Plot a Site Boundary in Designer Pro

Question

How do I plot a site boundary in Designer Pro?

Answer

1. Go to the following web site and convert all your surveyor Degree, Minutes and Seconds values to simple Decimal values for ease of input.
   https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/calc/dms_decimal.cfm
2. Now use the CAD > Lines > Draw Line command from the drop down menu (or as a shortcut just press W on your keyboard). Click and drag a line that approximates the length and angle of the first boundary line of your land. It doesn’t have to be accurate, but be aware of start and end of the line.
3. Now double-click on that line to open the Line Specification dialog. Click the ‘Start’ radio button to Lock the start of the line so it doesn’t move when its angle and length are adjusted. (The line will pivot about the start point).
4. Set the length and angle value as required and press OK.

   

5. Again press W on your keyboard to invoke the line drawing mode and start your second boundary line by snapping to the End of the first line and dragging in the general direction of the second boundary line. Work consistently in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction around your site.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 above to rotate and set the correct length and angle for the line.

   Note: You may get a result that is opposite to what you expect due to the nature of the measurements on your survey plan. Some states and countries have different rules for calculating the angle of the boundary lines. Some assume North as being 0 degrees whilst others may not.

   It is possible that you may have to either ADD or SUBTRACT 180 from the angle value to get the desired result. or Draw the offending line in the opposite direction.

7. Continue around the perimeter of your block until you get to the last line. The last line SHOULD simply be a matter of snapping the end of the previous line and the start of the first line to close the shape, BUT because surveyors are not always 100% accurate you may find this last line to be a slightly different length or angle to the survey plan. A few mm shouldn’t be a problem in most cases but if it is significant you may wish to have the site re-surveyed. The final result must however be a closed shape.
8. Finally we need to convert the Polyline (the connected boundary lines to you have drawn) to a Terrain Perimeter so the software knows what you have drawn and can create a 3D Digital Terrain Model (DTM), so just hold your cursor over one of the boundary lines and RIGHT click your mouse, select the Convert Polyline option and then select the Terrain Perimeter radio button before selecting OK.

   

And that should complete your site boundary.