CadLapTopographic survey drafting services
A topo is only as good as its surface. We build it properly in Civil 3D: points sorted onto feature layers by description code, breaklines where the crew shot them, a TIN that is cleaned rather than smoothed into fiction, and contours and spot elevations labeled the way your office labels them.
| Field data | PNEZD or CSV point files with description codes, breaklines, crew sketch or photos |
|---|---|
| Scope | Contour interval, datum and any county or client formatting requirements |
| Your standards | A past topo from your office, or your layer and style standard |
| Drawing | Civil 3D DWG with the point groups, surface and styles intact, not exploded linework |
|---|---|
| Surface | TIN surface with breaklines honored and boundaries set; contours at your interval |
| Features | Utilities, improvements, trees and site features drawn from the shots on your feature layers |
| Plot | Sheet laid out in your title block with a plot-ready PDF |
From point file to surface
Description codes drive everything. We map your crews' field codes to your feature layers once, during setup, and from then on every job sorts the same way: ground shots into the surface, walls, edges and inverts to their layers, trees labeled with size and species code. If a code in the file is new or ambiguous, it comes back as a question with the point numbers listed.
Breaklines are honored where the crew shot them, surface boundaries are set so contours stop where the data stops, and spikes from bad rod heights are investigated against neighboring shots rather than bulldozed by smoothing. You get a surface you can hand to a site designer without apology.
Utilities and improvements
Inverts, rim elevations and pipe runs are tabulated and drawn from the shots, with flow direction where the data supports it. Buildings, pavement, walls and fences are drawn to the located points. Nothing on the sheet is sketched in from aerial guesswork unless the scope says so, and then it is labeled as such.
Deliverable discipline
The DWG you receive keeps its intelligence: point groups, surface object, styles and label styles, so your office can regenerate contours or adjust an interval without redrafting. Firms that have received exploded junk from other vendors tend to notice this first.
Turnaround and confidentiality
Production runs overnight US time. Standard jobs return within 24 hours and larger scopes within 24 to 48 hours; we confirm the window for each job before starting. Your projects are processed under job numbers inside a controlled environment, and nothing you send is reused or shown to anyone else. How we handle your data.
Common questions
Which Civil 3D versions do you support?
We draft in Civil 3D and deliver DWG saved to the version your office runs. Surfaces, point groups and styles arrive live, not exploded.
Can you use our field-to-finish codes?
Yes. Send your code list, or simply a few raw files plus finished drawings, and we build the mapping during setup. We maintain a per-client field code dictionary so repeat jobs sort identically.
How do you handle messy point files?
Duplicate points, busts and outliers are checked against adjacent shots and the crew sketch. Anything we cannot resolve confidently is flagged with point numbers for your crew to confirm, and the surface ships with the questionable shots excluded and listed.
Do you draw contours from drone or LiDAR data?
We work from your processed point deliverables and classified ground points. Send a sample dataset with the trial job and we will confirm the workflow before quoting.
What is the turnaround for a topo?
A typical residential or small commercial topo is back within 24 hours; larger sites with heavy utility work run 24 to 48 hours with the window confirmed up front.