the remainder lot that would not fit was added onto all lots). Using the Closed Polylines option means that our side lines will be doubled up, each lot
sharing a side line. Click OK.

Select front polyline: pick north ROW

[Offset/<Select back polyline>]: Pick northernmost polyline (the back property line)

The 1.00 acres lots are laid out as far as possible. However, due to the geometry, it is likely that more Lots are able to be generated. As it turns out, the direction of the
front polyline can have an impact on what is able to be created.
13. Let's reverse the direction of the front polyline to see what we get. Click the Edit -- Polyline Utilities -- Reverse Polyline command and when prompted:

Select polyline or line to reverse: pick the ROW polyline and shows phantom direction lines of the new current direction (which are automatically removed when the
command ends)

Re-run the Area/Layout -- Layout Utilities -- Lot Layout command. Use same dialog entries and when prompted:

Select front polyline: pick the ROW polyline in a convenient location

[Offset/<Select back polyline>]: pick the outer polyline at a convenient location

The result should look similar to that below, with the exception of the open reference dots:
Screen
Image 2
Let's clean this up for new work to follow:
Click the Edit -- Erase -- Standard Erase command and erase the Lot as shown above.
Let's remove polyline vertex locations which permits to keep parts of the Lots intact. Click Edit -- Polyline Utilities -- Remove Polyline -- Remove Polyline
Vertex and when prompted:

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Select polyline to remove from: pick one of the LOTS polyline (cue markers will display where vertex locations can be found)
Pick point to remove: pick one of the circled vertex locations shown above (the polyline changes shape)
Pick point to remove (Enter to end): pick the other indicated vertex location
Pick point to remove (Enter to end): press Enter

Re-run the Remove Polyline Vertex command by pressing Enter and repeat the process for the other Lot indicated
The Lots are now more regularly shaped but less than the 1 acre target area we desire.
14. Let's adjust the two smaller lots to the exact 1 acre target size we desire through the use of the Area/Layout -- Adjust Areas -- Sliding Side Area command as illustrated
below:
Sliding Side
Area
When prompted:

Define area by points or closed polyline [Points/<Linework>]? press Enter to accept the Linework option
Select polyline segment to adjust: pick the easterly-line of the Western lot as indicated by the dashed line
Keep existing polyline [Yes/<No>]? indicate the No response so the end result is a single lot polyline
Define new line by selected line, another line, angle or points [<Selected>/Line/Angle/Points]? press Enter to indicate the new lotline should be simply slid
(the current area is echoed for reference purposes)
Remainder/Yards/SF/<Enter target area (acres)>: type 1 to indicate the desired acreage size
Calculating ...
Done.

The new lot at the target size is drawn. Press the Enter key to repeat the command to adjust the westerly-line of the Eastern lot.
15. The lower back property line is still continuous. We can work with it in small pieces rather than as one big polyline. Say we want to break it at the inside corner
identified by the points B1 and B2 as cited in a previous image (reproduced below):
Break at
Intersection
To do this, use the Edit -- Break -- At Intersection command and when prompted:

Select Line, Arc, or Polyline to Break: pick the lower back property line
[app on] Pick Intersection to break at: pick the B1 intersection point

Press the Enter button to repeat the command to break the lower back property line at B2.
16. Our next task will be to draw a Polyline from the lower back property line to the Right-of-Way polyline. Use the Draw -- 2D Polyline command. If the Polyline 2D
Options dialog box appears, click the OK button:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: use a NEArest snap to start the polyline just south of B1
[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: use a PERpendicular snap to end the polyline at the ROW polyline
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter to end

Press Enter to re-run the command and repeat the process starting just south of B2.
17. We have just created two new lots, but the lots are not defined by one, single, closed polyline and are likely not the target 1 acre lot size. To verify the areas, select the
Area/Layout -- Area by Interior Point command. When prompted:

Pick point inside area perimeter: pick inside either (or both) of the new lots (the results are echoed to the Command line area)
Pick area label centering point (Enter for none): press Enter to end
Pick point inside area perimeter: press Enter to end

The lot(s) is/are probably not the 1 acre target. We wish to obtain the target size but would prefer to work with a closed polyline perimeter for the new lots.
18. We'll use the Draw -- Boundary Polyline command that will trace out the bounded perimeter (if available) for a point we pick. Set the values as shown below and click
OK when ready:
Boundary
Polyline
When prompted:

Pick an internal point: pick inside the new lot(s) (the new boundary polyline(s) are created).
19. We'll continue to create the lots at the target size. Re-issue the Area/Layout -- Adjust Areas -- Sliding Side Area command and adjust the southern property line of the
newly created lots. When completed, our layout should resemble that shown below:
Sliding Side
Area
20. Let's create the remaining lots. Re-issue the Edit -- Break -- At Intersection and when prompted:

Select Line, Arc, or Polyline to Break: pick the lower back property line
[app on] Pick Intersection to break at: pick a lower back property line break location cited in the image above

Press the Enter button to repeat the command to break the lower back property line at its other designated break point.

Press the Enter button in succession to repeat the command to break the right-of-way property line at its designated break points.
21. Re-issue the Area/Layout -- Layout Utilities -- Lot Layout command. A dialog appears:
Lot
Layou
Fill out as shown, except change the Remainder to Apply Equally to All Lots so that we force a minimum of 1.000 acre lots and spread the remainder equally between
the lots. Click OK and when prompted:

Select front polyline: pick the remaining ROW polyline

[Offset/<Select back polyline>]: pick the remaining lower back property line

The lots are laid out as evenly as possible and our completed site should resemble the following:
Completed
Lots
It may not be the most aesthetic subdivision, but we learned a lot of tools making it. But we're not done. There's some real automation ahead.
22. We have designed a subdivision, in effect, without point numbers. This is the beauty of CAD. But it is often desirable to make point numbers in order to stake-out the
subdivision. To do this, run the COGO -- Create Points from Entities which displays the following dialog box:
Create Points from
Entities
Set the Starting Point Number to 101 (helpful as our previously entered points [1-4] can be thought of as "control" points) and verify the dialog as shown and click
OK. A second dialog, covering what entities to capture, appears next:

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Entities to
Points
Accept the default settings and click OK. When prompted:

Select arcs, circles, faces, points, text, lines and polylines.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

All the point numbers for stakeout are created and stored into the active Coordinate File.
23. Our next goal is to number the lots, clockwise from the upper left. Use the Draw -- Sequential Numbers command which displays the following dialog box:
Sequential
Numbers
Click on the Select button to select a desired symbol to circumscribe our sequential numbers as illustrated below:
Select Symbols for
Numbers
Choose the circled text and click OK to return to the Sequential Numbers dialog box:
Sequential
Numbers 2
Set the Text value to 10 and the Text Size Scaler to 0.16 as shown and then click OK. When prompted:

Pick point for label position: pick near the center of the first upper left lot
Pick point for label alignment: press F8 for <Ortho on>, pick to the right

Now pick near the center of all of the lots, going clockwise and press Enter at the conclusion of the last lot. When complete, press F8 again to set Ortho off. The
resulting drawing, with point numbers, is shown below (enhanced for clarity):
Lots with
Numbers
24. Official Lot Files can be created whenever a lot number or name exists within a lot as the sole text (other text may be present but could/would/should be frozen). We
will play it safe and first freeze the points (PNTS) layer. Use the View -- Freeze Layer by Selection command and pick on one of the points.

Next, issue the Area/Layout -- Create Lots -- Lot File by Interior Text. Supply the Lot File to Process value as shown below and click the Open button:
Lot File to
Process
A dialog box will appear:
Lot File By Interior
Text_Options
Set the values as shown above and click OK. When prompted:

Select lot lines, polylines and text.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press the Enter button twice

The Lot File will be created.

NOTE: If we had not made points at all lot corners using Create Points from Entities command, the Lot File by Interior Text would create points at the Lot corners.
This is the reason for the Starting Point Number prompt. If points are found, no new ones are created. Lot files must have points at all the corners.
25. Before we look at the Lot File, let's finish up and perform area annotation on the upper Lots. Select the Area/Layout -- Area Defaults command:
Area
Defaults
Use the Remove < button to remove the Sq. Feet entry leaving only the Acres item in the Items Used portion of the dialog box. Use the Edit button to verify it is set to
plot to 3 decimal places (i.e. 0.000) and click OK to complete the command.

Now choose the Area/Layout -- Area by Interior Point command and when prompted:

Pick point inside area perimeter: pick inside Lot 10

Pick area label centering point (Enter for none): Pick near the center of Lot 10
Pick point inside area perimeter (Enter to end): repeat as prompted for Lots 11 through at least Lot 16 (continue with all Lots if you're so inclined) and press Enter when
complete

A detailed illustration is shown below:

Lot Number with
Area
NOTE: For precise centroid placement, consider the use of the transparent Centroid snap ('centroid).
26. Let's explore the Lots created earlier. Run the Area/Layout -- Lot File Manager command which displays the following dialog box:
Lot File
Manager
Pick on Lot 10 and click Report. This will lead to the Lot Report dialog box:
Lot
Repor
Be sure that your settings are as shown above and then click Lot Report:
Lot 10
Report
This dialog is typical of the many Carlson Standard Report Viewer dialogs. You can click on one or more lines, highlight them and hit the delete key on the keyboard,
and these lines will delete. You can edit lines directly in the dialog. You can also save the report to disk with the Save icon shown above. To exit, click the Exit
(Doorway) button. The Lot Manager dialog box returns.
27. The Edit Current option within the Lot Manager dialog box can be used to describe a lot by different point numbers, or to assign a lot to a different block. This is
explained here and shown below for reference purposes only:
Edi
t
With Lot 10 selected, click Edit Current to display the dialog box above. Note the graphic display in the lower half, which maps the Points associated with the Lot.
Also note the Northwest corner point number for Lot 10 as we'll use this information in the next step. Click Cancel and then Exit on the Lot Manager dialog box.
28. Presume you actually changed the point numbers that define Lot 10. That would cause the Lot to draw differently. Also, you could simply alter the coordinate values of
a point in the current Lot File. That would also cause the Lot to draw differently. Let's take the latter approach.

Remember the Northwest corner point number for Lot 10? Let's change its coordinate value. Issue the Points -- Edit Points command. A spreadsheet appears. Scroll
down to your point number (142 in the image cited above):
Coordinate Data
Sheet
Click on the Northing and edit it to 5050. This is for illustration purposes. In reality, you might be fine-tuning your subdivision design points. As long as the same
points define the lots, you are, in effect, able to make a ready-made new drawing. Once complete, issue (from the Coordinate Data Sheet dialog box) the File -- Save
and Exit option.

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29. Let's see what the change(s) look like in a brand new drawing. Before we draw the Lot File, save your drawing through the File -- Save command.

Then choose File -- New and exit the Startup Wizard (if it appears), and go straight to the Area/Layout -- Lot File Manager command is it also provides the tools for
drawing Lot Files into the drawing:
Lot File to
Process 2
From the Existing, select the *.lot file specified above and click Open. Follow this and select the existing Plat4.crd file from the earlier project. When the Lot
Manager dialog appears, choose all Lots by clicking Select All and then click Draw.
Lot
Manager
We have the ability to further define how the Lots are drawn and/or labeled:
Draw
Lots
Apply settings required or as shown in the image above and:
Click the Line/Curve Label Settings button to display the Auto-Annotate dialog box (also found under the Annotate menu) and set the values as shown below:
Auto
Annotate
Click its OK button when complete.
Click the Area Label Settings button to re-confirm the display the Area Defaults options discussed earlier (also found under the Area/Layout menu). Let's
reuse the Sq. Feet item to the Used Items as shown below:
Area
Defaults 2
Click its OK button when complete.
Click OK to draw the Lots and eventually return to the Lot Manager dialog box (click its Exit when complete).

This leads to the plot shown below (drawn at 1" = 60' for clarity), created entirely from stored Lot Files, and showing our revision of Lot 10:
Completed
Drawing

This completes the Lesson 4 tutorial: Intersections and Subdivisions.

SurvNET
This tutorial is divided into two lessons:

A. Processing an Assumed Coordinate System 2D Total Station Network

B. Processing a 3D Network With Both Total Station Data and GPS Vectors

General Rules For Collecting Data for Use in Least Squares Adjustments
Least Squares is very flexible in terms of how the survey data needs to be collected. Generally speaking, any combination of angles and distances, combined with a minimal
amount of control points and azimuths, are needed. This data can be collected in any order. But there needs to be at least some redundancy in the measurements.

Redundant measurements are measurements that are in excess of the minimum number needed to determine the unknown coordinates. Redundancy can be created by
including multiple GPS, and other control points, within a network or traverse. Measuring angles and distances to points in the network that have already been located create
redundancy. Running additional cut-off traverses, or additional traverses to existing control points, creates redundancy. Following are some general rules and tips in collecting
data for least squares reduction:

Backsights should be to point numbers. Some data collectors allow the user to backsight an azimuth not associated with a point number. SurvNET requires that all
backsights be associated with a point number.
There has to be at least a minimum amount of control. There has to be at least one control point. Additionally, there needs to be either one additional control point or a
reference azimuth. Control points can be entered in either the raw data file, or there can be a supplemental control point file containing the control point. Reference
azimuths are entered in the raw data file. The control points and azimuths do not need to be for the first points in the raw file. The control points and azimuths can be
associated with any point in the network or traverse. The control does not need to be adjacent to each other. It is permissible to have one control point on one side of the
project, and a reference azimuth on the other side of the project.
At least one of the control points needs to be occupied. There may be situations where no control point is ever occupied in the network, but only backsighted. In these
situations, a preliminary value for one of the occupied points needs to be computed and entered as a floating point control point.
Some data collectors do not allow the surveyor to shoot the same point twice using the same point number. SurvNET requires that all measurements to the same point
use a single point number. The raw data may need to be edited after it has been downloaded to the office computer to ensure that points are numbered correctly.
The majority of all problems in processing raw data are related to point number problems. Using the same point number twice to different points, not using the same
point number when shooting the same point, misnumbering backsights or foresights, and misnumbering control points are all common problems.
It is always best to explicitly define the control for the project. A good method is to put all the control for a project into a separate raw file. A big source of problems
with new users is a misunderstanding in defining their control for a project.
Some data collectors may have preliminary unadjusted coordinates included with the raw data. These coordinate records should be removed from the raw file. The only
coordinate values that should be in the raw file are the control points.
When a large project is not processing correctly, it is often useful to divide the project into several raw data files and debug and process each file separately, as it is
easier to debug small projects. Once the smaller projects are processing separately, they can be combined for a final combined adjustment.

It is suggested that Lesson 1 be completed before starting into Lesson 2. Throughout the lessons, we will cover the process of reducing and adjusting raw survey data into
final adjusted coordinates, using the SurvNET program. The tutorial will describe the reviewing and editing of the raw data prior to the processing of the raw data. Next, the
least squares project settings will be described, and then the final report generated from the least squares processing will be reviewed. Let's begin.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick New Drawing.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click New.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click the File -- New command.
The first of several Startup Wizard dialog boxes appears:
a. Choose the DWG document type and the desire to base the document on a Drawing Template as illustrated below and then click Next >:

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b. Choose the carlson.dwt as illustrated below (or surv.dwt if carlson.dwt is not available) and click Finish:

c. We can now begin the more pertinent settings for the project to come based on some preliminary settings that should be similar to the default scenario shown
below:

d. Click Set at the top of the dialog box, and enter in a NEW Drawing Name called SurvNetTut. Verify that the other settings match the settings shown below, and
click Next:

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e. You will see the Startup Wizard Data Files dialog to set/confirm where to store data and indicate an information source for points/coordinates. Set/match the
values as shown below and click Exit:

2. Lesson 1 - Processing an Assumed Coordinate System 2D Total Station Network. The raw data files associated with this tutorial are located in the Carlson Projects
folder, under the installation folder on your computer (example: C:\Carlson Projects). Activate the Survey menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu.
3. The easiest way to start the program is to issue the Survey -- SurvNET command as illustrated below:

This, in turn opens the following dialog box:

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Select the SurvNetTut01.prj project and click Open. This will open the default SurvNET project-tree docked dialog box interface as shown below where we will
process the contents of the SurvNetTut01.rw5 "raw" file:

4. Learning the meaning and implications of the different project settings is the most critical initial step in learning how to use SurvNET. Let's review the different project
screens. Click the Settings (Gear) button as shown below:

to display the dialog box below:

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NOTE: In this dialog, the different settings required for the Least Squares reduction are available in the different tabs of the dialog box. When all of the settings are set
as desired, click OK to save the changes.
Settings - Coordinate System: For the purpose of this tutorial, the Coordinate System settings tab should look as follows before proceeding to the next step. To
use an assumed coordinate system, the Local Coordinate System needs to be selected, and the 2D,1D Adjustment Model must be chosen. When using a local
coordinate system, the distance units are not important other than for display purposes in the report. Computing elevation factors and performing Geoid modeling
is not applicable to assumed datums. Notice that in this example we are not performing a vertical adjustment (make this and other changes as applicable):

Activate the Input Files tab. The Input Files settings is where you establish pertinent values for how the files are treated. SurvNET allows you to have multiple
raw files in a single project. The ability for multiple raw files allows flexibility in collecting the data and processing large projects. It is typically easier in a large
project to analyze and edit subsets of the total project, before combining all the data for a final adjustment. Notice that since we are working in a Local coordinate
system and using the 2D,1D Adjustment Model, GPS vectors cannot be incorporated into this project. Make any necessary changes to match the values shown
below:

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Activate the Preprocessing tab to review the Preprocessing settings. Preprocessing consists of reducing and averaging all the multiple measurements, applying
curvature and refraction correction, reducing the measurements to grid if appropriate, and computing unadjusted traverse closures if appropriate. Much of the data
validation is performed during the preprocessing step. For the purpose of this tutorial, the Preprocessing settings should look as follows before proceeding to the
next step:

Activate the Standard Errors tab to review the Standard Errors settings. Standard Errors are an estimate of the different errors you would expect to obtain based on
the type equipment and field procedures you used to collect the raw data. For example, if you are using a 5 second theodolite, you could expect the angles to be
measured within +/- 5 seconds (Reading error). The Standard Errors settings should look as follows before proceeding to the next step:

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Activate the Adjustment tab to review the Adjustment settings. The Adjustment settings affect how the actual Least Squares portion of the processing is
performed. Additionally, from the screen the user can set whether ALTA reporting is performed. The Adjustment settings should look as follows before
proceeding to the next step:

Activate the Output Options tab to review the Output Options settings. These settings apply only to the output of data to the report files. These settings do not
affect computational precision. For the purpose of this tutorial, the Output Options settings should look as follows before proceeding to the next step. Press OK
to return to the main SurvNET screen.

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5. Let's examine the underlying raw data associated with this project. Right+click on the file shown below and choose the Edit option:

6. The Carlson Edit-Process Raw File dialog box appears. If there are problems with the raw data (i.e. point numbering problems or incorrect rod heights), the raw data
can be edited from this dialog:

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Review the following Standard Errors and Control Points discussion before exiting the Raw File editor:
The default Standard Errors for points are defined in the Standard Errors tab of the Settings command as discussed earlier. There are times when the default
values may need to be overridden. For example, the control may be from GPS and the user has differing Standard Errors for various GPS points. Or maybe some
of the control points were collected with RTK methods, and other GPS points collected with more accurate static GPS methods. Standard Error for individual
points can be inserted into the raw data file that will supersede the otherwise default values. The following is the menu option used to insert Control Standard
Errors into the raw file:

Notice in the above raw data file that points TR1 and TR100 are the Control Points for this project. Also, notice there is a Standard Error record (CSE) preceding
the control points.
The CSE record has the Exclamation (!) character in the N,E,& Z field. The '!' character designates that all following control points will be "fixed." Points that are
fixed will not be adjusted during the adjustment. Placing a very small Standard Error on a control point is almost equivalent to fixing the point. Points can also be
designated to be floating points by using the Number sign (#) character. The only practical use of creating a floating point is if SurvNET cannot compute
preliminary coordinates because no control point is occupied. The surveyor can compute a preliminary value for one of the occupied points, and insert that point
as a floating point. The floating point will be adjusted, and no weight will be given to the floating coordinate values.
Standard Error records affect all the records that follow the Standard Error record. To revert the Standard Errors back to the default values, a CSE record can be
inserted containing the Asterix (*) character. In the following example (shown for illustrative purposes), point TR1 has been designated as a fixed point. TR100
has a Northing Standard Error of 0.02 and an Easting Standard Error of 0.01. Additionally, the Elevation for point TR100 would not change. Following the
TR100 point record is a CSE record containing the '*' character in all fields. So, if there were any control points further down in the raw data file, they would use
the default Standard Errors as set in the Settings dialog box.

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There may be times when non-Control Standard Errors need to be overridden for certain measurements. For example, if fixed tripods were used for backsights
and foresights for part of the traverse, and hand-held rods were used for another portion of the traverse, it would be appropriate to have differing Rod Ctr
Standard Errors for the different sections of the raw data.
Standard Errors for angles and distances can also be inserted into the raw data file using Setup Standard Error and Measurement Standard Error commands
as indicated below:

The Standard Errors set by these inserted records override the default Standard Errors. In the following example, a Setup Standard Error (SSE) record has been
inserted in record 11. The SSE record affects all setup data that follow until another SSE record is inserted. In the following example, the Foresight Rod Centering
error is set to 0.005, the Total Station Centering error is set to 0.005, the Total Station Measure-up error is set to 0.005 and the Foresight Measure-up error is set to
0.005:

The following is another example where it would be appropriate to insert a Measurement Standard Error (MSE) record into the raw data. If two different total

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stations with different accuracy specifications were used to collect the data, it would be appropriate to have different standard errors for the different sections of
the raw file, depending on which total station was used to collect the data. In the following example, a MSE record has been inserted for record 27. The
Horizontal Pointing and Reading error has been changed to 5 seconds, and the Vertical Pointing and Reading error has been changed to 10 seconds. The inserted
MSE record will affect all following raw data until another MSE is inserted:

Issue the File -- Exit to dismiss the Raw File editor (discard any/all changes).
7. After exiting the raw data editor, we are ready to perform the Least Squares adjustment. Click the Network Adjustment (Double Triangle) button as shown below:

The least squares adjustment is performed, and the results from the adjustment are displayed. If the solution converged correctly, the report should look similar to the
following window:

If there were errors or the solution did not converge, an error message dialog will be generated. If there are errors, you will need to return to the Raw File Editor to
review and edit the raw data. Since the tutorial example should have converged, we will next review the various forms of output, including graphical representations of
the adjusted network which can be:
Drawn into CAD through the Draw (Pencil) button, and/or

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Temporarily previewed through the Quick View (Binoculars) button.

Additionally, there are four reports created by the Least Squares program during processing. These include:
The .rpt file (Main Report), which is the primary Least Squares report file summarizing the data and the results from the adjustment,
The .out file (Output Report), which contains a listing of the final coordinates,
The .err file (Error Report), which contains any errors or warnings that were generated during processing,
The .res file (Results Report), which contains statistical data that was generated during processing.
To obtain these reports, click on the Report (Clipboard) button to specify the desired report which will display in the Standard Report Viewer which will be discussed
below.
8. In this section, the different sections of the Least Squares reports are explained. As mentioned above, for the items to follow click on the Report (Clipboard) button and
click on the:
Main Report button to display a report similar to that shown below:

The excerpt from the report above shows the header information and the preprocessing results. The header information consists of (among other things), the input
and output file names, the coordinate system, the curvature/refraction setting, maximum iterations, and distance units. During the preprocessing process, multiple
angles are reduced to a single angle and multiple slope distances, vertical angles, HI's, and rod heights are reduced to a single horizontal distance and vertical
difference. During this process the horizontal angle, horizontal distance and vertical difference spreads are computed. If the spreads exceed the tolerance settings
from the Settings dialog box, then a warning message is displayed showing the high and low measurement and the difference between the high and low
measurement. Continue to explore this report...
In the Unadjusted Observations section will be data similar to that shown below:

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The excerpt from the Unadjusted Observations report above consists of some combination of control X, and Y, horizontal distances, horizontal angles, and
azimuth measurements. These measurements consist of a single averaged measurement. For example, if multiple distances were collected between two
points during data collection, only the single averaged measurement is used in the Least Squares adjustment. Also, Standard Errors for the measurements
are displayed in this section of the report. The Standard Errors are computed from the Standard Error settings in the Settings dialog box using error
propagation formulas. The Standard Error of an angle that was measured several times would typically be lower than an angle that was measured only once.

NOTE: If the data had been adjusted into NAD 83 coordinates both the ground distances and the grid distances would be displayed. The grid, elevation,
and combined factor would also be displayed in this section of the report. Continuing into the report:
In the Adjusted Observations section will be data similar to that shown below:

The excerpt from the Adjusted Observations report above shows the final adjusted measurements. This section is one of the most important sections to
review when analyzing the results of the adjustment. In addition to the adjusted measurement, the Residual is displayed. The Residual is the amount of
adjustment applied to the measurement and is computed by subtracting the unadjusted measurement from the adjusted measurement.

The Standard Deviation of the measurement is also displayed. Ideally, the computed Standard Deviation and Residual and the Standard Error displayed in
the unadjusted measurement would all be of similar magnitude. The Standard Residual is a measure of the similarity of the Residual to the a-priori
Standard Error. The Standard Residual is the measurements Residual divided by the Standard Error displayed in the unadjusted measurement section. A
Standard Residual greater than 2 is marked with an "*". A high Standard Residual may be an indication of a blunder. If there are consistently a lot of high

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Standard Residuals it may indicate that the original Standard Errors set in the Settings dialog box were not realistic.
If the Enable sideshots for relative error ellipses option is not set in the Adjustment section of the Settings, sideshots are computed separately after the
adjustment is completed.

If the project had valid elevation benchmarks and measured HI's and rod heights the project could have been defined to adjust elevations. When using the
2D/1D Least Squares model, the horizontal and the vertical adjustments are separate Least Squares adjustment processes. As long as there are redundant
vertical measurements, the vertical component of the network can also be reduced and adjusted using Least Squares. In the vertical adjustment, benchmarks
are held fixed. Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss this report.
Output Report button to display a report similar to that shown below:

This section of the report shows the final adjusted coordinates. Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss this report.
Error Report button to display a report similar to that shown below:

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This section of the report is one of the simplest and effective tools in finding blunders. Time spent learning how this function works will be well spent. If the
project is not converging due to an unknown blunder in the raw data, this tool is one of the most effective tools in finding the blunder. Many blunders are due to
point numbering errors during data collections, and the K-matrix analysis and Point Proximity search are great tools for finding these types of blunders. Click
the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss this report.
Results Report button to display a report similar to that shown below:

This report displays some statistical measures of the adjustment including the number of iterations needed for the solution to converge, the degrees of freedom of
the network, the reference variance, the standard error of unit weight, and the results of a Chi-square test.

The degree of freedom is an indication of how many redundant measurements are in the survey. Degree of freedom is defined as the number of measurements in
excess of the number of measurements necessary to solve the network.

The standard error of unit weight relates to the overall adjustment and not to an individual measurement. A value of one indicates that the results of the
adjustment are consistent with the prior standard errors. The reference variance is the standard error of unit weight squared.

The Chi-square test is a test of the "goodness" of fit of the adjustment. It is not an absolute test of the accuracy of the survey. The a-priori standard errors which
are defined in the project settings dialog box or with the SE record in the raw data file are used to determine the weights of the measurements. These standard
errors can also be looked at as an estimate of how accurately the measurements were made. The Chi-square test merely tests whether the results of the adjusted
measurements are consistent with the a-priori standard errors. Notice that if you change the project Standard Errors and then reprocess the survey, the results of
the Chi-square test change, even though the measurements themselves did not change.

In our example, the Chi-square test passed at the 95% significance level. Had our example failed the Chi-square test on the low end (e.g. a value < 3.816),
indications would be that our data is actually better than expected compared to our a-priori standard errors. If we were to increase the Pointing and Reading
Standard Error in the Settings menu by 10-20 seconds, we would probably fail the Chi-square. Also notice that if you change the Standard Errors by only 5-10
seconds and reprocess the data the final coordinates will not change significantly.
This is the final step in the adjustment. The final adjusted coordinates are now stored in the current project point database and can now be used for mapping and design.
9. Relative Error Ellipses are a statistical measure of the expected error between two points. Regular Error Ellipses are a measure of the absolute error of a single point.
Some survey accuracy standards such as the ALTA standards state the maximum allowable error between any two points in a survey. Relative Error Ellipses can give
you this information. Press the Relative Error Ellipse (Ellipse between Two Points) button to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:

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Enter TR3 and TR7 in the From Pt. and To Pt. fields, respectively, and click the Calculate button. At the 95% confidence level there should only be around 0.03 feet
of error between points TR3 and TR7. If you need to compute Relative Error Ellipses for sideshots, make sure the Enable Sideshots for Error Ellipse toggle is set in
the Adjustment tab of the Settings dialog box. Click the Exit button to dismiss the Relative Error Ellipse dialog box. Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the
SurvNET docked dialog box.

Lesson Two - Processing a 3D Network With Both Total Station Data and GPS Vectors

In this lesson we will process a project that contains both total station measurements and GPS vectors.

1. Issue the Survey -- SurvNET command as illustrated below:

If the previous SurvNET project re-appears, click the Load/New (Open Folder) button. This, in turn opens the following dialog box:

Select the SurvNetTut02.prj project and click Open. This will open the default SurvNET project-tree docked dialog box interface as shown below where we will
process the contents of the GPSAndTS.cgr "raw" file and a pair of GPS vector files (GPSAndTS_1.gps and GPSAndTS_2.gps):

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NOTE: The sample tutorial project has the input raw file in the default folder of C:\Carlson Projects. If you have a different data directory, then set the correct data
file by highlighting the default file, pick Delete and then pick Add and select GPSAndTS.cgr (C&G format raw file) from your data folder. Do the same for the GPS
Vector files of GPSAndTS_1.gps and GPSAndTS_2.gps.
2. Let's review the project settings. Click the Settings (Gear) button as shown below:

to display the dialog box similar to that shown below:

Settings - Coordinate System: In order process GPS vectors, a coordinate system must be set (e.g. SPC 1983) with the appropriate State Plane zone. Further, the
Coordinate System Adjustment Model must be set to the 3D Model. With the 3D model, horizontal units and vertical units must be the same in regards to
output and total station raw data. Geoid modeling may or may not be important depending on the extent of the project and the accuracies required. The most
accurate results are typically obtained by using a Geoid File. Set the values as shown above.
Activate the Input Files tab. Notice that the units need to be specified for both the GPS vector data and the total station raw data. Typically, but not always, GPS
vectors are in meters while the total station and the final output may need to be in feet. Also make sure that the correct GPS vector format is correct. Some GPS
formats are binary and cannot be edited easily. Sometimes it is needed to edit the GPS vectors, usually in terms of point numbers.

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Activate the Preprocessing tab. Though this tutorial does not cover the topic, it is from this screen that you would define the traverse file needed to compute either
GPS Loop closures or total station traverse closures.

Activate the Standard Errors tab. Notice the standard error settings related to GPS. The GPS instrument centering error can be defined. The vector standard error
is a factor that can be used to increase the standard errors as defined in the GPS vector files.

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Activate the Adjustment tab. None of the settings in this screen are specific to processing GPS vectors:

Activate the Output Options tab. None of the settings in this screen are specific to processing GPS vectors.

