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Deed Plot (calls to figure)

Deed Plot - calls to figure. The reverse of Legal Description: paste a deed's calls as written and the figure draws from the point of beginning as one polyline with true arcs, every course labeled, the LINE / CURVE tables at a picked corner, and the closure (perimeter, area, misclosure, 1:N) in the summary and a CSV. Pieces it cannot read are listed by line number before anything is drawn.

Command VDCDEEDPLOT · VDC Survey tab › Boundary + Plats panel
Deed Plot - calls to figure. The reverse of Legal Description: paste a deed's calls as written and the figure draws from the point of beginning as one polyline with true arcs, every course labeled, the LINE / CURVE tables at a picked corner, and the closure (perimeter, area, misclosure, 1:N) in the summary and a CSV. Pieces it cannot read are listed by line number before anything is drawn.
Paste the calls - the figure draws itself, with labels, the tables and the closure. thence N 45°30'15" E, 125.00 feet; thence S 44°29'45" E, 200.00 feet; thence along a curve to the right radius 250.00, arc 100.00, chord S 33°02'03" W, 99.50; thence northeasterly 120 feet !! thence N 44°29'45" W, 200.00 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING. !! line 4: no bearing found - listed before drawing Check calls / Draw POB N 45°30'15" E 125.00' S 44°29'45" E 200.00' C1 R=250.00' L=100.00' misclosure 0.03' LINE TABLE L1 N 45°30'15" E 125.00 L2 S 44°29'45" E 200.00 L3 N 44°29'45" W 200.00 CURVE TABLE C1 250.00 22°55'06" 100.00 Perimeter 625.00 ft Area 24,870 sq ft (0.571 ac) Closure 0.03 ft S 12°10'00" W Precision 1:20,833 summary + VDC Reports CSV

What it does

  • Reads the deed as written: N 45°30'15" E, N45-30-15E, N 45 30 15 E, N45d30'15"E, S 12°E, due north, azimuths; feet by default with chains / poles / rods / varas / links / meters converted; curves from radius plus arc, chord or delta with the chord bearing; thence, commas, wrapped lines, "more or less" and the BEGINNING / containing sentences all tolerated.
  • Check calls: every call as read, and every piece it could not read marked !! with its paste-box line - shown before anything is drawn.
  • Draws: one polyline with true arc segments (or chords) from a picked / typed point of beginning on the chosen layer, linetype and color (ByLayer pinned first); closed or left open.
  • Labels + tables: bearing over distance per course (R / L / chord for curves), the LINE / CURVE tables in Deed Table's shape at a picked corner, centre-justified and tagged for Update.
  • Closure: perimeter, area (sq ft + acres), misclosure distance and bearing, precision 1:N - summary + {drawing} - Deed Plot.csv.

Worth knowing

  • A curve with no chord bearing is drawn tangent to the course before it; no left / right stated and it follows its chord - each case is listed as ASSUMED in the summary.
  • Re-run on the same figure: Replace (erase and draw again, tables where they were) or Update in place (vertices on the same polyline, labels re-placed, table cells refilled). Nothing changed = NOTHING CHANGED, nothing written.
  • The figure is in drawing units from the point you give it - rotation to grid and the grid factor stay with the surveyor. Draft work product.
  • Settings: %APPDATA%\VDC\DeedPlot\settings.json (env VDC_DEEDPLOT_SETTINGS). The deed text is stored on the polyline, not in settings.
  • Companions: VDCLEGAL (figure to narrative), VDCDEEDTABLE (drawn parcel to tables), VDCPLATQC (closure audit of a plat).

Dialog

Deed Plot (calls to figure) dialog
Deed Plot (calls to figure) - VDCDEEDPLOT

When to use it

  • A deed or an old plat's calls need to be on the drawing to check a boundary, a closure or an overlap.
  • A client sends a legal description and wants to see the shape before survey work starts.

How to run it

  1. Run VDCDEEDPLOT and paste the description (one call per line or the whole paragraph).
  2. Click Check calls. Fix anything marked !! (the line number is the paste box's), or leave it to be skipped.
  3. Choose the layer, linetype and color, labels, text height, tables and the report; pick or type the point of beginning.
  4. Draw. Pick the point of beginning and the table corner when asked; read the closure in the summary.
  5. To change the calls later: run again, choose Update (or Replace) and the figure, Load its deed text, edit, Draw.

Options

  • Mode: Draw a new figure, Replace a figure this tool drew, or Update it in place (polyline vertices, labels, table cells).
  • Point of beginning: pick on screen after Draw, type Northing / Easting, or keep the selected figure's.
  • Close the figure: closed polyline (on) or left open so the misclosure shows as a gap (off).
  • Curves as true arcs: bulge segments on the polyline; off draws the chords.
  • Distance decimals: tables, labels and CSV.

Watch out for

  • A curve with no chord bearing is drawn tangent to the course before it, and one with no left / right follows its chord - the summary says ASSUMED on each.
  • Meters, chains, poles, varas and links are converted to feet (the factor is in the summary); a deed in survey feet vs international feet differs by far less than the rounding of the text.
  • Update sees geometry, layer / linetype / color, label text and table cells - not a text-height or style change on its own; use Replace for those.
  • The figure is plotted in drawing units from the point you give it: rotation to grid and grid factor are yours.

Related: Legal Description · Deed Table · Plat QC