Calculate Z - Elevation Selection
SDBox Design Software - Command guide for Z coordinate calculation and slope analysis in CAD drawings
Calculate Z Z Calculation
Select elevation from screen, input a number, pick object Z coordinate, or select point Z value.
This command allows you to obtain Z values (elevations) from various sources in your drawing for calculations, annotations, or slope analysis.
You can choose A, Z or P for the selection method:
- A: Select Text or Attribute from a Block.
- Z: Select any object to get its Z coordinate (Elevation).
- P: Select a point on a 3D object or input a Z value.
Calculate Z command illustration
Application:
This command is particularly useful for civil engineering, surveying, and topographic drawings where elevation data and slope calculations are required.
Selection Methods
The command provides three different methods to obtain Z values, each suitable for different scenarios in your CAD workflow.
Tip:
During slope calculation procedures, the exact coordinates of your selection point are recorded for accurate distance measurement between successive points.
Method A: Text/Attribute Selection
Description
Select any Text or Attribute of a Block in the drawing whose content represents the Z value you need.
If you are in a slope calculation procedure: The exact coordinates of the point you clicked to select the Text or Block are recorded for distance calculation to the next point.
The content of the Text or Attribute must be a number (e.g., "6.55", "+20.58", etc.) and should not contain other characters. Numbers within phrases (e.g., "Elevation: 6.55 m", "A= 20.58", etc.) cannot be used with this command.
Usage:
Use this method when your elevation data is already annotated as text in the drawing, such as spot elevations, survey points, or contour labels.
Method Z: Object Elevation
Description
Select any object from the screen whose Z coordinate (Elevation) represents the Z value you need.
If you are in a slope calculation procedure: The exact coordinates of the point you clicked to select the object are recorded for distance calculation to the next point.
Note:
This method works with any object that has a Z coordinate property, including 3D polylines, points, blocks with elevation, and other 3D entities.
Method P: Point Selection
Description
Case 1: Select any point (e.g., on a 3D object) on the screen whose Z coordinate represents the Z value you need.
Case 2: Select a point on the screen and type the Z value you want. This case is typically used in slope calculations.
If you are in a slope calculation procedure: The exact coordinates of the selected point are recorded for distance calculation to the next point.
Tip:
For the 2nd point in slope calculation, you follow one of the above methods again, maintaining consistency in your selection approach.
Slope Calculation Procedure
After providing both points (with their Z values), the distance between the two selected points is displayed. Based on this distance, the slope will be calculated.
The distance between the two points as you selected them on screen is recorded. Based on this distance, the slope will be calculated, and you have 3 options:
^ Back to topDistance Options for Slope Calculation
1. Keep the displayed distance:
Simply press Enter or right-click to accept the automatically calculated distance.
2. Type a different distance:
You can type another number for distance if required for correct slope calculation.
3. Specify a new distance on screen:
If you selected Z values using method "A" (Text/Attribute selection), the distance refers to the exact points where the selection was made, not necessarily the insertion coordinates of the Block. If you want the exact distance between specific points, you can specify it on screen and use that for slope calculation.
Practical Application:
This flexibility in distance specification allows for accurate slope calculations even when your selection points don't correspond to the actual points whose horizontal distance you want to measure.
Important:
When two or more categories appear identical and have identical other properties, their differences may be in decimal values for Scale, Width, or Weight, which is why they appear in the analysis.
In such cases, you should investigate why objects that should have identical characteristics are drawn slightly differently from each other.