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Click the Drawing Settings button to display a dialog box similar to those shown below:
Suggested Drawing Settings
Carlson SurvNET Defaults Suggested National CAD Standards Defaults

Set the desired value(s) as illustrated above and click OK when ready. We'll use this information later in the Draw Results discussion.
3. Click the Network Adjustment (Double Triangle) button as shown below:

The Least Squares adjustment is performed. The project should process and converge and the following windows should be displayed:

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Let's review sections of the report that are unique to the processing of GPS vectors and the 3D model.
4. Click the Reports (Clipboard) button and select the Main Report. Scroll through the report to the section similar to that shown below:

Notice that now that we are working with a specific datum (as opposed to an assumed coordinate system) the latitude/longitude, state plane coordinates and geocentric
coordinates are all displayed. Continuing into the Main Report is the following:

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In the above Unadjusted Observations section of the report, notice that distances have been converted to mark to mark distances. Note that vertical angles are now
treated as measurements in the 3D model. And lastly, notice that the GPS vectors are also displayed. The GPS vectors are displayed as Delta X,Y,Z in the geocentric
coordinate system. Continuing further into the report is:

In the above Adjusted Coordinates section of the report, notice that the grid, elevation, and combined factor are displayed with the adjusted geographic coordinates.

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In the above Adjusted Measurements section, the adjusted measurements are shown along with their residuals, standard residuals, and standard deviation. Click the Exit
(Doorway) button to dismiss this report.
5. Let's look at the visual representation of the processed project. Click on the Draw (Pencil) button. You may encounter the following prompt:

Click Yes to obtain graphical results similar to that shown below (National CAD Standards layer configuration shown):

Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the SurvNET dialog box.
6. Optional: Lastly, for computers that have Google Earth™ Pro on desktop installed, let's see how the site looks when overlaid on this application (or any other

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application which can display Keyhole Markup Language (KML) files). As you may recall, we set a desired Coordinate System during the intial drawing setup and this
system also matches the Coordinate System as specified in the Settings for this SurvNET project. Issue the File -- Export -- Google Earth File command to display the
dialog box below:

Review and set the values as suggested above and click OK when ready to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:

Provide the file name specified above and click the Save button when ready. When prompted:

Select points, polylines, text, solids, images, lines and arcs to write.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type all and press Enter twice

The results are overlaid on Google Earth as illustrated below:

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This completes the tutorial: SurvNET.

Contouring, DTM and Design

This is the easiest of the tutorials, and could be completed in as little as five minutes. If that is all the time you have, and you have purchased the Civil Design program, do this
one first!

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick New Drawing.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Exit button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, continue as is.
Ensure you are in the Civil Design program by issuing the Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Civil Menu command.

NOTE: Many of the routines below can also be accomplished with the Carlson Survey and/or Construction modules but our focus herein will presume use of the Civil
module.
2. Once in Carlson, establish a coordinate (*.crd) file to work with via the Points -- Set CooRDinate File command. You will then be asked to choose the coordinate file
that you want to use. Select Topo.crd as shown below and click Open:
Coordinate File to Process

Next, issue the Points -- Draw-Locate Points command which displays the dialog box similar to that shown below:
Draw-Locate
Points
Choose Symbol "SPT0" by clicking Set to the right of Symbol Name then picking Symbol SPT0 from the options that appear. Establish the other settings as shown
above and then click the Draw All button.

The points immediately plot on the screen, and the program should zoom to the extents of the points. If you don't see the points, issue the View -- Extents command.
Your drawing should resemble that shown below (drawn with a horizontal plot scale factor of 50 as established in Settings -- Drawing Setup):

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Drawn Points

3. Issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command. The following dialog box (with several "tabs") will appear which you should fill out as discussed below:
Triangle & Contour -
Triangulate tab
In the Triangulate tab (as shown above), enable the Write Triangulation File toggle and click its Select button to set the name of a triangulation (*.tin) file as
illustrated below. Click the Save button on this dialog box so that the results of the triangulation can be re-used for future purposes. Set the Maximum Edge
Length values to 250 in all cases. If the goal of the field crew was never to shoot points further apart than 100 feet, then certainly triangulation lengths over 250
feet (or less) can be ignored. Set the Shrink-Wrap Perimeter Reduction to None (again, as illustrated above):
Triangle & Contour - Triangulation file

In the Contour tab, as shown below, set the Contour Interval to 5, turn on Draw Index Contours and set its interval to 25 (index intervals are most often 5
times the standard contour interval):
Triangle & Contour -
Contour tab
In the Labels tab, as shown below, enable the Label Index Contours Only toggle. Also set the Layers for the Intermediate and Index contour labels to be the
same as that for the contours themselves:
Triangle & Contour -
Labels tab
In the Selection tab, as shown below, clear the Specify Selection Options toggle:
Triangle & Contour -
Selection tab
Click the OK button from any tab. When prompted:

Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

A "TIN" file is written and the contours are drawn. Here is the plot so far:

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Contour Map

4. The arrows above point to an area that needs editing. This area is enlarged below. You may want to zoom into this area for the next edit operation, and zoom back out
when you are finished:
Edit Point
Data
While some may prefer to directly change the contours (e.g. through the Surface -- Modify Contours -- Edit Contours command), we'll simply instruct Carlson to ignore
the point for the purposes of contributing to a TIN.

"Double-click" (two left-mouse clicks in rapid succession) on Point 46 which will display the Edit Point Attributes dialog box (which can also be found under Points -
- Edit Point Attributes) as shown below:
Edit
Points
Simply enable the Non-Surface option as shown above and click OK. This is essentially the same as using the 3D Data -- Non-Surface Points/Entities -- Tag Non-
Surface Points command.

Also double-click on Point 48 to set its Non-Surface setting. When done, re-issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour using the exact same settings and sequence as
cited above. Issue the View -- Freeze Layer by Selection and pick on one of the points (its number or its elevation), and press Enter. The points freeze. The results are
below:
Revised Contour Map

Tip: Whenever you make Carlson files, such as coordinate files (crd), TIN files (tin), and even pond capacity files (cap), they store to disk. When you do an Undo
command (U for undo), you undo the graphics, but the files are safely stored and are not undone. Carlson does not like to overdo making files. Make them if you want,
but we will not make any that are not needed.
5. Draw a 2D Polyline across the valley to represent the centerline of a dam through the use of the Draw -- 2D Polyline command. Click the OK button on the Polyline 2D
Options dialog box if it appears. The Carlson "2dp" command is an enhanced version of the standard polyline command which draws the same polyline entity that you
get when you type PL at the command prompt. Try to split the valley with the polyline as illustrated below:

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Dam Centerline

When prompted:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the southerly starting location

[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the northerly ending location
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter to terminate the command

6. Let's create an earthen dam from the polyline we just drew through the use of the Surface -- Design Pond -- Design Valley Pond command. Set the values as shown
below and click OK when complete:
Design Valley
Pond
When prompted:

Pick top of pond polyline: pick the polyline as drawn earlier

Select the TIN file Topo-Ex.tin created earlier and then click Open.
Pick point within pond: pick upstream (northwesterly) of the polyline
Outslope ratio <2.00>: type 3 and press Enter
Interior slope ratio <3.00>: type 4 and press Enter
Range of existing elevations along dam top: 1420.63 to 1572.11
Top of dam elevation: type 1460 and press Enter
Calculate stage-storage values [<Yes>/No]? type Y and press Enter
Method to specify storage elevations [<Automatic>/Interval/Manual]? press Enter

The following report includes earthwork volumes and water storage volumes (your report will be slightly different):
Valley Dam Report

Click the Exit (Doorway) button to continue forward in the process:

Output dam merged with existing or dam only [Merge/<Dam>]? press Enter and save the surface of just the dam in the file Topo-D.tin (for Topo with Dam)
Write stage-storage file [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter to create a Topo-D.cap file
Adjust parameters and redesign pond [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Retain trimmed polyline segments [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Contour the pond [<Yes>/No]? type N and press Enter

The process is complete. At the Command line, enter E (for Erase) and when prompted:

[FILter]/<Select entities to delete>: pick on the centerline of the dam (there might be two of them)

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[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

Tip: The stage-storage curve that you save will plot in the Carlson Hydrology program. It makes a nice, handy plot for report purposes. See Tutorial - Hydrology and
Watershed Analysis. Let's save the drawing through the File -- Save and name the drawing Topo-D.dwg.
7. Let's check out the data in 3D through the use of the View -- 3D View -- Drawing Viewer command. When prompted:

Select entities for the scene.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

This leads to the starter view (a plan view) shown below:

3D Viewer (plan view)

The main trick is to move the X-Axis bar to the left. Avoid the Y-Axis dial for now, and then grip on the Z-Axis dial and move it back and forth relatively fast, or just
click on the Z-Axis arrows and watch things move slower. It's like you are in a helicopter over the site. Here's an example:
3D Viewer (isometric view)

Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the 3D Viewer dialog box.
8. Let's create a simple access road to service the dam via the 3D Data -- 3D Polyline Utilities -- 3D Polyline by Slope on Surface command. The following dialog box
appears:
3D Polyline by Slope on
Surface
Complete the values as shown above and click OK. When prompted: Choose a Grid or Triangulation File specify the Topo-Ex.tin file created earlier

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Access Road Start

Pick origin point of 3D polyline: pick a point on the south side of the top of the dam, just before it contacts the ground as shown above
Direction of 3D polyline [<Up>/Down]? D
Direction of 3D polyline facing down slope [<Left>/Right]? R
Slope format [<Percent>/Ratio/Degree]? press Enter
Enter design slope percent: 10 (the values below should be similar to your results)
Horizontal distance: 415.34, Slope distance: 417.41
Vertical drop: 41.53, Avg slope: 10.00%, Max slope: 10.00%
Adjust slope [Yes/<No>]? N
Pick origin point of 3D polyline (Enter to end): press Enter

This created a smooth, 10% downhill grade 3D polyline which we can use to construct a maintenance road to service the dam.
9. Let's create the other side of the maintenance road through the use of the 3D Data -- 3D Polyline Utilities -- Offset 3D Polyline command (also found under Edit -- 3D
Polyline Utilities -- Offset 3D Polyline):
Offset 3D
Polyline
This is a Carlson specialty; a high-powered Civil Design feature. In short, you can work in 3D because you can offset and manipulate 3D polylines using Carlson. Set
the values shown in the dialog box above and click OK. When prompted:

Vertical/<Horizontal offset amount>: 30 (for a 30' wide road)

Percent/Degree/Ratio/Vertical offset amount <0>: press Enter for a zero vertical offset from the original
Select a polyline to offset: pick our new 3D polyline
Select side to offset [Both]: pick into the hill (to the left or southwesterly)
Select a polyline to offset (Enter to end): press Enter

This creates the other side of the road parallel, but not joined yet.
10. Let's connect the two 3D polylines together through the use of the Edit -- Join Nearest command. A dialog appears which you need to fill out as follows:
Join Nearest
Options
Because the two polylines are 30' apart, specify the Max. Separation to Join value to be 31. That way, they will join! The most important aspect is to specify the
Directly Connect Endpoints option. Click OK. When prompted:

Select lines, arcs and unclosed polylines to join [Settings].

Select entities: pick both sides of the road one at a time, carefully avoiding picking a contour and press Enter when complete

NOTE: If a contour is picked, press the Esc key to exit the command and start over or use Selection options (e.g. press R for remove, pick it to remove it from the
selection set, then A to Add, and pick again on the road) to build the proper selection set.

Tip: This may be obvious, but when it is difficult to pick what you want (e.g. because several objects are nearby or are over top of what you want), it pays to do View --
Window and zoom in closer, followed by View -- Previous after you are done.

We have a road, or at least a sloping pad, seen below:

Access
Road
11. Let's project catch-slopes from the access road to the ground surface through the use of the Surface -- Design Pad Template command to display the dialog box below:
Design Pad
Template
Design Pad Template is one of the more diverse and powerful commands in Carlson. We will use it here to make a simple cut and fill slope from our road pad. We will
go 0.5:1 in cut, but 1:1 in fill. You might think a 2:1 in fill is better, but remember, our hillside edge of the road (the original edge) follows very closely to the hill itself,
as designed. If it cantilevers out a few inches, and the natural slope of the ground is 1.5:1 (which it is!), 2:1 will never catch, and we will create big fill areas. So we will
go with 1:1 in fill, and get very tiny, quick tie-ins in those few cases where there is any fill at all.

Set the entries as shown above and click OK. When prompted:

Pick pad polyline: pick the road pad

Select Slope Target Surface (dialog): specify the Topo-Ex.tin file created earlier

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Fill outslope ratio <2.000>: 1

Cut outslope ratio <1.000>: 0.5 (a summary of the earthwork volumes will appear, your report will be slightly different):
Design Pad Template
Report
Click the Exit (Doorway) icon to continue forward in the process:
Adjust parameters and redesign pad [Yes/<No>]? N
TIN Output: click Create New Surface
Merge Pad with Target Surface: click No
Output Triangulation to Write: use Topo-R.tin (R for Road)
Contour the pad [<Yes>/No]? N

Re-run the View -- 3D View -- Drawing Viewer command to view the drawing now with a road and click the Exit (Doorway) button when you're done reviewing the
data.

This completes the Lesson 5 tutorial: Contouring, DTM and Design.

Contouring, Break Lines and Stockpiles

In this lesson, you will explore routines centered around creating contours, working with breaklines and volumes from stockpiles.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Mantopo.dwg file:
Open
Dialog
2. Ensure you are in the Survey program by issuing the Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu command.

NOTE: Many of the routines below can also be accomplished with the Carlson Civil and/or Construction modules but our focus herein will presume use of the Survey
module.

Issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command. The following dialog box (with several "tabs") will appear which you should fill out as discussed below:
Triangle & Contour -
Triangulate tab
In the Triangulate tab (as shown above), enable the Write Triangulation File toggle and click its Select button to set the name of a triangulation (*.tin) file as
illustrated below:
Triangle & Contour -
Triangulation file
Click the Save button on this dialog box so that the results of the triangulation can be re-used for future purposes. Back in the Triangulate & Contour dialog box,
turn off the Use Inclusion/Exclusion Areas toggle and also turn off the various Draw options. Set any remaining options as illustrated above.
In the Contour tab, as shown below, set the Contour Interval to 1, turn on Draw Index Contours and set its interval to 5:
Triangle & Contour -
Contour tab
Click the OK button from any tab. When prompted:

Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

If a secondary dialog box appears prompting for a coordinate file (*.crd), select Mantopo.crd as your coordinate file and then specify the following default options:

Range of Points: All

Description Match: *

A "TIN" file is written and the contours are drawn. However, notice the unacceptable wavy look around the perimeter, an area which is meant to be a ditch. Let's clean
this up through the use of breaklines.
3. We'd like to use some automated routines that will automatically generate the breaklines from description data encoded with points collected in the field. Issue the
Survey -- Draw Field-to-Finish command.

The program will recognize that you have not yet established a coordinate file, so click the Existing tab and pick the File as mantopo.crd as shown below:
Coordinate File to
Process
Click Open. The Draw Field to Finish dialog appears which may (should) resemble the following:
Draw Field to
Finsih
NOTE: You may need to click the Set button to the right of Code Table: to specify/use the "C:\Carlson Projects\Settings\Carlson.fld" file.

At the lower left of the Draw Field to Finish dialog, click Edit Codes. The Field to Finish dialog appears:
Field to
Finish
On the left side of the Field to Finish dialog, under the heading Code Table, there is an option called Code Table Settings. Click on it to display this dialog:
Code Table
Settings
As you can see at the top of the Code Table Settings dialog, the current Field to Finish code definition (.FLD) file is Carlson.fld. We want to make a new code table
because the coordinate file for the field survey includes special coding (e.g. 17 and 18) for ditch lines and top of banks.

To do this, click Set at the upper-right of the Code Table Settings dialog, then choose the New tab (for new file) and name it ManTopo, as shown below (noting the
"\Carlson Projects\Settings" folder):
Specify the Code
Definition File
Click Open. You will be taken to the previous dialog.
Code Table
Settings 2
Notice how "C:\Carlson Projects\Settings\ManTopo.fld" is now listed at the top which is our new field code library. Let's also explore some additional capabilities.
Click the Special Codes button to display the dialog box below:
Special
Codes

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Make note of the BEG Code (Begin Linework) and the END Code (End Linework) special codes. These can be used to indicate special instances in the data set
where linework is to begin and/or end, respectively. We'll use the END code later. Click OK to return to the previous dialog box. From it, click OK. You will return to
the main Field to Finish table, completely empty, as shown below:
Field to
Finish 2
Now, get a jump start on the table by choosing the option Code Table by Points (located in the lower left of the dialog). Choose Append on the subsequent dialog box
(shown below).
CRD To Field Code
Definitions
In this lesson, we only care about codes 17 and 18. Select all other codes (the GROUND code in this case) and click the Delete button to remove that Code from the list.
Now select Codes 17 and 18 (by holding the CTRL or SHIFT key down while picking or using the Select All button) as shown below:
Field to
Finish 3
Pick the Edit button under Code Definitions. The Multiple Set dialog appears. Click the Entity button to establish the type of entity that should be drawn for codes 17
and 18 as shown below. Make all settings as shown in this box. We will instruct them to both generate 3D Polylines (which will act as breaklines or barrier lines for
contouring). Accept the 3D Polyline choice by clicking OK:
Multipl
e Set
Click the Layout ID button to establish positions and style for the attributes (i.e. Point Number, Elevation and Description) for codes 17 and 18. Specify Attribute
Layout ID 5 and click OK. Then click Exit, which will take you back to the Field to Finish dialog. The last steps are to first to save the ManTopo.fld Field-to-Finish by
clicking the Save button. Then click Exit (lower right). You will return to the following dialog which allows you to control the details of what to draw:
Draw Field to
Finsih 2
Click the Additional Draw Options button and make sure that the Point Label Settings are set so that you can see the points properly as shown below:
Additional Draw
Options
Click OK to both dialog boxes. The following drawing is created. All the ditch lines and top of bank lines, because they were coded 17 and 18, are drawn in one quick
procedure (previous contours removed and coloring added for clarity):
Screen
Image 2
4. Because the field crew did not use start and stop logic (e.g. appending END or some agreed upon code to a description could end a polyline and start another), some
polylines connect that should not. In particular, the line near the NW corner is clearly crossing the ditch line. It must be removed. One approach would be to use the Edit
-- Polyline Utilities -- Remove Polyline -- Remove Polyline Segment command. When prompted:

Mode: break polyline at removal

Select polyline segment to remove [Options]: select the polyline segment to the right of point 127 indicated by the arrow below (you will recognize this as a long
segment running from point 127 to point 52)
Select polyline segment to remove (Enter to end): press Enter

Remove Polyline
Segment
The problem with this approach is that if the Draw Field to Finish routine is ever re-run (e.g. perhaps due to additional data coming in from the field), the polyline
segment would return. We'll address this shortly.
5. Re-run the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command and use the same settings as before and click OK. When prompted:

Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

NOTE: With breaklines added to the site, you may be alerted of a crossing breakline scenario located at the northeast corner of the site. Use the Zoom To and Zoom
In/Out buttons to explore the data geometry at this area of the site. Let's permanently take care of this by modifying the descriptions of two key points... #10 and #52
(and optionally a third point, #94).

Use the Points -- Edit Points command and make the following changes to the Description value:
Edit Point Descriptions
Point Number Old Description New Description
10 17 GROUND
52 17 17 END
94 18 18 END
Re-run the Survey -- Draw Field to Finish command and use the same settings as before and click OK.

Re-run the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command and use the same settings as before and click OK. When prompted:

Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

Now we get excellent contours, with a sharply defined ditch. Also note we did not get any processing errors when making the TIN. Use the View -- Freeze Layer by
Selection and pick on one of the points (its number or its elevation), and press Enter. The points freeze. Here is the improved drawing, helped out by 3D polylines that
were produced by Draw Field-to-Finish:
Contours from Field-to-
Finish
6. Let's say that now you don't want the breaklines in the drawing (since they can be easily recreated with Draw Field to Finish). You don't want to even freeze them; you
want to fully delete them. There is a command for that through the use of the Edit -- Erase -- Erase by Layer command. This dialog appears:
Erase by
Layer
If you know the layer names, you can just type them in. If you know where they are but not their names, then click on Select Layers from Screen. If you'd recognize
the layer name if you saw it in a list, click Select Layers by Name. Click on Select Layers by Name and pick 17 and 18, then OK. Set the Entities to Erase as shown
below:
Erase by
Layer
Notice the change in the drawing.
7. To the east of the data set we've been working on is a "block" (one single "insert" entity composed of one or more source entities) which represents a stockpile. Because
the stockpile data is currently packaged into this single block insert, erasing one component of the block would erase all other components within the block. We'd like to
return it to its component parts. Issue the View -- Window command and window in on the stockpile at the lower right of the drawing. Issue the Edit -- Explode --
Standard Explode. When prompted:

[FILter]/<Select entities to explode>: pick the stockpile block

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[FILter]/<Select entities to explode>: press Enter

The exploded block reverts into individual components that can be worked on separately. It's also worth noting that while the block has been exploded, its "block
definition" still exists in the drawing. This means that now that it's exploded, it is essentially taking up twice the amount of storage space in the drawing. As such, a
common practice would be to "purge" (as obtained through the File -- Drawing Utilities -- Purge command.
8. Let's assume our stockpile drawing is too high and should be lowered in elevations by 540 units (feet in this example). To best see the effect of this command, bring
back the points by selecting View -- Thaw/On All Layers command. Now run the Edit -- Change -- Elevations to display the dialog box below:
Change
Elevations
Set the value(s) as shown above and click OK. When prompted:

Positive number increases, negative number decreases elevation.

Elevation Difference <0.00>: -540
Ignore zero elevations [Yes/<No>]? Y
Select Entities for Elevation Change. do a lower right pick to upper left pick selection around the stockpile (automatic crossing)
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

Notice in the drawing below how the points, breaklines and contour polylines have changed in elevation with the exception of the contour text labels:
Changed
Elevations
Issue the Inquiry -- List Elevation command and pick on an index contour. Notice how the elevation has indeed changed. Reissue the Edit -- Erase -- Erase by Layer
command and set the values as shown below to erase the 5 index contour labels which are no longer accurate.
Erase by
Layer
9. One of the powerful commands of Carlson (Volumes by Layer) will produce accurate volumes without making any files. The only prerequisite is that the data for the
existing and final surfaces exist in the drawing on separate layers. It is also very important to have an inclusion perimeter (boundary polyline) to define the limits where
the volumes should be calculated. In our example, the original ground will be the 3D polyline connecting points 1 through 15, and everything else above will be the
final ground (including the 3D perimeter itself). Issue the Surface -- Volumes by Layers command. When prompted:

Pick Lower Left limit of surface area: pick below and to the left of the stockpile, but as close as possible to the stockpile without clipping it in the window (you want to
totally include it, but with little wasted margin)
Pick Upper Right limit of surface area: pick above and to the right of the stockpile

A dialog appears:
Make 3D
Grid File
We will stick with the defaults, as shown. Notice that we are using 50 grid cells within our window and since our window was not a perfect square, the cell sizes are not
whole numbers. In this example it is 6.86 x 5.49. You may have slightly different sizes. Seeing this, if we wanted a 5 x 5 cell size, we could click the Dimensions of a
Cell option and set the size to 5 x 5. Hundreds or thousands of cells in both directions will increase calculation time. You can experiment with larger cells or, if you
prefer, smaller cells (which makes more cells). However, you will begin to see diminishing returns in terms of accuracy changes as your cell size continues to shrink.
After a while (depending largely on the spacing of the source data), tighter, smaller cell sizes don't add any value to the precision of the calculation. Click OK to display
a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Volumes by
Layer
Use the Select Layers from Screen buttons to select entities as outlined as follows:
Layers of EXISTING surface entities: PERIMETER
Layers of FINAL surface entities: PERIMETER, BARRIER, CTRINDEX, CTR, PNTS
Notice how the Perimeter layer is common to both. If you want to be a master of volumes, remember this as a mantra: The perimeter should be a 3D polyline in a
distinct layer, common to both surfaces. A stockpile is just a special case in that sometimes the 3D perimeter is all you know about the base surface. Click OK and
when prompted:

Select surface entities on corresponding layers.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: do a right-to-left (crossing) selection of the entire stockpile area
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select the Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none:
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the perimeter polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select the Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

This leads to a flexible reporting and output dialog:

Volume Report
Options
Elevation Zone Volumes, for example, would produce volumes in any desired increment from the base of the stockpile going up. If the stockpile consists of coal (80
lbs/c.f.), then Report Tons can be clicked on and a Density value entered. Click OK and the basic report is produced, as seen below:
Volume
Report
Click the Exit (Doorway) button to return to the command prompt.
10. (Optional): The Stockpile is naturally well-suited for applying the simplest volume command of all Stockpile Volumes. It requires that the 3D perimeter polyline for
the stockpile be placed in a layer called Perimeter, which ours is. So let's try it. Ensure you are in the Civil program by issuing the Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Civil
Menu command. Issue the Surface -- Stockpile/Ponds/Pit Volumes -- Calculate Stockpile Volume. When prompted:

Select stockpile entities and perimeter.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: crossing select (right-to-left picks) the entire stockpile area
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Stockpile Volume Report (dialog): accept the default values and click OK

The grid resolution dialog (note that it is still at 50x50 but the cell dimensions are likely different from before) appears again. Click OK. A report is generated:
Stockpile Volume
Report

This completes the tutorial: Contouring, Break Lines and Stockpiles.

A Dozen Tools for Surface Design

Throughout this tutorial, we'll focus on a variety of commonly used tools for site grading and surface design, including:

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1. Draw 2D Polyline
2. Design Pad Template
3. Bench Pond
4. Draw 3D Polyline
5. Join Nearest
6. Offset 3D Polyline
7. Valley Pond
8. 3D Polyline by Slope on Surface
9. 2D to 3D Polyline by Surface Model
10. Profile Editor
11. Profile to 3D Polyline
12. Design Template

Let's begin.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the example2.dwg file.
Open
Dialog
Use the File -- Save As to save a copy named example2-s.dwg. Completing this tutorial will alter the drawing file and by renaming the file from the start, you'll keep
the original file intact (allowing you to run through the tutorial a second time if desired). This is also a good practice to keep when working on drawings from 3rd
parties.
2. Ensure you are in the Civil program by issuing the Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Civil Menu command. Since the bulk of the following commands are designed to
integrate into an existing surface, let's make one now. Issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command. The following dialog box (with several "tabs") similar to
the one shown below will appear which you should fill out as discussed below:
Triangle & Contour -
Triangulate tab
In the Triangulate tab (as shown above), enable the Write Triangulation File toggle and click its Select button to set the name of a triangulation (*.tin) file as
illustrated below. Click the Save button on this dialog box so that the results of the triangulation can be re-used for future purposes. Enable the Use
Inclusion/Exclusion Areas toggle and also turn on the Minimize Flat Triangles option. This will help form a more accurate model. Set any remaining options
as illustrated above:
Triangle & Contour -
Triangulation file
In the Contour tab, as shown below, toggle off the Draw Contours option as there are already contours in the drawing:
Triangle & Contour -
Contour tab
Click the OK button from any tab. When prompted:

Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the BORDER polyline and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

A "TIN" file is written that we'll use again and again. Let's zoom in closer to our desired area of interest. Issue the View -- Window command. When prompted:

Zoom: [In/Out/All/Center/Dynamic/Extents/Left/Previous/Right/Window/ENtity/Scale]<Scale (nX/nXP)>: _w

First corner: pick the lower left location of the area of interest shown below
Opposite corner: pick the upper right location of the area of interest shown below

Area of
Interest

NOTE: Many of the routines below can also be accomplished with the Carlson Survey and/or Construction modules but our focus herein will presume use of the Civil
module.
3. Tool 1: The most basic use of a 2D polyline is for the creation of flat-bottomed pits and flat "building pads" at any desired elevation. Let's start with a "free-form"
building pad at a specified elevation. Issue the Draw -- 2D Polyline command to display a dialog box shown below:
2D Polyline
Options
Set the values as shown above making particular note of the highlighted items. Click OK when ready. When prompted:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick a first pad location as shown below
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the second pad location
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the third pad location
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the fourth pad location
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the fifth pad location
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the sixth pad location
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press C to mathematically close the pad

2D Polyline
Pad Let's sketch out a simple rectangular pond bottom. Issue the Draw -- Rectangle (key-in is rectang) and when prompted:

[Chamfer/Elevation/Fillet/Rotated/Square/Thickness/Width]/<Select first corner of rectangle>: type end (for an endpoint snap) and press Enter
Snap to END of: pick the endpoint on the contour as shown below
Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]: type D and press Enter
Enter rectangle length <10.0000>: type 300 and press Enter
Enter rectangle width <10.0000>: type 170 and press Enter
Specify other corner point or [Area/Dimensions/Rotation]: pick a location northwest of the initial point

Pond
Bottom

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NOTE: Unlike the 2D Polyline command discussed above which has added functionality permitting you to establish the elevation for the 2D polyline, the Rectangle
command will inherit the elevation of the first pick point (a contour in this case).
Let's set the pond bottom polyline to a better target elevation. Issue the Edit -- Change -- Elevations command to display the dialog box as shown below:
Change
Elevation
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Select/<Enter Elevation <0.0000>>: if the default value is other than 0, type 0 and press Enter
Select Entities for Elevation Change.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the pond bottom polyline just drawn
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select/<Input another Elevation (Enter to end)>: press Enter

Our resulting polylines should resemble that shown below:

Completed 2D
Polylines
4. Tool 2: With the pad and pond polylines drawn, we'd next like to project slopes to tie back to the existing ground surface to produce volumes. Issue the Surface --
Design Pad Template routine. A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Design Pad
Template
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick pad polyline: pick the non-rectangular pad polyline (the first that was drawn)

A dialog box similar to that shown below appears. Select the surface model file created earlier and click Open when ready. Prompting will resume:
Select Slope Target
Surface

Fill outslope ratio <3.000>: press Enter

Cut outslope ratio <3.000>: press Enter
Range of existing elevations along pad: 1992.33 to 1995.37 (your values may vary)
Pad elevation <1992.33>: type 1993.5 and press Enter (we'll try to target a balanced Cut vs. Fill)

Slope projections from the source polyline are projected to the surface model file and preliminary results are displayed in the Standard Report Viewer similar to that
shown below:
Pad
Report
Review the report and notice the Cut Volume will be different from that of the Fill Volume. Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report. Prompting resumes:

Adjust parameters and redesign pad [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter
Balance cut/fill [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter

A dialog box similar to that appears. Set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Balance
Settings
The solution is iterated until the balance tolerance is achieved and an updated report similar to that shown belows appears:
Pad
Report
Let's accept the solution. Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report. Prompting resumes:

Adjust parameters and redesign pad [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter

A dialog box as shown below appears, prompting us with an option to commit the Final surface to an external triangulation file which could ultimately be used again in
the future. Click the Create New Surface button as shown below:
Write Final
Surface 1
A secondary dialog box as shown below appears prompting if we'd like to merge the Final surface into the Existing surface file produced earlier.
NOTE:
Clicking Yes takes the existing surface model and "stitches in" the pad polylines to form a composite surface model which is typically given a new name (thereby
preserving the original existing surface).
Clicking No takes the pad polylines to form an individual model of the design features which is typically given a new name (thereby preserving the original
existing surface).
Click the Yes button as this will help us later:
Write Final
Surface 2
You are then prompted for the name of a triangulation (*.tin) to write. Specify the value as shown below and click the Save button when ready:
Output Triangulation to
Write 1
Prompting resumes:

Trim existing contours inside pad perimeter [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Contour the pad [<Yes>/No]? type N and press Enter

With the pad polyline completed, let's work on the pond.

