Welcome to the User Interface video series.
This tutorial demonstrates the import functionality in GeoStudio,
particularly for importing regions from AutoCAD or Leapfrog Works.
GeoStudio has the ability to import region geometry from Autodesk DXF or DWG files
to help reduce the effort of recreating a problem geometry already modelled in AutoCAD, Civil3D or some other application.
Since AutoCAD and other applications that produce these files are unaware of the requirements of GeoStudio,
modellers using these applications need to consider GeoStudio requirements if they intend to eventually import these files into GeoStudio.
So when can you use the importing functionality in GeoStudio?
Importing is helpful when the problem you are modelling has already been defined in an application capable of saving files
to the DXF or DWG file format.
GeoStudio currently only recognises closed polylines in DXF and DWG files.
However, both two-dimensional or three-dimensional polyline geometry can be imported from these files.
All adjacent polylines must share a common set of segments and vertices.
If region polylines are on separate layers, these layers can be used as a basis for creating basic material definitions in GeoStudio.
Separating regions onto separate layers also helps to distinguish between region geometry and extraneous drawing elements
such as mark-up objects.
Let us start by considering a basic importing example.
In AutoCAD, each region is drawn on a layer.
The layer’s name and color represent the region material.
As previously mentioned, GeoStudio requires that each region is closed,
and that adjacent regions have matching segments and vertices.
Once the problem geometry is defined in AutoCAD and the file is saved to either DXF or DWG
the geometry can then be imported into GeoStudio.
The imported information includes the regions and basic material definitions.
The following video will demonstrate the creation of well-defined polyline geometry in AutoCAD.
This geometry will then be imported into GeoStudio as regions.
In AutoCAD, I will create the regions using closed polylines.
Each closed polyline region can be drawn on a layer named according to the material associated with that region.
These polylines will either have their Closed property set to Yes
or they will have their start and end vertices at the same location.
You may also select the color that you wish to be associated with that material.
This is optional but it is helpful when importing geometry into GeoStudio.
In GeoStudio, I will use the File > Import command
and select the drawing file that was generated in AutoCAD.
The Import CAD Drawing dialog box appears.
Note that the layer names specified in AutoCAD appear in the 'Select layers to use' list.
By default, all the layers are selected;
however, you can change which layers you want to import by selecting or unselecting a layer name.
If you would like to create material definitions based on the layer name and color,
click the Import materials from layer names checkbox.
Clicking OK will import the region geometry and close the dialog.
Now by going to Define > Materials, I can assign material properties for each material.
Because I chose to import the materials from the layer names,
the imported regions already have the corresponding material assigned to them.
The material color appears once the material properties are defined.
Geometries defined in AutoCAD often fail to meet the requirements for region geometry creation in GeoStudio.
This is typically the case when the geometry was automatically generated.
To correct this issue, it is necessary to use some basic commands in AutoCAD.
The first of these is the BOUNDARY command.
The AutoCAD BOUNDARY command helps to address issues when the geometry defined in AutoCAD is not comprised of closed polylines.
When you attempt to import files where the closed polyline requirement is not met,
GeoStudio indicates that the model space in the file is empty or missing.
Ultimately this means that it could not find any compatible geometry from which to create regions.
The BOUNDARY command is a useful utility allowing for the creation of closed polylines from the existing geometry.
By selecting areas in the drawing where you would like the region defined,
the BOUNDARY command will detect all elements surrounding the cursor and attempt to determine a boundary.
I will now demonstrate how to create GeoStudio compatible polylines in AutoCAD using the BOUNDARY command.
I will start by attempting to import a file into GeoStudio that fails to meet the geometry requirements.
You see the corresponding error message.
To resolve these issues, I will open the file in AutoCAD
and select the layer where I want to create the closed polylines.
I will then select the BOUNDARY command.
Using the default settings, I will close the Boundary Creation dialog to enable the boundary creation mode.
Now I must select each area where I want a region to be created.
I must now repeat these steps for each layer where I want to generate region geometry to import into GeoStudio.
When the region geometry creation in AutoCAD is complete, I can re-import the drawing into GeoStudio.
The regions are now successfully generated in GeoStudio.
The second AutoCAD command that can be used to address geometry issues is the PEDIT command.
The PEDIT command allows you to edit individual vertices along a polyline.
This allows you to add or remove vertices to ensure adjacent regions have polylines with matching segments and vertices.
It may be necessary to use the PEDIT command in conjunction with the BOUNDARY command
when the boundaries do not satisfy the adjacent region edge requirements.
The following video demonstrates how to identify a problem with imported geometry
and then how to correct it with the AutoCAD PEDIT command.
I will start by importing a file using the File > Import command in GeoStudio.
Note that I have disabled the simplification and merge options.
Everything appears to import correctly.
I will now run the Verify command to test for geometry errors.
The verification indicates that there are invalid edges where some regions meet.
Examining the upper region in the Define Regions dialog reveals missing points where the upper region meets the lower regions.
