Preparing a Survey Plan for NSW LandXML Export¶

This guide walks through the complete process of preparing a survey plan in AutoCAD using R3Survey, ready for NSW LandXML export and lodgement via LRS Connect.

If you've used the free AutoCAD LISP plugin (LandXML for AutoCAD) before, you'll find R3Survey takes a similar approach — drawing geometry on specific layers, tagging parcels with attributes — but with a modern UI-driven workflow instead of command-line prompts for every field.

Before you start¶

Make sure you have:

R3Survey installed and licensed
Your survey fieldwork reduced and ready to draft
SCIMS data for the control marks on your plan (downloaded from the NSW Spatial Services portal as GeoJSON or CSV)
Your plan number (e.g. DP 1234567) — this drives the layer naming

Step 1 — Create the survey plan¶

Type R3PL to open the survey plan dialog.

Enter:

Plan name — your DP number (e.g. DP1234567)
Datum — typically MGA2020 for modern surveys. Valid values: MGA2020, MGA94, MM, Local, ISG, TM.
Zone — your MGA zone (54, 55, or 56)
Survey Type — surveyed for most plans, compiled for compiled plans

Fill in the NSW LRS administration fields:

LGA, Parish, County, Locality — as they'll appear on the plan
Region — Urban or Rural
Purpose — select from the dropdown (Subdivision, Consolidation, Easement, etc.)
Plan Heading — the description that appears on the admin sheet (e.g. "Subdivision of Lot 1 DP 123456")
Surveyor, Firm, Reference — your registration details
Date — date of survey

All of these fields populate the LandXML header at export. Getting them right now saves time later.

See Survey Plan Setup (R3PL) for full details.

Step 2 — Import SCIMS control marks¶

Type R3IMPORTSCIMS and select your SCIMS data file (GeoJSON, CSV, or MOSS format).

Choose your import mode:

Select — lets you pick an insertion point in the drawing. Use this when your survey is drawn at a local origin.
Adopt — places marks at their MGA coordinates. Use this when working in MGA.

The marks appear as DBPoints on the SCIMS-CTRL layer with all their metadata (MGA coordinates, GDA class, positional uncertainty, CSF, AHD height).

Assign datum terminals¶

After importing, you must designate two marks as your datum terminals — the two SCIMS marks that define the survey datum line.

Click on a SCIMS mark in the drawing
In R3PROPERTIES, open the SCIMS Control Point expander
Set the Datum field to X (Terminal A) or Y (Terminal B)
Repeat for the second mark

Tip

X and Y are just labels to avoid confusion with coordinate axes. They export as datum terminals A and B in the LandXML file.

See Import SCIMS Control Points for full details.

Adding SCIMS marks manually¶

If you don't have a SCIMS data file, you can enter control marks manually:

Create the SCIMS-CTRL layer if it doesn't exist
Place a DBPoint (POINT command) on the SCIMS-CTRL layer at the mark's position in the drawing
Select the point — the SCIMS Control Point expander appears in R3PROPERTIES
Fill in the fields:

Field	What to enter	Example
Mark	Mark type	`SSM`, `PM`, `TS`
Number	SCIMS mark number	`66367`
Easting	MGA easting	`323456.789`
Northing	MGA northing	`6234567.890`
GDA Class	Horizontal class	`C`, `D`, `U`
PU	Positional uncertainty (metres)	`0.030`
Currency	SCIMS date (ISO format)	`2024-06-15`
AHD	AHD height (if known)	`45.678`
Datum	Datum terminal designation	`X` or `Y` (for the two datum marks)

All fields are editable — type a value and press Tab to save it to the entity. Fields left blank are omitted from the export.

Tip

The same fields are populated automatically when you use R3IMPORTSCIMS to import from a SCIMS data file. Manual entry is useful when you have mark data from a previous plan or field notes rather than a SCIMS download.