5. Tool 3: In certain situations, we might desire a "bench" (or "bermed") pond. Issue the Surface -- Design Pond -- Design Bench Pond command to display a dialog box
similar to that shown below:
Design Bench
Pond
Set the values as shown above paying particular attention to the highlighted items and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick top of pond polyline: pick the rectangular pond polyline

A dialog box appears prompting for the Existing surface. Specify the surface model we just made as illustrated below and click Open when ready:
Select Existing
Surface File
Prompting resumes:

Fill outslope ratio <3.000>: press Enter

Cut outslope ratio <3.000>: press Enter

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Interior slope ratio <3.000>: press Enter

Range of existing elevations along dam top: 1991.51 to 2000.56 (your results may vary)
Top of bank elevation <1991.51>: type 1994 and press Enter
Pond bottom elevation: type 1986 and press Enter
Method to specify storage elevations [<Automatic>/Interval/Manual]? type A and press Enter

Slope projections from the source polyline are projected to the surface model file and preliminary results are displayed in the Standard Report Viewer similar to that
shown below:
Pad
Report
Review the report and notice the Cut Volume will be different from that of the Fill Volume. Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report. Prompting resumes:

Adjust parameters and redesign pond [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter
Balance cut/fill [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter
Method to specify storage elevations [<Automatic>/Interval/Manual]? type A and press Enter

The solution is iterated until the balance tolerance is achieved and an updated report similar to that shown belows appears:
Pond
Report 2
Let's accept the solution. Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report. Prompting resumes:

Adjust parameters and redesign pond [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Write stage-storage file [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Write final surface to triangulation file [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter
Merge pond with target surface [<Yes>/No]? type Y and press Enter

You are prompted for an output file. Specify the value as shown below and click the Save button when ready:
Output Triangulation to
Write 2
Prompting resumes:

Trim existing contours inside pad perimeter [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter
Retain trimmed polyline segments [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Contour the pond [<Yes>/No]? type N and press Enter

The result is a partial Fill, partial Cut Bench Pond as shown below:
s
ni
6. Tool 4: With the two primary structures designed, let's try a graded path between the two with an interior angle point that allows each end to be perpendicular to its
intended structure. Issue the Draw -- 3D Polyline command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Polyline 3D
Options
Set the values as shown above paying particular attention to the highlighted information and click OK when ready. When prompted (using the illustration below as a
guide):

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]:type END and press Enter

Snap to END of: pick northeast rectangular corner of pond structure
[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press F8 function key to enable "ortho" mode ('_ORTHOGONAL)
ORTHOMODE is currently off: [ON/OFf/Toggle]<Off>: _T
(ORTHOMODE is currently On):
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: pick the hinge location then press F8 function key to disable "ortho" mode
ORTHOMODE is currently on: [ON/OFf/Toggle]<On>: _T
(ORTHOMODE is currently Off): type PER and press Enter
Snap to PER of: pick inside pad polyline
Warning: last 3D polyline point at 0 elevation
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter

Draw 3D
Polyline
This is an obvious tool for creating design considerations. Our 3D polyline has one problem... the hinge vertex may not have the elevation we desire. Let's fix this.

NOTE: Bonus Tool! Issue the 3D Data -- Polyline Elevation Editor command. When prompted:

Select a polyline to edit: pick the polyline you just drew

A "docked" dialog box similar to that shown below appears:

Polyline Elevation Editor
Before Edit After Edit
Polyline Elevation Editor - Polyline Elevation Editor -
Before After
You'll note that each of the three vertex locations are toggled as Control locations. Presuming your snap locations were correct, vertex 2 may very well be at elevation
0. Clear its Control toggle so its elevation is interpolated from the two surrounding Control locations. Experiment with this "Swiss Army Knife" tool with the end goal
of a uniform grade between the two structures. Click OK when ready.
7. Tool 5: We'd like to offset this graded polyline by the same width as the Bench Pond Width as created earlier. Issue the Edit -- 3D Polyline Utilities -- Offset 3D
Polyline to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Offset 3D
Polyline
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Percent/Ratio/<Horizontal offset amount>: type 10 and press Enter

Select/<Enter the common elevation <0.0000>>: press Enter
Select a polyline to offset: pick the polyline you just edited
Select side to offset [Both]: pick to the South of the polyline
Select a polyline to offset (Enter to end): press Enter

We now have a 3D-parallel offset of the initial polyline.

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8. Tool 6: We'd like to connect these two polylines together to form one closed region. Issue the Edit -- Join Nearest command to display a dialog box similar to that
shown below:
Join
Nearest
Note the Max Separation to Join value. Common practice is to pick the distance to span and then increase slightly to ensure the desired items will join. Set the values
as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Select lines, arcs and unclosed polylines to join [Settings].

Select entities: pick the two polylines
Select entities: press Enter

Now we have a 3D polyline closed perimeter, which can act as a pad. Re-issue the Surface -- Design Pad Template command to display a dialog box similar to that
shown below:
Design Pad
Template 3
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick pad polyline: pick the closed path polyline

Select Slope Target Surface (dialog): select the surface model recently created in the Bench Pond discussion and click Open
Fill outslope ratio <3.000>: press Enter
Cut outslope ratio <3.000>: type 5 and press Enter

Slope projections from the source polyline are projected to the surface model file and preliminary results are displayed. Review the report and click the Exit (Doorway)
button to dismiss the report. Prompting resumes:

Adjust parameters and redesign pad [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Write Final Surface (dialog): click Create New Surface
Merge Final Surface (dialog): click Yes
Write Triangulation Surface (dialog): set the value as shown below and click OK

Output Triangulation to
Write 3
Prompting resumes:

Trim existing contours inside pad perimeter [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter
Retain trimmed polyline segments [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Contour the pad [<Yes>/No]? type N and press Enter

With the path completed, let's work on a new pond structure.

9. Tool 7: We'd like to create a berm utilizing the walls of an existing valley to form a Valley Pond. We have a small amount of "prep" work:
a. To help distinguish from the Bench Pond we created earlier, create a new layer called POND2 and give it a color of Magenta and set it as the current layer.
Dismiss the layer properties dialog box.
b. Issue the Draw -- Arc -- 3 Point command and when prompted:

Pick PC point or point numbers: pick a south end of the arc as shown below
Point on arc.
Pick point or point number: pick an interior arc point
PT point.
Pick point or point number: pick a north end of the arc as shown below

3
Point
c. Issue the Edit -- Polyline Utilities -- Entities to Polylines command. When prompted:

Select lines, arcs, circles, 3DFaces, ellipses, splines, multilines, regions and solids to convert.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the arc you just drew and press Enter twice

Unlike Design Bench Pond, the Design Valley Pond routine requires only a polyline axis line for the center of the dam. The polyline can be a 2-point polyline, or it can
have several vertices along its length to create a concave or convex dam structure. The main thing is to "overdraw" the axis polyline, make it ride up on the left and right
hillside, well beyond the desired top of dam elevation. This allows the routine to look inward and find the extents of the dam on each hillside, without doing an artificial
extension of the polyline. Just "overdo" the length of the axis line and you are in business.

Our curved polyline runs from approximately 1976 on the south side of the valley to approximately 1976 on the north side. It crosses the valley at 1947. Let's decide to
put the top of the dam at 1974 even. We will make the dam top 10' wide, with 4:1 downstream and 3:1 upstream slopes.

Issue the Surface -- Design Pond -- Design Valley Pond command. For this pond, use the starting values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Design Valley
Pond
When prompted:

Pick top of pond polyline: pick the polyline we just created

Select Existing Surface: specify the TIN file shown below and click the Open button when ready:
Select
Surface File
Pick point within pond: pick within the storage area (east of the arc polyline)
Outslope ratio <2.00>: type 4 and press Enter
Interior slope ratio <2.00>: type 3 and press Enter
Top of dam elevation: 1974
Calculate stage-storage values [<Yes>/No]? press Enter
Method to specify storage elevations [<Automatic>/Interval/Manual]? specify the Interval (i) method
Starting elevation <1947.68>: 1946 (your values may vary, we'll start just below the lowest elevation)
Elevation interval <2.00>: press Enter (review the report, click the Exit (doorway) button when ready)
Output triangulation file of final pond surface [Yes/<No>]? indicate Yes
Output dam merged with existing or dam only [Merge/<Dam>]? indicate M and press Enter (indicate the file name below and click Save when ready)
Select Pond Triangulation to
Write 1
Write stage-storage file [Yes/<No>]? indicate Yes (indicate the file name below and click Save when ready)

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Stage-Storage File to
Write 1
Adjust parameters and redesign pond [Yes/<No>]? press Enter
Contour the pond [<Yes>/No]? indicate No

You should now have a pond that looks like the one in the following image:
Completed Valley
Pond
10. Tool 8: How would you start at the top of the dam (elevation 1974) and build a road running uphill (or downhill) at a 6% grade? Or, in general, how would you obtain
3D polylines for roads and diversion ditches that follow the terrain at prescribed grades starting at desired points? The answer is to issue the 3D Data -- 3D Polyline
Utilities -- 3D Polyline by Slope on Surface command to display the following dialog box:
3D Polyline by Slope on
Surface
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Choose Grid or Triangulation File (dialog): open the surface created in the previous step
Pick origin point of 3D polyline: pick the starting location as shown below
Starting
Point
Direction of 3D polyline [<Up>/Down]? type U and press Enter
Direction of 3D polyline facing up slope [<Left>/Right]? type R and press Enter
Slope format [<Percent>/Ratio/Degree]? press Enter
Enter design slope percent: type 6 and press Enter (a 3D polyline at the cited slope is drawn as illustrated below, your results will vary)
Adjust slope [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter
Pick origin point of 3D polyline (Enter to end): press Enter

3D Polyline by Slope on
Surface
As optional exercises, construct the Haul surface through steps we've already discussed:
1. Offset 3D Polyline (offset 10' to the East)
2. Perform some minor clean-up (at the north end through the use of grips)
3. Join Nearest (connect the two lines, an expanded Join Distance is warranted if the clean-up work above is performed)
4. Design Pad Template (3:1 Cut and 3:1 Fill slopes, create a surface called Example2-Haul)
11. Tool 9: In our next example, we wish to create a borrow-pit whose outer perimeter we know and we desire to excavate down to a given elevation with stable side
slopes. For the "prep" work, use the image as a guide below to create a 2D polyline at elevation 0:
Borrow Pit
Limit
NOTE: For this type of shape, it is recommended you use the standard CAD "polyline" (key-in pline) with alternating combinations of:
line
arc
line
follow
arc
line
follow
(etc repeating)
close
Once complete, issue the 3D Data -- 2D to 3D Polyline -- By Surface Model command (sometimes called the "drape" command) and when prompted:

Choose Grid or Tmesh File to Process (dialog): open the surface created in the previous step
Select polylines and lines to convert.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the 2D polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
2D to 3D
Polyline
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. Re-run the Surface -- Design Pad Template command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Design Pad
Template 2
Set the values as shown above paying particular attention to the highlighted items and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick pad polyline: pick the 3D polyline just created

Fill outslope ratio <3.000>: press Enter
Cut outslope ratio <3.000>: press Enter
Target surface elevation: type 1976 and press Enter
Select Existing Surface for Volumes (Cancel for None) (dialog): open the surface created in the previous step

Review the Pad Report and click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready. Prompting resumes:

Adjust parameters and redesign pad [Yes/<No>]? press Enter

Output Triangulation to Write (dialog): set the value as shown below and click Save

Output Triangulation to
Write 4
Prompting resumes:

Retain trimmed polyline segments [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter

Issue the View -- 3D View -- Surface File Viewer command to examine the results of the most recently created surface model thus far as illustrated below:
Carlson 3D
Viewer
Click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready.
12. Tool 10: Our next goal is to build a diversion ditch around the dam. Re-issue the Draw 2D Polyline command that starts on the water-side of the valley dam near the
1972 contour (as you may recall, the valley dam has a top elevation of 1974) and curves around into the hill and into the drainage below the dam as shown below:
Draw 2D
Polyline 2
Let's create an existing ground ground profile from the TIN so that we can use this profile as a reference for the design profile to follow. Issue the Profiles -- Create

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Profile From -- Profile from Grid or Triangulation Surface command. When prompted:

Choose Grid or Triangulation File to Process (dialog): open the surface created in the previous step
Profile Options (dialog): set the options as shown below and click OK
Profile
Options
Choose Profile File to Write (dialog): set the options as shown below and click Save
Profil
e File
Polyline should have been drawn in direction of increasing stations.
CL File/<Select centerline polyline>: pick the polyline you just drew
Starting station <0.0>: press Enter

Issue the Profiles -- Profile Editor and when prompted, create the new file as illustrated below and click the Open button ready:
Specify a
Profile File
This displays a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Profile
Editor
Within this dialog box, perform the following actions:
a. Use the Set to set the Reference Profile of the existing ground profile you just created
b. Specify a starting Station of 0 and give it a depth of 0
c. Specify an ending Station of approximately that shown in the Reference Profile and give it a depth of 0
d. Use the Add Row button to specify an internal vertical hinge point at a station of your choosing and a depth >= 0.75. With the elevation/grade calculated, adjust
the grade for the first record to be the next even percent as illustrated above
e. In all cases, make sure the new profile is always completely below existing ground so that the diversion ditch is always in cut
f. Alternatively, end the profile at a station where desired so that any pond overflow is clear of the dam and simply flows over hill
g. Save and exit from the Profile Editor when complete
13. Tool 11: Our next topic of discussion will focus on converting/combining the 2D polyline we drew along with that of the design profile to create a properly sloped 3D
polyline representing one edge of the diversion ditch. Issue the Profiles -- Profile to 3D Polyline command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Profile to 3D
Polyline
Set the values as shown above and click the OK button when ready. When prompted:

Polyline should have been drawn in direction of increasing stations.

CL File/<Select centerline polyline>: pick the 2D polyline we created earlier
Starting station <0.0>: press Enter
Select Profile to Read (dialog): select the design profile we created earlier and click Open
Select Profile to
Read
Erase centerline [Yes/<No>]? type Y and press Enter

The result is a 3D polyline along the length of the 2D polyline but at elevations defined by the design profile.
14. Tool 12: Our next task will be to line the diversion ditch with concrete, include a traditional roadway curb element (to help control erosion) and create tie-slopes from
the back of the curb feature. Issue the Roads -- Design Template command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Template File to
Edit/Create
We'll focus on this horizontal strip of icon options:
Template Add/Edit
Controls
To begin, click on the Grade button to display a dialog box similar to that shown shown below:
Grade
Dimensions
Set the values as shown above to ultimately create a 10' wide surface that drains to the center at a 1% slope and terminates with an ID of ED (edge drainage).
Click OK when ready.
Click on the Curb button to display a dialog box similar to that shown shown below:
Curb
Dimensions
Set the values as shown above to ultimately create a simple concrete curb with an ID of BOC (back of curb). Click OK when ready.
Click on the Cut button to display a dialog box similar to that shown shown below:
Cut
Grade
Set the values as shown above to ultimately create a single catch-slope used on both sides of the template for Cut scenarios with an ID of TIE (tie point). Click
OK when ready.
Click on the Fill button to display a dialog box similar to that shown shown below:
Fill
Grade
Set the values as shown above to ultimately create a single catch-slope used on both sides of the template for Fill scenarios with an ID of TIE (tie point). Click
OK when ready.

Verify the completed template resembles that shown below (paying attention to the highlighted item) and click Save and Exit when ready:
Completed
Template
Now let's use the Surface -- Design Pad Template routine one more time as illustrated below:
Design Pad
Template 3
For the first time, we have selected the Template option as illustrated above. Set the values as shown above paying particular attention to the highlighted items and
click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick pad polyline: pick the 3D polyline created earlier

Select Slope Target Surface (dialog): open the most recent surface for the project
Select Template (dialog): pick the template file created earlier

Review the Pad Report and click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready. Prompting resumes:

Merge Final Surface (dialog): click Yes

Output Triangulation to Write (dialog): set the value as shown below and click Save

Output Triangulation to
Write 5

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Prompting resumes:

Retain trimmed polyline segments [Yes/<No>]? type N and press Enter

Issue the View -- 3D View -- Surface File Viewer command to examine the results as illustrated below:
Carlson 3D
Viewer
Click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready.
Finally, let's see how much earthwork has been moved since we started. Issue the Surface -- Volumes by Triangulation -- Two Triangulation Surface Volumes
command. When prompted:

Select EXISTING Surface Triangulation File (dialog): open the first surface model created in this project
Select FINAL Surface Triangulation File (dialog): open the last surface for the project
Volume Report Options (dialog): accept the default values
Select Inclusion polylines or press Enter for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities<: press Enter
Select Exclusion polylines or press Enter for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities<: press Enter

Review the results as illustrated below (your results will be different):

Volume
Report
Click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready.

This completes the tutorial: A Dozen Tools for Surface Design.

Calculate Volumes by Five Methods

For this tutorial, we'll be using a sample stockpile drawing and calculating its volume using five distinct techniques:

1. Stockpile Volumes: Creates grid surfaces from perimeter polyline and surface entities and calculates volumes in one command
2. Volumes By Layers: Creates grid surfaces from existing and design layers and calculates volumes in one command
3. Two Grid Surface Volumes: Calculates volumes between two grid files
4. Volumes By Triangulation: Calculates volumes between two triangulation files
5. Calculate Sections Volumes: Calculates volumes between two section files using volumes by average end areas

Each of these routines has its own advantages. You can choose the routine that best suits your data or run multiple methods as a check of the volumes. The volume reports for
each of these routines will vary slightly due to using different types of surface models that have different resolutions. These volume differences should be less than 2%.

A Results Summary of the various volume methodologies is also provided.

If there is a greater difference, try increasing the resolution of the surface models. For grids, make the grid cell size smaller and for sections, make the station interval smaller.
If there is still a significant difference, then the cause should be investigated by checking the source data.

Common Steps

The following are common preparation steps for all five volume methods:

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the example1.dwg file.
Open
Dialog
Use the File -- Save As to save a copy named example1-v.dwg. Completing this tutorial will alter the drawing file and by renaming the file from the start, you'll keep
the original file intact (allowing you to run through the tutorial a second time if desired). This is also a good practice to keep when working on drawings from 3rd
parties.
2. Ensure you are in the Civil program by issuing the Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Civil Menu command. Since our drawing contains point data, let's house it in a related
coordinate file for future use. Issue the Points -- Set Coordinate File command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Coordinate File to
Process
Set the value as shown above and click Open when ready. Next, issue the Points -- Point Utilities -- Update CRD File from Drawing command (also found under Points
-- Coordinate File Utilities) to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Update CRD File from
Drawing
Accept the default values and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Select Carlson, LDD, Softdesk, InRoads, EaglePt, Geodimeter, Leica or MicroSurvey Points.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
3. Due to the shape of the data (and in an effort to get consistent results), we'd like to develop a boundary (or inclusion) polyline around the data set. There are several
ways to accomplish this:
Through the use of the Survey module and its Survey -- Draw Field to Finish command, or,
Through the use of the Draw -- 3D Polyline command, or,
Through the use of the Draw -- Shrink-Wrap Entities command, or,
Through the use of the Surface -- Stockpile/Pond/Pit Volumes -- Draw 3DPoly Perimeter command (run it now) to display a dialog box similar to that shown
below:
Polyline 3D
Options
Set the values as shown above (click OK when ready) and when prompted:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: type the range of 2000-2028 and press Enter
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: type C and press Enter

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The drawing should resemble that shown below:

Drawing with
Boundary
Let's begin the volume calculation processes.

Volume Method 1 - Calculate Stockpile Volume

The Calculate Stockpile Volume routine is based on a grid surface methodology like the Two Surface Volumes discussion below. The difference with this routine is that it
builds the grid surfaces within the routine to save time otherwise needed to build the grid files. The fewer steps make this routine faster and easier but it doesn't have options
for checking surfaces. Instead the input data entities should be checked before running this routine. Also, Calculate Stockpile Volume only applies to volumes calculations
when the volume is all Fill.

1. Issue the Surface -- Stockpile/Pond/Pit Volumes -- Calculate Stockpile Volume command. When prompted:

Select stockpile entities and perimeter.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter (The program looks for a closed 3D polyline on the PERIMETER layer to use as the inclusion perimeter and the
base surface model. If this polyline is not found, then the program will prompt to select the perimeter polyline. All the selected entities including the perimeter are used
to model the second surface of the stockpile top).
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
The routine offers various reporting capabilities. Let's assume a typical density for a pile of road salt as illustrated below and click OK when ready:
Stockpile Volume
Report 0
Specify the grid resolution as shown in the dialog below and click OK when ready:
Make 3D
Grid File
The result is summarized in a volume report in the Standard Report Viewer similar to that shown below:
Stockpile Volume
Report 1
Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report.

NOTE: The limits of the grid are determined automatically and shown in the report. For the sake of accuracy, the next two methods will use the grid parameters shown above.

NOTE: For situations involving a Cut-only scenario (such as a pond or pit), use the Surface -- Stockpile/Pond/Pit Volumes -- Calculate Pond/Pit Volume command.

Volume Method 2 - Volumes By Layers

Let's explore a simple routine that handles both Cut and Fill scenarios.

1. Issue the Surface -- Volumes By Grid Surface -- Volumes By Layers command. When prompted:

Pick Lower Left limit of surface area <8124.32,3995.70>: indicate the values shown to the left and press Enter (or pick a lower left limit)
Pick Upper Right limit of surface area <8344.32,4177.70>: indicate the values shown to the left and press Enter (or pick an upper right limit)
Specify the grid resolution as shown in the dialog below and click OK when ready:
Make 3D Grid
File 2
A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Volumes by
Layer
Click the Select Layers from Screen buttons and when prompted:
Select entities on layers of Existing surface.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline and press Enter
Select entities on layers of Final surface.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice
Once the values are as shown above, click OK when ready. Prompting resumes:
Select surface entities on corresponding layers.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice
Select the Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none:
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select the Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Volume Report Options (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Volume Report
Options
The volume report similar to that shown below appears:
Stockpile Volume
Report 2
Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report.

NOTE: Similar to Calculate Stockpile Volume, this routine builds the grid surfaces within the routine to save the steps of creating grid files. The difference between this
routine and the Calculate Stockpile Volume routine is that Volumes By Layers uses entities on specified layers for Existing and Final scenarios to build the surfaces and it
will calculate both Cut and Fill volumes.

Volume Method 3 - Two Grid Surface Volumes

For the next example, we must create the two grid files; one representing an assumed base-ground (Existing) surface, the other representing the surface of the pile (Final).

1. Issue the Surface -- Make 3D Grid File command. When prompted:

Grid File to Create (dialog): supply the file name indicated below and click Save when ready:
Grid File to
Create 1
A dialog box similar to that shown below appears. Set the values as shown and click OK when ready:
Make 3D
Grid File
Prompting resumes:

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Pick first grid corner <8124.32,3995.70>: press Enter (notice the grid limit from the previous example is defaulted)
Pick opposite grid corner <8344.32,4177.70>: press Enter
Select the Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select the Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select points, lines, polylines and faces to grid from.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline again and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

A grid file representing an assumed base-ground (Existing) surface is written.

2. Re-run the Surface -- Make 3D Grid File command. When prompted:

Grid File to Create (dialog): supply the file name indicated below and click Save when ready:
Grid File to
Create 2
A dialog box similar to that shown below appears. Set the values as shown and click OK when ready:
Make 3D Grid
File 2
NOTE: For the volume routine to follow, the two grids to compare should have matching grid positions and resolution. Prompting resumes:
Grid File to Get Position From (dialog): select the grid file created earlier and click Open when ready
Select the Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select the Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select points, lines, polylines and faces to grid from.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

A grid file representing the surface of the pile (Final) is written.

3. Optional: Presume we might want to check the surface(s) just created. This step is optional to verify that the surfaces are good by checking for bad elevation data points
and that the surfaces follow the data points. Issue the View -- 3D View -- Surface File Viewer and when prompted:

Select Surface File (dialog): select the grid file that was just created and click Open when ready:
Select
Surface File
A 3D Viewer window similar to that shown below appears:
Carlson 3D
Viewer
In the 3D Viewer dialog, move the pointer near the outer edge of the graphic and the cursor will change to an Z symbol which orients the view about the vertical axis.
Moving the cursor to the interior of the graphic and the cursor will change to an X/Y symbol. Click and drag from the bottom upward to change the isometric viewing
angle. You can also set the Vertical Scale to 2.0 and enable the Color By Elevation toggle for better viewing of the elevation difference. Experiment with any desired
remaining options. When ready, click the Exit (Doorway) button.
4. Now, let's check some spot elevations. Issue the Surface -- Surface Inspector command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Surface
Inspector
Use the highlighted controls to set the values as shown above. When ready, click the OK button. As you position the cursor into the data set, notice a real-time reporting
of the two surface elevations as illustrated below:
Surface
Inspector 2
Check that the grid elevations match the point elevations reasonably well. Remember that the base elevations are using only the B-TOE points. The elevations won't
match exactly with grid surfaces because the grid model is at the resolution of the grid cells. When finished checking, press Enter.
5. Now that you have the Base and Pile grid files, issue the Surface -- Volumes By Grid Surface -- Two Grid Surface Volumes command. When prompted:

Select the Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select the Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Base Grid File (dialog): select the Base grid file and click Open when ready
Select Final Grid File (dialog): select the Pile grid file and click Open when ready
Volume Report Options (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Volume Report
Options 3
The volume report similar to that shown below appears:
Stockpile Volume
Report 3
Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report.

NOTE: Although grid files produce relatively accurate volumes (based on the grid resolution), their primary value lies in the ability to hand-calculate the results for
validation purposes. With a grid resolution (e.g. 2' x 2') and the average elevation of each grid cell (resulting in a grid depth), a grid cell volume can be computed through
traditional means.

Volume Method 4 - Volumes By Triangulation

For precise surface-to-surface volumes, creating triangulated irregular network (TIN) files is the preferred methodology.

1. Issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command. The following dialog box (with several "tabs") will appear which you should fill out as discussed below:
Triangle & Contour -
Triangulate tab
In the Triangulate tab (as shown above), enable the Write Triangulation File toggle and click its Select button to set the name of a triangulation (*.tin) file as
illustrated below. Click the Save button on this dialog box so that the results of the triangulation can be re-used for future purposes. Turn on the Use
Inclusion/Exclusion Areas toggle and set any remaining options as illustrated above:
Triangle & Contour -
Triangulation file
In the Contour tab, as shown below, toggle off the Draw Contours option:

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Triangle & Contour -

Contour tab
Click the OK button from any tab. When prompted:

Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline again and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

If a secondary dialog box appears prompting for a coordinate file (*.crd), click Cancel. A "TIN" file representing an assumed base-ground (Existing) surface is written.
2. For the pile TIN, we'll follow the same general procedure as above but with a few small tweaks. Re-issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command and set the
values as shown below (click OK when ready):
Triangle & Contour 2 -
Triangulate tab
When prompted:

Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

If a secondary dialog box appears prompting for a coordinate file (*.crd), click Cancel or select the coordinate file created earlier in this lesson if you so choose and
accept the default parameters that follow.

A "TIN" file representing the pile (Final) surface is written.

3. Optional: Similar to the Check Surfaces step under Two Grid Surface Volumes, this is an optional step to check that the surface(s) are correct. Re-issue the View -- 3D
View -- Surface File Viewer command and when prompted:

Select Surface File (dialog): select the TIN file that was just created and click Open when ready.

A 3D Viewer window similar to that shown below appears:

Carlson 3D
Viewer 2
When ready, click the Exit (Doorway) button.
4. Now that we have our two triangulation files, we can generate a TIN to TIN prismoidal volume calculation. Of all the volume methods, this one is the most accurate
since all the source data points are used in the volume model. Issue the Surface -- Volumes By Triangulation -- Two Triangulation Surface Volumes command. When
prompted:

Select EXISTING Surface Triangulation File (dialog): select the Base TIN file and click Open when ready
Select FINAL Surface Triangulation File (dialog): select the Pile grid file and click Open when ready
Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the PERIMETER polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Volume Report Options (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Volume Report
Options 4
The volume report similar to that shown below appears:
Stockpile Volume
Report 4
Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report.

Volume Method 5 - Calculate Section Volumes

In roadway/corridor types of projects, volumes by Average End Area are commonly used. Let's see the results of this process.

1. Our first task will be to draw a centerline (baseline) upon which the corridor will be based. Issue the Centerline -- Design Centerline command and when prompted:

Centerline File to Design (dialog): set the file name as shown below and click Open when ready
Centerline File to
Design
Design Centerline (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready
Design
Centerline
Pick Point or Point number: type 2016 and press Enter
Bearing/PI/Exit/Undo/<Pick Point or Point number>: type 2004 and press Enter
Bearing/PC/PI/Exit/Undo/<Pick Point or Point number>: press Enter

A centerline is generated between the two points.

NOTE: Double-clicking on the polyline on the screen will open the Centerline Editor command.
2. Our next task will be to establish the cross-section limits along this corridor centerline. Issue the Sections -- Section Alignment Editor to display a dialog box similar to
that shown below:
Select Section
Alignment File
Set the file name as indicated above and click Open when ready. When prompted:

Polyline should have been drawn in direction of increasing stations.

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CL File/<Select polyline that represents centerline>: pick the centerline polyline

Enter Beginning Station of Alignment <0.00>: press Enter
Section Alignment Settings (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready
Section Alignment
Settings
Select boundary polyline: pick the PERIMETER polyline

The program draws temporary lines in the drawing to show the positions of the sections and displays a summary of the section alignment as illustrated below:
Section Alignment
Editor
Click the Save button followed by the Exit button.
3. To create the section file for the Existing (base) surface, issue the Sections -- Create Sections from... -- Sections from Grid or Triangulation Surface command. When
prompted:

Choose Grid or Triangulation file to Process (dialog): specify the base.tin created earlier and click Open when ready
Section Options (dialog): set the option to Prompt and click OK when ready (with Prompt specified, you'll be prompted if the Section should change if there is an
underlying change to the source TIN file)
Section Alignment File to Process (dialog): specify the section alignment (*.MXS) created earlier and click Open when ready
Choose Section File to Write (dialog): specify a file name as illustrated below and click Save when ready
Choose Section File to
Write 1

The first of two section files is written.

4. Let's follow the same general process for the Final (pile) surface with a few minor adjustments. Re-issue the Sections -- Create Sections from... -- Sections from Grid
or Triangulation Surface command. When prompted:

Choose Grid or Triangulation file to Process (dialog): specify the pile.tin created earlier and click Open when ready
Section Options (dialog): set the option to Prompt and click OK when ready
Section Alignment File to Process (dialog): specify the section alignment (*.MXS) created earlier and click Open when ready
Choose Section File to Write (dialog): specify a file name as illustrated below and click Save when ready
Choose Section File to
Write 2

The second of two section files is written.

5. Optional: Similar to the Check Surfaces (grid) and the Check Surfaces (TIN) steps discussed earlier, this is an optional step to check that the section(s) are correct. Issue
the Sections -- Section File Editor command and when prompted:

Section File to Process (dialog): select the pile section file that was just created and click Open when ready.

