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Survey Points: AutoCAD vs Civil 3D

R3Survey runs on both AutoCAD and Civil 3D, but handles survey points differently on each platform. This page explains the differences and how to work with points on each.

How points are stored

AutoCAD Civil 3D
Entity type DBPoint (plain AutoCAD point) CogoPoint (Civil 3D managed point)
Attributes XData key/value strings (PtNo, Code, H, A1–A8) User Defined Properties (UDPs: FB, A1–A8)
Elevation Stored in both the point's Z coordinate and XData key H Stored in CogoPoint.Elevation property
Labels MText entities linked to the point via XData (AutoCAD only) Native Civil 3D point labels (automatic, style-driven)
Symbology Controlled by PointStyleConfig (blocks, circles, crosses) Controlled by Civil 3D point styles + PointStyleConfig actions

When you run R3STRING or other import commands, R3Survey automatically creates the correct entity type for your platform.

AutoCAD: working with points

Development Only

Smart Strings support in AutoCAD (R3STRING, point labels, ATA command) is under active development and not yet available in production releases.

In AutoCAD, survey points are DBPoint entities with all attribute data stored as XData. Labels are separate MText entities placed near each point.

Viewing point data

  • R3PROPERTIES — select one or more survey points and the Survey Point expander shows the point number, code, elevation, and attributes (A1–A8). When multiple points are selected, only values common to all points are shown; differing values display *varies*.
  • R3EDITPOINTDATA — select any point to interactively view and edit its XData fields (point number, code, elevation, attributes A1–A8, and any legal dimension overrides). See Edit Point Data.

Editing elevation

Point elevation is stored in two places: the entity's Z coordinate and the XData key H. These are kept in sync automatically.

Using R3EDITPOINTDATA:

  1. Run R3EDITPOINTDATA
  2. Select the point
  3. Enter H as the key to edit
  4. Enter the new elevation value (or leave blank to clear it — Z resets to 0.0)

By moving the point in AutoCAD:

If you change a point's Z coordinate directly (e.g. using the Properties palette or grip editing), R3Survey automatically detects the change and updates both the XData H value and any linked label text. No need to run R3UPDATELABELS — it happens on idle.

Point labels (AutoCAD only)

Labels in AutoCAD are MText entities created by R3STRING during import. Each label is linked back to its source point by an entity handle stored in XData.

How labels are controlled:

  • The Label Style Config file defines named label styles — text content, height, offset, and justification using tokens like [H:0.00], [A1], [C], [P]
  • The Point Styles config assigns a label style to each survey code via Label, LabelIf, and LabelElse rules
  • Use HIDE as a label style name to suppress labels for specific codes

Automatic label updates:

Labels update automatically when a point is modified (moved, Z changed, etc.). R3Survey monitors point changes and refreshes linked labels on idle. You can also run R3UPDATELABELS manually to force a refresh of all labels.

Editing the Label Style Config:

Open the Label Style Config file from R3MANAGECONFIGS → Label Styles... button in the Settings section. This opens the global LabelStyleConfig.txt file in a text editor. See Label Style Config for the file format.

Note

The Label Style Config is an AutoCAD-only feature. Civil 3D uses its own native point label styles instead.

Note

Label styles are assigned during R3STRING import. There is currently no command to change a point's label style after import. To change which label appears, update the Point Styles Label/LabelIf rules and re-run R3STRING.

Feature text (ATA command)

Command: ATA

Places descriptive text at a survey point based on the Point Label Rules for the active configuration — for example, labelling a fence point as TIMBER FENCE or a manhole as SMH.

  1. Type ATA
  2. Select a survey point (DBPoint)
  3. The command resolves the label text from the point's code and attributes
  4. Pick an insertion point for the text
  5. Continue selecting points; press Esc to finish

Requires an active configuration with Point Label Rules defined (set up via R3MANAGECONFIGS).

Note

In Civil 3D, use the AT command instead — it handles both CogoPoints and AutoCAD DBPoints.

Symbology

Point symbols (blocks, circles, crosses) are drawn by R3STRING based on the Point Styles configuration. Actions like Block(...), Circle(...), and Rectangle(...) create additional geometry at the point location. These are standard AutoCAD entities and can be edited normally.

Exporting points

Use R3EXPORTPOINTS to export AutoCAD survey points to a CSV file. See Export Points.

