TBC Macros by AB Civil

What it does

You click (or type) points to build a linestring with the name and layer you choose. In 2D mode picked elevations are ignored; in 3D mode, if a point has no elevation, it asks you for one. With Add to Surface ticked, each finished line goes into the surface you picked.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it. Set the Name and Layer.
2. 2 Choose 3D Mode or 2D Mode. The coloured banner shows which one you're in (red = 3D, blue = 2D).
3. 3 To build a surface as you draw, tick Add to Surface and pick the surface.
4. 4 Click points in the view (or type a coordinate and press Apply).
5. 5 Press Space to finish the line and start a new one. Click Close when you're done.

Tips

• Shortcuts: Space = new line, D = switch 2D/3D, A = Add to Surface on/off, S = next surface.
• Hold Ctrl while picking a point to get a curve instead of a straight segment.
• Your 2D/3D and Add to Surface choices are remembered for next time.

What it does

Lines whose ends meet are chained together in order, and lines drawn backwards are flipped to match. Small gaps can be bridged and small overlaps trimmed, within tolerances you set. The new line keeps the first line's layer and is named with "_Joined" on the end.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it (click OK on the version pop-up).
2. 2 In Select Linestrings to Join, pick 2 or more lines.
3. 3 Check the tolerances: Bridge gaps within (default 0.1 ft) and Clip overlaps within (default 0.01 ft).
4. 4 Leave Delete original lines after joining ticked unless you want to keep the originals.
5. 5 Click Apply. The window stays open for the next set; click Close when done.

Tips

• Untick Show debug information for normal use - it shows extra technical pop-ups.
• Lines that don't connect to anything are left alone. One Apply can make more than one joined line.

What it does

It makes an invisible straight line parallel to your reference line, at the distance you type. Every other linestring in the project that crosses it is split in two at that spot. The pieces keep their layer and are named with "_1" and "_2".

How to use it

1. 1 Select the reference line first.
2. 2 Run the command (there's no window).
3. 3 Type the offset: positive = right side, negative = left side. Click OK.
4. 4 A message tells you how many lines were broken.

Tips

• The offset runs straight from the reference line's first point to its last, so bends in the reference line are ignored.
• It checks every linestring in the project, not just selected ones.

What it does

Each selected line gets a name built from its layer name. You can change capitals or spaces, add a prefix or suffix, and add numbers (_001, _002...) counted per layer. Lines that already have a name are skipped unless you choose to overwrite them.

How to use it

1. 1 Select the lines, then run the command.
2. 2 Pick a Layer Name Format (as is, upper case, lower case, remove spaces or replace spaces).
3. 3 Optionally type a Prefix and/or Suffix.
4. 4 Choose whether to add sequential numbers and whether to overwrite existing names. Check the Preview.
5. 5 Click Process Lines.

Tips

• If nothing is selected, it asks whether to name every line in the project.

What it does

Each selected line is cut back by the distance you type, measured along the line from both ends. Good for line ends that poke past where they should stop. The line is replaced by a trimmed copy on the same layer, named with "_Trimmed" on the end.

How to use it

1. 1 Select one or more lines.
2. 2 Run the command (there's no window).
3. 3 Type the trim distance in feet (default 0.1). Click OK.
4. 4 A message tells you how many lines were trimmed and how many were too short to trim.

Tips

• Curves in the line come back as straight segments.

What it does

You define a strip, either as offsets on each side of a reference line or as the area between two lines. A coloured preview shows the strip. Apply removes every part of the target lines inside it: lines fully inside are deleted, and lines outside are left alone.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it. Under Trim area defined by, choose Single line with offsets or Area between 2 lines.
2. 2 Single line: click Pick Line, pick the reference line, click Done Picking, then enter Offset 1 (yellow, left) and Offset 2 (orange, right). Two lines: pick the First Line and the Second Line.
3. 3 Under Lines to Trim, choose All Layers or Select Specific Layers (or pick individual lines).
4. 4 Check the preview, click Apply, then OK to confirm.

Tips

• Tick Show line direction to see arrows, so you know which side is left and which is right.
• The reference lines themselves are never trimmed.

What it does

You pick a target layer (or type a new layer name, and it's created). While the window is open, anything you select moves to that layer right away. The layer is remembered until you close TBC.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it.
2. 2 Pick the target layer, or type a new layer name.
3. 3 Select objects in the view - they move to that layer as you select them.
4. 4 Keep selecting. Close the window when you're done.

Tips

• Assign a shortcut such as Ctrl+R to this command in TBC. Then select objects, press Ctrl+R, and they move to the remembered layer.