These issues can be corrected by either editing the region points in GeoStudio, or by correcting the source geometry in AutoCAD.
The latter is preferred since it is better to correct the source of the problem.
To do so, I will open the file in AutoCAD and locate the area where the missing polyline vertices exist.
Using the P EDIT command, I will select the polyline,
then choose the Edit Vertex option from the drop-down menu.
This moves the cursor to the first point on the polyline.
I will click Next in drop-down menu until the current vertex is before the location where I wish to insert a new vertex.
I will then click on the location where I wish the new vertex to appear and select Insert.
I will continue to insert vertices using this method until the polyline vertices match adjoining polylines.
When I exit this command and select the associated polyline,
you can see that the desired vertices have been added to the geometry.
After saving the file in AutoCAD, I will go back to GeoStudio and re-import the drawing.
As before, I will run Verify to ensure the region geometry is valid.
You can see that there are no longer any issues with my geometry.
I can also go to Define > Regions to check that the new points have been added to the region.
AutoCAD and Civil3D are not the only potential geometry sources for GeoStudio projects.
Other applications may also produce DXF or DWG files that can be imported.
However, it is important to note that the GeoStudio geometry requirements still apply,
and importing geometry from these applications may be problematic,
especially when geometry issues arise and a copy of AutoCAD is not available for editing.
Some applications, such as Leapfrog Works, do produce geometry that is compatible with GeoStudio region importing.
In the following video, a cross-section will be imported from Leapfrog Works into GeoStudio.
In Leapfrog Works, I will select a cross-section to export.
In this case, I will chose the cross-section called CS 1 by right-clicking on it and selecting Export.
In the Export Sections dialog, I can select the desired components to export.
In this case, I will export the cross-section with the geological model called CS 1 Model 2 evaluated on it.
I will then chose either the DWG or DXF file format in the Export Options Format section, and click the Export button.
As with the other importing examples, I will go to File > Import in GeoStudio to select the file exported from Leapfrog Works.
Note that the materials used in Leapfrog Works have been transferred into GeoStudio and assigned to the corresponding regions.
Since cross-sections are generated automatically in Leapfrog Works,
there can be more points defining the GeoStudio regions than are required for mesh generation in a geotechnical analysis.
The Simplify Geometry command in the Import CAD drawing dialog, allows you to change the density of the points defining the regions.
Changing the density to a lower value such as 3 will reduce the number of points and will reduce the mesh complexity.
Changing the density to a higher value such as 10, will increase the number of points to more accurately represent the geometry
but will also increase the mesh complexity.
Alternatively, simplification can be turned off to import regions with the original points from the exported file.
To import three-dimensional geometries, BUILD3D accepts STEP files.
STEP files can be generated by AutoCAD Mechanical, Fusion 360, Microstation, Rhino and SolidWorks, to name a few.
Unfortunately regular AutoCAD and Civil3D can not export STEP files; however, AutoCAD does support exporting to IGES,
which is an older vendor-neutral file format that allows the digital exchange of information among CAD.
The IGES format supports geometric information such as lines, surfaces, and solids described by NURBS.
Thus, the next release of GeoStudio will include IGES importing functionality in BUILD3D.
Users with AutoCAD models that are constructed with curves, surfaces, or solids but not meshes,
will be able to import their geometry directly into BUILD3D and use these objects in the feature-based geometry creation system.
Note that IGES does not support meshes and IGES export from BUILD3D will not be supported.
In GeoStudio 2021, users will also be able to import STL meshes as background geometry in BUILD3D.
This will allow users to draw profiles and sweep lines on a construction plane
while simultaneously snapping to the imported background mesh.
The original complex mesh may be poor or invalid due to duplicate faces, non-manifold features, intersections, holes, slivers, etc.
The profiles and sweep lines used to create the three-dimensional geometry become part of the BUILD3D feature tree.
This approach provides a very fast method to construct a simplified, clean model
of overly complex, overly sampled, or poorly meshed three-dimensional domains,
for example from LIDAR scans or Civil3D meshed surfaces.
That concludes the importing regions demonstration.
Ultimately when importing geometry from DXF or DWG files,
the main thing to remember is that GeoStudio requires that the geometry comprises closed polylines
with any adjacent polylines sharing common segments and vertices.
It is important to note that as more applications become able to produce DXF files,
different scenarios will arise where GeoStudio is unable to import the exported geometry.
Thus, we will continue to work to address these scenarios as they arise.
For example, the upcoming release of GeoStudio includes an additional feature that will help to import Maptek Vulcan DXF files.
This feature does not address all the scenarios that exist in Vulcan exporting;
however, it relaxes the constraint where all polylines must be closed.
Instead, a region may be defined by a series of unclosed polylines that eventually form a closed region.
Additional work is in progress to support other applications that export using the DXF or DWG file format.
Don’t forget to look at the library of resources available on the GEOSLOPE website,
and if you are unable to find what you are looking for,
you can always send a message to our experienced team of support engineers by submitting a support request online.