Converting AutoCAD Blocks to Civil 3D COGO Points the Easy Way

Read our blog post to convert AutoCAD Blocks to Civil 3D COGO Points at:

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Points are integral to civil design. While exchange formats like LandXML exist and are certainly the preferred way to transfer points between platforms, getting such a file is not always an option. Sometimes we get whatever is sent to us, and we're forced to figure out some way to use it for our own design purposes.

## The Issue With AutoCAD Blocks

In the context of points, it's not uncommon for this scenario to play out when not everyone on the team is using Civil 3D. Third-party civil applications will often place points as standard AutoCAD blocks.

While Civil 3D does include a command to convert Softdesk Point Blocks to Civil 3D COGO Points, the command does not work on standard AutoCAD blocks. Unfortunately, Civil 3D does not provide a direct workflow to convert standard AutoCAD Blocks into Civil 3D COGO Points.

Although no direct workflow exists, an indirect one does. 

## Finding a Civil 3D Solution

The secret rests in converting the standard AutoCAD Blocks into a block Civil 3D will recognize as a Softdesk Point Block. If we can establish a single instance of a block Civil 3D will recognize as a Softdesk Point Block, we can then trick Civil 3D into thinking other (standard) AutoCAD Blocks are Softdesk Point Blocks.

The above video demonstrates the click-by-click process, but the high-level workflow to accomplish this is as follows:

1. Create a single (dummy) COGO point in your Civil 3D drawing. I used Points, Create Points - Miscellaneous, Manual in the video.

2. Use the Create Blocks from COGO Points command to generate a Softdesk Point Block of your dummy COGO point. Civil 3D places a block atop the COGO point already in your drawing. Take note of the name - POINT in my video.

3. Start the Replace Block command on the Blocks panel of the Express Tools Ribbon tab. Start by selecting the standard AutoCAD block that represents the points you want to convert in your drawing, and then choose the dummy Softdesk Point Block created in the steps above. The Replace Block command replaces the original block with the Softdesk Point Block.

4. Choose the Points, Replace Softdesk Block Points command from the Create Surface Data panel of the Home Ribbon tab. Select the newly converted blocks in your drawing, and specify a numbering convention for the selected blocks. Once complete, you'll have Civil 3D COGO points derived from the standard AutoCAD blocks you started with.

[jankulesza]

Also helped me out in Civil3D 2022. Thanks for tutorial, it was exactly what i needed!

[mojtabakeyvanlu]

Terrific, it was one of my life challenges that just got solved. Many thanks to your outstanding tutorial!

[rac]

Man thank you very much, you have saved my life with this video, i needed that.

[mikekingdon]

A good tutorial, I often receive survey data with block X marks. A potentially easier method that I use is to simply insert a point inside the block via the block editor, then explode all the blocks which destroys all the blocks and leaves the points.

[sharony]

When i pick the block to be replaced It tells me my block has Invalid characters in block name.
The following characters are invalid:
<>\/":?*|, =`
my block does not contain any of these invalid symbols only a - in the name which is not invalid.

[imright]

This worked great, easy to follow. thank you.

[marcsamintog]

gonna try this. thank you very much good sir

[TheIsaacstephens]

That's incredibly helpful! Wish i could give more thanks than just a thumbs up!

[jordancatalan]

thank you so much! Great tutorial and info.

[kondwanizulu]

Thanks a lot for this video. Great work and huge relief for me. I need a little bit of help - my point just won't appear when it's created. It's just not displayed. No idea how to solve that.

[amralsanosi]

Thanx alot for v.exciting video
, Sir I've q. .if Ive to add existing level from block to those points

[mofish]

Thank you! Is there a way to number them with existing information? Specifically I'm trying to number them based on structure numbers

[alongeolusola]

Waoooo... This saved my ass...Thanks for sharing

[RameshGau]

hi, just one thing, what ele blocks are taking in the process if i have many surfaces in the file

[sydneydwoskin]

Does anyone else lose the description when they do this process? I work with trees and I specifically need the description to carry over from autocad block>>soft desk block>>cogo point. I notice it gets lost going from softdesk block to cogo point.

[explorelearnaf]

I tried it but for me difficult to convert block to points even before I explode the file first

[yxcsoow]

I try this, but something don't work....when i replace acad block to new block all points disapear, and i can't repleace softdesk point block...

[joew]

nice! Does this trick retain the point description from the block?

[kurtkrier]

It only converts one block at a time for me. How did you set the replace block command to replace all of the blocks in the dwg by just selecting one block?

[RameshGau]

Dear, i have tried as you did. The difference in my case is that i have two types of autocad blocks and i am trying to replace these with two different cogo blocks ( so that i get diff Raw description). It is not working fine. Autocad blocks remain blocks after replcement even after running Softpoint to cogo point. pl help me. thx in advance. Ramesh