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  Extracting Elevation Data from PDF files (Contours, Spot Levels etc...)
Posted by: Ted Woods - 01-27-2017, 02:50 PM - Replies (8)

I have been looking into the process of extracting elevation data from PDF files into CAD data for use Kubla's takeoff module.

There are a number of issues that come up immediately as PDF files are not designed to store technical meta data. So technical complications often arise during the process. It should not be attempted with the expectation of perfect results every time. 

However it is a huge time saver potentially.  I have identified the following as items we could extract : 

  • Continuos Lines (Outlines, Breaks lines, Contour lines) : Perhaps the easiest element to extract from a PDF is a continous line (i.e one that is not dashed or dotted). These can be loaded into Kubla Cubed as contour lines, break lines or outlines. It is important to realise that the PDF lines contain no elevation information so the elevations will need to be corrected by adjusting the polylines Z property in a CAD program or adjusting the elevation features level in Kubla Cubed.

  • Dashed Lines (Outlines, Breaks lines, Contour lines) : Dashed lines often cause problems as they usually get converted to a polyline for each dash. Converting these dash segments back into polylines in CAD is so time consuming it makes the whole process counter productive. The more advanced conversion tools can have special functionality for handling this requirement and can often extract a dashed line as single polyline.

  • Crossed lines (Points): In PDF files point levels are often marked with crosses, there is no concept of a CAD 'point' in a PDF file. Kubla Cubed can extract points from crosses in CAD files so the positions of point levels can often be extracted. Again no elevation will be contained in the points extracted from crossed lines. However Kubla Cubed has the ability to extract elevations from nearby text. If text is also successfully extracted from the PDF then both position and elevation of points can be extracted.


  • Text (Point Elevations): The CAD importer in Kubla Cubed has the ability to match points with nearby text that may contain elevation information. This means that if we can extract text from the PDF file and the crosses of points we can import points with their elevations into Kubla Cubed. A frequent problem with this is that some programs save text into PDF files as collections of lines rather than as a text entity (this is usually when a non truetype font has been used). Again some of the more advanced conversion software can try to handle this and convert the polylines representing text back into a CAD text element.
So far I have been experimenting in just extracting contour lines (that are not dashed) and have had some mixed results using the freeware program InkScape.  It seems if the PDF is too complex the DXF export often fails.  However I have heard of better software to do this like :

Able2Extract Standard
www.investintech.com

Able2Extract Pro
www.investintech.com

PDF2DWG
www.dotsoft.com

Print2CAD
http://www.backtocad.com/


Has anyone else got experience with these?  To me it seems Print2CAD or Back2CAD as it is also known are the market leaders in this area.  They do regular seminars and can do things like convert dashed lines into CAD polylines and extract text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

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  Excavation volumes by depth
Posted by: Jules Attwood - 01-23-2017, 02:07 PM - Replies (2)

Currently Kubla defines excavations by total volume. Under NRM2 ( or SMM7) excavation volumes are referenced by depth.

 ie;

Excavation:  Bulk Excavation:   Not exceeding 2m deep:  20m3
                                                                   2-4m deep:  130m3

Is there a methodology to define this?

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  New Export Formats for Cubed
Posted by: Leo - 01-19-2017, 11:37 AM - Replies (12)

Hi All,

We've recently been looking at adding additional exports from Kubla Cubed, allowing it to work better with other software and hardware.  I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on what formats would be most useful to you.  At the moment we have been thinking of:

1) LandXml
2) SketchUp
3) Machine Control (would be useful to know which machine control formats are most popular with Cubed Users)
4) BIMS formats (e.g. IFC)
5) PDF (we currently export images instead)

...But we'll only do some of these initially based on what is most important to users.

Leo

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  Kubla Cubed YouTube videos.
Posted by: Ted Woods - 01-19-2017, 10:24 AM - No Replies

Hi All

After installing Kubla Cubed it's a good idea to head to Kubla Cubed to check out our tutorial videos 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIoEyrD...iOZPCzbdGg

We are going to try to add a lot more tutorials and walk-throughs in 2017 so subscribe to the channel if you want to keep up to date.  Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section.

If you want to see a specific video post reply to this post with a brief description and we will add it to the list.

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  Hello
Posted by: TimO - 01-17-2017, 12:12 AM - Replies (8)

Hello to all,
Looking forward to an interesting joining of ideas with this great software. Hopefully I can give a some input, from my daily experiences, and pick up new ideas from other users.
Cheers
Tim

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  Kubla Central Posting Guidelines
Posted by: Ted Woods - 01-14-2017, 06:14 PM - No Replies

Kubla Ltd hosts and maintains Kubla Central forums for the benefit of users of our software and other interested parties.  We reserve the right to moderate any post for any reason.  Please read the following guidelines to avoid your posts being moderated.  

1. Respect other users of the forum :  Our user base spans the globe and encompasses engineers, surveyors and construction professionals from a diverse variety of cultures and backgrounds. Please be respectful of this. Posts that are derogatory to a specific race, gender, sexual orientation, religious or cultural group will be deleted and may result in a ban.

2. Post all off-topic posts in the 'General Chat' section :  Kubla Central is professional environment for sharing knowledge  and building industry relationships.  We request that all topics of a non-professional nature be posted in the 'General Chat' section.

3. Refrain from excessive selling : We appreciate that everyone has to make a living.  Posts advertising your products and services are allowed if they are A) relevant to the forum (e.g offering take-off services or construction equipment and B) you are up-front about your relationship with the company involved.  However we may moderate advertising posts if they are deemed to be excessive or start to impact on the quality of discussion.

4. All posts must be in English : For practical reasons and to maintain the clarity of these forums all posts must be in English.  Alternative language forums will be considered for the future.

5. Do not post personal information :  These forums are publicly searchable and are therefore scanned regularly by data harvesting bots.  If you post a personal phone number or e-mail that individual may receive unwanted attention. Posts  containing an individuals personal information will be moderated.  


In short behave as you would at an industry conference. Enjoy making new industry contacts and sharing your knowledge and expertise!

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