Step 3 — Draw the survey¶

Understanding survey plan layers¶

When you created the plan in Step 1, R3Survey created a set of component layers for you. Each layer type serves a specific purpose in the LandXML export:

Layer component	What to draw on it	LandXML result
Boundaries	Lot boundaries (as closed polylines)	Parcel with class="Lot"
Roads	Road, reserved road, railway parcels (as closed polylines)	Parcel with class="Road"/"Reserved Road"/"Railway"
Easements	Easement and secondary interest parcels (as closed polylines)	Parcel with class="Easement"/"Covenant"/etc.
Hydrography	Water body parcels (as closed polylines)	Parcel with class="Hydrography"
Administrative Areas	LGA/parish/county boundaries (as closed polylines)	Parcel with class="Administrative Area"
Miscellaneous	Building, common property, designated area, etc.	Parcel with class per selection
Reference Marks	Lines from boundary corners to their reference marks	`ReducedObservation` with `desc="Reference"`
Other (Connections)	Lines from SCIMS marks to boundary corners	`ReducedObservation` with `desc="Connection"`
Control	Lines between SCIMS marks (the control traverse)	`ReducedObservation` with `desc="Connection"` + combined scale factor

Layer names follow the pattern {planName}_{componentName} (e.g. DP1234567_BOUNDARIES).

Draw on the right layer

The exporter only picks up entities from recognised plan component layers. A polyline on the wrong layer won't appear in the exported file.

Drawing parcel boundaries¶

Draw each parcel as a closed polyline on the appropriate component layer.

Lots → Boundaries layer
Roads, Reserved Roads, Railway → Roads layer
Easements, Covenants, and other secondary interests → Easements layer
Water bodies → Hydrography layer
LGA, Parish, County boundaries → Administrative Areas layer
Building, Common Property, and other types → Miscellaneous layer

You can use R3TRAV to draw with precise bearing and distance entry, or use standard AutoCAD drafting tools (LINE, PLINE, etc.) and ensure the geometry is accurate.

Switching layers during R3TRAV

While in R3TRAV, type a prefix letter at the bearing prompt to switch component layers without leaving the command: b (Boundaries), r (Reference Marks), c (Control), o (Other/Connections), e (Easements). This is faster than manually changing layers.

Drawing reference marks¶

Draw a line on the Reference Marks layer from each boundary corner to its reference mark. The line direction (corner → mark or mark → corner) doesn't matter — the exporter handles both.

After drawing the line, select it and use the Reference Mark expander in R3PROPERTIES to set:

Field	What to enter	When to set
Type	The mark type — DH&W, GIP, Peg, PM, Nail, etc.	Always
State	Found, Placed, Not Found, Gone, or Found By Me	Always
Origin	The plan the mark was originally placed on (e.g. `DP123456`)	When State is Found or Found By Me — hidden when Placed
Desc	Optional physical description of the mark (e.g. "ON KB", "IN CONCRETE")	Optional

The State field controls how the reference mark is exported:

State	Meaning	Export effect
Found	Mark found, original reference accepted	`distanceType=Adopted`, `distanceAccClass=Found`, `adoptedDistanceSurvey` set from Origin
Placed	New mark placed by you	`distanceType=Measured`, `distanceAccClass=Placed`, no Origin needed
Found By Me	Mark found but re-referenced (you disagree with the original reference and re-measured it)	`distanceType=Measured`, `distanceAccClass=Found By Me`, `adoptedDistanceSurvey` set from Origin
Gone / Not Found	Mark is missing	No observation exported — monument record only

All of these export attributes are derived automatically from the State and Origin fields — you don't need to set them separately in the Survey Method expander.

Labelling reference marks¶

Use R3RMT (or R3ADDRMLABELS) to place reference mark labels on the drawing. The command reads the RM data from each line on the Reference Marks layer and places multi-line MText showing:

RM DH&W FD
256°15'56" - 16.935
(DP123456)

The label format adjusts automatically based on the mark state:

Found: RM TYPE FD / bearing - distance / (Origin DP)
Placed: RM TYPE / bearing - distance
Found By Me: RM TYPE FD / (Origin DP) / bearing - distance / (BY ME)
Gone: RM GONE / (Origin DP)
Not Found: RM NOT FOUND / (Origin DP)

Drawing connections and control¶

Connections — draw lines on the Other/Connections layer from SCIMS marks to boundary corners. These are the "two connections to boundary" required by the SSIR.
Control traverse — draw lines on the Control layer between SCIMS marks. These get the plan's combined scale factor applied automatically.

