Civil 3D Craft Project: Migrating Eagle Point Field Codes

Are you an Eagle Point user migrating to Civil 3D?

Are you a Civil 3D user who just hates the squirrely behavior of the description key editor?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, I have some good news for you.  I've developed a method of getting Eagle Point field codes over to Civil 3D without having to retype any of the names.  You can also use this technique for typing in your description keys in a spreadsheet and migrating them over, thus avoiding the annoying editor. 

(If you find this process too tedious and want me to do it for you, donate $50 bucks (see button right) and email me the exported EP codes.  I'll send it back to you as a DWG from which you can move the completed Description keys.)

DISCLAIMER:  The Description Key, Format and layer columns go across without a hitch.  When the process is all done, you still need to set your styles for marker and point label. 

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What you will need:

• Eagle Point
• Civil 3D
• Any version of Microsoft Access
• Any version of Excel
• A copy of the "dummy" Land Desktop file and my handy-dandy converter spreadsheet available HERE.

1) In Eagle Point, go to System then Node (Field Code) Library

2) Click the Manage Field Codes button.

3) Click Export.  Save the file pretty much anywhere (as long as you remember where you put it).  Give the file a full name such as Export-to-C3D.csv.

4) Double-click your new CSV file and let it open in Excel.

5) Copy your information from columns A through Q.

6) Open up the spreadsheet EP_Convert.xlsx

7) Make sure you are on the worksheet tab called Eagle_Point

8) Click your cursor in cell A2 (the first blank one), and paste.

9) Switch to the worksheet tab called Default. 

Your Eagle Point information is now in the correct format for bringing into an Access table. 

10) Save the Excel file.

12) Close up all your Excel files.  Fire Up Access by double clicking the Default.mdb.

13) If Access prompts you to update the database to the latest format, click yes.    If a conversion errors table is created, delete it.

 If it doesn't prompt you, just be glad and move on to the next step.

14) Go to External Data.  Click Excel.

15) Browse for the EP_Convert.xlsx file that contains your stuff.

16) Toggle on "Append a Copy of the records to the table DESKEYS".  Click OK.

 

17) IMPORTANT: Make sure the worksheet Default is highlighted.

 

18) Click next until the import finishes.   Access should automatically recognise the column headings. 

Double click the table DESCKEYS to check out the new data you imported. If you want to add or modify your codes this would be a good place to do so.

19) Save the MDB as a 2000 format file. 

 
20) Put the database (mdb) file in a folder called DescKey.  Put the DescKey folder in a folder called Cogo. Put the Cogo folder in a folder called EP Import.

21) Fire Up Civil 3D (yay! Finally!) Open up the template where you want these keys to reside. 
22) Go to Insert tab > Land Desktop.  Browse to the folder one level up from wherever you put the EP Import folder. You know you are in the right spot when EP Import is listed in the Project name.  Click OK.

23) If you did everything correctly, Civil 3D will pop up a message that says "Description Keys migration completed!"

24) Click OK.

25) Lastly, you'll need to get to work setting styles in the description key editor, but that's easy!