Civil 3D: working with points

In Civil 3D, survey points are CogoPoints — managed entities that integrate with Civil 3D's point groups, label styles, and surface model.

Key differences from AutoCAD

  • Labels are automatic — Civil 3D manages label placement and display through point label styles. No need to run R3UPDATELABELS; labels update live when data changes.
  • Point groups — CogoPoints can be organised into point groups with shared styles and visibility settings.
  • Surfaces — CogoPoints can be added to Civil 3D surfaces for contour generation and DTM modelling.
  • Description keys — Civil 3D can automatically assign point styles and label styles based on the point's raw description (survey code).

Feature text (AT command)

Command: AT

The Civil 3D version of the feature text command. Works on both CogoPoints (reading UDPs) and AutoCAD DBPoints (reading XData). Otherwise identical to ATA — resolves label text from Point Label Rules and places it as text in the drawing.

Additional Civil 3D commands

These commands are only available in Civil 3D. See Civil 3D CogoPoints for full details.

Command Purpose
PTINFO Display full CogoPoint information (number, E/N/H, description, all UDPs)
RENUM Renumber points to match fieldbook numbers
MP Mean duplicate points within tolerance
CGD Delete CogoPoints (with layer filtering options)
Dh Shift elevation of all objects by a delta
ScaleCogo Scale CogoPoint coordinates by a Combined Scale Factor
Dump / DumpIn Export/import CogoPoints to CSV (backup and transfer between drawings)
R3HIDEPOINTS Toggle point marker visibility by label style
R3LO Toggle label style override for all point groups
R3LR Rotate CogoPoint label to match a line angle
R3FINDPOINTS Search a folder of DWGs for CogoPoints within a coordinate window

Editing elevation in Civil 3D

There is no R3EDITPOINTDATA equivalent for CogoPoints. Elevation is edited through:

  • Civil 3D Properties palette — select a CogoPoint and edit its Elevation property directly
  • Dh command — shift all objects in the drawing by a delta height (useful for datum corrections)
  • Panorama / Point Editor — Civil 3D's built-in point editor spreadsheet

Exporting CogoPoints

Use the Dump command to export all CogoPoints to %TEMP%\Dump.txt (CSV format including styles, label positions, and UDPs). Import into another drawing with DumpIn.

SCIMS control points

SCIMS control marks are handled identically on both platforms. They are stored as R3_PM_A block references on the plan's Control Marks layer, with SCIMS metadata in XData — never as CogoPoints.

Both platforms use the same commands for SCIMS data:

  • R3IMPORTSCIMS — import marks from the SCIMS database
  • R3MGATABLE — populate the coordinate schedule table
  • R3PROPERTIES — view and edit control point attributes (Datum, CpMarkState, etc.)

Quick reference: which commands to use

Task AutoCAD Civil 3D
Import survey data R3STRING R3STRING
View point attributes R3PROPERTIES or R3EDITPOINTDATA PTINFO
Edit point elevation R3EDITPOINTDATA (key H) or move point Civil 3D Properties palette or Dh
Edit point attributes R3EDITPOINTDATA Civil 3D Point Editor (Panorama)
Refresh point labels Automatic (or R3UPDATELABELS) Automatic (style-driven)
Add feature text (e.g. "TIMBER FENCE") ATA AT
Edit label style definitions R3MANAGECONFIGS → Label Styles... Civil 3D label styles
Hide/show points Freeze layer R3HIDEPOINTS
Export points R3EXPORTPOINTS Dump
Import points from file R3STRING or R3IMPORTPOINTSCSV R3STRING, R3IMPORTPOINTSCSV, or DumpIn
Delete points Manual selection + delete CGD (with layer filter options)
Mean duplicate points — MP
Renumber points — RENUM
Scale coordinates by CSF — ScaleCogo

Notes

  • The Smart Strings configuration files (Point Styles, Label Style Config, Code String Rules) work on both platforms — they control what R3STRING draws regardless of the underlying point entity type
  • The Label Style Config is only used in AutoCAD — Civil 3D uses its own native label style system
  • In Civil 3D, R3STRING applies both the Smart Strings configuration and Civil 3D description keys / point styles, so you get the benefits of both systems
  • SCIMS control points and reference marks (R3_PM_A, R3_RM_A, R3_BC_A blocks) work identically on both platforms