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Configuration (R3MANAGECONFIGS)

Command: R3MANAGECONFIGS

A configuration is the set of files that tells R3STRING how to process and draw your survey data. Each configuration has a name and links together:

File Purpose
CodeList Defines valid codes and their attributes
CodeStringRules Controls how points are grouped into strings
PointStyleConfig Controls how individual points are drawn
StringStyleConfig Controls layers and linetypes for strings
PointLabelRules Controls point label content and format
ContourablePointsConfig Defines which codes/attributes are used for contouring
BreaklineLayersConfig Defines which layers are treated as breaklines

All configuration files are stored in your Windows AppData folder: %APPDATA%\SpatialViz\

Opening the configuration manager

Type R3MANAGECONFIGS. The configuration manager form opens with two main areas:

Manage Configurations form - Configurations — your list of named configurations - Code Lists — the code lists available to assign to configurations

Managing configurations

Creating a configuration

Click Create. Enter a name. The new configuration appears in the list with no CodeList assigned yet.

Setting the active configuration

Select a configuration and click Set Active. The active configuration is the one used by R3STRING. The current active name is shown at the top of the form.

Copying a configuration

Select a configuration and click Copy. This duplicates the configuration with a new name, including all its linked file paths — useful for making a variation of an existing setup.

Renaming or deleting

Use Rename and Delete from the configurations list.

Managing code lists

Importing a code list

Click Import and choose a source:

  • Import from XML — import a CodeList from a Hexagon/Leica XML file (HeXML format)
  • Import from survey file — import codes and attributes derived from a survey data file (CSV, XML, PTA)

The imported CodeList is saved as a JSON file in %APPDATA%\SpatialViz\CodeLists\ and appears in the Available Code Lists panel.

Assigning a code list to a configuration

Select the configuration on the left, select the CodeList on the right, and click Assign. The assigned CodeList name is shown under the configuration.

Editing configuration files

With a configuration selected, use the Edit buttons to open each config file:

Button File opened
Edit Code String Rules …\CodeStringRules\<name>_CodeStringRules.txt
Edit Point Styles …\PointStyles\<name>_PointStyleConfig.txt
Edit String Styles …\StringStyles\<name>_StringStyleConfig.txt
Edit Contourable Points …\ContourablePoints\<name>_ContourablePointsConfig.txt
Edit Breakline Layers …\BreaklineLayers\<name>_BreaklineLayersConfig.txt

These are plain text files — they open in your default text editor (usually Notepad). See each file's documentation for its format:

Tools

With a code list selected, the Tools menu gives you:

  • Copy all codes to clipboard — useful for pasting into a rules file
  • Open in Notepad — quick view of the code list in raw text
  • Open JSON — open the full code list JSON file in your default editor

Configuration file locations

All files follow a predictable naming pattern based on the configuration name:

%APPDATA%\SpatialViz\
├── Configs.json                              ← list of all configs and active name
├── CodeLists\
│   └── MyCodeList.json
├── CodeStringRules\
│   └── MyConfig_CodeStringRules.txt
├── PointStyles\
│   └── MyConfig_PointStyleConfig.txt
├── StringStyles\
│   └── MyConfig_StringStyleConfig.txt
├── PointLabelRules\
│   └── MyConfig_PointLabelRules.json
├── ContourablePoints\
│   └── MyConfig_ContourablePointsConfig.txt
└── BreaklineLayers\
    └── MyConfig_BreaklineLayersConfig.txt

You can back up or share a configuration by copying the Configs.json and all associated files to another machine.

R3BUILDSURFACE — Build Civil 3D TIN surface

Command: R3BUILDSURFACE (Civil 3D only)

Builds or updates a Civil 3D TIN surface from the active configuration's ContourablePoints and BreaklineLayers settings. Run this after stringing to generate a surface from your survey data.

What it does

  1. Reads the active configuration's ContourablePoints and BreaklineLayers files
  2. Identifies all CogoPoints that match the contourable rules and adds them to a point group named Contourable_{configName}
  3. Collects line segments from all layers listed in the BreaklineLayers config where both endpoints coincide with contourable points — these become surface breaklines
  4. Creates or updates a TIN surface named Surface_{configName}, adds the point group and breaklines, and rebuilds

Re-running the command updates the existing surface — it does not create a duplicate.

Usage

  1. Set the active configuration with R3MANAGECONFIGS
  2. Ensure CogoPoints are in the drawing (from R3STRING or imported)
  3. Type R3BUILDSURFACE

No prompts — the command runs to completion and reports Surface build complete.

Civil 3D only

R3BUILDSURFACE requires Civil 3D. It will not run in AutoCAD.