Many of you will have been in the situation where you are asked to price a large cut to fill job, where the Client hasn't provided a topographical survey and there isn't time to do a site survey.

Recently I have been using the Defra national LiDAR survey, Defra Survey Data Download to download the survey data into QGIS for conversion into contour lines to upload into Kubla Cubed.

I have also managed to use QGIS to produce a 1 x 1m point cloud for upload into KC, when I haven't got time to label the contours.

However, a word of warning, make sure that the site topography hasn't changed since the LiDAR survey was undertaken!

There is similar LiDAR data available for Wales, View map | DataMapWales (gov.wales) if the Defra survey doesn't cover the area your interested in and probably something similar for Scotland, but I've had no need to look for it.

Maybe the team at Kubla Cubed could look into QGIS further, to explore faster ways to integrate the two programmes.

Ian

PS If you are interested in how I process this data, leave some feedback and I will go into more detail if there is enough interest.

Hello,

I am working with a client who uses Topcon for all of his Earth-Moving work. He will need all topographical surveys and plans in Topcon format (.TP3). The go-to software for this conversion from DXF or DWG to TP3 is Topcon 3D-Office. Topcon's MAGNET Office can also be used, and is the later software for performing file conversions.

When I attempt to import a DXF from Kubla Cubed into MAGNET Office, (R13 or R14 type DXF formats work the best) The contour lines all transfer over, but only the first polygon surface section will transfer. I have not found a way to get the entire polygon surface to transfer. Perhaps this is still a file format issue.

Also, if I try to import into Topcon 3D-Office, the contour lines will transfer in. When I try to add the TIN from the DXF, and error window appears saying "DWG file has no 3D face entities!"

I must assume that the polygon surface generated by Kubla Cubed, is perhaps a different type of surface than what Topcon is searching for. This surface appears just fine in Civil 3D. Topcon seems to be the limiting factor.

I am working with Topcon to try and resolve this issue, but if there is a known workaround in the Kubla Cubed community, that would be a great help.


Missing surfaces in MAGNET Office



Derek

While trying out various buttons in the Display dialog box, the cut and fill colors started pulsing light to dark in about one-second intervals. That's usually some kind of alert that something's wrong, but I can't seem to figure it out.

Also, when I start the program it always asks to restore from auto recovery rather than offering files to open. Probably a button somewhere I clicked without knowing it.

I've spent half an hour looking through the 2024 user manual to find out how to change the background color without success. In videos for the 2017 version it looks easy, but those tools either aren't available or are now buried within others and I can't find them.

Does anybody know how to change the background color in a completed cut and fill project so I can copy and display it with a white background?

I have yet to find information on how the Load Contours tool set works. There are some videos out there, but I've not seen details on how selection of entity types, layers, etc. and the ADD FILTER digitizing/selection tools work together. Where does one start? How do they work in combination? When I click on a contour line from a .dxf file I get an error response that "The filters you have selected do not contain any lines which you can import". I have actually imported them once but have no idea how I stumbled on accomplishing that.

Perhaps someone can steer me toward to that portion of the user manual (which I have open on another screen during the process) or a video tutorial that will guide me through the steps and explain how it works.

When I click on Add Plans from Site Plan or File, I get the Load Contours dialog box. When I click on New Filter as required to get started I'm automatically in a GUI ADD FILTER box where I have to use a cursor to select as many lines of the type I want to extract. As soon as I click on the first contour I'm told that the filters you have selected do not contain any lines which you can import. As I previously stated, this worked once, somehow...  And now I have the option of selecting options under Entity Types, Layers, Colours, etc. So, I select Lines as the Entity Type and both the major and minor contours under Layers. And nothing happens and I have no idea of what to do next. Item 4, Elevations from the manual is apparently beyond my understanding. There is no information to provide context on what the Not Set values mean or how to use it. I don't need to crop the plan or do any Modifications. In the Original, I hide all layers that aren't the major or minor contours which makes it easier to see those two layers. And I click New Filter to activate the selection cursor, click on a minor contour and am yet again told that there are no lines that I can import. I click export and do so, then Sketchup is launched... I click on Finish and a file that I thought was stripped of everything but contours appears and I looks like I have to start the process yet again.

There's got to be a clear description, written or video tutorial, on how this is supposed to work but I have yet to find it. If there weren't so many people who find this software helpful and fairly easy to use I'd drop it and move on. There's some basic thing I'm missing and hope somebody can point me in the right direction.

All the best,

Tom

The .dxf file created by my surveyor includes two sets of contour data. The contours generated by AutoCAD are in one-foot intervals, but they created two layers - major contours and minor contours. The major contours are in five-foot intervals, I believe so that they could easily use a heavier lineweight for the even 10-foot and 5-foot intervals which is a common practice in mapmaking.
I was able to import either the major or the minor contours, but not both; not concurrently nor one after another. If there's a way to do this I've not found it. I don't have AutoCAD and have tried with two free CAD applications (FreeCAD and LibreCAD) and neither of them were able to get the job done for various reasons, mostly unknown to me...

I've downloaded Kubla Cubed 2024 and after several days of experimenting am having no success getting started with my project. The user interface doesn't appear to be the same as those that appear in the manual or videos so I have yet to be able to figure out how to properly import a CAD file survey of the property to get started. There seems to be at least two methods to import and edit them, but have not found which method I should use in my situation. I can import the file, but am not able to select the property boundary to serve as an outline or edit other features. The file contains elevations points (also available in a .csv file), 1' contours, and a TIN, as well as pavement, building and other features.

Are there training videos that are specific to the 2024 version? I believe it to be Lite as it is the free version.

I've had a fair amount of experience with some CAD, drawing and GIS software, so I'm not totally green to this type of software. Just a bit lost and frustrated with this one so far. Have read quite a few glowing reviews so I'm not willing to give up as yet. Hope someone can point me in the proper direction to get myself properly educated.

All the best,

Tom

Attached Files

  Screenshot of CAD file imported.jpg (Size: 100.5 KB / Downloads: 21)

I have been starting projects and getting the existing grades, etc.  However, when I load a second drawing to start working on the proposed elevations, it does not let me actually do proposed work.  Am I missing a setting or something?  I've tried re-starting the program.

Hello,

I am trying out the Lite version of Kubla Cubed 2024. I am hoping to use this for importing an existing terrain model, then overlaying a design to determine cuts and fills.

First, I am having trouble getting elevation data from an imported DXF contour file. I am trying to use a DXF contour file exported from Drone-Deploy. When I roll the mouse over the imported contour data, The X and Y coordinates will show, but no elevation is given. The DXF file does have a Z-coordinate, so it appears that Kubla is not fully interpreting the file, or not using the elevation data embedded in the file.

Is there a way to get center of mass locations for cut and fill to support haul planning?