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A local governing authority requires a tree plan submitted with
any subdivision application. This tree plan is an inventory of
the trees 8” in diameter or larger and a tally of which trees
will be removed during construction. In the past, I would have
recommended to my clients to simply put together a point table
with the tree points shot in the initial survey and leave a
blank column to insert some AutoCAD text indicating whether or
not the tree would be removed. The following is an example.
I always felt this was the simplest way to handle to problem. It
worked fine but if the viewport scale in which this table was
shown was different than the annotation scale set in model
space, all the text would appear to be displaced. It was clear I
needed a new solution, one that would be foolproof and
automatic.
I had recently been experimenting with User-Defined Properties (UDP)
for point data in which I could add a measure-down for existing
manhole survey data and label a point with the rim elevation and
the invert (rim elevation minus the measure-down). It seemed to
me that a UDP could be defined for this tree status as a String
and added to the point data. Here is the procedure I came up
with.
Step 1: Define the Property.
From the Settings tab on the Toolspace, right click on the User
Defined Property Classification and select “New” then simply
name the classification “Tree Data.”
Then, right-click on your new classification and again, select
“New.” This will define the UDP. Call the UDP “Tree_Status,”
choose String for type, and make sure the option for a default
value is checked on and type in “KEEP.”
Step 2: Create a Point File Format.
Next, we need to set up a Point File Format (PFF) to accept the
soon-to-be-updated point data with six fields of data. We will
augment the usual PNEZD five-field format with a sixth field to
include the Tree_Status. Simply right-click on the PNEZD (Comma
Delimited) PFF and choose “Copy.”
Rename the new PFF something descriptive and add the sixth field
by choosing Tree_Status.
Step 3: Make the Points Available for Update.
In this example, we will assume the existing conditions base map
has already been created and all the points exist in the
drawing. In order to add the extra field of data to the tree
points, we must first export them to a TXT file which will be
easy to update. This is an even easier process if the tree
points are saved in their own Point Group. Choose the
Import/Export Points option from the Points pull-down menu and
choose Export.
On the next dialog box, choose PNEZD (Comma Delimited) for the
PFF, name and place the file, and limit the export operation to
the Tree Point Group.
Step 4: Update the Point File.
Next use a text editor like Notepad to open the TXT file. On the
tree points slated for removal, add the text “,REMOVE” and save
the file. Remember to insert the comma between the description
and the tree_status fields.
Keep in mind that adding a field for the trees slated to remain
is unnecessary as the default value set for the UDP was “KEEP”.
This will be added to all the incoming points missing that sixth
field.
Step 5: Update the Drawing Points.
Next, use the Import Points option to bring in this updated
data, choosing the PFF created earlier to accept point data with
six fields.
The option to Overwrite data will need to be checked at the
warning screen.
You can check your handiwork by looking at the Point List on the
Tree Point Group.
Step 6: Create the Table.
Finally, we will need to create a point table style to show off
our new data. Copy an existing table style and manipulate the
columns to show only point number, raw description, and
tree_status.
Produce the table! It is dynamic and will update itself if you
manually change the tree_status for any of the tree points.
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