Importing Engineering Data

To accelerate the design process, the platform supports importing various industry-standard file formats, preventing the need to redraw complex site geometry from scratch.

Importing DXF/CAD Files

If you have a site layout from an architect or highways engineer, you can import it as an interactive background layer.

1. Navigate to the Import tab on the Right Sidebar.
2. Click Import DXF/CAD and select your .dxf file.
3. The platform will parse the vector geometry and display it on the canvas.
4. Layer Management: A new CAD Layers panel will appear, allowing you to toggle the visibility of specific layers (e.g., hiding trees or text to declutter the view) and adjust the overall opacity.
5. Snapping: Ensure the "Snap to CAD" checkbox is ticked. This allows your mouse cursor to magnetically snap to CAD vertices when drawing pipes, ensuring your network is perfectly aligned with road centrelines or building footprints.

Importing LandXML Surfaces

LandXML is the standard format for transferring 3D topographical surfaces from Civil3D or MX-Roads.

1. On the Import tab, click Import LandXML.
2. Select your .xml surface file.
3. The platform will process the triangulated irregular network (TIN).
4. Terrain Analysis: Once imported, a "Terrain Analysis" panel appears. Enabling the heatmap overlay will colourise the canvas to show high and low points.
5. Auto-Cover Levels: With a surface active, any new manhole placed on the canvas will automatically sample the LandXML surface at its exact X/Y coordinate and set its Cover Level accordingly.

Importing Causeway Flow (.PFD) Files

If you are migrating an existing project from Causeway Flow, you can import the entire hydraulic network directly.

1. On the Import tab, click Import PFD.
2. Select the .pfd file.
3. The platform will reconstruct the nodes, pipes, storage structures, and hydro-brakes, converting them into our native format ready for immediate simulation.

Extracting PDF Manhole Schedules

Instead of manually typing out a 50-node manhole schedule from a drawing, the platform can parse vector PDFs to extract the data automatically.

1. On the Import tab, click Extract PDF Schedule.
2. Upload the engineering drawing (PDF) containing the tabular schedule.
3. The backend engine will identify the table, parse the IDs, Cover Levels, Invert Levels, and Catchment Areas.
4. A preview table will appear for your verification.
5. Click Import to Network (Add New) to instantiate these nodes on your canvas, ready to be connected with pipes.