What it does

Each selected CAD line, polyline or arc is replaced by a TBC linestring with the same name and layer, with colour, line style and weight set to by-layer. Linestrings already in the selection are reset to by-layer too.

How to use it

1. 1 Select the objects.
2. 2 Run the command. That's it - there's no window.

Tips

• The CAD originals are replaced, not kept.
• Elevate From 3D Lines and other commands only work on linestrings, so convert CAD lines first.

What it does

Wherever a 2D line crosses a 3D reference line, the 2D line takes the 3D line's elevation at that spot. If the crossing is on an existing point it's raised; otherwise a new point is added there.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it (click OK on the version pop-up).
2. 2 In 2D Lines to Elevate, pick the lines that need elevations.
3. 3 In 3D Reference Lines, pick the 3D lines to read elevations from.
4. 4 Leave Insert vertices at intersection points ticked.
5. 5 Click Apply (or press F). A message says how many crossings were elevated.

Tips

• Only linestrings can be picked - convert CAD lines first with ABC Convert To Linestring.

What it does

Each label takes two clicks: the spot on the ground, then where the text goes. The label shows the surface elevation and updates itself if the surface changes. You can switch its surface later in the Properties pane.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it. Check the Surface - it picks one named like "Finished design" or "FG" if you have one.
2. 2 Optionally change the text height, style, rotation or layer.
3. 3 Click the spot on the ground.
4. 4 Click where the text should go. The label is placed and it's ready for the next one.
5. 5 Repeat, then close when done.

Tips

• Press C to turn red text on or off. Hold R to rotate the text by eye.
• Labels go on the layer "00-Surface Elevation Double Check" unless you pick another.

What it does

Each point you click is dropped onto the surface. After the second click, every segment gets a label at its middle showing its slope, like +1.85%. Slopes steeper than 2.2% are labeled in red - a quick way to check grades across a pad or walk.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it. Check the Surface (it starts on your finished design surface).
2. 2 Optionally change the line layer, label layer, text style and text height.
3. 3 Click points on the surface.
4. 4 Press Space (or New Line) to start another line. Click Close when done.

Tips

• Clicks off the surface are rejected.
• The first time you use it in a project, it adds its own layer and text style.

What it does

It can first make a frozen copy of the surface (your original isn't touched), convert CAD lines to linestrings, and name lines by layer. Then it writes the files you pick (VCL, TTM, DXF, CSV, SVD/SVL, LandXML) into a clean folder structure. A preview shows the folders before you export.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it. Pick the Source Surface and the linework and points to export.
2. 2 Check the Project Name, Design Type (Finish Grade, Rough Grade, etc.) and Date.
3. 3 Tick the machine-control outputs you need (Trimble VCL and TTM+DXF+CSV are on by default).
4. 4 Choose the pre-export steps (frozen surface copy, convert to linestrings, name by layer).
5. 5 Check the Export Root Folder and click Export.

Tips

• The pre-export steps change your project (new surface copy, converted and renamed lines). Undo reverses them, but not the exported files.
• Your choices are remembered for next time.

What it does

For each image you pick, it writes a world file and copies the image and world file into the export folder, named after the image (for example "C2.0 - Site and Grading Plan.jpg"). By default it tints white backgrounds a soft cream so they're easier to read in sunlight. The status box shows each image's size and the largest scale it can be captured at.

How to use it

1. 1 Run it and pick the images in Select Background Images.
2. 2 Check the Export Folder (or click ... to pick another).
3. 3 Untick the cream tint if you want the original colours.
4. 4 Click Export and read the Status box.

Tips

• Always check the export folder before clicking Export - it remembers the last folder you used.
• Capture at or below the max scale shown so the image stays sharp.

What it does

It saves the selected objects to a temporary VCL "clipboard" file on this PC. Any georeferenced PDFs or images in the selection are bundled in too. Each new copy replaces the last one. Pair it with Quick Import VCL.

How to use it

1. 1 In project A, select the objects.
2. 2 Run Quick Export VCL and click Copy.
3. 3 Read the message (object count and PDFs bundled), then Close.

Tips

• The paste has to happen on the same PC and Windows login.

What it does

It imports the last Quick Export into the open project. Bundled PDFs and images are copied into a TBCClipboard_PDFs folder next to the project, and the pasted images point at those copies.

How to use it

1. 1 In project B, run Quick Import VCL.
2. 2 Check the status says Ready to paste.
3. 3 Click Paste.

Tips

• You can paste the same copy into several projects.
• Undo removes the pasted objects (the copied PDF files stay on disk).