A Section File Editor dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Section File
Editor
Set the remaining values as shown above. To examine a specific section, scroll through the list and select a desired station (e.g. 0+70.00) and click the Edit button to
display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Edit
Station
Review the controls in this dialog box and click OK when ready and then click Exit on its parent dialog box.
6. Now that we have two section files, we can derive the volume between them. Issue the Sections -- Calculate Section Volumes command. When prompted:

Section File (Existing Ground) to Read (dialog): select the Base section file and click Open when ready
Section File (Final Ground) to Read (dialog): select the Pile section file and click Open when ready
Calculate Section Volumes (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready
Calculate Section
Volumes
The volumes are calculated and reported, along with the cut and fill end-areas at each station as illustrated below:
Stockpile Volume
Report 5
Review the results and click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report.

Results Summary

As mentioned earlier, each volume methodology has a particular use and knowing the application(s) for each method will serve you well. Here is a summary of our results:

Volume Summary/Comparison
Method Fill (c.y.) Cut (c.y.) When to use
Stockpile Volumes 3,264.22 - na - Quick and approximate Fill-only volumes are sufficient
Volumes By Layers 3,264.22 1.59 Quick and for large data sets when approximate Cut and Fill volumes are sufficient
Two Grid Surface Volumes 3,264.60 1.61 Large data sets when approximate Cut and Fill volumes are sufficient
Volumes By Triangulation 3,265.55 1.70 Large or small data sets when precise surface-to-surface Cut and Fill volumes are needed
Calculate Sections Volumes 3,265.59 1.70 Corridor studies where end-area averages are sufficient

This completes the tutorial: Calculate Volumes By Five Methods.

Basic Road Design with Volumes

This tutorial requires the Civil Design program.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Example2.dwg file. It will look like the illustration below (without the curved
road).

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2. Activate the Civil module via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Civil Menu. Since Example2.dwg will also be used multiple times throughout this tutorial, you might want
to make a copy so that you don't overwrite the initial drawing. Issue the File -- Save As command and specify a different name, such as Example2r.dwg.
3. We'd like to generate a sample roadway centerline. Pick the Draw -- 2D Polyline command (or simply type-in 2DP at the command line) which starts the Carlson
enhanced Polyline command. If the Polyline 2D Options dialog box appears, set the values shown below and click the OK button:
2D Polyline
Options
When prompted:

[Continue/Extend/Follow/Options/<Pick point or point numbers>]: 1857700,159400

[Arc/Close/Distance/Follow/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: D
Enter Distance [Meters/<Feet>/Chains/Links/Rods/Pick/Quit]: F
Enter Distance [Meters/<Feet>/Chains/Links/Rods/Pick/Quit]: 310
Define direction method [Cursor/Line/Pick/<Angle>]? press Enter
Code: 1-NE 2-SE 3-SW 4-NW 5-AZ 6-AL 7-AR 8-DL 9-DR
Enter angle code (1-9) <4>: 1 (for a northeast bearing)
Enter bearing (dd.mmss): 68.5525
Enter Distance [Meters/<Feet>/Chains/Links/Rods/Pick/Quit]: Q
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: A
[Radius pt/radius Length/Arc length/Chord/Second pt/Undo/<Endpoint or point number>]: L
Specify radius length: 500
Curve direction [Left/<Right>]? press Enter
[Arc length/Chord length/Delta angle/Tangent-out/<End point or point number>]: D
Specify delta angle (ddd.mmss): 76.2405
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: L
<Enter or pick distance>: 1663.2721
Segment length: 1663.27, Total length: 2640.00
[Arc/Close/Distance/Extend/Follow/Line/Undo/<Pick point or point numbers>]: press Enter

The result should resemble the image below:

Screen
Image 1
4. Our next task will be to create a centerline file necessary for the final road design routine. Issue the Centerline -- Polyline to Centerline File command (other methods
are available for Centerline creation as described in the Centerline Menu of the documentation). Provide a centerline (*.cl) file name as shown below and click Save
when ready:
Centerline File to
Write
When prompted:

Polyline should have been drawn in direction of increasing stations.

Select polyline that represents centerline: pick polyline representing the centerline
Centerline station [Reverse/Ending/<Beginning: 0+00>]: press Enter
Press ENTER to continue. press Enter

5. Now we will make a profile file (*.pro) based on the centerline geometry we just created. Issue the Profiles -- Create Profile From -- Profile from Surface Entities.
Supply the new profile name as shown below and click Save when ready:
Profile File to
Write
A settings dialog as shown below appears. Set the values as shown and click OK:
Profile from Surface
Entities
When prompted:

Polyline should be drawn in direction of increasing stations.

CL File/<select centerline polyline>: C (and select the *.cl file created above)
Select Lines, PLines, and/or 3DFACEs that define the surface for profiling.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

The profile data is written to file.

NOTE: Common practice is to build a surface model from any and all data that carries an elevation. However, there are several Carlson Create Profile from... routines
and we opted to work with a routine that gets its information "direct from the source" (i.e. the contours themselves).
6. With the profile created, let's place the data into the drawing for visualization purposes. Use the Profiles -- Draw Profile command and use the Set Reference CL and
Add buttons to set the values as shown below. Click OK when ready:
Select Profiles to
Draw
The window below will appear. Set the values as shown making note to set the Horizontal Scale to 50 and the Vertical Scale value to 5. This will establish a 10X
vertical exaggeration of the profile. Click OK when ready:
Draw
Profile
When prompted:

Profile Grid Range (Dialog):

Pick Starting Point for Grid <0.00,0.00>: pick an arbitrary and desirable location on screen

Use the View -- Window command to study the result as desired. Your profile should look similar to this.
Drawn
Profile
NOTE: The "flat spots" shown in this profile are the result of extracting the profile data directly from the contours. Extracting a profile from a surface model is a more
common approach in today's computer age.
7. Now we will design a proposed road centerline profile in relation to the existing ground profile. Use the Profiles -- Design Road Profile -- Design Road On Profile Grid.
The following dialog box will appear. Since we followed up the Draw Profile command with this one, it was able to determine proper startup values for the dialog:
Profile
Settings
Choose OK on this dialog. A new file creation dialog box will appear, asking for an output file name. Enter a name such as Example2-Pr, and click Save. When
prompted:

Pick Lower Left Grid Corner <0.00,0.00>[endp on]: if you have not moved your profile grid, press Enter (Carlson has endpoint osnap active to make the pick accurate)

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At this point another dialog will appear in the upper left corner. Initially, it will display only station and elevation. Once a beginning point has been designated, it will
also display the relative difference from the last point to the cursor position (illustrated below). This can be an aid in determining acceptable slopes for your design.
Screen Pick
Data
When prompted:

Enter station or pick a point (Enter to End): end

Snap to END of: pick the left-most endpoint of the existing ground profile as a tie in point

The following dialog appears. Choose OK to accept the defaults:

Snap Profile
Point
prompting resumes:
Station of second PVI or pick a point (U,E,D,Help): 1111.01
Percent grade entry/<Elevation of PVI>: 1999.37
Station of next PVI or pick a point (U,E,D,Help): 1911.64
Percent grade entry/<Elevation of PVI>: 2002.66
View table/Unequal/Through pt/Sight dist/K-value/<Vert Curve Length>: 500
Use these values [<Yes>/No]? Y
Station of next PVI or pick a point (U,E,D,Help): end
Snap to END of: pick the far-right endpoint of the existing ground profile as a tie in point

The following dialog appears. Choose OK to accept the defaults:

Snap_Profile_Poi
nt_2
prompting resumes:
View table/Unequal/Through pt/Sight dist/K-value/<Vert Curve Length>: 500
Use these values [<Yes>/No]? Y
Station of next PVI or pick a point (U,E,D,Help): press Enter

At this point the following dialog appears. Change settings to match, and choose OK:
Vertical Circular Curve
Settings
Carlson will now finish the road design, and your drawing should like the following:
Completed
Profile
8. Now we will create the alignment for our cross-section file. This step gives the section interval and the offset left and right from our centerline. Use the Sections --
Section Alignment Editor command and choose the New tab. Type the name indicated below and click Open:
Select Section
Alignment File
Notice how all files can have the same name in this road design portion, as they all have a unique file extension. So for the organization of various jobs, it is sometimes
helpful to have all of the files with the same name. When prompted:

Polyline should have been drawn in direction of increasing stations.

CL File/<Select centerline polyline>: C (and select the Centerline file created earlier)

The dialog will appear as shown, enter in the stations and offsets exactly as they appear here. This will give the needed detail for the road design routine:
Section Alignment
Settings
Choose OK, and another window appears that allows for any station editing or changes. It all looks good here, so click Save and then Exit:
Input Edit Section
Alignment
The Section Alignment file (*.xms) is now written. There is now a preview of the section alignment lines shown on the centerline. These are just images, if the drawing
is regenerated, they will disappear (they can be drawn permanently if desired).
9. Next, we will create the actual section file (*.SCT) from the contours, in combination with the Section Alignment file (*.MXS). Run the Sections -- Create Sections
from -- Sections from Surface Entities command. We will use the contours and breaklines for surface elevations, as we did with generating the profile. When prompted:

MXS File to Process (Dialog): Specify the MXS file that we just created to read for the alignment
Section File to Write: Provide a file name such as Example2-Ex (e.g. the "-Ex" portion of the name signifying Existing section conditions)

A dialog box with additional settings appears:

Sections from Surface
Enitiies
We'll enter a distance of 500 feet to add to our MXS limit of 70. This will search farther for contour elevations, then choose OK. When prompted:

Select Lines, Polylines, and/or 3DFaces that define the surface.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

The section file is generated.

10. To continue the road design, let's design a wide boulevard, 27' of drivable pavement, with curb and gutter on the outside. Whenever a cut is within rock, the cut slope
will employ a 0.5:1 slope rather than the typical 3:1 slope. At the top of rock, the cut will revert to 3:1. In fill, the condition will be 3:1 for fill under 6' and 2.5:1 for fill
over 6' in depth. Pavement depths will be 6" of asphalt (consisting of a 2" wearing coat and a 4" asphalt base) and 8" of crushed aggregate.

Issue the Roads -- Design Template command and click on the New tab to create the file name as shown below. Click on Open when ready:
Template File to
Edit/Create
A large dialog box appears as shown below. In it, you enter segments of the template, which typically work outwards from the middle as you add more lanes, curbs and
shoulders. We will enter a symmetrical template, with 13.5' pavement sections either side of centerline, connecting to a curb and gutter. Then we'll add an 8' shoulder.
Design
Template 1
For the lanes, click the Grades icon. This leads to a child dialog as shown next:
Grade
Dimensions 1
Fill out as shown. It's important to note that a downhill pavement from a crown in the middle is entered as a negative slope. That is, it is -2% heading from centerline
outward, regardless of which side of centerline we are speaking of. Slope is independent of the profile grade point. It is also important to enter an ID whenever
requested as these can be referenced later for advanced placement control.

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A breakpoint in a shoulder in superelevation could be defined as occurring at EP+3, as opposed to the exact offset distance from centerline. The advantage of the
parametric EP+3 equation is that if the road lane width expands (e.g. for a passing lane), but the shoulder always breaks 3 feet beyond the edge of pavement, then EP+3
is the most effective way to reference the breakpoint. Click OK and note that the lanes show up in the preview window at the top.

Next, we will add a curb. Click the Curb icon and fill out as shown:
Curb
Dimensions 1
It is often a good idea to "match crown"... to make the curb match the slope of the last pavement lane (e.g. the 2% pavement slope above). But if your curb tilts
downward more (like -3%), then use a Special Base Slope Type. If it is flat, by all means click on Flat Base. Click OK. Here's what our screen looks like so far:
Design
Template 2
Next, we will add a shoulder, going uphill at 4% for 8'. Notice what is happening. You are "current" on the Curb entry, so if you add another Grade, it will append after
the curb, and add to the back of the curb. If you were to click on the GRADE: 13.500, -2.000%, EP segment, you would add a second "lane" before the curb, which is
NOT what you want. Click on the Grades icon with the CURB: BC item highlighted. Fill out the dialog as shown:
Grade
Dimensions 2
That's it for the surface! Here's what our screen looks like now:
Design
Template 3
NOTE: As you select the different items within the component list, the viewer window will highlight the current selection.

Now we have subgrade material(s) and catch-slopes to consider. Let's turn our attention to subgrade materials and consider: if our road materials are a total of 14" deep
(2" wearing, 4" asphalt, 8" stone) and our concrete gutter is 6" deep, do we want an aggregate stone "bed" to extend past the curb & gutter which is then covered by
dirt? The most complex concept is the "wrap-around" subgrade, so let's go for it.

Select the Subgrade icon. We'll do three subgrade surfaces: first asphalt-wearing, which will run straight out and hit the curb, then asphalt-base which will extend to the
gutter face and then tie vertically upward and then aggregate, which will run out past the back-of-curb and wrap back.

For any subgrade, we still do the vertical offset as a negative distance (negative meaning down). But follow this concept: we start it from the offset 0 and keep going at
"Continue Slope" until it hits something (the curb). This approach isn't recommended if there is nothing to intersect. But it will run into the curb in this case. This
Continue Slope concept works perfectly for shallow asphalt and concrete materials that will bump into a curb, when extended.

Subgrade
Dimensions 1
Complete as shown above, and click OK. Repeat the Subgrade option to place the base asphalt material as shown below and click OK when complete:
Subgrade
Dimensions 2
Now for the final subgrade... the aggregate bed beneath the asphalt. Follow this: if the stone can't "Match Surface" (note this option under Slope Type), it will start uphill
with the shoulder as it passes beyond the curb. So it must have a Special Slope Type, a consistent 2% cross-slope all the way. The "Wrap Height" is the vertical rise at
the end of the aggregate base before it wraps back and returns back to the curb. Select the Subgrade icon again, complete the values as shown and click OK when
ready:
Aggregate
Base
Note the preview screen:
Design
Template 4
We still need to enter the tie-slope conditions. Let's continue and click the Fill as it is easy in our example:
Fill
Grade
Just four entries total: 3 (for 3:1), 6 (up to 6'), 2.5 (for 2½:1 over 6'), then enable the Use Guardrail toggle as shown. Click OK. Next, click the Cut button:
Cut
Grade
This too, is easy (in terms of total entries). Just two entries do it: 3 (for 3:1 normal cut) and in the Slope TO Rock area, specify 0.5 (for 0.5:1 cut when in rock). Click
OK.
Design
Template 5
The template is complete. Click Save and then click Exit to close the dialogue box.
11. Now let's prove we have a good template by issuing the Roads -- Draw Typical Template command (this is the same as the Draw button as found in the previously
discussed Design Template command). The file extension for templates will be *.tpl. Select the template file as as named above and click Open to display the
following dialog box:
Typical_Se
ction
We have doubled the text scaler to 0.5 for better appearance in this tutorial. Click on Draw and pick a starting position point. Here is the look of the plotted template:
Drawn
Template
12. As more files are created, edited, loaded and reviewed within a work session, the *.ini file associated with the active drawing takes note. You can review your active
files as you work, or days later, because they save to the *.ini file that shares the same name as the drawing file. To see the files associated with this tutorial drawing
file, issue the File -- Drawing Explorer command to display a docked dialog box similar to that shown below:
Drawing
Explorer
To edit any given file, simply double-click it or right+click it to show a series of sub-options. Click the Exit (Doorway) button when complete.
13. Although Carlson has dedicated technology for using soil-boring logs to determine subsurface strata (e.g. topsoil thickness, depth to rock, etc), we'll develop an
approximate rock surface to demonstrate rock-section cuts. Issue the Sections -- Section File Editor command, select the section file you created earlier and click Open
as illustrated below:
Section File to
Process
Section File Editor has many uses. One of them is to translate or lower the elevations of a file and re-save. If we lower the elevations of our ground sections 8 feet, we
can call that the rock line. Rock lines react with templates and profiles to create rock cuts and rock quantities when we process the road corridor template through the
project. The next dialog that appears is shown below:
Input Edit
Section File
Click the Translate button to display the dialog box shown below. Make sure the dialog looks that same as shown below, and click OK:
Translate
Sections
Control returns to the Section File Editor dialog box. Click SaveAs, and enter a different name, such as Example2-Rock, and save the file. Then click Exit. Section File
Editor can do much more through its Edit option (although we will not be making any other edits to either section file). However, when using Edit, you would first
highlight one station, then click Edit to review and/or revise it.
14. It's time to pull everything together. Issue the Roads -- Process Road Design to display the dialog box shown below:
Road Design
Files
Fill out the dialog as shown above, making sure to:

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a. correctly specify your Design Profile, and,

b. specify a New Design Section file as found in the Output Files section of the dialog box.
Click OK to initiate the design process. On the next dialog, be sure to enable the Triangulate & Contour and specify an output TIN file and contours of the completed
road as illustrated below:
Additional Road Design
Parameters
Now click OK. Here is a partial view of the final report, with itemized quantities:
Screen_Ima
ge_7
Click the Exit (Doorway) button when finished reviewing the report. Depending on your Triangulate & Contour settings, you may be prompted:

Retain trimmed polyline segments [Yes/<No>]? press Enter

15. Let's inspect the result visually through the use of the View -- 3D View -- Drawing Viewer command. When prompted:

Select entities for the scene.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

Here is a resulting graphic:

Completed 3D
View
Click the Exit (Doorway) button when finished.
16. Our last task will be to package up the various files used in this example to a CAD-neutral, vendor-neutral LandXML format that is often used when needing to convey
(or archive) the intent of the design to another party (i.e. stake-out crews, machine-control paving crews, etc). Issue the File -- Export -- LandXML File command to
create a LandXML file as shown below and click Open when ready:
Specify LandXML File to
Output
We'll automate the process of the data files that should be packaged into the LandXML file through the use of the Current Drawing Data Files option as highlighted
below:
Files to
Export
A summary of the files associated with the drawing should look similar to that shown below:
Export to
LandXML File
Click on Continue once you are satisfied with the list to display the dialog box below:
Export to
LandXML
Set the values as shown above and click Export. In the event you are notified about a potential Units conflict (for this example), initiate the desired response (as offered
below):
LandXML
Warning
The LandXML file is written and can be validated through the LandXML Validator.

This completes the tutorial: Basic Road Design with Volumes.

Road Rehabilitation
This lesson designs a road rehabilitation project for two lanes of an Interstate highway. The top surface of the existing road has already been milled and the top of the milled
surface has been surveyed. The two lanes are crowned in the center with a typical cross slope of approximately 1%. The design is to add 8" of concrete with a minimum cross
slope of 1.56%. Let's get started.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the rehab1_tutorial.dwg file.
Open
Dialog
Use the File -- Save As to save a copy named rehab2_tutorial.dwg. Completing this tutorial will alter the drawing file and by renaming the file from the start, you'll
keep the original file intact (allowing you to run through the tutorial a second time if desired). This is also a good practice to keep when working on drawings from 3rd
parties. The drawing should resemble that shown below:
rehab1_tutorial
.dwg
Ensure you are in the Civil program by issuing the Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Civil Menu command.
2. Our immediate goal will be to create an existing ground surface model (TIN). Issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour and set the values shown in the dialog box
below and click OK when ready:
Triangulate and
Contour
When prompted:

Select the points and breaklines to Triangulate.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

A surface model (TIN) file representing existing conditions is created.

3. Our next task will be to create a horizontal centerline from polyline data found in the drawing. Before we complete this task, we'll want to freeze the BREAKLINE layer
to expose the polylines on the PROPOSED PAVEMENT layer. Issue the View -- Freeze Layer by Pick and when prompted:

Pick entities on layers to be frozen: pick one of the pavement edge polylines
Pick entity on layer to be frozen (U-Undo,Enter to end): press Enter

Issue the Centerline -- Polyline To Centerline File to display the dialog box shown below:
CenterLine File to
Write
Set the desired file name as shown above and click Save when ready. When prompted:

Polyline should have been drawn in the direction of increasing stations.

Select polyline that represents centerline: pick the centerline polyline

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Centerline station [Reverse/Ending/<Beginning: 0+00>]: type 73258.51 and press Enter

Press ENTER to continue. press Enter

A centerline alignment is created.

NOTE: Double-clicking on the polyline on the screen will open the Centerline Editor command.
4. Now that the horizontal path of the road has been established, the next step will be to generate cross-section information of existing conditions. Issue the Sections --
Section Alignment Editor to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Select Section
Alignment File
Set the file name as indicated above and click Open when ready. When prompted:

Polyline should have been drawn in the direction of increasing stations.

CL File/<Select polyline that represents centerline>: indicate the Centerline option
Specify a CL File (dialog): selec the Centerline created in the previous step and click Open
Section Alignment Settings (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready
Section Alignment
Settings

The program draws temporary lines in the drawing to show the positions of the sections and displays a summary of the section alignment cross-section stations. Click
the Save button followed by the Exit button.
5. To create the section file for the Existing (base) surface, issue the Sections -- Create Sections from... -- Sections from Grid or Triangulation Surface command. When
prompted:

Choose Grid or Triangulation file to Process (dialog): specify the TIN file created earlier and click Open when ready
Section Options (dialog): set the option to Prompt and click OK when ready (with Prompt specified, you'll be prompted if the Section should change if there is an
underlying change to the source TIN file)
Section Alignment File to Process (dialog): specify the section alignment (*.MXS) created earlier and click Open when ready
Choose Section File to Write (dialog): specify a file name as illustrated below and click Save when ready
Choose Section File to
Write 1

The section file is written.

6. Now that we've generated existing cross-section data, our next task will be to create a design template "overlay" for the road surface we wish to construct. Issue the
Roads -- Design Template and click on the New tab to create the file name as shown below. Click on Open when ready:
Template File to
Edit/Create
A large dialog box appears as shown below. In it, you enter segments of the template, which typically work outwards from the middle as you add more lanes, curbs and
shoulders. We will enter a symmetrical template, with 12' pavement sections either side of centerline with an 8" subgrade.
Design
Template 1
For the lanes, click the Grades icon. This leads to a child dialog as shown next:
Grade
Dimensions 1
Fill out as shown. It's important to note that a downhill pavement from a crown in the middle is entered as a negative slope. That is, it is -2% heading from centerline
outward, regardless of which side of centerline we are speaking of. Slope is independent of the profile grade point. It is also important to enter an ID whenever
requested as these can be referenced later for advanced placement control. Click OK and note that the lanes show up in the preview window at the top.

Click the Subgrade button and indicate the following desired values for the subgrade surface:
Subgrade
Dimensions 1
NOTE:
Straight Up for the Intersect Surface option instructs the subgrade surface to intersect vertically to the grade surface above.
0 for the horizontal offset distance instructs the subgrade surface to start directly under the centerline of the road.
8 inches for the Vertical Offset instructs the subgrade to be 8 inches below the grade surface above and will generate the minimum 8" pavement thickness
specified earlier in this lesson.
EP for the Distance instructs the subgrade width to be the same width as the EP (edge-of-pavement) width specified in the Grade Dimensions.
NOTE: By using the parametric/variable ID points (e.g. the "EP" code vs the 12' Horizontal Distance, the subgrade width will vary as needed to accommodate
the pavement grade width!
Click OK when ready to dismiss the Grade Dimensions dialog box. The proposed road template should resemble the following:
Proposed
Template
That's all that needs to be defined in the template. Click the Save button and then click Exit.
7. The next step is to design the proposed cross-slopes to follow the existing section grades as much as possible. Issue the Roads menu -- Template Grade Table to display
a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Template Grade Table to
Edit/Create
Set the file name as shown above and click when ready. A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Template Grade
Table 1
A. Highlight the GRADE surface from the Left Surface list, then
B. click the Match Slope button, then
C. select the section file created earlier as the Section File to Process and click Open when ready. A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Match Reference Section Slope
Left Side Settings Right Side Settings
Match Reference Section Match Reference Section
Slope (L) Slope (R)
Set the appropriate values for the Left/Right side as shown above and click OK when ready.
NOTE:
The Reference 1st/2nd Offset values are used to sample the existing sections at the specified offsets to get the existing cross slope.
The Lowest/Highest Slope % values restrict the design cross-slopes to be within the range specified.
The Max Slope Rate of Change Per 100 restricts how much the design cross-slope can change between stations. For example, with the maximum set to
0.5 and a cross-slope of -2.0% at station 1+00, the cross-slope at station 2+00 must be between -2.5% and -1.5%.
After picking OK on the dialog box above, highlight the GRADE surface from the Right Surface list and repeat the steps above. The resulting Template Grade
Table should resemble that shown below:
Template Grade
Table 2
Click Save and then click Exit.

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8. The next step is to define the design profile that minimizes quantities while satisfying the design parameters. Issue the Roads -- Road Rehabilitation Profile command to
display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Road Rehabilitation Design
Files 1
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready to display a dialog box similar to that shown below and click OK when ready:
Process
Options
NOTE: The Max Profile Slope Rate of Change Per 100 option is essentially identical to the Max Slope Rate of Change Per 100 value found in Template Grade Table
except this one applies to the profile slope instead of the cross-slope.
A profile for the data is generated and any adjustments to the profile can be made through the Profiles -- Design Road Profile -- Road Profile Editor command.
9. The road design is now ready to be computed. Issue the Roads menu -- Process Road Design command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below. Make sure
the Centerline, Profile, Design Template, Existing Surface and Template Grade Table options are each utilizing the files created earlier. Click on the Design
Section button to create a new file as illustrated below:
Road Design
Files
Click OK when ready to continue. On the Additional Road Design Parameters dialog box, accept the default values as illustrated below and click OK to initiate the
processing of the design:
Additional Road Design
Parameters
The program reports the quantities per station and totals in a report similar to that shown below:
Process Road Design
Volumes 1
Review the report and click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready.
NOTE: Be aware of the following important values:
The Total Fill is the amount of extra leveling.
The Subgrade Volumes are the amount of overlay.
10. Our next task will be to visually verify the design by generating cross-section plots. Issue the Sections -- Draw Section File command to display a dialog box similar to
that shown below:
Select Section Files for
Drawing
Click the Add File(s) button to add the two section files we've created earlier and use the Up/Down arrow buttons to set them in the order shown. Click OK when ready
to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Draw Section
File 1
Set the values as shown above paying particular note to:
Set 10 for the Horizontal Scale value.
Set 5 for the Vertical Scale value.
Click the Scan Files to Set Defaults button to "read" the section files specified earlier and retrieve data from them.
Vertical Stack for the Type of Plot.
Enable the Label Slopes option and then click the Set button to ensure:
a. Label Section 1 is enabled (use its Set button to enable the Label Below option).
b. Label Section 2 is enabled (use its Set button to enable the Label Below option).
NOTE: You can click the Grid Setup to set the Horizontal/Vertical Grid Spacing values to be the same as that of the Horizontal/Vertical Scale values as sited above.
Click the OK button and when prompted:

Select Starting Point for Row of Sections <0.00,0.00>: pick a location to the left of the roadway shots

The collection of cross-section stations will be placed into the drawing similar to that shown below:
Cross-
section 1
This station shows the existing surface with slopes ranging from 1.41% left to 0.57% right and the design with slopes 1.56% left and right. Since 1.56% was the
minimum design cross slope, the design is steeper than existing and there is some leveling needed between the design overlay and the existing.

The profile elevation for this station was set by the right edge since this was the highest point. There is some extra leveling fill needed on the left side. This left side
slope can be steeper because our design cross-slope range is 1.56% to 2.25%.
11. Let's continue with additional steps to refine the design! Re-issue the Roads -- Road Rehabilitation Profile command again. Use all the same files as we did earlier:
Road Rehabilitation Design
Files 1
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready to display a dialog box similar to that shown below. Enable the Adjust Template Grade Table toggle and set
the Lowest/Highest Slopes and the Max Cross Slope Rate to the same design parameters used during Template Grade Table as shown below and click OK when
ready:
Process
Options
NOTE: The Adjust Template Grade Table option checks the left and right grades while creating the rehabilitation profile and adjusts the slope on the side that is not
controlling the profile grade.
12. Re-issue the Roads -- Process Road Design command again with all the same settings from the previous run to display a report similar to that shown below:
Process Road Design
Volumes 2
Review the report and click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready.
NOTE: Because we had the Link Sections to Files option set to Prompt, let's update the already placed sections! Click Yes on the dialog box shown below:
Draw Section
File 2
For this run, the Template Grade Table has been adjusted. In the report, the overlay quantities are the same and the fill quantity for the extra leveling has been reduced
as expected. In this case, the Template Grade Adjustment reduced the Total Fill (extra leveling) amount from 463.142 C.Y. to 415.313 C.Y. (about a 10% reduction in
needed leveling material) with an updated cross-section representation similar to that shown below:
Cross-
section 2
The only difference in the final section is that the left side is steeper to better match the existing surface.

This concludes this tutorial lesson: Roadway Rehabilitation.

Hydrology and Watershed Analysis

This tutorial requires the Hydrology module.

This lesson will step through some of the more common Hydrology module routines, and design structures based on the analysis of a watershed.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.

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If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.

If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the HydroLesson.dwg file. Activate the Hydrology module via Settings -- Carlson
Menus -- Hydrology Menu.
2. The drawing file HydroLesson.dwg is a nice example to show the features of the Hydrology module. A surface file (hydrolesson.tin) is needed for these routines and
is also supplied. Use the View -- Layer Control command to become familiar with the various layers, and then go to the View -- 3D View -- Drawing Viewer
command to see the change of elevations in the surface. When prompted:

Select entities for the scene.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

Here is a resulting graphic:

3D View

Click Exit (the doorway button) when finished.

There are two main drainage areas that we will be looking at:
Drainage 1
Drainage 2
They are labeled in the below graphic. The other drainage areas in this region will be ignored, as they do not drain to the same area we are looking at, the north central
low spot:
Labeled Watersheds

There are routines for finding these watersheds based on grid (*.grd) or TIN files, but this drawing has the closed polylines already generated. We will walk through
some of the steps to gather the slope and area information.
3. Issue the View -- Freeze Layer by Pick command to freeze all contours, which are on two separate layers. Also pick the Magenta-colored PILLARS layer.

We would next like to evaluate the terrain data within each of the two watersheds available to us. Issue the Surface -- Slope Report command which displays the dialog
box below:
Slope
Report

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Set the values as shown above and click the OK button. On the subsequent dialog box, select the surface shown below and click the Open button when ready:
Select Surface File

When prompted:

Select entities for the scene.

Select the Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: select the closed perimeter line that runs around Drainage 1 (press Enter when complete)
Select the Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

The surface information from the selected TIN that is enclosed by the watershed perimeter polyline is echoed to the Standard Report Viewer as shown below:
Slope
Report 1
Click the Exit (Doorway) button when finished. Immediately press Enter to re-run the command and this time, select the closed perimeter line that runs around
Drainage 2. Contrast its results to that shown above:
Slope
Report 2
Notice that the watersheds are similar in size, and have approximately the same average slope. Click the Exit (Doorway) button when finished. Use the View --
Thaw/On All Layers command to thaw the layers that you froze earlier.
4. Our next task will be to evaluate the drainage characteristics of the site. Issue the Watershed -- Runoff Tracking command. On the subsequent dialog box, select the
surface shown below and click the Open button when ready:
Select Surface File

On the following dialog box, accept the parameters as shown below and click OK when ready:
Runoff Tracking
Options
The result will be a collection of 3D polylines showing the path(s) water will take from a given rainfall intensity amount. Among other things, the command is useful to
fine-tune a watershed boundary. For example, the Pick Individually option can be used to spot-pick locations near a boundary line. You can see which direction the
water will flow and adjust the watershed perimeter accordingly. Shown is an example of the drawing with the runoff tracking lines falling within their respective
watersheds:

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Runoff Tracking Results

Issue the View -- Freeze Layer by Pick command and pick one of the previously generated flowlines and the two types of contour lines to remove them from the
display.
5. The next step is to see information for the longest flow line data within the watersheds. Issue the Watershed -- Report Flow Values command. When prompted:

Type of flow line [<3DPolyline>/Profile]? press Enter for the 3D Polyline option
Select 3D polyline flow line: pick the Flowline for Drainage 1 as shown below
Select 3D polyline flow line: pick the Flowline for Drainage 2 as shown below
Select 3D polyline flow line: press Enter
Max Flowlines

NOTE: The 3D polylines in the drawing were created (with runoff tracking and some editing) to represent the longest flow line.