Step 4 — Set parcel attributes¶

Select each parcel polyline and set its attributes in the Parcel expander in R3PROPERTIES.

Lot number¶

Enter the lot number in the Lot field. For new proposed lots, just enter the number (e.g. 1, 2, 101).

Part lots¶

For part lots (where one lot number appears in multiple non-contiguous areas), prefix the lot number with PT — for example, PT101.

R3Survey automatically:

Detects the "PT" prefix
Sets the parcel type to Part in the exported XML
Strips the prefix from the lot name (so PT101 exports as name="101" parcelType="Part")
At export, groups all Part lots with the same base number under a Multipart parent with the summed total area

You don't need to set the parcel type manually or worry about letter suffixes — the export handles all of this automatically:

<!-- Multipart parent (auto-generated at export) -->
<Parcel name="101" parcelType="Multipart" area="950.5" ...>
  <Parcels>
    <Parcel name="101A" pclRef="101A"/>
    <Parcel name="101B" pclRef="101B"/>
  </Parcels>
</Parcel>

<!-- Individual parts (each drawn as a separate polyline with LotNo = "PT101") -->
<Parcel name="101A" parcelType="Part" area="450.5" ...>
  <CoordGeom>...</CoordGeom>
</Parcel>
<Parcel name="101B" parcelType="Part" area="500.0" ...>
  <CoordGeom>...</CoordGeom>
</Parcel>

Parcel class¶

The Class dropdown determines the parcel type in the LandXML. The class is auto-populated from the layer component type, so you usually only need to change it for non-standard cases.

Standard classes:

Class	When to use
Administrative Area	LGA, parish, county boundaries (Administrative Areas layer)
Association Property	Association property lots (Boundaries layer)
Building	Building parcels (Miscellaneous layer)
Common Property	Common property in community/strata plans (Miscellaneous layer)
Hydrography	Water bodies — rivers, creeks, etc. (Hydrography layer)
Lot	Standard lots (default for Boundaries layer)
Railway	Railway parcels (Roads layer)
Reserved Road	Reserved road parcels (Roads layer)
Road	Road parcels (Roads layer)

Secondary interest classes (require a description):

Class	When to use
Caveat	Caveat areas
Covenant	Covenant areas
Designated Area	Designated areas
Easement	Easement parcels (default for Easements layer)
Exclusive Use Area	Exclusive use areas
Footprint	Building footprints
Lease	Lease areas
License	License areas
Permit	Permit areas
Positive Covenant	Positive covenant areas
Profit A Prende	Profit a prendre areas
Restriction On Use Of Land	Restriction on use of land
Restriction On User	Restriction on user

Description (conditional)¶

When you select certain classes, a description field appears with a context-specific label:

Class	Field label	What to enter
Road / Reserved Road	Road Name	Road name, type, and width — e.g. `SMITH STREET (20.115 WIDE)`
Railway	Railway Name	Railway name
Easement	Easement Desc	Easement description — e.g. `Easement to Drain Water 0.5 wide`
Hydrography	Water Body	Name of the water body — e.g. `Pioneer River`
Common Property	CP Desc	Purpose — e.g. `Visitor Parking`
Building	Building Desc	Building description — e.g. `Two Story Brick Units`
Administrative Area	Admin Area	Area description
Covenant / Positive Covenant	Description	Covenant description
All other secondary interests	Description	Appropriate description

For standard Lot parcels, the description field is hidden — it's not needed.

Auto-numbering at export¶

You do not need to manually number roads, easements, or other non-lot parcels. At export, R3Survey automatically assigns prefix numbers:

Roads get R1, R2, etc.
Easements and other secondary interests get E1, E2, etc.
Hydrography parcels get H1, H2, etc.

Just enter the description name (e.g. the road name or easement description) and R3Survey handles the numbering.

Use of Parcel¶

For certain parcel classes, a Use dropdown appears in R3PROPERTIES:

Hydrography — Creek, River, Bay, etc.
Administrative Area — Parish, County, LGA, etc.
Lot — Public Reserve, Cemetery, etc.

This is an optional field that provides additional classification for the parcel.

Area Override¶

In the Areas expander in R3PROPERTIES, you can set an Area Override to specify a legal area that differs from the polyline's geometric area. This override value is used in the LandXML export instead of the computed area.

For road parcels, the Export Road Area checkbox controls whether the road area is included in the exported file.

Parcel state¶

State	When to use
proposed	New lots, roads, and easements being created by this plan (default)
existing	Existing parcels within the subject area (e.g. an existing easement crossing a new lot)
adjoining	Neighbouring lots and roads outside the subject area, shown for context

Note

Adjoining parcels are not required by the NSW LRS digital plan mandate. They're optional context that makes your LandXML file more complete. The mandate requires only new lots, new roads, survey connections, control marks, reference marks, and boundary marks.

Parcel format¶

Leave as Standard for normal deposited plan lots. Select Stratum for stratum lots (cubic space parcels). Strata format is not currently supported by LRS for digital plans.

Plan and section number¶

Plan — the plan number for adjoining parcels (e.g. DP123456). Not needed for proposed lots.
Sec — section number. This field only appears when populated (typically from imported LandXML files). You don't need to enter it for new plans.

Step 5 — Set observation overrides and survey method¶

For most segments, the drawn geometry is the legal dimension — R3Survey computes bearings and distances from the coordinates and exports them directly.

Dimension overrides (legal dimensions)¶

Where the legal plan dimensions differ from the drawn geometry, enter overrides:

Select the polyline
Open the Dimension Overrides expander in R3PROPERTIES
Use the Current Leg selector to navigate to the segment
Enter the legal bearing and/or distance

Common reasons for overrides:

Adjusted values — where the legal bearing/distance differs slightly from coordinate geometry after least-squares adjustment
Rounded values — where the plan shows a rounded distance
Compiled dimensions — on compiled plans

Survey Method (observation type)¶

The Survey Method expander is context-sensitive — it shows different options depending on the type of line selected.

Boundary / Road / Easement lines (parcel segments)¶

Field	Options	Notes
Method	`Measured`, `Compiled`	Default is `Measured` for surveyed plans, `Compiled` for compiled plans. Only set if different from the plan default.
Dim. Suffix	Free text	Text appended after the distance on the plan (e.g. `PO`, `OCC-OCC`, `Per Original`). Stored as a `FieldNote` in the LandXML export.

Control / Connection lines¶

Field	Options	Notes
Method	`Measured`, `AUSPOS`, `Static GNSS`, `RTK GNSS`, `CORS NRTK GNSS`, `CORS RTK GNSS`, `CORS Static GNSS`, `Cadastral Traverse`	Set the GNSS method used for the observation.
Dim. Suffix	Free text	Optional annotation text.

Reference Mark lines¶

The Survey Method expander hides the Method dropdown for reference mark lines — the observation type is derived automatically from the State field in the Reference Mark expander (see Drawing reference marks above). Only the Dim. Suffix field is shown.

Dim. Suffix on plan labels

Text entered in the Dim. Suffix field is appended after the distance when R3DIMS places dimension labels. For example, entering PO produces 25.450 PO on the plan.

Checking overrides¶

Use these commands to review your overrides before exporting:

Command	What it does
`R3SHOWOVERRIDES`	Draws magenta highlights over segments with overrides
`R3HIDEOVERRIDES`	Clears the highlights
`R3CHECKOVERRIDES`	Opens a report dialog listing all overrides with warnings

See Observation Overrides for full details.

Step 6 — Export the LandXML file¶

Type R3EXPORTLANDXMLNSW.

Select any entity belonging to the plan (a parcel polyline, reference mark line, etc.)
Choose a save location and filename
R3Survey writes the LandXML file and runs automatic schema validation
Check the command line for validation results

The exported file includes:

All parcel geometry (CgPoints, Parcels with CoordGeom)
Multipart parent elements for Part lots (auto-generated)
All observations (bearings, distances, arcs) with legal overrides where set
Survey header, coordinate system, administrative areas
SCIMS control data (RedHorizontalPosition elements)
Monuments (reference mark type, state, origin)
Instrument setups

Schema validation¶

R3Survey validates against the NSW ePlan CIF Protocol v4.0 schema automatically. Check the command line output:

PASSED — your file is structurally valid
Errors — fix the reported issues and re-export