Terrain specification using map coordinates

[rfcomm2k]

I have a particular piece of land I have purchased and received the surveyor plot for it. On the Warranty Deed it describes the location using map coordinates (N0d08'00"W, etc). and the length of the property line originating and ending on the specified points.

 

How can I create a terrain plot using this info?

[rfcomm2k]

WOW! I stumped EVERYONE with this one!

[DavidJPotter]

No, actually I just noticed this post just now. I have posted numerously before about this subject. I do not recommend, generally speaking that one creates terrain by direct import because such imports often create such a complicated terrain object that most PC's or Mac's have difficulty just displaying such a construct due to the potential of too many 3D faces so produced.

 

3D objects of any kind are displayed, divided into a series of 3D faces interconnected to emulate the actual universe three dimensional objects. Terrain objects are divided into triangular 3D faces. The more faces per square inch the higher the reality of the modulated terrain but also the higher load on PC CPU's and Video Card hardware to parse on screen per second ( a lot of recalculation per unit of time ).

 

This all depends upon the actual shape of the emulated land mass, something that is relatively flat will contain the lowest number of 3D faces, whereas terrain with lots of elevation changes can be so complex as to overwhelm the average PC's ability to display such virtual constructs.

 

All of this is merely a warning that the above can be the case. What I have done to date is to draw such terrain manually using the provided elevation tools. All of my prior attempts to import such data and directly use it to "automatically" create terrain objects has failed and been a waste of my time. Manually creating terrain from graphic data I have found to always work. With terrain, generally speaking, less is more. By that I try to keep it simple and within what my computer can actually deliver. I am not LucasFilm and do not have access to super computers that create the CGI in movies.

 

My point is that the actual physical universe tends to be quite complicated whereas in terms of Architectural drafting and design, such perfection is NOT required to design and build structures. Simply getting it close is usually close enough. Surveyors and those who excavate land for building use very expensive software running on super computers to do that sort of work. You cannot expect relatively inexpensive software and PC hardware to deliver a similar product where land modulation is high, and scientific preciseness is required is what I am saying.

 

What I prefer to do is to take a graphic land survey map or terrain map as an AutoCAD .dwg or .dxf file or if not available an image of such a file. Import that and scale it in Chief or Home Designer Pro and then manually draw lines, and splines over the imported image or file import (with a .dxf file you can actually convert those imported lines into terrain elevation objects and then manually set each object's value, thus controlling directly how modulated the result is). This always can be made to work unerringly. This of course is more work but I have found that at least the work done is not wasted by creating something my PC cannot then work with in terms of time and productivity.

 

DJP

[Bukner]

That seems like a lot more than what I gather from initial post.  With what's he's specifying wouldn't that just be flat longitude and latitude coordinates? Maybe I'm not seeing something but it only would get complicated if you specifically added altitude measurements which would make "super computer" requirements with all the vectors and 3D facets.

Cheers,

Buck