The results are summarized in a nice report as illustrated below (with additional annotation added for clarity) showing the slopes and vertical drop. The report can be
saved for future reference but "screen picks" of these polylines can be used in other aspects of the software:
Flow Line
Results
Click the Exit (Doorway) button when finished.
6. Our next task will be to determine (or establish) the rainfall intensity/depth based on a given location, storm event and durations. Issue the Watershed -- Rainfall
Frequency & Amount -- TP-40/TP-47 command to display the dialog box similar to that below:
Choose
Rainfall
Set the values as shown above and note that as you click on the map, the rainfall intensity of the selected location will be reflected into the dialog box. For the sake of
consistency, we will use the value of 3.52 inches (key this value in if you can't select it from the screen). For customizing this table to suit your needs, there is the User
Defined toggle that permits individual entry in the lower left portion of the dialog box allowing for future retrieval if desired. Click OK when finished.
7. Next, we'd like to obtain the runoff and volume of the storm based on the curve number and acreage of each sub-watershed. Use the View -- Isolate Layers and click on
the Magenta "PILLARS" layer and the Black (or White) "Watershed_Perim" layer.

We will calculate a weighted curve number representing two land use types and will run this twice, once for each watershed. Issue the Watershed -- Curve Numbers

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(CN) & Runoff command. The following dialog box appears:

Curve Number - Runoff
Calculation
Let's specify the first of our two Curve Numbers. Click the Select CN button to display a dialog box similar to that below:
Runoff Curve Number
Library
Scroll through the list to locate and highlight the Land Use cited above and then click soil type button B. The entry is loaded into the Curve Number - Runoff
Calculation dialog box. Use the land use guide below for the exercise to follow:
Curve Numbers

With this entry active in the list, click the Subarea By Interior Point button and when prompted:

Pick point inside area perimeter: click within the Drainage 1 area for the land use identified as Close Seeded- C (Poor) as shown above
(the selected area will shade)
Use the Selected Area? click Yes when you have the correct watershed sub-area
Pick point inside area perimeter (Enter to end): press Enter

Let's specify the second of our two Curve Numbers. Highlight/select the empty Row 2, and click the Select CN button to display a dialog box similar to that below:
Runoff Curve Number
Library
Scroll through the list to locate and highlight the Land Use cited above and then click soil type button B. The entry is loaded into the Curve Number - Runoff
Calculation dialog box. Again, with the Row 2 entry active in the list, click the Subarea By Interior Point button and when prompted:

Pick point inside area perimeter: click within the Drainage 1 area for the land use identified as Woods (Fair) as shown above
(the selected area will shade)
Use the Selected Area? click Yes when you have the correct watershed sub-area
Pick point inside area perimeter (Enter to end): press Enter

Set the remaining values as shown below:

Curve Number Runoff
Calculation 1
Click on the Save CN button to save this weighted Curve Number data to a file as shown below:
Save CN File1

To obtain the weighted Curve Number for the Drainage 2 area, select/highlight the desired row/land use entry and click the Subarea By Interior Point button. Repeat
for the other land use and the results should resemble that shown below:
Curve Number Runoff
Calculation 2
Click on the Save CN button to save this weighted Curve Number data to a file as shown below:

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Save CN File2

Control returns to the Curve Number - Runoff Calculation dialog box and click the Exit button to complete the command.
8. The next thing we'd like to do is establish the Time of Concentration (Tc) for the two watersheds. This is a quick step necessary for ultimately getting the Peak Flow.
Issue the View -- Restore Layers command to bring back the visibility of the Drainages (flowlines) layer previously frozen as a result of the Isolate Layers command.

NOTE: The CN number from the previous exercise (for Drainage 2) will be considered "active" and we'll need to exercise care to make sure the proper flowline is
selected. Let's follow the Drainage 1/Drainage 2 process to make sure!

a. Recall the Curve Number information for Drainage 1 by re-issuing the Hydrology -- Curve Numbers (CN) & Runoff command.
b. Click the Load CN to load the *.cn file as illustrated below (use the Open button rather than the button shown here):
Open CN File1

c. Click the Exit button.

d. Issue the Watershed -- Time of Concentration (Tc) -- SCS Method command. This will launch the Time of Concentration (SCS) dialog box similar to that shown
below:
Time of Concentration 1
SCS
e. Click the Select Flow Line button and graphically select the Red flowline that contributes to Drainage 1:

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Max Flowlines

f. With the settings shown, click the Calculate to obtain the Tc for Drainage 1:
Time of Concentration 1
SCS
Repeat the steps above (loading the Curve Number information for Drainage 2 and graphically selecting the Red flowline that contributes to Drainage 2), obtaining the
results shown below:
Time of Concentration 2
SCS
Note the two results and click Exit when ready.
9. Now, let's see what the peak flow will be in each drainage. Issue the Watershed -- Run Peak Flow -- Graphical Method command. The drainage area of the last
watershed calculated should appear in the Drainage Area window. If not, then use either:
the View -- Freeze Layer by Pick command to leave the Watershed_Perim layer visible and follow with the Select Area from Screen button, or
keying-in the value as reported in the Curve Number Runoff Calculation 1 exercise from above
Set the Rainfall Depth, 24 hr. Rainfall Frequency, Runoff Curve Number and Time of Concentration values as shown in the table below (summarized for convenience):
Peak Flow Data Values
Variable Drainage 1 Drainage 2
Drainage Area (Acres) 132.10198 162.94296
Rainfall Depth (Inches) 3.52 3.52
24 hr. Rainfall Frequency (Year) 25 25
Runoff Curve Number 71 73
Time of Concentration (Minutes) 48.1 41.1
Percent of Pond and Swamp Areas 0.00 0.00
Pon and Swamp Adjustment Factor 1.00 1.00
Storm Type II II
Peak Discharge 80.726 123.399
With the appropriate values entered, click Calculate to obtain the peak discharge values as shown below:
Peak Discharge Values
Drainage 1 Drainage 2
Peak Flow Graphical Peak Flow Graphical
Method 1 Method 2
Notice that all of these routines have a Report button to keep a running log of all the calculated data.
10. Now we need to see how large the ponds need to be to detain this size of a storm event. Initiate the Structure -- Detention Pond Sizing -- TR-55 Method command to
achieve this.

The Drainage Area and Peak Inflow Discharge values from the last area calculated will appear. In this example, we will allow for a combined maximum 10 ft³/sec (cfs)
to be discharged from the ponds combined (in other words, 5 cfs from each will be our Desired Peak Outflow). Use the summary of values below and click Calculate.
The Runoff Volume and the Storage Volume will appear at the bottom of the window:
Detention Pond Sizing Data Values
Variable Drainage 1 Drainage 2
Drainage Area (Acres) 132.10198 162.94296
Peak Inflow Discharge (cfs) 80.726 123.399
Desired Peak Outflow (cfs) 5.00 5.00
Runoff Q - Post-Dev (inches) 1.090 1.198
Storm Type II II
Detention Pond Size
Drainage 1 Drainage 2
Detention Pond Detention Pond
Parameters 1 Parameters 2
With the storage areas determined, we now have a starting point and we can now create the ponds with these sizes.

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11. We know approximately where we want the two ponds, and have the dam centerline polylines drawn in the drawing already. They are in the Top-of-Dam layer. If it is
frozen, use the View -- Layer Control command to thaw it now. Issue the Structure -- Design Valley Pond command. For Pond 1 (corresponding to Drainage 1), use
the starting values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Design Valley
Pond 1
When prompted:

Pick top of pond polyline: pick the polyline for the Drainage 1 region
Select Existing Surface: specify the TIN file shown below and click the Open button when ready:
Select Surface File

Pick point within pond: pick within the storage area (southwest of the dam centerline for Drainage 1)
Outslope ratio <2.00>: press Enter
Interior slope ratio <2.00>: press Enter
Top of dam elevation: 1109
Calculate stage-storage values [<Yes>/No]? press Enter
Method to specify storage elevations [<Automatic>/Interval/Manual]? specify the Interval (i) method
Starting elevation <1078.65>: 1078 (we'll start just below the lowest elevation)
Elevation interval <2.00>: press Enter (notice the Storage capacity of the pond is greater than the desired Storage Volume, click the Exit (Doorway) button when ready)
Write stage-storage file [Yes/<No>]? indicate Yes (indicate the file name below and click Save when ready)
Stage-Storage File to Write 1

Adjust parameters and redesign pond [Yes/<No>]? press Enter

You should now have a pond that looks like the one on the left in the following image (emphasis added for clarity):
Completed Valley
Ponds
Repeat the routine for Pond 2 using the same parameters except:
Top of dam elevation: 1087
Starting elevation <1063.01>: 1062
Write stage-storage file [Yes/<No>]? indicate Yes (indicate the file name below and click Save when ready)

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Stage-Storage File to Write 2

12. Now let's see what the spillway will need to be for the storage calculated. Run the Structure -- Rectangular Weir Design command to display the dialog similar to that
below:
Rectangular Weir Design Values
Drainage 1/Pond 1 Drainage 2/Pond 2
Pond Weir Spillway Pond Weir Spillway
Design 1 Design 2
Supply the following values (pressing the Tab key between entries:
C-Factor: 0.30
Peak Outflow Discharge (cfs): 5.00
Weir Width (ft): 5.00 (the Weir Depth will be found, however, we'll use a Drop Pipe in Pond 1, and a channel in Pond 2)
Required Storage Volume (acft): provide the respective values shown above

Click the Apply to Actual Pond button and choose the Pond 1 stage-storage capacity file created earlier. This should yield two elevations shown in the dialog: the
Peak Pool Elevation and the Weir Crest Elevation (bottom of spillway). This will be our principal spillway. Our emergency spillway will be assumed to be 1.5 feet
higher.
13. Now that we have the spillway elevations and a capacity file (*.CAP) for each pond, let's draw the Stage Storage/Area Curve Graphs to get a graphic of the curves.
Issue the Structure -- Stage-Storage -- Draw Stage-Storage Curve which displays a dialog box similar to that below. Use the settings below for Pond 1 and click OK
when ready:
Draw Stage Storage Curve 1

A secondary dialog box appears. Complete as follows and click OK when ready:
Draw Stage Storage
Setup

When prompted: Pick starting position: pick the lower left corner of the report

Do the same for Pond 2, with the other elevations from the Spillway and Top of dam as calculated above and choose to put this on Page Number 2. Your graphs should
look like the two pictured below (emphasis added):

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Stage-Storage Graphs

14. Let's add a drop-pipe to Pond 1. This will give us a Stage-Discharge file that we will add to our structure in the routing of the storm through our ponds. Launch the
Structure -- Drop Pipe Spillway Design command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Drop Pipe Design 1

We will design one for the 5 cfs flow we need. Enter in the values shown in the window and click the Calc Discharge to see the results. We appear to be near the 5 CFS
discharge we are looking for. Click the Stage-Discharge Result button to display a dialog box similar to that shown below and click OK when ready:
Drop Pipe
Design 2
The results are summarized as illustrated below. Click the Write Stage-Discharge File button to create a *.stg file as suggested below:
Stage-Discharge File to Save 1

Click Close and/or OK to dismiss any remaining dialog boxes.

15. As mentioned earlier, Pond 2 will have a channel which will create a different Stage-Discharge curve and resulting Stage-Discharge file. Run the Structure -- Channel

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Design -- Non-Erodible command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Channel Design
(Mannings Eq)
Specify the parameters shown except the Discharge (cfs) item... set its value to 5 and click on the Calculate button to determine the Channel Depth and Flow Velocity.
Once satisfied, click on the Write Stage-Discharge button to create a *.stg file as suggested below and click Save when ready:
Stage-Discharge File to Save 2

When prompted:

Maximum Depth <5>: 1.5

Interval <1>: 0.30
Base Elevation: 1082.30

Click Exit to dismiss the dialog box.

16. Now we will look at creating a schematic illustration of the project with annotation placed on them. We will first produce a hydrograph of the two drainages without the
ponds, then add the ponds to the flow polylines and regenerate the hydrographs. We hope to reduce the discharge to a much smaller amount, but over a longer period of
time.

Issue the Watershed -- TR-20 Routing -- Draw Flow Polylines to approximate the direction of flow: As seen in the diagram, pick from SW to NE to simulate the general
direction of flow for Drainage 1:
TR20 Flow
Lines
When prompted:

Text size <4.00>: press Enter

Draw from highest to lowest elevation (direction of flow).
Exit/Pick point: pick a starting location
Undo/Exit/Join/Pick point: pick an ending location to the northeast
Undo/Exit/Join/Pick point: press Enter and complete the values as shown and click OK when ready:
Drainage
Area 1
Draw another flow polyline [<Yes>/No]? press Enter
Exit/Pick point: pick a starting location
Undo/Exit/Join/Pick point: pick an ending location to the northwest
Undo/Exit/Join/Pick point: press Enter and complete the values as shown and click OK when ready:
Drainage
Area 2
Draw another flow polyline [<Yes>/No]? indicate No
17. Our next task will be to run the TR-20 program and generate a hydrograph file that we can draw on screen. Run the Watershed -- TR-20 Routing -- Hydrograph
Development command supply the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Calculate
Hydrographs
When prompted:

Select flow polylines, structure and reach symbols.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: crossing Window the flow line entities and annotation
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

The routine will run TR-20 and give a Standard Report Viewer report. There are now some hydrograph files that we can draw in the next step.
18. We'd now like to draw our hydrographs. Issue the Watershed -- Draw Hydrograph and select the J1ADD.h1. This is the file of both drainages combined.
Hydrograph
Curve
The scales to be used should be about 1,1,1,5,5,5 and we will draw the grid on the first one, and turn off the grid for additional hydrographs. Choose starting time of 0,
and an ending time of 80 (the next one will go that long):

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Plotted Hydrograph

19. Our next task will be to create a schematic representation of the ponds and spillways. Issue the Watershed -- TR-20 Routing -- Locate Structures command which will
create a small triangle at the end of each flow line where they were picked. You will run this on each flow line individually:
Structure
Data
Click the Load button twice:
a. once to pick the *.cap file, and,
b. once again to pick the *.stg file
Click OK and re-issue the Hydrograph Development command again to generate the new hydrographs.

This completes the tutorial: Hydrology and Watershed Analysis.

Stormwater Network Design

In this tutorial, we'll lay out the structure and pipes for the stormwater drainage and analyze the flow for a portion of a site. We'll use the tools to automatically calculate the
drainage and runoff coefficients. These automated methods require setup of a surface and runoff regions. Alternatively, these tools can be skipped in which case the drainage
areas and runoff coefficients for the inlets can be entered manually into the sewer network.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Example3.dwg file.
2. Activate the Hydrology menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Hydrology Menu. Your drawing should resemble that shown below:
Initial
DWG
3. We'd like to create a surface model of proposed site conditions. The drawing entities for the design surface that we will use to model drainage have already been
prepared. These entities consist of:
design contours
elevated pad perimeter polylines
spot elevations
3D polylines for the road centerlines and face of curbs
To model the drainage watershed surface, it is suggested that a triangulated irregular network (TIN) file be used (as opposed to a grid surface) so that the flow can
properly follow the edges of the road. Issue the Surface -- Triangulate & Contour command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Triangulate & Contour
Triangulate Tab Contour Tab
Triangulate & Contour - Triangulate & Contour -
Triangulate Contour

NOTE: Use the Select button on the Triangulate to create an output TIN file as illustrated above.
Once set, click the OK button and when prompted:

Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the perimeter polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

The surface model *.TIN file is created.

4. Optional: Let's verify that the surface is good by checking for bad elevation data points and that the surface follows the data points. Issue the View -- 3D View --
Surface 3D Viewer command. When prompted:

Select Surface File (dialog): pick the TIN file created in the previous step and click Open

A display similar to that shown below appears:

Carlson 3D
Viewer
NOTE: In the 3D Viewer dialog, move the pointer near the outer edge of the graphic and the cursor will change to an Z symbol which orients the view about the
vertical axis. Moving the cursor to the interior of the graphic and the cursor will change to an X/Y symbol. Click and drag from the bottom upward to change the
isometric viewing angle. You can also set the Vertical Scale to 2.0 and enable the Color By Elevation toggle for better viewing of the elevation difference and the
Surface Shading toggle (highlighted above) can be used to shade/unshade the surface. Experiment with any desired remaining options.

The surface looks correct in the 3D Viewer. The site has a slope from the top road circle down towards the detention ponds at the bottom. When ready, click the Exit
(Doorway) button.
5. Step 4 - Runoff Coefficients. This step sets up layers that are assigned Rational Method runoff coefficients and applied to closed polylines on the specified layers. The
runoff coefficients are the C-Factors in the Rational Method formula q = CiA, where:
Q is flow
C is a runoff coefficient

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i is rainfall intensity
A is area
The runoff polyline areas use region logic where a polyline inside another on the same layer is used as an exclusion. A limitation is that polylines on the same layer
must not intersect each other. For polylines on different layers, there can be polylines within other polylines and for any given point; the smallest enclosing polyline is
used to determine the runoff coefficient. In this example, the:
site perimeter polyline is on the Regions layer
building pads are on the Pads layer
edge of pavement polylines are on the Paving layer
All these polylines are already closed polylines so we're ready to assign the runoff coefficients to the layers. Issue the Watershed -- Define Watershed Layers command
to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Define Watershed
Layers
Begin with an empty dialog by clicking the Clear button to delete any existing layers from the table. Click the Add button and use the Runoff Summary information
below for each of the specified layers:
Runoff Layers
Regions Layer Pads Layer Paving Layer
Regions Layer Runoff Pads Layer Runoff Paving Layer Runoff
Settings Settings Settings
For each entry:
a. Click the Select button associated with Layer to set each layer
b. Click the Library button associated with Ground Cover to set the associated ground cover
c. Click the Select button associated with Hatch Color to set the color for each layer ground cover
d. Click OK to save each item
Repeat the above sequence for each ground cover. Let's visually check the results. Click the Hatch All button that should generate an image similar to that shown
below:
Hatc
h All
NOTE: The areas within the buildings are inside both the Regions and Pads polylines and the Pads govern because they are the smaller area. Likewise the road areas
are governed by the Paving layer and road interior islands are not counted for Paving because the interior Paving polylines act as an exclusion perimeters. The rest of
the area is set to the Regions layer.

We don't need to keep the runoff hatches. Remove them by clicking the Clear Hatch button and click OK when ready to dismiss the main dialog box (save the
configuration using the file name shown in the top of the image cited earlier).
6. The next thing we'd like to do is analyze the watershed characteristics of the site. Issue the Watershed -- Watershed Analysis command and when prompted:

Select Surface File (dialog): pick the TIN file created in the previous step and click Open

A "docked" dialog box similar to that appears:

Calculate Watershed -
Draw
On the Draw tab, enable the toggles for:
Watershed Perimeters
Fill Watershed Areas
Sink Locations (low points)
Pond Areas
Before processing the watersheds, set the Rainfall to 1 inch.
NOTE: The program uses the runoff volume calculated from the rainfall depth and drainage areas to figure when the runoff is enough for the flow to go through a low
point. If the Rainfall Depth is set to zero, then the flow lines will stop at every low point or dimple in the surface. At this point, we have not defined our storm event to
know the actual rainfall depth. If we did get the storm rainfall depth, we could enter it. For now we're just using Watershed Analysis to give a general idea of the
watershed areas and runoff flow lines.

Click the Draw button. Each watershed area is drawn with a closed polyline and solid filled with different colors. Also, for each watershed the sink (lowest point) is
drawn with a solid circle symbol. The areas covered by ponding are drawn as solid blue hatches. The depth and size of the pond areas is determined by the runoff
volume. In many places, the pond areas are inside the detention pond structures. In a few places, the ponds are at low points in the road which indicate areas that we
need to add storm sewer inlets:
Watershed
Analysis
When you are done inspecting the watersheds, click the Undo arrow next to the Draw button (as illustrated earlier) to erase all the watershed entities.
Next, activate the Tools tab as illustrated below:
Calculate Watershed -
Tools
Click the Runoff Tracking button to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Runoff Tracking
Options
Set the values as shown above to draw flow lines only when the drainage area for the flow line is greater than the specified area and click OK when ready. The graphic
below shows the flow lines coming off the road circle at the top of the site and following the curbs. We're going to leave the runoff flow lines on the drawing to help
guide the placement of inlets.
Runoff
Tracking
Click Exit to end Watershed Analysis.
7. To setup the storm event to apply to this site, issue the Network -- Sewer Network Libraries -- Rational Rainfall Library command to display a dialog box similar to that
shown below:
Rainfall
Library
This command keeps a list of different storm events that you can use for different locations and requirements. Let's add a storm by clicking the New button. There are
numerous types of rainfall definitions:
New Rainfall
Entry
For this example, select the Rainfall Total 2/100 Year (TP-40) method to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
New Rainfall
Data
Within the dialog box, supply the rainfall name as shown above and either:
Use the Map button to show the TP-40 rainfall maps for the different storms. And if you pick on the map display, the program will interpolate the rainfall from
the maps. In this case, south central CT was picked:
Choose
Rainfall
Supply the rainfall amounts for the 2 and 100 year storms for 6 and 24 hours, and the Average Elevation for the site.
Click OK on the New Rainfall dialog and click OK on the Rainfall Library dialog to save the changes.

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8. Optional: In preparation to align the inlet symbols with the road centerlines, we prefer to create centerline files (.cl) for the roads. Activate the Civil menu via Settings --
Carlson Menus -- Civil Menu. Issue the Centerline -- Polyline To Centerline File command and when prompted:

Centerline File to Write (dialog): supply a name of North.cl and click Save
Polyline should have been drawn in the direction of increasing stations.
Select polyline that represents centerline: pick the road centerline for the loop road at the top of the site as illustrated below
Centerline station [Reverse/Ending/<Beginning: 0+00>]: press Enter
Press ENTER to continue. press Enter

Road
Schematic
A centerline file is created. Immediately press Enter to re-run the Polyline To Centerline File command and when prompted:

Centerline File to Write (dialog): supply a name of Main.cl and click Save
Polyline should have been drawn in the direction of increasing stations.
Select polyline that represents centerline: pick the road centerline for the main road as illustrated above
Centerline station [Reverse/Ending/<Beginning: 0+00>]: press Enter
Press ENTER to continue. press Enter

Activate the Hydrology menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Hydrology Menu.
9. Storm sewer network structures and pipes are stored in a sewer (.SEW) file. Once a .SEW file is set as current, the program will continue to automatically use that file.
To start a new sewer network, issue the Network -- Sewer Network Setup -- Set Sewer File command to display a dialog similar to that shown below:
Sewer Network File to
Process
Set the filename as shown above and click Open when ready. The sewer network also works with a current surface model that is used for the default rim elevations,
reporting pipe cover and calculating inlet drainage areas. To set the current surface, issue the Network -- Sewer Network Setup -- Set Surface File and when prompted:

Surface Model to Reference (dialog): pick the TIN file created earlier and click Open

Additionally, issue the Network -- Sewer Network Settings command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below. Click the Drainage and the click the Library
to set the Rainfall to the data created earlier and specify a Return Period of 100 years as illustrated below:
Sewer Network
Settings
Review the content of the other tabs and click the OK button when ready.
10. As we start into the creation of the storm sewer network, let's set a running entity/object snap (esnap/osnap) to nearest (nea) to use for locating the inlets along the curb
polylines. Issue the Settings -- Object Snap and turn on only the Nearest snap mode as illustrated below (click OK when ready):
Drawing
Settings
Now we're ready to lay out the inlets and pipes. Let's work on the drainage for the roads of the North loop and the Main road and run this flow to an outlet in the central
pond. Issue the Network -- Create Sewer Structure command and when prompted:

Locate by pick point, point number or station-offset [<Pick>/Number/CL/Curb]? press Enter

Pick structure location: zoom in very close so that you can see the curb line and pick a location on the inner curb line

NOTE: Be sure to pick the end of the flow line at the inside curb polyline and not the top of curb. Otherwise, the routine to find the drainage area from the surface
model will not capture flow along the curb:
HydroNet
Explorer
After this first inlet location is picked, the Sewer Network "docked" dialog is placed on the left side of the drawing as illustrated above. Click the Select (Paper) button
next to the Reference CL label, select By Centerline File and select North.cl for the centerline. This centerline can/will be used to align the inlet symbol. In the
Symbol Rotate field, select Parallel To CL Up. Let's establish some desired settings. Click the Settings (Gear) button and on the various tabs shown below, set the
highlighted values:
Storm Sewer Settings
Design Tab Drainage Tab
Sewer Network Settings - Sewer Network Settings -
Design Drainage
Pipe Tab Display Tab
Sewer Network Settings - Sewer Network Settings -
Pipe Display
Click the OK button when ready.
11. Now let's work on the Structure settings. Keeping the docked dialog box open, click the Library (Cylinder) button to the far right of the Structure ID field to display
the list of structures as otherwise defined through the Network -- Sewer Network Libraries -- Sewer Structure Library command. For this example, use MH3. To check
the dimensions for this structure, pick the Edit button to display the dialog box below:
Circular
Structure
These dimensions are used for hydraulic calculations as well as drawing the structure in the profile and 3D views. Click OK from the Edit dialog, select/highlight MH3
from the library list and pick OK.

Next, pick the Library button next to the Inlet field. This function shows the inlets as otherwise defined through the Network -- Sewer Network Libraries -- Inlet
Library. Like the Structure Library, you can add to and edit the Inlet Library. For this inlet, choose the Curb-Sag from the list and click OK.

The last change for the Structure tab is to set the Depth to 5.50. After making these changes, your dialog should match the settings as shown below:
Structures -
Completed
Pick the Apply Pipe Rules (Checkmark with Gear) button to save the changes and you should see the plan view symbol for the inlet change to a grate symbol.
12. Now move onto the Drainage tab. Here the drainage area, time of concentration, runoff coefficient and pavement parameters are set (among other things) for the inlet.
You can manually enter them in or have the program calculate these values. With the Pick button, you can select a drainage polyline perimeter and the program will
calculate the area and the weighted average runoff coefficient from the runoff layers (if defined). In this example, use the Calc (Calculator) button to calculate all the
parameters from the surface model. The first time that Calc is called, the program takes time to calculate the triangulation flows. Then the values are filled in and the
drainage area is hatched in plan view as illustrated below:
Calc Drainage
Area
The Time To Inlet comes from the Max Flow Line within the drainage area and accounts for the surface slopes along the path.
The Runoff Coefficient is calculated as the weighted average of the runoff sub-areas within the drainage using the runoff layers that we defined in the Define
Runoff Layers command.
In the Pavement Parameters section, the Calc button will calculate the Pavement slopes from the surface aligned by the Reference CL at the inlet location.
Notice how the drainage area for MH1 starts from the road high point and follows the crown of the road to the inlet. We're done for now with this first inlet.

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13. To add the next inlet, pick the Add (Plus) button from the Structure Actions row. Pick a position along the right side curb polyline of the Main road near the
intersection as shown below (MH2). Again, you may need to zoom in to be sure to snap onto the curb polyline:
M
H
Go to the Structure tab for MH2 and change the Inlet type to Combo-Grade and the Reference CL to Main.cl. Then go to the Drainage tab and click the Calc to fill
out all the drainage values.

Next, select the Pipe tab. The program lists all the used and available structures for a pipe connection to the current structure. By default, a connection is made to the
nearest structure as long as it's within the Maximum Pipe Length as defined under Settings. Set the Down Invert to 371.5 (as illustrated below) and switch back to the
Structure tab and set the Invert-Out as 371.5:
Sewer Editor -
Pipe
To add the next inlet, click the Add button again. Then pick a position along the inside North loop curb polyline to the left of the intersection as shown here (MH3):
M
H
A pipe is automatically connected to the nearest structure (MH1). But for this network, we don't want MH3 to connect to MH1. Instead, we're going to start a new
branch with MH3. So go to the Pipe tab, highlight the Upstream Connection of MH1 and click the Remove button. On the Structure tab for MH3, set the Depth to 7.0
and on the Drainage tab, click Calc.
14. Now we're ready for the next inlet. Click the Add button from the Structure Actions row and screen pick the position along the main road across from MH2 as shown
here (MH4):
M
H
This inlet is on the other side of the road and the symbol is rotated the wrong way. To fix this, go to the Structure tab and change the Symbol Rotate to Parallel To CL
Down. Also, change the Invert-Out to 371.0 and pick Apply to update the drawing. Next go to the Drainage tab and pick the Calc button. Again the pipe connection
defaulted to the nearest structure of MH2. We want the connections from MH3 and MH2 to go to MH4. Under the Pipe tab, highlight the Available connection for
MH3 and click Add. For the pipe parameters, change the Down Invert to 371.1. Then go back to the Structure tab and set the Invert-Out to 371.0.
15. Now let's add the next inlet. Click the Add (Plus) button from the Structure Actions row and pick a position further down the Main road from MH4 as shown here
(MH5):
M
H
Under the Drainage tab, pick Calc. We have one more inlet to add. Click the Add button from the Structure Actions row and screen pick along the curb on the other
side of the Main road from MH5. See MH6 in the graphic below:
M
H
Under the Structure tab, set the Symbol Rotate to Parallel To CL Up to flip the symbol around. Under the Drainage tab, pick Calc. For the last structure, click the
Add button from the Structure Actions row and pick on the 356 contour in the pond to the right of MH6:
Ou
tfal
In the Structure tab, make the highlighted changes and click Apply.
NOTE: You may get a Pipe Rules alert indicating potential problems with the network. If this is the case, click the Update All button.
The initial sewer network layout is done. Click the Save (Floppy Disc) button.
16. The network flow can be analyzed. Click the Analyze (Calculator with Checkmark) button which runs the selected storm event through the system. If any of our design
parameters are exceeded as specified under Settings, the program displays a report. Here's the report for our first analysis (your results may vary):
Data Problem
Log
Let's take care of Warning #1 for the pipe slope. Use the Up/Down Arrows to navigate or click the Edit (Paper with Pencil) button on the Structure Actions row and
pick the Outfall label or symbol to edit the Outfall structure. Set a target slope for the MH6 to Outfall as suggested below:
Target Pipe
Slope
Click the Analyze button again. The warning report should only have the flow velocity warning(s), if any. Exit the report if it comes up. The flow velocity warnings can
be resolved by resizing pipes and setting inverts which we will do later. Now let's review the flow results from the dialog. From the Outfall structure, click the Up
button to move up to MH6. From the Drainage tab, the flow results are displayed in the Flow Calculation section. The Flow To Inlet is calculated by the Rational
Method using the Drainage Area, Time Of Concentration and Runoff Coefficient for this inlet. The Intercepted Flow, Bypassed Flow, Gutter Spread and Gutter Depth
are calculated from the inlet dimensions using formulas from HEC-22. These values can be used to determine whether you have the right inlet structure to capture the
flow.

Switch to the Pipe tab. The Flow, Area and Length are displayed for the pipe connection currently highlighted from the Upstream Connections list. The Total Flow is
the accumulated flow for the current pipe and the Total Area reports the accumulated drainage areas for all the inlets coming into this pipe:
Pipe
Results
Switch to the Hydraulic Calc tab which shows a graphic of the pipe structure, ground surface, hydraulic grade line (HGL) and energy grade line (EGL), along with the
HGL and EGL elevations, Flow Depth and Flow Velocity at the pipe upstream and downstream connections. The Min Cover (calculated using the surface model to
the top of the pipe) is also displayed:
Hydraulic
Calculations
You can go to other structures to check the flow values for them or use the Network -- Report Sewer Network command to review the values in a report view. For our
storm event, many of the pipes can be resized. To resize the pipes, you can go to the Pipe tab and change the Pipe Size. The program can also automatically size the
pipes based on the flow:
a. To size specific pipes, go to the Pipe tab and pick on the Design toggle next to the Pipe Size field. Then click the Design (Calculator with Gear) button in the
Structure Actions row and the program will run a flow analysis and set the pipe size for these pipes marked for Design.
b. To have the program size all the pipes, click the Settings button and select the Design tab and enable the Auto Set All Pipe Sizes option (click OK) and then
click the Design button.
For this example, let's have the program assign all the pipe sizes. Issue the sequence described above. The pipes are resized to match the flow. Pick on the Pipe and
Hydraulic Calcs tabs to see the changes. Pipes that can change would change and the different pipe sizes that the program uses are defined in the Network -- Sewer
Network Libraries -- Pipe Size Library command. After the pipe sizing, there are likely a few lingering flow velocity warnings. Experiment with the flow velocity by
adjusting invert elevations of the affected pipe(s) in your network. Click the Edit button in the Structure Action row and pick the structure whose invert elevations need
to be modified. Now run Analyze function which should now complete without any warnings. Click the Apply button to save the results and then click the Exit
(Doorway) button.
17. At this point, the sewer network labels are only showing the inlet name and pipe direction arrow. To change the label format, issue the Network -- Sewer Network Setup
-- Plan View Label Settings command and click on the Pipe Labels tab to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Plan View Label Settings - Pipe
Labels
Set the values as illustrated above and click the OK button. The labels should update in the drawing.
NOTE: The sewer labels are linked to the sewer network definition so that any change to the sewer network updates the labels. If you want to explicitly update the
sewer labels, issue the Network -- Draw Sewer Network -- Plan View command.
When sewer labels overlap other drawing entities, you can use the Network -- Sewer Labels -- Move Plan View Label command. Let's run this command and move the
MH4 label to the left of the inlet as illustrated in the example below:
Moved MH4
Label

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18. To create a profile for the sewer network, issue the Network -- Draw Sewer Network -- Profile command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Draw Sewer Network
Profile
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Draw
Profile
NOTE: Explore the Sewer/Pipe Profile Labels button to further detail the content to be shown.
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Profile Grid
Range
The elevations default to fit the profile, so click OK. When prompted:

Pick Starting Point for Grid <0.00,0.00>: pick the lower left profile grid point

Your profile may appear similar to that shown below:

Sewer
Profile
19. Next, let's draw the sewer network in 3D. Issue the Network -- Draw Sewer Network -- 3D Faces command and when prompted:

Draw Sewer Network 3D Faces (Dialog): click OK

To view the 3D Faces, issue the View -- 3D Viewer Window command and when prompted:

Select entities for the scene.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

Click and drag the mouse to rotate the view to a good viewing angle as shown below:
Carlson 3D
Viewer
When done inspecting, dismiss the viewer by picking the Exit (Doorway) button.
20. Finally, let's check out the reports available and issue the Network -- Report Sewer Network command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Sewer Network
Report
Let's run the Simple Report to get the summary of the system that displays in the Standard Report Viewer similar to that shown below:
Report
Viewer
Review the report and then click the Exit (Doorway) button and then click the Close button to dismiss the Sewer Network Report dialog box.

This completes the tutorial: Stormwater Network Design.

Data Extraction for HydroCAD

This lesson covers extracting watershed data for HydroCAD stormwater modeling using Carlson Hydrology. The goal of this functionality within Carlson Hydrology is to
automatically extract the sub-areas needed by HydroCAD to do its stormwater modeling. There are 3 main considerations to prepare a dataset for extraction:

1. Watershed (subcatchment) delineation, with either:

a. Longest flow path and average slope information for Curve Number/Lag method, or
b. Tc with sheet, shallow, and channel flow information defined for TR55 method
2. Delineation of Hydrologic Soil Group (HSG) with:
a. HSG boundaries defined on one layer, and
b. HSG labels on another layer
3. Ground cover delineation, with:
a. Each type of different ground cover area defined as closed polylines on specific layers, corresponding with entries in the hydrocad.rcl library

Let's get started.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the HydroCAD_Tutorial.dwg file. Use the File -- Save As to save a copy named
HydroCAD_Tutorial-A.dwg. Completing this tutorial will alter the drawing file and by renaming the file from the start, you'll keep the original file intact (allowing
you to run through the tutorial a second time if desired). This is also a good practice to keep when working on drawings from 3rd parties.
2. Activate the Hydrology menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Hydrology Menu. The entire process described herein is essentially a layer-based process, meaning that
it is the drawing layers that everything is placed upon that makes the process work. So before going any further, take a look at the dialog box in which those layers are
defined. Issue the HydroNet -- Define Watershed Layers command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:

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NOTE: If you have a predetermined grouping of watershed layers you wish to preserve, click the Save button to save your previous layers to a named *.RCL file. The
step to follow will replace the existing layers with established HydroCAD default layers.
Click the Load button and load the hydrocad.rcl file as shown below and click Open when ready:

Once loaded, enable the HydroCAD radio button at the top of the dialog box. Any layer names in this dialog box can be changed to whatever you like, but the linework
created must use the layers you decide on. A helpful trick is to highlight the layers in the list that you think you will need for the project at hand (using standard
Windows Shift+click and/or Ctrl+click functionality) and then click the Create Layers button which would display a dialog box as shown below:

The layers will be created for you thereby eliminating the need to type them all in by hand, and also avoiding typos that will cause the data extraction to fail. Dismiss
the Create Watershed Layers dialog box and click the OK button to dismiss the Define Watershed Layers dialog box. Now that the layers are established, you can focus
on creating the geometry in the drawing.
3. In this example drawing, sample subcatchments (watersheds) for HydroCAD have been delineated for us with polyline geometry on the following layers:
subcatchments
subcat_numbers
subcat_flowlines
longest_flow_paths
These subcatchment delineations can be done using any process desired... looking at the contours, looking at aerial photos, whatever method is most useful and
comfortable is fine. It is the end result of linework that delineates the areas that are needed... the method to get them is inconsequential. The example data for this
project is shown below (colors modified for clarity):

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If there is a surface (TIN) for the project site (as there is for this example), Carlson Hydrology can greatly aid in the process of delineating watersheds (subcatchments)
and determining the longest flow path for each subcatchment. These tasks are accomplished by issuing the HydroNet -- (or Watershed -- ) Watershed Analysis
command. When prompted:

Specify the surface model file as indicated above and click Open when ready. A "docked" dialog box similar to that shown below appears:

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Set the various toggle options as cited above and click the Draw button when ready. The following should be displayed (layers frozen for clarity):

Once the watersheds and max flow lines are drawn, you can make decisions on them:
Are there too many?
Are there too few? etc?
Adjusting the Rainfall value and/or clicking the Settings button can assist with the desired delineation.

Tip: To combine several watershed perimeters into one, use the Draw -- Shrink Wrap Entities command with the Bound method. You would pick the combination of
watersheds, and a new boundary would be drawn around them.

For the purposes of this tutorial, let's use the polyline geometry already established for us. Click the Undo button (next to the Draw button) to remove the Watershed
Analysis results from the drawing. Ultimately, you should be left with a closed polyline for each watershed, labeled with a designator and containing a single 3D
polyline within each watershed representing the longest flow path as shown below (certain layers frozen for clarity):

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Click on the Exit button to dismiss the Watershed Analysis dialog box.
4. Soil conditions (Hydrologic Soil Groups or HSG for short) must also be properly delineated. What you'll need, ultimately, from whatever source(s) you have is a
drawing with:
the soil groups drawn as polylines, all on one layer, and
the HSG types (A, B, C, or D) labeled within the areas on another single, specific layer.
NOTE: The soil areas must be closed, but do not have to be individual specific closed polylines. The software will run a "boundary polyline" (bpoly) on each area to
"close" it. The soils information can come from a shape (SHP) file such as that from USDA - NRCS or , from a ground soils survey, from digitized plans... it doesn't
matter. The only thing necessary is the linework and labels such as those shown below (certain layers frozen for clarity):

5. Finally, ground cover. In standard use, this term applies only to the ground cover which is independent of the underlying soil group(s). Neither layer equates to a
specific Curve Number (CN) value which can only be determined after we analyze the intersection of these layers. The actual CN value(s) will be assigned by
HydroCAD after this analysis is complete. Once again, with whatever method you like, create closed polylines on the various ground cover layers as illustrated below:

6. Now that you've drawn all the watershed and site data, we can start to extract the information we need for hydrologic analysis. Issue the HydroNet -- HydroNet

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Explorer. When prompted, create the HydroNet file as cited below and click Open when ready:

In the resulting "docked" dialog box, pick the Settings (Gear) button as highlighted below:

In the Settings dialog box:

on the General tab, set the click the Set to set the Surface File we used earlier as shown below:

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Set the other values as shown.

on the SubCatchment tab, set the Tc Calculation Method to Curve Number/Lag as illustrated below:

Also, clear the box to Process Curve Numbers/Runoff Coefficients as they will be determined in HydroCAD.
Review the other tabs of settings as found in this dialog box and click OK when ready.
7. You are ready for the data extraction to be performed and the results exported to HydroCAD but we must make sure all pertinent layers are On/Thawed. Issue the View
-- Thaw/On All Layers command so the data can be processed. From the main HydroNet docked dialog, click the Update (Up Arrow) button as illustrated below:

A secondary dialog box appears with the options for the update. Select the options as shown below and click OK when ready:

The subcatchments are listed in the HydroNet Explorer and HydroCAD (if installed), is launched. Double-clicking on any subcatchment name brings up a dialog with
its data as shown below:

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NOTE: The same subcatchments now exist in HydroCAD, ready for any further analysis and/or reporting.
Click the Edit button next to the Area value shows all of the sub-area statistics as illustrated below:

Click OK to dismiss the Sub Areas dialog box and then click OK to dismiss the Subcatchment dialog box to return to the HydroNet Explorer docked dialog box.
Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the HydroNet Explorer docked dialog box.
8. Double-clicking a subcatchment in HydroCAD opens the Hydrograph and Summary report windows as summarized below:

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Project reports can also be generated for Nodes, Areas and Soils (among others):

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Any changes made in the drawing can instantly update the data in HydroCAD simply by picking the Update button.

This completes the tutorial: Data Extraction for HydroCAD.

ESRI to Office to Field and Back

This lesson takes an ESRI geodatabase from ArcView into Carlson GIS and then to Carlson SurvCE for data collection. Next the data is taken from SurvCE into Carlson
Survey and processed by Carlson GIS back into ArcView.

1. ArcGIS Desktop has a routine to output a geodatabase to a DWG file. The DWG file contains all the information in a single file. It has the graphic geometry, feature
definitions and feature attribute data. The feature information is stored in a format defined by ESRI called Mapping Specification for DWG (MSD) using standard
DWG entities and dictionary entries. In this tutorial, we're going to use ArcView 10.x to create the DWG with MSD. Launch ArcView (sold separately) and open a
desired project. In this case, we are illustrating an Esri-supplied tutorial geodatabase:
Open
ArcView
If not already open, launch the ArcToolbox as illustrated above. Issue the ArcToolbox -- Conversion Tools -- To CAD -- Export To CAD as illustrated below:
Export to
CAD
The next task will be to select the features to export in the Export To CAD dialog box. To select a feature, click the Input Features drop-down list (as illustrated
below) and pick a desired feature from the list:
Selected
Features
Set the remaining fields as desired including a desired DWG version (Carlson currently suggests the AutoCAD 2010 format for SurvCE users) and a path/filename for
the DWG. Click OK when ready.
2. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the DWG file you just exported from ArcView
3. Activate the GIS menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- GIS Menu. Your drawing should resemble that shown below (CAD formatting applied for clarity):
Initial
DWG
Next, run GIS Data -- GIS Database Settings to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
GIS
Settings
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready.
4. Now that we have a GIS "container" for the various GIS features, let's populate the container. Issue the GIS Data -- Define GIS Features command to display a dialog
box similar to that shown below:
Define GIS
Features
Issue its File -- Import From -- ESRI Map Specs for CAD (MSC) command which should populate the dialog box with the various fields of data as defined by the
geodatabase. Dismiss the dialog box via its File -- Save command followed by its File -- Exit command.
5. To verify that the GIS attribute data is in the drawing, issue the GIS -- GIS Data Editor and pick on an entity in the drawing (in this case, a Control point). The attribute
data is shown in a spreadsheet editor (click OK when ready):
GIS Data
Editor
NOTE: Some graphical features may not have associated GIS data!
6. Now that we have data available, let's package it up for Carlson SurvCE. Issue the GIS Data -- Export GIS Data -- Export GIS Data to SurvCE. You may be prompted:
Coordinate File to
Process
Set the filename as shown above and click Open when ready to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Export GIS Data to
SurvCE
This command takes selected data from the drawing and creates the GIS files that SurvCE uses. Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When
prompted:

Select entities to export.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

For a brief summary on the files and content cited above:

For input files:

Coordinate File: Contains the point database with Point#, Northing, Easting, Elevation and Description.
Field-to-Finish Table: Defines the coding used by Carlson Survey for the description field that will be converted into a Feature Code List (FCL) for SurvCE.
GIS Feature: Defines the feature and attribute names. Using this file is optional and applies in case the feature definitions contain more features or attributes than

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the data entities.

For Output files:
Feature Code File: This is the SurvCE Feature Code List file for the description field coding definitions.
GIS Feature: This defines the feature and attribute names. This file is automatically named after the Feature Code File.
GIS Data: This file contains the attribute data. This file is automatically named after the Coordinate File.
Add Missing Points to Coordinate File: This option creates points in the Coordinate File for any selected point entities that aren't already in the Coordinate
File.

The program will read the GIS data from the selected entities to create the SurvCE GIS data file (.vtt) for SurvCE.
7. Let's confirm we have point coordinates for SurvCE. Issue the Points -- List Points command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
List
Point
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready to display the results in the Standard Report Viewer as is illustrated below:
List
Points
Review the list and click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report.
8. Now that the project data is converted to SurvCE format, upload/copy the following files on to the SurvCE collector:
Coordinate File (*.crd) as specified in the Input Files section.
Feature Code File (*.fcl) as specified in the Output Files section.
GIS Feature (*.gis) as specified in the Output Files section.
GIS Data (*.vtt) as specified in the Output Files section.
NOTE:If you have SurvCE 2.5 or later, then you can also use the DWG file format for the drawing. For earlier versions, use the DXF format.
9. With the data on the SurvCE collector, let's see what the process should look like. Launch SurvCE and open the Coordinate File generated earlier. You may get
prompted for a coordinate system projection. It is often advisable to keep the projection systems consistent between the applications as illustrated below:
Coordinate System Summary
Application Where to Find Example
ArcView View -- Data Frame Properties -- Coordinate System ArcView Coordiante
System

Carlson GIS/Survey Settings -- Drawing Setup Carlson GIS Coordinate

System

Carlson SurvCE/SurvPC File -- Job Settings -- System tab SurvCE Coordinate

System
Let's also explore the SurvCE Feature Code List (button #5 on the Main Menu -- File tab) to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
SurvCE Feature
Code List
NOTE: If not previously available in the source Field-to-Finish Table (*.FLD) file as specified in the Export GIS Data to SurvCE command above, it would be
advisable to Add the code(s) to the SurvCE Feature Code Library as illustrated below:
Add SurvCE Feature
Code
When defined, the associated attributes will be available and presented to the user when the collect a shot using the cited code:
SurvCE Feature Code
Attributes
Collect/measure data in the field with SurvCE using conventional data gathering procedures. It is suggested that new features be coded at a point number range in
excess of the existing point numbers to prevent confusion.
10. With data collected in the field, let's prepare it for its return trip. Migrate the following files from the data collector/controller of SurvCE back to the desktop computer:
Updated Coordinate File (*.crd) as amended by SurvCE.
GIS Data (*.vtt) as augmented by SurvCE.
GIS Feature (*.gis) as used in the SurvCE.
(Optional): DWG/DXF file as produced by SurvCE.
Re-launch the Carlson Survey desktop CAD application and then issue the Points -- Set Coordinate File to set the coordinate file from SurvCE as current as illustrated
below:
Set
Coordinate
Activate the Survey menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu. Issue the Survey -- Draw Field-to-Finish command and make note of the highlighted values
illustrated below (as brought over from SurvCE):
Draw Field-to-
Finish
Click OK when ready to place the updated information into the drawing.
11. Activate the GIS menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- GIS Menu. Issue the the GIS Data -- Import GIS Data from SurvCE command and when prompted:
Specify GIS Feature
Definition File
Select the *.GIS file that had been placed onto the collector (and possibly modified in the field) and click Open when ready. The DWG entities are packaged into an
Esri MSC format. Save and exit from the DWG file.
12. With the DWG saved, re-run ArcView and load the original project. Issue the File -- Add Data -- Add Data command as illustrated below:
ArcView Add
Data
It might be generally easier to indicate the folder path where the DWG file is stored as illustrated below (click Add when ready):
ArcView Add
Data 2
Select the DWG file that was saved earlier and click on the Add button when ready:
ArcView Add
Data 3
The data is added to the ArcView project as illustrated below:
Completed
Project

This completes the tutorial: ESRI to Office to Field and Back.

Takeoff/SiteNET CAD File From Start To Finish

This lesson takes a drawing file from drawing cleanup to volume calculations and surface viewing.

NOTE: This tutorial is written for the Construction module. However, many of these steps can be completed using the SiteNET pull-down menu in the Civil module.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.

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If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.

Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Takeoffdemo1.dwg file. Use the File -- Save As to save a copy named
Takeoffdemo1-A.dwg. Completing this tutorial will alter the drawing file and by renaming the file from the start, you'll keep the original file intact (allowing you to
run through the tutorial a second time if desired). This is also a good practice to keep when working on drawings from 3rd parties.
2. Activate the Construction menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Construction Menu. Now we can begin to process this drawing. The main Takeoff commands are
listed in processing sequence in the Takeoff (or SiteNET in the Civil module) pull-down menu:
Takeoff/SiteNET
Menu
Many of these commands are also grouped as icons in the Takeoff General toolbar shown here:
Takeoff General
Toolbar
3. As is often the case with construction-oriented projects, it is desirable to establish the drawing in its correct geo-location so the site can be constructed through the use
of GPS-assisted machine control applications. Issue the Settings -- Drawing Setup command to set the values shown below and click OK when ready:
Drawing
Setup
4. Typically, drawings have lots of drafting fixes that must be done before the surfaces can be modeled with any accuracy. Issue the Takeoff -- Drawing Cleanup to
display the dialog box shown below:
DWG
Cleanup
This command will apply the selected cleanup function(s) on the drawing to help automate the cleanup. Here's a brief description of the most important of these
functions:
Remove Layers With No Entities: Drawings often have lots of layers. This routine removes layers that have no entities in the drawing so that we don't have to
deal with them.
Join Linework With Same Endpoints: This routine will take linework that is broken into multiple segments and join them into a single linework entity. For
example, it will join together broken segments of a contour polyline into a single polyline.
Reduce Polyline Vertices: This routine removes extra vertices from polylines as long as the removing does not shift the polyline more than the specified Offset
Cutoff distance. This will reduce the size and complexity of the drawing.
Set Elevation Outside Range To Zero: In case the drawing contains entities that are outside the range of valid elevations for the site, this routine will set them to
zero elevation. The program treats zero elevations as "no elevation" and modeling will filter out these zero elevation entities.
For this site, the elevations are around 800. So let's set the Min Elevation and Max Elevation fields to the values shown above. The cleanup will set any entities
outside this elevation range to 0 (zero). With other Takeoff functions, we can later assign proper elevations to any of these zero elevation entities that need to be used in
modeling. Set the remaining values as shown above and click OK when ready. When the cleanup is done, the program will show a report of the cleanup results. Click
the Exit (doorway) button to exit the Standard Report Viewer:
DWG Cleanup
Results
5. Our next task will be to specify the layer(s) in the drawing which contain existing site conditions. Takeoff uses the layer name(s) to categorize data into one of three
general categories for the purpose of building surface models:
Existing - Used to model initial/pre-construction site conditions.
Design - Used to model proposed/post-construction site conditions.
Other - Used as a collection of unknown/irrelevant site conditions (text notes, hatches, etc).
These surfaces are referred to as the "Target" surfaces. By default, everything starts in the Other classification. Use the Takeoff -- Define Layer
Surface/Material/Subgrade command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Layer
Targets
To switch between lists, pick the tabs at the top of the dialog. In this drawing, all the contours are for the existing ground surface. In the layer list, all the layers that start
with INDEX and INTER are for these existing ground contours. Select/highlight these layers and then click the Move To button with the Existing target as shown
above (to highlight multiple layers at a time use standard Windows Ctrl+click and/or Shift+click functionality.

Next move the layer names that start with PR (for proposed) to the Design target by highlighting these layers and clicking Move To with the Design target selected.
Also move the layer PAD to Design. Finish by clicking the Save button to save the changes and then pick Exit.
6. In the Display menu, you can turn on/off whether to display layer targets by using the Existing Drawing, Design Drawing and Other Drawing commands:
Display
Menu
Practice turning on/off the Existing Drawing, Design Drawing and Other Drawing. When only Existing Drawing is on, you should see just the contours. When only
Design Drawing is on, you should see just the design polylines and leader labels. When only Other Drawing is on, you should see the entities that are assigned to
neither Existing nor Design. Set this condition as active:
Existing is Off
Design is Off
Other is On
to resemble the drawing as shown below:
Other
Drawing
Some of these layers we do want to assign to the Existing and Design targets. To better see the entities, use the View -- Window command and pick two points that
make a window around the entities as shown above. Once zoomed in, you can see a text label of 818.70 PAD which is for the Design target. Other labels 817.00,
818.00, etc, are contour labels for the Existing contours. There are a few commands in the Inquiry menu to find out the layer names for these entities and two quick ones
are:
List
Layer ID
Let's run the Inquiry -- Layer ID command and when prompted:

Pick entity to read layer: pick the 818.70 PAD label (the entity is reported as being on the ----TX07 layer)
Pick entity to read layer: pick the 818.00 label (the entity is reported as being on the TEXTS layer)
Pick entity to read layer: press Enter

With this information known, we could return to the Define Layer Surface/Material/Subgrade but let's explore the use of organizing the data through a visual screen-
pick. Issue the Takeoff -- Set Layer for Design command and when prompted:

Select entities for design surface.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the 818.70 PAD label
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

The layer of the selected entity is migrated to the Design classification and its visibility set consistent with that target. Issue the Takeoff -- Set Layer for Existing
command and when prompted:

Select entities for existing surface.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the 818.00 label
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

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The layer of the selected entity is migrated to the Existing classification and its visibility set consistent with that target.

NOTE: To short-cut these commands, explore the use of the Takeoff/SiteNET Display toolbar as shown below:
Takeoff/SiteNET
Display
With this work complete, we can return the drawing view back by running View -- Extents command. Let's validate our layer classifications. Re-issue the Takeoff --
Define Layer Surface/Material/Subgrade command and visit each tab to the values suggested below:
Takeoff1 Layer Targets
Existing Layer Targets Design Layer Targets Other Layer Targets
Layer Targets - Layer Targets - Layer Targets -
Existing Design Other
Check that your Layer Surfaces match the three lists shown above and then click Save and Exit.
7. Besides assigning target surfaces by layer, layers are also used to define material names and/or subgrades depths. By assigning material names and depths to layers, the
volume, area, length and count for entities on these layers can be reported. Also the depth is used to vertically adjust the designated surface (subgrade depths in the
Existing target would represent potential material to be demolished). The polylines used for subgrade depths must be closed polylines. Takeoff supports nested subgrade
polylines for exclusion areas such as parking lot islands by counting how many subgrade polylines surround an area. If the number is odd, then the area is inside the
subgrade. Otherwise the area is not part of the subgrade. Use the Takeoff -- Display menu commands to set this condition as active:
Existing is Off
Design is On
Other is Off
First, we need to know the layer names for our subgrades. Re-run Inquiry -- Layer ID command and when prompted:

Pick entity to read layer: pick the large pad polyline (it reports the PAD layer)
Pick entity to read layer: pick the curb polyline (it reports the PR-FC-CURB layer)
Pick entity to read layer: press Enter

Next we need to make sure that these polylines are closed. In this example, the outside curb polyline is open at the top. To close the polylines, run Edit -- Polyline
Utilities -- Edit Polyline -- Close Polylines and when prompted:

Select Polylines to set closed.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick each of the pad and curb polylines (six in all) and press Enter when done selecting

Re-issue the Takeoff -- Define Layer Target/Material/Subgrade command and activate the Design tab. Select/activate the PAD layer and click the Edit Layer
button. A dialog appears for defining the Pad material properties. Set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Edit
Material
NOTE: Calculating cost is an optional feature. For this example, we cited a Cost of "$15" per "Ton" with a density of "110."

Next pick layer PR-FC-CURB and choose Edit Layer. Set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Edit
Material 2
Review the summary depths of the pay materials we just modified. Click the Exit button and indicate Yes to save changes.
8. Now let's visually verify the subgrade areas. Issue the Takeoff -- Subgrade Areas -- Hatch Subgrade Areas to display the dialog box below:
Hatch
Subgrades
Click the Draw All button. The resulting hatch areas show where the subgrade is applied. Notice how the islands are not hatched because they are curb polylines that
are already inside another curb polyline. Also note that the smaller pad area is not hatched because this polyline layer is different from the bigger pad polyline.

Optional: Re-run the Hatch Subgrade Areas command, select a desired subgrade layer and click the Edit and attempt to match the look of the image below through
the following settings:
Subgrade Hatch Settings
Subgrade Hatch Pattern Color
PAD Conc Green
Pavement Asphalt Red
Hatched
Subgrades
When finished viewing the subgrade areas, issue the Takeoff -- Subgrade Areas -- Erase Subgrade Hatches command.
9. Takeoff will model the existing ground and design surfaces based on points, lines and polylines with elevation. It is essential for these drawing entities to have correct
elevations in order to get correct surface models. Often the provided drawings will have the drawing entities at elevation of zero with text labels indicating the true
elevation. Takeoff has many tools for assigning elevations to these entities. To help visualize which entities need to be assigned elevation, Takeoff will color entities at
zero elevation in grey (as established under Settings -- Carlson Configure -- Takeoff/SiteNET Settings). As entities get assigned elevation, they return to their original
color. This elevation coloring is applied to layers that have been assigned to the Existing or Design surfaces.

Let's start by working on the Existing surface. To isolate the existing entities, use the Takeoff -- Display menu commands to set this condition as active:
Existing is On
Design is Off
Other is Off
Let's explore real-time elevations through the use of the Inquiry -- Drawing Inspector command. Once activated, right+click and make sure Display Elevation is
checked (you might also find it valuable to have the Display Layer and Display Entity options checked). Next, hover over a contour polyline and Drawing Inspector
will report the elevation. Other info may be displayed as well depending on what is selected from the right+click options:
Drawing
Inspector
In this example, the existing ground surface is defined by just contour polylines and these polylines already have elevation. So there are no changes needed for
preparing the existing surface entities. If the contour polylines were at zero elevation, then you could use the Elevate -- Assign Contour Elevation menu commands
(such as Multiple in Series).
10. Next let's prepare the design surface. To isolate the existing entities, use the Takeoff -- Display menu commands to set this condition as active:
Existing is Off
Design is On
Other is Off
Notice that all the design linework has a grey color because it is at zero elevation. Run the Inquiry -- List Elevation command and when prompted:

List Elevation [Options/<Select Entity>]: pick the main pad polyline (its elevation of 0 is confirmed)
Select Entity (Enter to end): press Enter

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To set the pad polyline elevation, run the Elevate -- Set Polyline To Elevation command and when prompted:

Enter/<Select text or linework of elevation>: pick the 818.70 PAD text (the non-numerical information is stripped and the numeric value is reported)
Enter elevation to add to text values <0.0>: press Enter
Select entities for elevation change.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the larger pad polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

Next, let's set the elevation of the smaller pad under the main pad. Use the View -- Window command to zoom in around the smaller pad so that we can read the text
label. The label of 17.56 is short for 817.56. In this example, the 800 was dropped from many of the elevation labels to save on label clutter. Run the Set Polyline To
Elevation again. This time when prompted:

Enter/<Select text or linework of elevation>: pick the 17.56 text (any non-numerical information is stripped and the numeric value is reported)
Enter elevation to add to text values <0.0>: type 800 and press Enter
Select entities for elevation change.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the smaller pad polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

Then run View -- Zoom -- Previous (keyin short-cut ZP to get back to the full view of the site (color changed for clarity):
Elevated
Pads
Finally, we need to set the elevations for the curb polylines. First, use the View -- Window to zoom in around some of the curb labels below the smaller pad as
illustrated below:
Zoom
Window
Next, issue the Elevate -- 2D to 3D Polyline -- Text With Leader command. This command will assign the elevations from the labels to the polylines by following the
label leader to find the position on the polyline. For polyline vertices without elevation labels, the elevations will be interpolated from the other labels. When prompted:

Options/Select sample of elevation text: pick one of the labels with a "TC" suffix as cited in item 1 above and press Enter
Select sample of an annotation leader: pick the associated leader line as cited in item 2 above and press Enter
Select sample of a polyline to convert: select a sample of a polyline for conversion as cited in item 3 above and press Enter
Select polylines to convert, leaders and elevation labels to process.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type all and press Enter twice
Enter elevation to add to label values <0.00>: type 800 above and press Enter

Next, a dialog appears for selecting which label names to use:

When Takeoff detects different text labels within the elevation labels, you need to choose which ones to process. In this case, we only want the labels with TC (Top of
Curb), so highlight TC and click the ---> (Add) button and then click OK when ready. All the curb polylines now have elevations and should also have colors because
the elevations are assigned. Finally, issue the View -- Extents to return to the full site view.
11. The limits of the site are defined by a closed polyline. This polyline is used as the boundary for the models and the volumes. In this example, there is a closed polyline
on the PERIMETER which is currently part of the Other target. Use the Takeoff -- Display menu commands to set this condition as active:
Existing is Off
Design is On
Other is On
Issue the run Takeoff -- Boundary Polyline -- Set Boundary Polyline command and when prompted:

Select boundary polylines.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the perimeter polyline as shown below:

Boundary
Polyline
This selected polyline is now set as the boundary polyline for the rest of the Takeoff routines.
12. To calculate volumes, the program needs two surfaces:
existing ground, and,
design considerations
These surfaces are modeled by triangulation. With the preparation of the previous steps, we're now ready to make the models. The drawing entities have been cleaned
up, assigned elevations and assigned target surfaces by layer. Making each model is now a one step process:
To make the Existing Ground surface, issue the Takeoff -- Make Existing Ground Surface. The program will process the entities (regardless of their screen
visibility) and make the triangulation surface.
To make the Design Ground surface, issue the Takeoff -- Make Design Surface.
13. As a visual check that the Design Surface was formed correctly, let's explore the site in a 3D isometric view. Run the Takeoff -- 3D Drive Simulation command to
display a dialog box similar to that below:
3D Drive
Simulation
This routine shows a 3D view of the site and allows you to "drive" around through the use of the arrow keys on most standard keyboards. This is a good way to check
that the surface triangulated correctly. We want to make sure that there are no elevation spikes and that the subgrade depths are modeled. To drive the site:
choose a View Direction, and,
choose a View Position, and,
choose a Vehicle, and,
choose a Speed
Then click the Run button and use the arrow keys to turn. Click the Stop button to pause the moving. Experiment with the various Shading options and "tabs" of other
settings to achieve an appealing visualization style. Click the Exit (doorway) button when complete.
14. Cut/Fill color maps can be used for a visual output of the site cut/fill areas and also serves as another check that the models are correct. Issue the Display -- Cut/Fill
Color Map command to display an image similar to that shown below (also shown with Cut/Fill Labels):
Cut/Fill Color
Map
Under default conditions:
Cut areas are drawn in different shades of red (deeper colors represent deeper cut), and,
Fill areas are drawn in blue, and,
regions in Cut/Fill neutral areas tend to shade white
Continuing, issue the Display -- Cut/Fill Labels to more closely resemble the image above. To change the size, color, spacing and other label options, run the Display --
Display Options and go to Cut/Fill Labels tab shown below:
Display
Options
The resolution of the color blocks in the map can be changed through the Spacing group of controls. Turn off the Cut/Fill Labels by re-issuing the Display -- Cut/Fill

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Labels command to uncheck it.

