Insert Block based on GPS Longitude and Latitude

Civil 3D
1

Hi,
I wonder if there is a way to insert block references based on GPS location.
I know there is an option to read Photo.Location point based on it GPS location (link below)
https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/tsarticles/ts/2J5TYaEsGLXCV5OmtrdBt4.html
but I’d like read GPS locations from excel file. There is an example I’d like to use:
52.242012, 21.016599
or
52°14’31.2"N 21°00’59.8"E
Of course I’d like to insert blocks in a drawing with selected coordinate system (ETRS89.PolandCS2K-7).
I’d be obliged for any ideas.

2

GPS coordinates as degrees N/S and degrees E/W can be transformed into XY coordinates using some somewhat complicated math… the difficult bit is that the distance covered by a degree of longitude will vary based on how far you are from the poles - the the North Pole you can cover a degree of longitude by shifting your feet, but at the equated you’re gonna be walking for awhile… this stack exchange post covers the math rather well: distance - Calculating longitude length in miles - Geographic Information Systems Stack Exchange

I recommend building the formula based on that (or other web resources) and test the distance between two points in a few different tools to get confirmation relative to your project.

3

Hi @jacob.small
I managed to insert points in C3D without using Dynamo based on Latiude and Longitude data. This post at C3D forum helped me a lot:
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/civil-3d-forum/import-points-with-long-and-lat/td-p/2949134
After inserting points I can use CogoPoint.Location node from ArkanceSystems package.

4

The Arkance Systems Node Library also contains nodes to convert Lat Lon to coordinates in the active Coordinate System.

4 Likes
5

Hi @Anton_Huizinga
Thank you for this information. WGSPoint node works great !
Can I ask by the way (as an ArkanceSystems package author) if it is possible to create hatch in Circle object using Hatch.CreateHatch node ? “Exterior” input needs Polyline and I am not sure how to convert Circle to Polyline.

1 Like
6

I’ll add it to the wish list :slight_smile: