Survey Points Importer – Geodetic & Construction Workflow

Survey Points Importer is a professional Blender add-on designed for importing real-world survey and control point data into Blender with maximum accuracy and flexibility.
It is built for geodesy, construction, engineering, and BIM-oriented workflows, where correct coordinates, orientation, and scale matter.

The add-on allows you to import survey points from common text-based formats while maintaining full control over coordinate mapping, axis orientation, reference offsets, and visualization.

For roundtrip workflows, this add-on integrates seamlessly with Survey Points Exporter – Geodetic & Construction Workflow, allowing consistent coordinate system settings between import and export.

🔹 Key Features

• CSV / TXT survey data import
• Flexible column mapping (X, Y, Z, name)
• Reference point offset support
  Easily shift local survey coordinates into Blender space
• Axis remapping & orientation control
  Adapt survey coordinate systems to Blender’s axis conventions
• Rotation correction
  Align imported data to project orientation
• Robust parsing
  Handles different separators, decimal formats, encodings, and headers
• Automatic point grouping
• Clear visualization using empties for precise point placement
• Non-destructive workflow – reimport and adjust settings at any time

🔹 Typical Use Cases

• Importing geodetic survey points into Blender
• Construction site visualization
• Engineering and infrastructure projects
• BIM / CAD → Blender data pipelines
• Creating accurate base data for modeling or visualization
• Preparing survey layouts for coordination and presentation

🔹 Designed for Professionals

This add-on is not a generic point importer.
It is designed for users who need engineering-grade precision, predictable results, and full control over how survey data is interpreted and placed inside Blender.

Perfectly complements Survey Points Exporter – Geodetic & Construction Workflow, making it easy to build a complete import/export pipeline for real-world projects.

Installation

1. Download the add-on .zip
2. Open Blender
3. Go to Edit → Preferences → Get Extensions → Install from Disk
4. Select the ZIP file and install
5. Open the 3D Viewport, press N, and find the Survey tab

Getting Started

1. Open your Blender project
2. Open the Survey Points Importer panel
3. Select a TXT or CSV file
4. Click Import Points
5. An import dialog appears where you:
   • Assign columns (X, Y, Z, Point Name)
   • Review import settings
6. Confirm the dialog to import the points

Supported File Format

• .txt, .csv
• Header row optional
• Delimiters auto-detected:
  • Semicolon, tab, comma, space
• Decimal separators:
  • Dot (.) or comma (,)

Minimum requirement:
At least two coordinate axes (X, Y, or Z) must be present.

Missing coordinates default to 0.0.

Import Modes

Single Mesh (Recommended)

• All points imported as vertices in one mesh
• Fastest and most memory-efficient
• Ideal for large datasets and modeling workflows

Grouped Meshes

• Creates separate mesh objects based on alphabetic prefixes in Point Name
• Useful for organizing points by type (e.g. P, B, C)

Empty Objects

• Creates one empty object per point
• Best for reference points, parents, and small datasets
• Point names are used for object naming when available

Coordinate System Settings

Survey coordinate systems often differ from Blender’s.

Transformations are applied in this order:

1. Reference Point Offset
2. Z Rotation
3. Axis Orientation Mapping

Reference Point

Offsets large real-world coordinates (e.g. UTM) to values suitable for Blender’s precision.

Calculate at Origin

Automatically calculates a reference point so imported data is centered at Blender’s origin.

Z Rotation

Rotates imported points around the Z axis.
Use only when necessary — rotating reference images is often safer.

Axis Orientation

Maps survey axis directions (North, South, East, West) to Blender’s coordinate system.

Settings Management

• Save Settings to File
  Stores reference point and axis orientation inside the .blend file
• Load Settings from File
  Restores previously saved settings
• Load Settings from Survey Points Exporter
  Enables consistent roundtrip import/export workflows

Requirements

• Blender 5.0.0 or newer
• Survey data in TXT or CSV format

License & Support

• GPL-3.0-or-later
• Commercial use allowed
• Full source code included

FAQ

What is a reference point?

A reference point is an offset applied to all coordinates. It's used to shift large coordinates (like UTM) to smaller values suitable for Blender. Blender uses single-precision floating-point (float32) for vertex positions, which provides approximately 7 decimal digits of precision. Coordinates with more than 6-7 significant digits will start losing precision due to floating-point rounding. This precision limitation is normal in 3D engines and is optimized for GPU performance. CAD software typically uses double-precision (float64) or other techniques to maintain precise coordinates for very large numbers.

When should I use "Calculate at origin"?

Use it when you want the imported points centered at Blender's origin (0,0,0), especially with large coordinates. The add-on automatically detects when coordinate values may cause precision loss beyond three decimal places. For values greater than 9999, a warning is displayed recommending the use of the “Calculate origin at center of geometry” checkbox.

What does Z Rotation do?

It rotates the imported points around the vertical (Z) axis. This feature is primarily intended for rotating points according to the orientation of drawing documentation, which are often at an angle. Important: Using Z Rotation can be confusing and may lead to incorrect coordinate placement. We strongly recommend: - Rotate reference images instead: If possible, rotate the reference images of project documentation in Blender rather than rotating the point coordinates - Increased verification of coordinate correctness when using Z Rotation - Only use Z Rotation if necessary - Consider using Axis Orientation mapping instead, which is more intuitive and less error-prone

Which import mode is fastest?

Single mesh mode is the fastest and most memory-efficient.

Can I cancel an import?

No, once started, the import runs to completion. For very large files and Empty Objects import type, be patient.

Can I apply multiple transformations?

Yes, transformations are applied in order: Reference Point → Z Rotation → Axis Orientation.

How do I know what Axis Direction settings to use?

Check your survey data documentation. Most systems use X=East, Y=North (default), but some use different conventions. Be aware that in geodesy, an axis oriented toward a given cardinal direction means that coordinate values increase in absolute magnitude in that direction (including negative values).

What's the difference between the import modes?

- Single mesh: All points in one object (fastest, most efficient) - Grouped meshes: Separate objects per unique alphabetic prefix in Point Name (organized by naming convention) - Empty objects: Individual empty objects per point (best for reference points), slow for large datasets.

Can I import files without Z coordinates?

Yes, you can import files with only X and Y coordinates. Z will default to 0.

Where are saved settings stored?

Settings are stored as a Blender text datablock (`.SurveyPointsImportSettings`) in your .blend file.

What if my file has extra columns?

Extra columns are ignored. Only recognized columns (X, Y, Z, Point Name) are used. You can specify columns directly in dialog after clicking Import Points.

Do I need to specify the delimiter?

No, the add-on automatically detects semicolon, comma, tab, or space delimiters.

Will importing replace existing objects?

No, each import creates new objects. Existing objects are not affected.

Can I import multiple files at once?

No, import one file at a time.

How many points can I import?

The add-on efficiently handles large datasets. 10,000+ points typically import in seconds (depending on your hardware and Import Type).

Does the file need a header row?

No, but it's recommended for clarity. The add-on detects whether the first row is a header or data.

Can I use comma as a decimal separator?

Yes, both dot (.) and comma (,) are supported as decimal separators. If you are using comma as decimal separator, you have to use something else (like semicolon) as delimiter.

What versions of Blender are supported?

Blender 5.0.0 and later. It may work on older versions, but this has not been tested