15. To calculate volumes, run the Takeoff -- Calculate Total Volumes command to display a dialog box similar to that below:
Volume
Options
The settings the Cut Swell and Fill Shrink factors get multiplied into the cut/fill volumes. Set these factors as desired and click OK when ready. The results are
displayed similar to that shown below:
Volume
Report
Click the Exit (doorway) icon when ready. Run the command again and change the Report Output mode to see the volumes in different formats like PDF or Excel.
16. To report the material (paving) quantities, issue the Takeoff -- Material Quantities -- Standard Report routine to display the dialog box below:
Material Quantities
Report
Specify the options as shown above (feel free to explore the options in the Report tab) and click OK when ready. The report includes (among other this) the:
Count, and,
Length, and,
Area, and,
Volume
for each type of material that was assigned for reporting in the previously discussed Takeoff -- Define Layer Target/Material/Subgrade command and generates a
report similar to that below:
Materials
Report
Click the Exit (doorway) icon when ready. The Takeoff -- Material Quantities -- Custom Report command can be used to report these values with control of the report
format and the option to export to Excel.
17. Optional: For computers that have Google Earth™ Pro on desktop installed, let's see how the site looks when overlaid on this application (or any other application
which can display Keyhole Markup Language (KML) files). Issue the File -- Export -- Google Earth File command to display the dialog box below:
Export to Google
Earth
Review and set the values as suggested above and click OK when ready to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Google Earth File to
Write
Provide the file name specified above and click the Save button when ready. When prompted:

Select points, polylines, text, solids, images, lines and arcs to write.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type all and press Enter twice

The results are overlaid on Google Earth as illustrated below:

Google Earth File
Results
18. Lastly, let's remove the shaded hatch of the Cut/Fill color map through the use of the Display -- Cut/Fill Color Map command.

This completes the tutorial: Takeoff/SiteNET CAD File From Start To Finish.

GeoTech Drillholes and Strata

This lesson creates and processes drillhole data in the GeoTech module.

1. This drillhole lesson builds on the results of the Takeoff/SiteNET Basics tutorial. Before continuing with this tutorial, complete that tutorial up through the Make
Existing Ground Surface/Make Design Surface section of that tutorial. When the Takeoff/SiteNET Basics tutorial is completed, we're now ready to add drillholes for
the drawing as shown below:
Takeoff1
Drawing
2. Activate the GeoTech menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- GeoTech Menu. Our initial task will be to establish a desired drillhole symbol and the default strata
names. Issue the Drillhole -- Define Drillhole and Strata Settings (aka Define Drillhole) command to display the dialog box similar to that shown below:
Drillhole and Strata
Settings
For this tutorial, we are interested in rock quantities and we need to define two strata:
A. DIRT (material above the rock), and,
B. ROCK
Click the Add button to create a material strata as described below and click OK when ready:
Edit
Strata
Next, pick the Add button again. This time, fill out the dialog with a strata name of "ROCK" and use the information below to add the second strata material into the
project and click OK when complete:
Strata Definitions
Values Strata 1 Strata 2
Name DIRT ROCK
Density 80 165
Swell Factor 1.10 1.15
Model Values By Elevation By Elevation
Modeling Method Inverse Distance - Power 2 Inverse Distance - Power 2
NOTE: There are three options of modeling methods:
Inverse Distance will not carry trends and the calculated strata model will never be higher or lower than the original drillhole data and uses a weighted average of
the drillhole data. In general, closer drillholes are weighted more than drillhole farther away:
Inverse Distance - Power 2 will weigh drillholes more that are further away.
Inverse Distance - Power 3 will weigh drillholes less that are further away.
Linear Least Squares extrapolates trends and allows for a strata model to create new highs and lows that don't appear in the original drillhole data.
The Strata Materials in the main dialog need to be in top to bottom order. To change the order, highlight a strata name and use the Move Up or Move Down buttons. In
this case, we want DIRT then ROCK. Click OK from the main dialog.
3. There are two different methods for entering drillhole data:
Drillhole Import which reads the drillhole data from a text file. This command supports customizing the sequence of drillhole data fields to match the format of
the text file. This process is discussed in the GeoTech Reports tutorial.
Place Drillhole creates the drillholes at picked positions in the drawing and enters the data in a dialog.
For this tutorial, issue the Drillhole -- Place Drillhole command. When prompted:

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Station/<Pick Drillhole Location>: pick a location northeast of the building pad as shown below:

Drillhole
Locations
A dialog box similar to that shown below appears. The Surface Elevation is automatically filled in using the Existing Ground Surface. The Drillhole Name, Water Table
Elevation and Description are optional. The list of strata defaults to the strata defined in Drillhole/Strata Settings. Each strata defaults to a thickness of zero.
Place
Drillhole 1
Select/Highlight the DIRT entry and click the Edit button to display a secondary dialog box similar to that shown below:
Edit
Strata
For this location, indicate the DIRT strata has a Thickness of 2 (press the Tab key to see the updated values) and then click Next Strata.

For this example, we only know the depth to the top of rock depth and not the total rock thickness. We will treat all cut below the top of rock as ROCK strata. So we'll
set the rock thickness deep enough to be lower than the Maximum Cut on site. In this case, indicate the ROCK strata has a Thickness of 15 (press the Tab key to see the
updated values and then click Return to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
str
at
Complete the remaining values as desired and click Save. When prompted:

Pick Drillhole Location (Enter to end): press Enter

NOTE: If you had known the coordinates for the drillhole, you can type in the Easting,Northing format instead of picking on the screen.

Now let's locate two more drillholes using a different method. Return to the Define Drillhole and Strata Settings command and set the changes as illustrated below
and click OK when ready:
Drillhole and Strata
Settings 2
Re-issue the Place Drillhole again and when prompted:

Station/<Pick Drillhole Location>: pick a position in the lower parking lot

Strata DIRT Thickness: type 1.5 and press Enter (complete any remaining items for DH2 and click Save)
Pick Drillhole Location (Enter to end): pick a position left of the main building
Strata DIRT Thickness: type 3 and press Enter (complete any remaining items for DH3 and click Save)
Pick Drillhole Location (Enter to end): press Enter

Now that the drillholes are in the drawing, we can explore the creation of sub-surface stata models.
4. To make the strata triangulation surfaces, run the StrataCalc -- Make Strata Surfaces command. There are no prompts for this routine. The strata surfaces are modeled
from the drillholes and saved with the project. The file names for the strata surfaces use the drawing name plus -ch# where the # is the strata sequence number. For this
example, the file names will be Takeoffdemo1-ch1 for bottom of DIRT and Takeoffdemo1-ch2 for bottom of ROCK. Now that the strata surfaces are created, there
are several Takeoff/Construction routines that will use these surfaces including (but not necessarily limited to):
Calculate Total Volumes
Calculate Volumes Inside Perimeter
Define Topsoil Depths
Cut/Fill Labels
Surface Inspector
Quick Profile
Trench Network Quantities
5. Let's see where our ROCK cut locations are. Issue the StrataCalc -- Draw Strata Cut Color Map command. When prompted:

Select Strata to Process: indicate the ROCK surface as illustrated below:

Select Strata to
Process
Select point for color legend (Enter for None): pick a location of your choosing (top center of the legend)
Legend size <10.0>: press Enter
Label all zones or summary [All/<Summary>]? press Enter

This command compares the design surface with the strata surface to make a cut color map of the cut depths for the strata. This command is one way to verify that the
strata surfaces are modeled correctly. The result should be similar to that shown below:
Strata Cut Color
Map
Optional: Remove the Strata Cut Color Map through the StrataCalc -- Erase Strata Cut Color Map command.
6. Let's explore the impact of the ROCK cut in terms of its contribution to the project volumes. Activate the Construction menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus --
Construction Menu. Next, issue the Takeoff -- Calculate Total Volumes command to display a dialog box similar to that below:
Volume
Options
When strata surfaces are defined, the volume routine will separate the cut volume into the different strata. Depth Zones (2 ft zones in this case) can also be defined in
this command. Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. The resulting dirt and rock quantities are summarized in a report similar to that shown below:
str

Review and click the Exit (Doorway) button when complete.

This completes the tutorial: GeoTech Drillholes and Strata.

Trench Network Quantities

This lesson takes a drawing file through the steps of trench network quantities in the Trench module after some initial preparation through the use of the Construction module.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Takeoffdemo2.dwg file. Use the File -- Save As to save a copy named
Takeoffdemo2-A.dwg. Completing this tutorial will alter the drawing file and by renaming the file from the start, you'll keep the original file intact (allowing you to
run through the tutorial a second time if desired). This is also a good practice to keep when working on drawings from 3rd parties. The following drawing is displayed:

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2. Activate the Construction menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Construction Menu (or the Civil module). In order to calculate trench quantities and profiles in this
drawing, we need surfaces for the Existing Ground and Design Surface. We'll follow the general process as introduced in the Takeoff/SiteNET CAD File From Start To
Finish tutorial. Issue the Takeoff -- Define Layer Surface/Material/Subgrade command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:

Use the table below along with the Move To button to assign the layers cited below to their desired target:
Takeoff2.dwg Layer Targets
Existing Design Other
EX_CTR RD RF CONT 0
P-GD-PH345-DRAIN-ROAD
perim
SEWER
Click the Save and then the Exit buttons when ready. This assigned layer EX_CTR to the Existing Ground Surface and RD RF CONT to the Design Surface.
3. Issue the run Takeoff -- Boundary Polyline -- Set Boundary Polyline command and when prompted:

Select boundary polylines.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the perimeter polyline

This selected polyline is now set as the boundary polyline for the rest of this tutorial.
4. Our next tasks will be to create the two surfaces:
To make the Existing Ground surface, issue the Takeoff -- Make Existing Ground Surface.
To make the Design Ground surface, issue the Takeoff -- Make Design Surface.
5. Now that we have Existing and Design surfaces, we are ready to activate the Trench module via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Trench Menu. The trench network data
consists of linked structures where each structure has a:
name
location (x,y)

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rim elevation
invert-in
invert-out
Each "link" (pipe) between structures has a pipe size. There are two ways of entering the trench data (and we'll explore both methods):
A. Input Trench From Polyline is used when the drawing contains polylines for the trench lines and labels with the trench data.
B. Create Trench Network Structure lets you pick the structure locations and enter the data in a dialog.
6. In our first example, there is trench data already drawn in the drawing. Use the View -- Window command to establish the view as shown below:

Issue the Trench -- Input Trench Line command to display the dialog box below:

With the data available to us, set the values as shown in the dialog box and click OK when ready. For each point in the trench polyline, the program zooms the drawing
to that point. The trench data can be picked from labels in the drawing:

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When prompted:

Pick a polyline that represents a trench reach: pick the pipe polyline
Starting Station of trench reach <0.0>: press Enter
Select/<Enter Manhole ID>: type s and press Enter
Enter/<Select text of Manhole ID>: pick the DCB 368 label
Undo/Select/Interpolate/<Enter Invert-in Elevation <0.0000>>: type s and press Enter
Undo/Enter/Interpolate/<Select text of Invert-in elevation>: pick the I Out=174.00 label (since this is the upstream starting manhole, there really isn't a separate invert-
in so we are using the invert-out)
Undo/Select/<Enter Invert-out Elevation <0.0000>>: type s and press Enter
Undo/Enter/<Select text of Invert-out elevation>: pick the I Out=174.00 label
Undo/None/Select/<Enter manhole rim elevation <0.0000>>: type s and press Enter
Undo/None/Enter/<Select text of manhole rim elevation>: pick the R=178.75 label
Enter/<Select text of Manhole ID> [DCB 369]: pick the DCB 367 label
Undo/Enter/Interpolate/<Select text of Invert-in elevation>: pick the I In=172.85 label
Undo/Enter/<Select text of Invert-out elevation>: pick the I Out=172.35 label
Undo/None/Enter/<Select text of manhole rim elevation>: pick the R=178.50 label
Undo/Select/Group/<Enter Pipe Size in <0.0000>>: type s and press Enter
Undo/Enter/Group/<Select text of pipe size>: pick the 15" HDPE label
Enter/<Select text of Manhole ID> [DCB 368]: pick the CB 347 label
Undo/Enter/Interpolate/<Select text of Invert-in elevation>: pick the I In=170.54 (CB 367) label
Undo/Enter/<Select text of Invert-out elevation>: pick the I Out=166.10 label
Undo/None/Enter/<Select text of manhole rim elevation>: pick the R=176.50 label
Undo/Enter/Group/<Select text of pipe size>: pick the 15" HDPE label
Another Trench Line [<Yes>/No]? type n and press Enter

That completes this trench run and Takeoff/Trench draws its own trench polyline and labels.
NOTE: If the drawing doesn't have labels for the data, then you can enter the values.
7. The drawing contains another trench polyline and we could use Input Trench Line again. However, for practice, let's use another method for data entry. Issue the View
-- Extents command followed by View -- Window command to zoom to the drawing location (CB 349) as illustrated below:

Next, run the Trench -- Create Trench Network Structure command. When prompted:

Locate by pick point, point number or station-offset [<Pick>/Number/CL]? press Enter for the Pick option
Pick structure location: pick the pipe polyline near the CB 349 end-point

A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:

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Set the values as shown and click OK when ready. Prompting resumes:

Pick structure location (Enter to end): press Enter

Since the downstream location for this reach has already been created from the Input Trench Line exercise, we don't need to create it again. Use Zoom and/or Pan
functionality to center the display in the CB 347 area. Initiate the Trench -- Edit Trench Network Structure command. When prompted:

Select sewer structure to edit: pick either the symbol for CB 347 or its recently created label

A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:

Since this is the downstream terminus for the network, highlight/select the CB 349 structure and click the Add button. Fill the values as shown above. When complete
and as needed, highlight/select the DCB 367 structure and click the Add button. Fill the values as shown below:

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Trench Structure Data - DCB 367

When complete, click the OK button. This creates a link from CB 347 to its upstream location(s).
NOTE: It is also possible to directly edit the structure data by using double-click functionality on the Trench-placed structure or its label.
8. With the network structures defined, let's create the trench geometry that will ultimately yield the trench quantities. Run the Trench -- Trench Template Editor
command. Provide the name as shown below and click Open when ready:

The primary dialog box appears, similar to that shown below:

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Supply the values as illustrated below (or design your own!). In the above example, we are:
a. assuming the in-situ material is of suitable composition (e.g. not "fatty clays", peat moss, etc),
b. using 4" of crushed aggregate, granite, etc, for the bedding material,
c. placing the pipe directly on top of the bedding material,
d. using 10" of pea gravel, for the embedment material (this thickness will vary by ½ of the pipe diameter),
e. using 22" of washed stone, for the cover material,
f. using a variable thickness of unclassified, excavated material to fill in the remainder of the trench (except the final 3"), and,
g. using 3" of select topsoil to complete the backfill.
Click Save and Exit.
9. To calculate and report the trench quantities, run the Trench -- Trench Network Quantities command. A dialog similar to that shown below appears:

Set the values shown above making particular note of:

Specifying the Main Template trench configuration we just created, and,
Setting the Surface Target to Min Existing/Design (permitting quick excavation of the site to the lower of Existing vs. Design elevation before trenching
commences), and,
Setting the Setup Depth Zones to the values as shown in the dialog box below (click OK when complete)

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Finally, click OK in the main dialog and the report similar to that shown below is displayed:

Review the report and click the Exit (doorway) button when ready. When prompted:

Draw zone map color legend on the screen [Yes/<No>]? type y and press Enter

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Pick a point for color legend: pick a location toward the upper left of the project site
Legend size <4.00>: press Enter

The depth zones in the plan view with Zone Map Color Legend are shown similar to that below (certain layers have been frozen for clarity):

Finally, use the Display -- 3D Viewer Window and window around the 3D faces to view the trench in 3D as illustrated below:

10. To draw a profile of the trench line, run the Trench -- Draw Trench Network (Profile) command. Set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:

When prompted:

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Supply the profile name as cited above and click Save when ready. Next, the Draw Profile dialog appears as illustrated below:

We'd like to fine-tune the content of the forthcoming annotation. Click the Sewer/Pipe Profile Labels button and navigate to the Pipe tab as illustrated below:
Sewer/Pipe Profile Labels (Pipe)

Use the Add >> button to add the following annotation items with the specified settings (use the Setup button to adjust for particular preferences):
Sewer/Pipe Profile Label Settings
Item Prefix Suffix Other
Pipe Distance LF
Pipe Size of " Decimals: 0
Pipe Material
Pipe Slope @ % Slope Format: %
Navigate to the Manhole tab and modify as desired to obtain the illustration below:

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Sewer/Pipe Profile Labels (Manhole)

Click OK to dismiss the Sewer/Pipe Profile Labels dialog box. Set the Horizontal Scale and Vertical Scale as shown earlier and click OK when ready. When
prompted:

Accept the default values and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick Starting Point for Grid <0.00,0.00>: pick a desired location for the profile as illustrated below
NOTE: Some layers frozen for clarity.

This completes the tutorial: Trench Network Quantities.

CADnet Paper Plan Digitizing to Volumes (Deprecated)

This lesson transfers a paper plan-set into a DWG drawing using Carlson CADnet and then uses Carlson Construction to calculate volumes from the digitized linework.

1. Setup: To digitize from a paper plan in CADnet, you need to install the Wintab digitizer driver. See Digitizer Setup in the manual if you have not installed or have
problems with the Wintab driver. If Wintab is installed, then make sure your drawing board is on and take the paper plan provided with the manual and place it on your
drawing board.
2. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.

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If you get the Start Page, pick New Drawing.

If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click New.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click the File -- New command.
NOTE: If you want to consistently use the Startup Wizard, issue the Settings -- Carlson Configure -- General Settings and enable the Use Startup Wizard
option. Click OK to dismiss the dialog boxes. The Startup Wizard will be used the next time the software is started.
The first of several Startup Wizard dialog boxes appears:
a. Choose the DWG document type and the desire to base the document on a Drawing Template as illustrated below and then click Next >:
New
DWG
b. Choose the carlson.dwt as illustrated below (or site.dwt if carlson.dwt is not available) and click Finish:
Templat
e File
c. We can now begin the more pertinent settings for the project to come based on some preliminary settings that should be similar to the default scenario shown
below:
Startup Drawing
Wizard
d. Click Set at the top of the dialog box, and enter in a NEW Drawing Name called Digitize. Verify that the other settings match the settings shown below, and click
Next:
Startup Drawing
Wizard
e. You will see the Startup Wizard Data Files dialog to set/confirm where to store data and indicate an information source for points/coordinates. Set/match the
values as shown below and click Next:
Startup Wizard Data
Files
3. Activate the CADnet menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- CADnet Menu. To start things off, you need to set the coordinate system for the paper plan by running the
Digitize -- Tablet -- Calibrate command. Calibration is required to let the program know the orientation and scale of the paper plan.
Tablet
Calibration
There are two different Calibration methods:
A. Known Reference Points: allows you to enter in the coordinates of two marked points on the paper plan. This method applies when you know the coordinates of
at least two points on the paper plans.
B. Drawing Scale with New Reference Points: allows you to set up a coordinate system for the plans by entering the plan scale and picking any two points from
the paper plan with the digitizer puck.
In this case, we will use Drawing Scale with New Reference Points. For this drawing, the scale is 1:40, so enter in 40. Use the default coordinates for Point 1 and click
OK. Our target icon is shown as follows:

Calibration
Icon
When prompted:

Digitize the First Reference Point: digitize on the target icon in the lower left
Digitize the Second Reference Point: digitize on the target icon in the upper right

The first point is assigned the coordinate specified earlier in the Calibrate dialog box and the second point is assigned coordinates to match with the plan scale. From
now on, all of your points will be in relation to these two points.
NOTE: Generally, you want to pick points on the drawing that you can find and use again in case you need to recalibrate. Also, the further away the points are from
Drawing
each other, the more accurate the coordinate system will be. Calibration
4. We will now digitize the existing contours. The digitize routines in CADnet can be used to populate the Existing, Design, and Other targets used in Carlson
Construction and the SiteNET portion of Carlson Civil. Issue the Digitize -- Existing Surface command. Next, issue the Digitize -- Contour Polyline command which
will display the dialog box below:
Digitize
Contours
Set the values as shown above (making note of your applicable contour interval) and click OK when ready. The rest of the prompting occurs at the command line and
starts with the contour elevation. Find the lowest elevation for the Existing contours labeled in the bottom right corner of the paper plan zoomed in on below. In this
example, the lowest elevation is 624 feet. You want to enter in the lowest contour so that as Carlson CADnet adds the Elevation Interval, it is from lowest to highest.
The elevation can be entered either with the digitizer puck keys or with the computer keyboard. The layout of the digitizer keys is set in Digitize -- Digitizer Settings --
Puck Layout.
Start Existing
Digitizing
When prompted:

Increment(1.00)[A]/Direction(+)[B]/Elevation <0.00>: indicate 624 and press Enter

Sketch[0]/Exit[A]/Pick the first point: type in [0] and press Enter to get into Sketch Mode. In Sketch Mode, you will be prompted to "Pick and drag." The first point you
pick is the starting point of a contour. Drag is asking you to follow that contour with the digitizer puck on the paper plan. Click a second time when you have traced the
entire contour and have reached the end of the contour. You will then be prompted as follows:
Pick[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Pick and drag (Enter to end): indicate [A] to close the contour. Indicate [B] for Undo if you made a mistake and need to sketch part of the
contour again. [0] will switch you into Pick Mode.
Increment(1.00)[A]/Direction(+)[B]/Elevation <625.00>: press Enter to accept the next elevation in the series and continue to digitize the next contour elevation.
However, pick [0] to get into Pick Mode. In Pick Mode, you do not have to trace the contour. Rather, pick with the digitizer puck to create points that will make up the
contour. When all contours are digitized, press E to exit the routine.

NOTE: When in Pick Mode, less picks are needed on fairly straight segments. Conversely, more picks will give you a more accurate contour. When completed, the
Existing contour map should resemble the following:
End Existing
Digitizing
5. Now we will digitize the building and curb line work of the Design Surface. In this example, there are no design contours, only the design building and curb line work
and spot elevations. We will also assign layer names to the line work that we will use later to identify the types of linework. Issue the Digitize -- Design Surface
command.

Let's begin by digitizing the main building. Issue the Digitize -- 2D Polyline command (2D Polyline is used to digitize line work entities with one elevation) to display
the dialog box below:
Polyline 2D
Options
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Enter polyline elevation <0.00>: 634.41 and press Enter (this is the value annotated in the middle of the building)
First point: pick a building point

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Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick the next building point
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): repeat...
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick the last building point
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): A to close
Digitize Another NEW BUILD Polyline [Yes(A)/<No(B)>]? B for No

Notice that the parking lot line work consists of different elevation levels. For this scenario, we'll use the Digitize -- 3D Polyline command which displays a dialog box
similar to that shown below:
Polyline 3D
Options
NOTE: Because the parking lot elevation labels have been shortened on the paper plan (e.g. they read 35.37 and 35.12), be sure to set the desired Elevation Adder. Set
the remaining values as shown and click OK when ready. Let's start by digitizing the parking lot starting from the zoomed in section below:
Parking Lot
Image
The edge of asphalt is the inside line. When prompted:

First point: Click on the point with the digitizer puck where the 35.37 elevation label points to in the upper left corner of the parking lot
Elevation[B]/Object/Osnap[.]/Next point or elevation<Interpolate>: 35.37 and press Enter
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick below the first point where the line work starts to curve. We do not have an elevation for this
point, but we can interpolate the elevation from the two points around it using the Interpolate option.
Percent/Ratio/Interpolate[A]/Degree/Object/<Elevation[B]> <635.37>: A
This point elevation will be interpolated upon completion.
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): A
Percent/Ratio/Elevation[B]/Degree/Object/Osnap[.]/Next point or elevation<Interpolate>: pick the middle point of the curve
This point elevation will be interpolated upon completion.
Percent/Ratio/Elevation[B]/Degree/Object/Osnap[.]/Next point or elevation<Interpolate>: pick the end of the curve at the 35.12
Percent/Ratio/Interpolate[A]/Degree/Object/<Elevation[B]> <635.37>: 35.12 and press Enter
Continue digitizing for the rest of the edge of asphalt linework. Digitize each point where there is an elevation label and each point where the curb line changes
direction and press Enter when complete.
Digitize Another NEW EDGE ASPH Polyline [<Yes(A)>/No(B)]? indicate No

To check the elevations of the interpolated points, issue the Inquiry -- Drawing Inspector command and hover over the polyline you just created. A window will appear
showing you information about the polyline. If no elevations appear, right+click and enable the Display Elevations option.

Use the 3D Polyline command to digitize the rest of the parking lot as seen below.
Digitized
Parking Lot
6. Now that we have digitized the Design Surface, let's check the area of certain portions of the site. Run the Digitize -- Areas command and match the below dialog and
click OK when ready:
Digitize
Areas
To approximate the area of the main building, pick the points of the building outline.

Pick starting point: Pick points as close to the building design line work as you can
Undo[B]/Pick next point (Enter to end): repeat... (press Enter when done)
Digitize Another Area [<Yes(A)>/No(B)]? B

An Area Report similar to the one shown below appears:

Area
Report
Click the Exit (doorway) icon.
7. In our paper drawing, we have two spot elevations labeled 32.57 and 32.41 shown in the bottom left below.
Spot
Elevations
To digitize these elevations, we can use the Digitize -- Spot Elevation command. Fill out the dialog as shown and pick OK when ready:
Label Spot
Elevation
When prompted:

Point to Label?
Pick point or point number: find and click on the spot elevation labeled 632.57
Elevation <0.00>: 632.57
Point to Label (ENTER to End)?
Pick point or point number: find and click on the spot elevation labeled 632.41
Elevation <0.00>: 632.41
Point to Label (ENTER to End)?
Pick point or point number: press Enter

8. The limits of the site are defined by a closed polyline. This polyline is used as the boundary for the models and the volumes. Set a new target via the Digitize -- Other
Drawing command. Follow this with the Digitize -- Perimeter command. The goal will be to digitize around the bold, outside line shown below:
Site
Perimeter
When prompted:

Layer name <PERIM>: PERIMETER and press Enter

First point: pick the first point on the boundary
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): pick the next point on the boundary
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): repeat...
Arc[0]/Close[A]/Undo[B]/Osnap[.]/Pick next point (Enter to end): C
Digitize Another PERIMETER Polyline [<Yes(A)>/No(B)]? indicate No
9. Now that we have digitized line work with CADnet, we can continue to calculate Cut/Fill volumes and material quantities. Activate the Construction (or Civil) menu
via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Construction Menu (or Civil Menu, respectively). Issue the Takeoff (SiteNET in Civil) -- Boundary Polyline -- Set Boundary
Polyline command and when prompted:

Select boundary polylines.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the perimeter polyline created in the previous step

10. Our next task will be to specify the layer(s) in the drawing which contain existing site conditions. Every entity (line, polyline, point, etc) in the drawing was assigned a

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layer name and pre-categorized for us based on our digitize target specification. Takeoff uses the layer name(s) to categorize data into one of three general categories for
the purpose of building surface models:
Existing - Used to model initial/pre-construction site conditions.
Design - Used to model proposed/post-construction site conditions.
Other - Used as a collection of unknown/irrelevant site conditions (text notes, hatches, etc).
Use the Takeoff -- Define Layer Surface/Material/Subgrade command and review/set the dialog boxes similar to that shown below:
Example Digitizing Layer Targets
Existing Design Other
Exi D O
stin t
To switch between lists, pick the tabs at the top of the dialog. Check that your Layer Targets resemble the three lists shown here. If a layer is out of place, highlight it,
and click the Move To button after selecting the correct target to send it to.

Now that the layer targets are defined, there are several commands that can be applied. In the Display menu (SiteNET in Civil), you can turn on/off whether to display
layer targets by using the Existing Drawing, Design Drawing and Other Drawing commands:

Practice turning on/off the Existing Drawing, Design Drawing and Other Drawing through the Display menu:
Display
Menu
11. Besides assigning target surfaces by layer, layers are also used to define material names and subgrade depths. By assigning material names and depths to layers, the
volume, area, length and count for entities on these layers can be reported. Also the depth is used to vertically adjust the design surface. The polylines used for subgrade
depth must be closed polylines. Takeoff supports nested subgrade polylines for exclusion areas such as islands by counting how many subgrade polylines surround an
area. If the number is odd, then the area is inside the subgrade. Otherwise the area is not part of the subgrade. Activate the Design tab. Select/activate the NEW BUILD
layer and click the Edit Layer button. A dialog appears for defining what will be the Pad material properties. Set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:
Building Pad
Adjustment
Next pick layer NEW EDGE ASPH and click the Edit Layer button. A dialog appears for defining what will be the Pavement material properties. Set the values as
shown below and click OK when ready:
Pavement
Adjustment
After the modifications have been made, pick Save and Exit.

