Import LandXML Files (.xml)

LandXML is an open XML file format. The format was principally created by and for the survey, civil engineering, and transportation industries. LandXML format supports points, surfaces, and alignments when imported. This software supports version 1.0 of the LandXML standard. To import a file, follow the instructions in Import Data.

When you import a LandXML file, the data is previewed for conflicts. If there are no conflicts, the file is imported and the data appears in the graphic views.If conflicts are found, the LandXML Import Conflicts dialog displays, enabling you to resolve the conflicts. The import process continues afterwards. If there are errors after the import process, a warning flag appears on the Status Bar, indicating that you should check the Flags Pane.

Note: In Project Settings > Computations > Surface > Surface Creation Defaults, there is a Duplicate Point Tolerance setting to allow or remove duplicate points in imported LandXML files. See Computation Settings for details.

When you import LandXML files, the points, alignments, and surfaces are handled in these ways:


Importable Data
Data in the file	How the data is handled when imported
Points	LandXML files can contain any number of points (referred to as COGO points in the LandXML format). When points are imported: They become points, with associated coordinates, and can be edited. These points can be referenced by a surface. Their point IDs are based on the "name" fields in the file. Their feature codes are based on the "desc" fields in the file.
Alignments	LandXML files can contain any number of alignments. The required component of an alignment object is a geometric definition of the horizontal alignment. Required attributes include the name, alignment length, and beginning station value. Optional attributes include station equations, the profile, and cross-section components. When alignments are imported: They are placed on new layers if the "alignment" sections of the file have unique names. Their names are based on the "name" fields in the file. Their geometric definitions are used to create alignments, with the geometry defining the horizontal component of the alignment. Horizontal alignment geometry can consist of lines, arcs, and spirals. If the "name" attribute exists in the geometric definition, it is used to name the horizontal alignment. The starting station value from the alignment object is used to station the horizontal alignment. The alignment may also contain one or more vertical alignments (profiles). If a vertical alignment exists: It is used to create a representation of the vertical alignment in the profile view. The "name" attribute is used to name the vertical alignment. If the alignment contains stored cross-sections: The stored cross-sections appear in both the Plan View and the Cross-section View. A surface is automatically created using the cross-section station values, offsets, and elevations upon import. The surface is named using the file name.
Surfaces	LandXML files can contain any number of surfaces. A surface can be defined in the file in either (or both) of two ways: Source Data - This definition includes the points, point lists, boundaries, breaklines, and contours used to create the surface. This data imports as objects that are separate from the surface, meaning that you can add or remove them from the surface, or edit their properties. Definition - This definition includes 3D points and triangles defining the surface. This data imports as an integral part of the surface. This method can support holes and islands in surfaces.
Other	Utility lines/pipes - iI the imported pipe's properties are already defined in the Material and Site Improvement Manager, that definition is used; it is not overwritten. If the imported pipe's name is the same, but dimensions are differnet, a new MSIM object is created; the name is appended with the new dimension. Imported user-defined shapes come in as a rectangular pipe shape defined by the cross-sectional bounding box.