Importing boreholes
Video chapters: 0:00 Loading GeoDin Ground data into Civil 3D | 0:32 Auto-generated document folders | 0:55 Viewing boreholes in 3D | 1:56 Opening linked borehole documents (PDF) | 2:41 Building 3D subsurface models | 3:18 Layers, volumes & soil-type filtering | 3:58 Adding all projects | 4:24 Geo-referencing with ArcGIS
This tutorial walks you through importing borehole data from your GeoDin database and visualizing it in Autodesk Civil 3D using our plugin.
Before you start: how the data is organized in GeoDin®
Video chapters: 0:00 Database structure: projects, objects & boreholes | 0:25 Borehole general information | 0:44 Underground layer & investigation data | 1:10 2D borehole logs (CPT & PDF)
A two-minute recap of the data side you are about to import:
A GeoDin® database is organized by project; each project holds objects, and each object is a borehole (or CPT).
Every borehole carries general data - name, method, depth, and the coordinate system (EPSG) that Civil 3D will need.
The core of the record is the layered ground description - depths, soil types, and materials per layer.
Boreholes can have a 2D borehole log (PDF) attached, which travels along into the document workflows below.
For the full data model, see What comes across from the GeoDin® database and the GeoDin® documentation.
Selecting Data to Import
To start, select the borehole data you want to import and draw.
Existing data connections are automatically discovered if GeoDin is installed.
If you have no existing connections, click the Manage data sources button in the ribbon to add or configure connections.
Click the Select data button in the ribbon to open the selection dialog. You can move this dialog to a secondary screen for convenience.
In the selection dialog:
Use the dropdown to choose from all discovered and manually added data connections.
The project list updates based on the selected connection, showing all available projects.
Opening a Project and Selecting Boreholes
After choosing a data connection and project:
Click the Open project button in the project overview to open the project in a new tab.
The new tab displays a treeview structure listing all boreholes and drillings, showing basic drilling data.
Use the checkboxes in the treeview to select the boreholes you want to import.
Optionally, click the Document button to view related documents for each drilling.
Drawing Boreholes in Civil 3D
Once you have made your selection:
Civil 3D prompts that the drawing must be saved before any data can be imported - save it first if you have not already. After saving, GeoDin® Ground automatically creates a documents folder next to the drawing. It is structured by project name, with one subfolder per borehole name, holding the geotechnical documents attached to each borehole.
Press the Draw boreholes button.
The plugin retrieves the selected borehole data from GeoDin, including ground layer descriptions. Supported ground layer description standards include:
EN ISO 14688 / 146789
ASTM D2487
British 5930
Brazilian/Portuguese ABNT If multiple description standards are present in a single borehole, the first one (alphabetically) is used.
After processing, close the dialog to view the imported boreholes in Civil 3D.
Visualization in Civil 3D:
Cogo points are drawn to represent borehole locations.
3D cylinders are created and styled/colored according to depth and ground unit/description.
Each ground layer includes annotations to explain the different layers.
All 3D objects in Civil 3D contain metadata from GeoDin, such as project, author, and other relevant information.
Tip: switch the Civil 3D visual style to Shaded to make the cylinders and layer colours easier to read. Use the Layer Properties panel to toggle annotations on or off, either for a single borehole or for all boreholes at once.
Extended metadata: select a borehole and open the Properties palette, then go to Extended Data for the full set of imported details, grouped as Documentation, Coordinates (including the EPSG code), Drilling, and Location information.
You have now successfully imported and visualized boreholes from GeoDin in Civil 3D!
Troubleshooting
The boreholes don't appear, or appear in the wrong place. Check that your Civil 3D drawing uses a coordinate reference system compatible with the one recorded against the boreholes in the GeoDin® database. A CRS mismatch can place boreholes thousands of kilometres away or at the wrong elevation. See Troubleshooting for the full checklist. To set the drawing's CRS from the ArcGIS ribbon, see Georeferencing the drawing.
Related
What comes across from the GeoDin® database - the full list of what is and isn't rendered in Civil 3D.
Creating surfaces and volumes - the natural next step once boreholes are drawn.
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