Now let's visually verify the subgrade areas. Issue the Takeoff (or SiteNET) -- Subgrade Areas -- Hatch Subgrade Areas to display the dialog box below:
Hatch
Subgrades
Select a desired subgrade layer and click the Edit and establish the following settings:
Subgrade Hatch Settings
Subgrade Hatch Pattern Color
Pad Hex Blue
Pavement Asphalt Green
Click Draw All on the dialog box above:
Hatched
Subgrades
The resulting hatch areas show where the subgrade is applied. Notice how the islands are not hatched because they are curb polylines that are already inside another
curb polyline. Takeoff -- Subgrade Areas -- Erase Subgrade Hatches command.
12. To calculate volumes, the program needs two surfaces:
existing ground, and,
design considerations
These surfaces are modeled by triangulation. With the preparation of the previous steps, we're now ready to make the models. The drawing entities have been cleaned
up, assigned elevations and assigned target surfaces by layer. Making each model is now a one step process:
To make the Existing Ground surface, issue the Takeoff -- Make Existing Ground Surface. The program will process the entities (regardless of their screen
visibility) and make the triangulation surface.
To make the Design Ground surface, issue the Takeoff -- Make Design Surface.
13. Cut/Fill color maps can be used for a visual output of the site cut/fill areas and also serves as another check that the models are correct. Issue the Display -- Cut/Fill
Color Map command to display an image similar to that shown below:
Cut/Fill Color
Map
Let's remove the shaded hatch of the Cut/Fill color map through the use of the Display -- Cut/Fill Color Map command.
14. To determine volumes, issue the Takeoff -- Calculate Total Volumes command to display a dialog box similar to that below:
Volume
Options
Set the as shown above and click OK when ready to display a volume report similar to that shown below:
Volume
Report
Click the Exit (doorway) button to exit the report viewer.
15. To report the material (paving) quantities, issue the Takeoff -- Material Quantities -- Standard Report routine to display the dialog box below:
Material Quantities
Report
Specify the options as shown above (feel free to explore the options in the Report tab) and click OK when ready. The report includes (among other this) the:
Count, and,
Length, and,
Area, and,
Volume
for each type of material that was assigned for reporting in the previously discussed Takeoff -- Define Layer Target/Material/Subgrade command and generates a
report similar to that below:
Materials
Report
Click the Exit (doorway) icon when ready. The Takeoff -- Material Quantities -- Custom Report command can be used to report these values with control of the report
format and the option to export to Excel.

This completes the tutorial: CADnet Paper Plan Digitizing to Volumes.

CADnet PDF Section Import

This lesson imports cross sections from a PDF into Carlson cross-section format. PDF files can contain different types of data. Some PDF's contain:

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linework vectors... this is the preferred format as the program can restore the CAD data (i.e. polylines) with minimal loss of accuracy and fidelity, and/or
raster images... depending on the scan resolution used to represent the data, it may be possible to perform a raster-to-vector conversion process to create linework in the
drawing. Many times, the scan resolution is not sufficient and the operator might be relegated to either raster-trace the data or perform on-screen digitizing.

In this example, the PDF file contains vector information.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick New Drawing.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Exit button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, continue as is.
2. Activate the CADnet menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- CADnet Menu. Additionally, issue the Settings -- Drawing Setup command to set the desired values as
shown below for this project and click OK when ready:
Drawing
Setup
3. With an empty drawing, issue the PDF -- Import PDF File to display the dialog box shown below:
PDF File to
Import
Select the file as shown above and click Open when ready to display the following dialog box:
Import
PDF File
NOTE: For the purposes of this tutorial, we do not need to process all pages within the PDF. Set the values as shown above and click the Insert Linework button when
Select Page
ready. A secondary dialog box displays as shown below: Range
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick point to insert PDF: pick a point

Specify rotation angle <0.0>: 0
Specify scale <1.0>: press Enter

Issue the View -- Extents to display the imported data as shown in the example below:
Sample
Sections
As is often the case with PDF documents, there may be linework that needs to be joined for efficient processing of the PDF document. Issue the Edit -- Join Nearest
command to display the dialog box below:
Join
Nearest
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Select lines, arcs and unclosed polylines to join [Settings].

Select entities: type ALL and press Enter
Select entities: press Enter

4. The next thing we'll want to do is validate the horizontal and/or vertical scale based on grid-spacing. Issue the Inquiry -- Standard Distance command and when
prompted:

Starting point for distance: pick the ENDpoint of the grid line illustrated below
End point: pick the ENDpoint of the grid line illustrated below

Pick
Locations
With correct picks (and a proper PDF insertion scale from earlier), the corresponding "X" and "Y" distance units should display on the Command line similar to that
shown below:

Delta X = 5.00, Delta Y = 3.00, Delta Z = 0.00

Because the distances picked in CAD match with the distances annotated on the grid sheet, no further action is needed.
NOTE: In the event that further scaling action is needed, two commands that can help overcome this would generally be either:
Edit -- Scale -- Scale Wizard command, or the,
Edit -- Align -- 2D Align command.
5. With proper polyline vector data and a correct scale, we can now make use of this data to create physical cross-section data sets. For the purposes of this tutorial, we'd
like to process 400-meters of cross-section data from 1+100 - 1+500. Depending on your application, activate one of the two section-processing modules through the:
Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Construction Menu (commands found in the Roads menu)
Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Civil Menu (commands found in the Sections menu)
For the purposes of the discussion below, we will make the assumption that Carlson Construction/Takeoff is being used.
6. Issue the Roads -- Create Sections -- Sections from Polylines on Section Grids -- Individual Selection command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Polyline to
Section File
Set the values as shown above paying particular attention to the highlighted items and click OK when ready. A series of prompts will be presented for each cross-
section station as illustrated below:
Sections from Polyline
Prompts
When prompted for the first section:

A. Exit/Pick text/<Station <0.00>>: type 1100 and press Enter

B. Exit/Pick text/<Starting elevation of grid <100.00>>: type 253 and press Enter
C. [int on] Pick point at starting elevation and zero offset of section ([Enter] for none): pick the starting grid elevation at the 0 offset
D. Select station 1100.00 [section file 1] section polyline: pick the appropriate polyline
E. Select station 1100.00 [section file 2] section polyline: pick the appropriate polyline

The sequence will restart for the next expected cross-section station. Accept the default value or override with a desired value.
NOTE: There will be a starting grid elevation changes starting at 1+300! Make the appropriate adjustment during the prompting!
Pan the drawing to see the next available cross-section station and note its starting grid elevation. Repeat the sequence until you reach station 1+500 and then issue the
Exit to complete the conversion process.
7. When complete, let's review/check the section data. Issue the Roads -- Section File Editor command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Section File to
Process
Select the file as illustrated above and click Open when ready to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:

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Section File
Editor
Set the Reference Section file as shown above, highlight a desired to inspect and click the Edit button to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Edit
Station
The command shows a graphic preview of the sections along with a spreadsheet of the Edit File values. Explore the remaining controls on this dialog box and click the
Cancel button to dismiss it when ready. Click the Exit button to dismiss its parent dialog box.
8. Now that we have two section files, we can derive the volume between them. Issue the Sections -- Calculate Section Volumes command. When prompted:

Section File (Existing Ground) to Read (dialog): select the -Ex section file and click Open when ready
Section File (Final Ground) to Read (dialog): select the -PR section file and click Open when ready
Calculate Section Volumes (dialog): set the values as shown below and click OK when ready
Calculate Section
Volumes
The volumes are calculated and reported, along with the cut and fill end-areas at each station as illustrated below:
Stockpile Volume
Report
Review the results and click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report.

This completes the tutorial: CADnet PDF Section Import.

GeoTech Reports
This lesson creates and reports drillhole data.

1. This drillhole lesson builds on the results of the Takeoff/SiteNET Basics tutorial. Before continuing with this tutorial, complete that tutorial up through the Make
Existing Ground Surface/Make Design Surface section of that tutorial. When the Takeoff/SiteNET Basics tutorial is completed, we're now ready to add drillholes for
the project.
2. Activate the GeoTech menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- GeoTech Menu. For mapping the drillholes, we don't need to see all the drawing layers. Run the View --
Freeze Layer By Pick command and pick on a contour polyline and a curb elevation label. In this case, the contours are on a few different layers. As a result, re-run the
Freeze Layer By Pick command and keep picking contour polylines and labels until all contours are gone and the drawing resembles that shown below:
Initial
Drawing
Next, let's orient the drawing so that the building better aligns with the screen. Issue the View -- Twist Screen -- Line, Polyline or Text command. When prompted:

Pick a line, polyline or text: pick on the northeast end of one of the building as shown above
Twist azimuth for selected LWPOLYLINE (Use 90 for Due East) <90.0>: press Enter

The drawing view is changed (and the coordinates remain as-is).

3. Issue the Drillhole -- Define Drillhole and Strata Settings (aka Define Drillhole) command to display the dialog box similar to that shown below:
Drillhole and Strata
Settings
For this tutorial, we need to define two strata:
A. DIRT (material above the rock), and,
B. ROCK
Click the Add button to create a material strata as described below and click OK when ready:
Edit
Strata
Next, pick the Add button again. This time, fill out the dialog with a strata name of "ROCK" and use the information below to add the second strata material into the
project and click OK when complete:
Strata Definitions
Values Strata 1 Strata 2
Name CLAY LIMESTONE
Density 80 165
Swell Factor 1.10 1.15
Model Values By Elevation By Elevation
Modeling Method Inverse Distance - Power 2 Inverse Distance - Power 2
NOTE: There are three options of modeling methods:
Inverse Distance will not carry trends and the calculated strata model will never be higher or lower than the original drillhole data and uses a weighted average of
the drillhole data. In general, closer drillholes are weighted more than drillhole farther away:
Inverse Distance - Power 2 will weigh drillholes more that are further away.
Inverse Distance - Power 3 will weigh drillholes less that are further away.
Linear Least Squares extrapolates trends and allows for a strata model to create new highs and lows that don't appear in the original drillhole data.
The Strata Materials in the main dialog need to be in top to bottom order. To change the order, highlight a strata name and use the Move Up or Move Down buttons. In
this case, we want DIRT then ROCK. Click OK from the main dialog.
4. Next, we'd like to define the label name, hatch pattern and color for the strata. Run the Drillhole -- Define Strata/Bed command to display a dialog box similar to that
shown below:
Strata
Definitions
Click Add and fill out the data as shown below and click OK when ready:
Strata
Definition
Use the table below for the specific values:
Strata Definitions
Values Strata 1 Strata 2
Strata Name CLAY LIMESTONE
Full Name Clay Limestone
Layer Clay Limestone
Density 80 165
Hatch Name CLAY2 GRAVL1
Hatch Scale 5.00 5.00

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Hatch Azimuth 90°0'00" 90°0'00"

Once created, pick SaveAs and when prompted:
Specify Strata
Definition File
Supply the name as shown above and click Save when ready. Finally, click the Exit button to dismiss the Define Strata/Bed dialog box.
5. There are two different methods for entering drillhole data:
Drillhole Import which reads the drillhole data from a text file. This command supports customizing the sequence of drillhole data fields to match the format of
the text file.
Place Drillhole creates the drillholes at picked positions in the drawing and enters the data in a dialog. This process is discussed in the Takeoff Drillholes and
Strata tutorial.
For this tutorial, issue the Drillhole -- Import/Export Drillholes -- Drillhole Import command. When prompted:
Drillhole
Import
Choose the Custom Formatter option. When prompted:
Drillhole
Import
Indicate No as both the drillhole and strata data are stored in the same file. For the Drillhole Text File, specify the file shown below and click Open when ready:
Drillhole
Text File
NOTE: The file contains fields of data in the following order:
a. DRILLHOLE
b. NORTH
c. EAST
d. SURFACE
e. STRATA
f. BOTDEPTH
g. MOISTURE
h. PLASTICITY
Use the Add >, Add Skip > and/or Remove < buttons to fill out the Used list at shown and click OK when ready:
Drillhole Import
Options
The drillhole data is imported into the project.
6. The Drillhole Import has brought in the structure for the drillhole and strata but not the attributes (i.e. the strata attributes for Moisture and Plasticity). Issue the
Drillhole -- Import/Export Drillholes -- Import Qualities command and when prompted:

Select Drillholes to update.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

Re-select the drillhole file as illustrated earlier and click Open when ready:
Quality
Text File
A Quality Import Options dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
Quality Import
Options
Use the Add >, Add Skip > and/or Remove < buttons to fill out the Used list at shown. Use the Add Attribute > button to create fields for the Moisture and Plasticity
fields. When creating these fields, indicate they are Strata properties as illustrated below (click OK when ready):
Add
Attribute
Lastly, click the OK button on the Quality Import Options dialog box when ready to import the drillhole qualities.
7. To setup the project name for the reports, issue the Settings -- Drawing Setup command to set the values shown below and click OK when ready:
Drawing
Setup
8. To make log reports, issue the Drillhole -- Graphic Drillhole Report command. When prompted:

Select Drillhole [<Select>/Name/Dialog]: press Enter

Select drillholes
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter twice

A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:

Drillhole Log Report
Settings
NOTE: The contents of the various Drillhole Log columns can be customized through the Edit Column button highlighted above.
Use the Load button to load a predefined Drillhole Log as shown below (click Open when ready):
Select Drillhole
Log
Click OK on the Drillhole Log Report Settings dialog box. When prompted:

Pick a point to insert log report: pick an empty location within the drawing

An example of the report is shown below:

Sample Boring Log
Report
9. Now, let's create a cross section view of the drillholes across the building pad. Issue the Draw -- Section Line command to display a dialog box similar to that shown
below:
Draw Section
Line
Fill out the dialog as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick 1st point: pick a location left of the building

Pick 2nd point: pick a location right of the building as illustrated below

Section Line
Example
Next, run the StrataCalc -- Geologic Column Profile command which displays a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Geologic Column Profile
Settings
Set the values as shown above. Click the Set button to load the file saved in the Define Strata/Bed discussion section above. Use the table of sub-options outlined below
within this command to further control the eventual report:
Geologic Column Profile Sub-options

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Grid Options Profile Options

Grid Profile
Options Options
Label Options Drillhole Options
Label Drillhole Label
Settings Settings
Select Attributes (Prompt)
Click OK when ready. When prompted:

Select Drillholes for geologic column.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Fence alignment polyline: pick the section "A" line created earlier
Maximum drillhole distance from alignment polyline <1000.0>: type 100 press Enter
Select Attributes (dialog): select the Attributes cited in the table above and click OK
Pick location for geologic column(s): pick a lower left location for the report

The report similar to that shown below is placed into the drawing:
Example Geologic Column
Profiles
NOTE: As a reminder, complete the Takeoff/SiteNET Basics tutorial to see the Existing Ground and/or Design profiles.
10. To prepare for plotting, run the Map -- Title Block command (the same as that found under Settings -- Title Block) to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Create Title
Block
Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick location: pick a desired location for the Title Block

Enter attribute values: supply values as suggested below and click OK when ready

Edit Block
Attributes
11. Let's add some annotation to the drawing for the plan view. Run the Drillhole -- Label Drillholes -- Standard Drillhole Text command to display a dialog box similar to
that shown below:
Draw Drillhole
Text
Set the values as shown above (a very minimal drillhole label) and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Select the Drillholes to label.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Attributes (dialog): select the Attributes cited in the table above and click OK

Next, run the Map -- Bar Scale command to display the dialog box shown below:
Draw Bar
Scale
Click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick location for barscale: pick a desired location for the barscale

Next, run the Map -- North Arrow command to display the dialog box shown below:
Draw North
Arrow
Click OK when ready. When prompted:

Pick insertion point: pick a desired location for the North arrow

When complete, your drawing could resemble that shown below:

Completed
Project

This completes the tutorial: GeoTech Reports.

Cut Sheet
In this lesson you will create a Cut Sheet report for staking grade for a proposed parking lot. This tutorial utilizes the data limits of the Contouring, Break Lines and Stockpiles
tutorial. Once opened, you will:

A. import a LandXML comprised of digital data content

B. draw a centerline file for spatial reference
C. draw a polyline file for additional spatial reference
D. offset the centerline "alignment" to establish a Back of Curb (BOC)
E. create stake-out points along the BOC but at existing ground elevations
F. create a cutsheet to compare the points against a design surface model

Let's get started.

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Mantopo.dwg file. Use the File -- Save As to save a copy named Mantopo-C.dwg.
Completing this tutorial will alter the drawing file and by renaming the file from the start, you'll keep the original file intact (allowing you to run through the tutorial a
second time if desired). This is also a good practice to keep when working on drawings from 3rd parties.
2. Activate the Survey menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu. Your drawing may (should) resemble that shown below:

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Issue the Points -- Set Coordinate File command to display the following dialog box:

Select the file as shown above and click Open when ready.
3. For the content to follow, a LandXML file containing various pieces of design data will be used to complete this tutorial. Issue the File -- Import -- LandXML File to
display the following dialog box:

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Select the file as shown above and click Open when ready. A secondary box similar to that shown below will appear:

Set the various options as shown above and click Import when ready. A summary of the surface model TIN files will appear in the Surface Manager similar to that
shown below:

Click the Done button when ready. The drawing should resemble that shown below (layer colors and visibility altered for clarity):

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The drawing contains a proposed parking lot with striping and curb islands. A closer examination will reveal that the entire length of the roadway and parking lot
perimeter has been defined as a centerline (aka alignment, Existing4.cl) file as created by the Polyline to Centerline File command (e.g. double-clicking the perimeter
should display the Centerline Editor command).
4. Our next task will be to offset this alignment by 1.5' to simulate back-of-curb geometry. Issue the Edit -- Offset -- Offset to Layer command to display the dialog box
below:

Set the values as shown above and click OK when ready. When prompted:

Select a polyline to offset: pick the perimeter polyline as shown below

Select side to offset: pick to the outside as shown below
Select a polyline to offset (Enter to end): press Enter

5. The next thing we'd like to do is locate stake-out points along the Back-of-Curb at important inflection points. Issue the COGO -- Create Points from Entities command
to display the dialog box below:

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Set the values as shown above (making particular note of the highlighted items above) and click OK when ready. A secondary dialog box as shown below appears:

Set the values as shown above (making particular note of the highlighted items above) and click OK when ready. A dialog box prompting for the surface model use for
the point elevation appears (similar to that shown below):

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Select the surface model as indicated above and click Open when ready. When prompted:

Select arcs, circles, faces, points, text, lines and polylines.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the back-of-curb polyline created in the previous step
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

A collection of points is inserted into the drawing and at an elevation governed by the previously cited surface model.
6. Issue the Survey -- Cut Sheet command to display the dialog below:

7. Click the Import -- Coordinate File as illustrated above and when prompted for a coordinate file, select the file shown below and click Open when ready:

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8. A secondary dialog box appears similar to that shown below:

The coordinate file may have more data than we need (i.e. original ground points from an earlier lesson). Set the values as shown above, paying particular attention to
the Range of points in the range of 501-553. Click OK when ready. The Cut Sheet Data dialog box is populated with data similar to that shown below:

9. The next thing we'd like to do is bring in the target elevations for each of these points. Issue the Grade -- Triangulation File command (but note the additional methods
of determining the proposed grades) as illustrated below:

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When prompted, select the triangulation (TIN) file cited below and click Open when ready:

This process will select a design surface model for the proposed grades. The Design Z elevation field is populated from the proposed TIN and the Cut/Fill amount per
point is calculated as illustrated below:

10. The next piece of information we would like to obtain is an alignment from which Station/Offset information can be derived. Issue the Centerline -- Centerline File
command as illustrated below:

When prompted, select the centerline (*.cl) file shown below and click Open when ready:

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The Cut Sheet now contains the station and offset information for the curb line as illustrated below:

11. Our next task will be to configure the content of the Cut Sheet Report we'd like to generate. Issue the Report -- Report Settings command as illustrated below:

The Report Options dialog box appears permitting the eventual report to be customized:

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Ensure the Report Options are set as shown above and click OK when ready.
12. Let's create the report. Issue the Report -- Create Report command to display the Report Formatter dialog box similar to that shown below:

Select the desired Available fields on the left and click Add > to move them to the Used fields on the right. For this lesson, just select Station (sorted Up), Offset and
Cut/Fill to create a simple cut/fill report.
13. Click the Settings tab as seen above and click Field Options button to display the Field Options dialog box as shown below:

14. To create user-defined additional fields to include in the report, click the Add Field button and set the values as shown below. Click OK when ready:

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This new user-defined field is added to the list of Available Fields. Click the Add Field button again to set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:

NOTE: Make sure to enable the Prompt at display time toggle. This will cause the program to pause for user input at the time of creating the report.
15. Select the two new fields and click the Add > button to add them to the Report Header tab as illustrated below:

When the fields are moved, you will be prompted to select various format options as illustrated below:

16. Set the following fields:

Client to:
Row #1

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Center justified
Bold Font
14 pt text size
Job Number to:
Row #2
Left justified
Regular Font
10 pt text size
The result should look similar to that shown below:

Click OK when ready.

17. Select the Report tab and click on the Report Viewer button as shown below:

Select an 8.5" x 11" paper size with 0.25" margins all around as shown below and click OK when ready:

18. When prompted for the values of the user-defined fields, set the values as shown below and click OK when ready:

The resulting report is displayed similar to that shown below which can be printed or exported to various formats:

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19. Close the report to return to the Report Formatter dialog box as shown below:

NOTE: The above process can be repeated for any number of fields and exported as a *.FMS file for future use or to develop company or client report standards. Click
the Exit button to dismiss the Report Formatter dialog box.
20. Back in the main Cut Sheet Data spreadsheet editor, click File -- Save and save the file as shown below and click the Save button when ready:

Click File -- Exit to close the command.

This completes the tutorial: Cut Sheet.

Geodetic Reports
In this lesson you will create a geodetic report containing both local and Grid coordinates from a survey based on an assumed local datum. The plan geometry will be
annotated with both ground and grid distances. This is useful when a survey has been performed with assumed coordinates and elevations but must be reported in Grid
coordinates or in instances where both ground and grid coordinates need to be reported.

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1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the Local-Plat.DWG file.
2. Activate the Survey menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Survey Menu. Your drawing should resemble that shown below:
Initial
DWG
3. Issue the Points -- Set Coordinate File command and select the supplied file Local-Coord.CRD as shown below:
Coordinate File to
Process
4. Issue the Settings -- Drawing Setup command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Drawing
Setup
Set the:
a. Projection to State Plane 83, and
b. Zone to MA Mainland.
5. Click the Define Localization button to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Define
Localization
6. We'd like to localize the drawing based on two RTK GPS points that were located to establish grid coordinates. We'll be using points 52 and 56. Click the Add button
to display a dialog box similar to those shown below:
Localized Points
Point 52 Point 56
Add Alignment Add Alignment
Point 52 Point 56
Add the point and coordinate information for each point by entering the Local Point Number (press the Tab key to complete the Local data) and their respective Grid
Coordinates as outlined in the table below (click OK when ready and subsequently click OK to accept the default point descriptions):
Localized Point Data
Point Number Local Northing Local Easting Local Elevation Grid Northing Grid Easting Grid Elevation
52 1167.8573 5074.8998 150.0080 2933910.090 711649.128 156.29
56 1446.4546 4859.8172 168.6590 2934188.687 711434.046 174.94
7. The results should resemble that shown below:
Define
Localization
NOTE: For each point, make sure the HV (Horizontal/Vertical) fields are set to YY (indicating Yes, both the Horizontal and Vertical components should be used in the
solution). Use the XY On/Off button and/or the Z On/Off button as necessary.
8. Click the Report button to display the dialog box below:
Localization Report
Settings
Ensure all of the report options are enabled and click OK. The localization report similar to that shown below is displayed in the Standard Report Viewer:
Localization
Report
Click the Exit (Doorway) button to dismiss the report. Further, click the OK button on the Define Localization and Drawing Setup dialog boxes, respectively.
9. Issue the Points -- List Points command to display the dialog box similar to that shown below:
List
Point
Enable the Use Report Formatter and Include Geodetic Report options and click OK when ready.
10. The Report Formatter dialog box appears similar to that shown below:
List Points - Report
Formatter
Select the desired Available fields on the left and click Add > to move them to the Used fields on the right. Set the fields to that shown above.
11. From the Report tab, click on the Report Viewer button. Select an 8.5" x 11" paper size with 0.25" margins all around as shown below and click OK when ready:
Report Viewer Page
Setup
The resulting report is displayed similar to that shown below which can be printed or exported to various formats:
List Points
Report
Both local and grid coordinates are displayed.
NOTE: To further control the report by adding user-defined fields, customized Headers and Subheaders, Fonts etc, refer to the Cut Sheet tutorial.
12. Close the report to return to the Report Formatter dialog box. Click the Exit button to dismiss the Report Formatter dialog box.
13. Re-run the Settings -- Drawing Setup as discussed earlier:
Drawing
Setup 2
Set the Report Distance Scale option to Gnd>Grd for ground to grid distances and click OK when ready.
14. Issue the Annotate -- Annotate Defaults command to display the dialog box similar to that shown below:
Annotate Defaults -
Distance
In the Distance tab, set the 2nd Scaled Distance Options to Label 1st and 2nd. Also, set the Suffix to 'GRID and enable the Use Brackets option. Click OK when
ready.
15. Issue the Annotate -- Angle/Distance -- _BearingDistance command:
_BearingDist

When prompted:

Select line or polyline [Size/Points]: select the most northerly property line of the parcel
Select line or polyline [Size/Points] (Enter to end): press Enter

Both the ground distance and the projected scaled distance are labeled as shown below (layer visibility altered for clarity):
Annotated
Drawing

This completes the tutorial: Geodetic Reports.

Pressure Pipe Network Design

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In this tutorial, we'll design the features and pipes for a pressure pipe network and analyze the flow for the site and ultimately prepare an input file for EPANet (Application
for Modeling Drinking Water Distribution Systems).

1. Click the Windows desktop icon for Carlson to start the program.
If you get the Start Page, pick Open Files.
If you get the Startup Wizard dialog box, click the Browse button.
If you are taken directly into CAD, click File -- Open.
Browse/navigate to the default folder location of C:\Carlson Projects and open the PressurePipeExample.dwg file.
2. Activate the Hydrology menu via Settings -- Carlson Menus -- Hydrology Menu. Your drawing should resemble that shown below:
Initial
DWG
This project contains a series of polylines that represents the pressure pipe network we are designing.
3. The drawing entities for the design surface that we will use to model drainage have already been prepared. These entities consist of design contours. Issue the Surface --
Triangulate & Contour command to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Triangulate & Contour
Triangulate Tab Contour Tab
Triangulate & Contour - Triangulate & Contour -
Triangulate Contour

NOTE: Use the Select button on the Triangulate to create an output TIN file as illustrated above.
Once set, click the OK button and when prompted:

Select Inclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.

[FILter]/<Select entities>: pick the boundary polyline
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select Exclusion perimeter polylines or ENTER for none.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter
Select points and breaklines to Triangulate.
[FILter]/<Select entities>: type ALL and press Enter
[FILter]/<Select entities>: press Enter

The surface representing proposed conditions is written.

4. Let's create a pressure pipe network file from the geometry presented. Issue the Network -- Pressure Pipe Network command to display a dialog box similar to that
shown below:
Pressure Pipe Network to Create or Process

Set the file name as illustrated above and click the Open button to display a "docked" dialog box as shown below:
Initial Docked
Dialog
5. We'd like to establish some initial, default settings for the project. Click the Settings (Gear) button to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:

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Settings Dialog

Click the Reference Surface button to select the TIN file created earlier and then click the OK button.
6. For this example, zoom in to the upper left start of the pipe run so that we can select a small segment for our pump. The display should look like the following:
Pump
Select
Click the Add (Plus) button from the Network Actions row to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
New
Dialog
To create a new pump, click the Pump button and the following dialog will appear:
Add Pump
Dialog
For this example, click the Screen Pick Polyline button and when prompted:

Select centerline polyline: pick the small polyline segment

NOTE: Make sure the small segment is selected and not the longer pipe polyline.
After selecting the small segment, the following dialog will appear:
Set
Centerlin
Click the Assign Centerline File to Polyline to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Centerline To Set

Set the file name as shown above and click Save when ready. Upon creation of the centerline file, a dialog box similar to that shown below appears:
New Pump Dialog

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Set a name for the pump as suggested above and also set the Start Elevation and End Elevation to 2363.3 (the surface model elevation at the pump location). The next
step is to add the required pump parameters. Click the Add button and the following dialog box will appear:
Add Pump
Parameter
Select the Head keyword and the Value field will be disabled and the Curve field will be enabled. To create a new pump curve, click the Edit button and the following
dialog will appear:
Add/Edit EPANet
Curves
This dialog allows for the entry of any one of the four EPANet Curves:
a. Pump
b. Efficiency
c. Volume
d. Headloss
Click New and a new table will be created with a default name of NewCurve01:
Add/Edit EPANet
Curves
Select the NewCurve01 entry and enter a new name of FlowServe and enter the following X, Y values:
FlowServe Pump Curve Parameters
Entry # X (Head) Value Y (Flow) Value
1 250 810
2 300 800
3 350 795
4 400 785
5 500 750
6 600 700
7 700 640
8 800 575
The result should look similar to that shown below:
Save Pump
Curve
Click the Save button and then click Exit to return to the Pump Parameter dialog box. Select the pump curve you created in the Curve field as illustrated below and
click OK when ready:
Pump Parameter
Head
The Edit Pump dialog box should look as follows:
Edit Pump
Dialog
Click OK to return to the docked dialog box which should look as follows:
Docked Pump
Dialog
7. To add a new pipe, either:
Click the Add (Plus) button on the Network Actions row and choose the Pipe option, or
Right-click on the Pipes category in the tree-view list and choose the Add Pipe option
Do either option now to display the dialog box similar to that shown below:
Add
Pipe
For this example, click the Screen Pick Polyline button and when prompted:

Select centerline polyline: pick the Pipe 1 polyline segment

A dialog box similar to that shown below appears:

Set
Centerlin
Press the Assign Centerline File to Polyline to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Centerline to Set 2

Set the filename as shown above and click Save when ready to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:

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Edit Pipe P1

Update the following values:

Pipe Dim 1 to 8.0
Pipe Thickness to 0.500
Min Cover to 5.0
Roughness Coefficient to 140
Profile Elevation Reference on Pipe to Top
Additionally, click the Profile button to open a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Profile to Use

Set the profile file name to be the same as the centerline name cited earlier and click Open when ready. Click OK to dismiss the Edit Pipe dialog box and add the pipe
to the tree-view collection.

Repeat the process of adding pipes for all eight pipes and use the same parameters for each pipe.
8. Pipe P8 has an required outflow of 600 cfs. To enter the demand, right-click on pipe P8 and click its Edit Pipe option. On the Edit Pipe dialog box, click the Edit
Connections button at the bottom of the dialog to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Pipe Connection P8

Enter the End Station value 2023.194 which is displayed at the top of the dialog. The remaining values should be as shown in the following:

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Pipe Connection P8 Complete

Click OK to dismiss the Connection List dialog box and click OK to dismiss the Edit Pipe dialog box. The docked dialog should now look like the following:
Docked
Pipes
9. In this example, we have two tanks. The Upper Tank and the Lower Tank as indicated on the drawing. To add a new tank, right-click the Tanks category in the tree-
view and click the Add Tank button to display a dialog box similar to that shown below:
Add
Tank
The Pipefield contains a list of pipes, pumps, and valves that are currently defined in the project. For the Upper Tank, select the pump created earlier and indicate the
tank is at the Start of the pump. Enter the remaining tank parameters as follows and click OK when ready:
Upper
Tank
Repeat the process and add the second Lower Tank with the following parameters and click OK when ready:
Lower
Tank
NOTE: The Lower Tank is located to be at the End of P7.
The docked dialog should now look like the following:
Docked
End
10. Now that the model has been developed, an analysis can be performed. Click the EPANet (Pipes with Valve) button on the Network Actions row and the following
dialog box will be displayed:
EPANet
Actions
Set the values as shown above and click the Analysis button to run the analysis which displays the results in the Standard Report Viewer similar to that shown below:
Analysis
Report
Click the Exit (Doorway) to dismiss the report.
11. Click again on the EPANet button and click its Export button to create an EPANet input (*.inp) file which can be loaded via the EPANet via its File -- Import --
Network command:
EPANet Program

Click the Exit (Doorway) to dismiss the docked dialog box.

This completes the tutorial: Pressure Pipe Network Design.

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