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MXF Conversion Tools: ASCII, DAT, POS, ATT, GDB

← Import and Export (Map Pass/GPX, Maps, Photos, Markers, DEM, etc.)

Introduction

This is a collection of various conversion tools designed to take files containing geographically referenced points created by other applications and enable those points to be imported into Terrain Navigator Pro.

Specifically, four format conversion tools are included:
  1. ASCII2MXF converts generic GIS ASCII files into Terrain Navigator Pro's .MXF format. There is a companion MXF2ASCII tool, which converts .MXF files to the Generic ASCII.
  2. DAT2MXF converts Corpscon DAT files into Terrain Navigator Pro's .MXF format.
  3. POS2MXF converts "Generic ASCII files" exported from Trimble's GPS software files into Terrain Navigator Pro's .MXF and .TXF formats.
  4. GDB2MXF converts Text files exported from Garmin's MapSource application into Terrain Navigator Pro's .MXF format. 
Use the File/Import command of Terrain Navigator Pro to bring in the files created by these utilities into your Terrain Navigator Pro Projects.

● ASCII2MXF - Generic ASCII

Some GIS applications import and export coordinates in a 'Generic ASCII' format. When exporting in the Generic ASCII format, the GIS application creates, more or less, a single file listing the coordinates.

Please note that ASCII2MXF only supports coordinates stored in Lat/Lon (Decimal Degrees.) Coordinates in State Plane (Feet or Meters) are not able to be converted by ASCII2MXF. However, the GIS utility Corpscon may be useful in converting the coordinates to and from State Plane.

.TXT Files
Generic ASCII files are made up of the following:

Point #, Latitude, Longitude, Elevation, Description

Where each line begins with the point number, and is followed by the position and elevation of that point, and finally a short description.

Refer to Sample.TXT for an example.

Doing A Conversion
Running ASCII2MXF will allow you to select a .TXT file. Then a .MXF (marker) file will be created. This file can be imported as Markers in Terrain Navigator Pro.

Similarly, use MXF2ASCII to convert .MXF files to Generic ASCII .TXT files.

Please refer to the electronic documentation that accompanies Terrain Navigator Pro for specifics on the .MXF file format.

● 

DAT2MXF - Corpscon DAT

When exporting in the Corpscon DAT format, a single .DAT file is created which is, more or less, a single file listing the coordinates of each point.

.DAT Files
.DAT files are text files made up of the following:

;Header Information
;(Several Lines)
Description, Latitude, Longitude

Where each line following the header begins with a short description of the position (usually a single number) followed by its position.

Refer to Sample.DAT for an example.

Doing A Conversion
Running DAT2MXF will allow you to select a .DAT file. Then a .MXF (marker) file will be created. This file can be imported as Markers in Terrain Navigator Pro.

Please refer to the electronic documentation that accompanies Terrain Navigator Pro for specifics on the .MXF file format.

● 

POS2MXF - Trimble POS/ATT

When exporting Generic ASCII from Trimble's software, two text files are created: one with the extension .ATT, the other, .POS. The ATT file contains a description of the Line Sources and Point Sources found in the .POS file. The POS file is, more or less, simply a list of coordinates that describe the Line or Point source.

.ATT Files
.ATT files are text files made up of the following:

1, "Description 1"
2, "Description 2"

Where each line begins with a number, and is followed by a short description of the corresponding feature. The file concludes with a carriage return on a blank line.

.POS Files
.POS files are made up of the following:

1
-71.489043518,43.214826008,227.798,1031600.703,260572.523,317.610
-71.489036631,43.214795114,231.837,1031602.563,260561.267,321.650
-71.489028059,43.214739988,233.767,1031604.891,260541.179,323.580
-71.489019832,43.214683370,236.161,1031607.128,260520.548,325.974
END
2
-71.488194444,43.213506987,279.882,1031828.075,260092.250,369.693
END

Where the first line contains a number (that corresponds to the number in the .ATT file.) The second line is a position. In a Line source, additional positions are given until an END is reached, in a Point Source only a single position is indicated, followed by an END. The file concludes with a carriage return on a blank line.

Refer to Sample.ATT and Sample.POS for an example.

Doing A Conversion
Running ASCII2TN will allow you to select a .ATT file. Then, depending on its contents, a .TXF (track) and/or a .MXF (marker) file will be created. These files can be imported as Tracks and Markers, respectively, in Terrain Navigator Pro.

Please refer to the electronic documentation that accompanies Terrain Navigator Pro for specifics on the .TXF and .MXF file formats.

● 

GDB2MXF - Garmin TXT

Some Garmin GPS applications (such as Mapsource) can save their GDB database files as TXT files. These text files (but not the original GDB files) can be converted into Terrain Navigator Pro's MXF file using GDB2MXF.

Please note that GDB2MXF only supports Waypoints stored in Lat/Lon (Decimal Minutes.) Other coordinate formats and data records are ignored.

.TXT Files
Garmin GDB TXT files are made up of the following:

Grid Format (only "Lat/Lon hddd°mm.mmm'" is supported)
Datum (only "WGS 84" is supported)
Header, Name, Description, Type, Position, other fields...

Where each line of Waypoint data begins with the word "Waypoint", and is followed by the name and description of the waypoint, and its coordinates in Lat/Lon hddd°mm.mmm'.

Refer to SampleGDB.TXT for an example.

Doing A Conversion
Running GDB2MXF will allow you to select a .TXT file. Then a .MXF (marker) file will be created. This file can be imported as Markers in Terrain Navigator Pro.

Please refer to the electronic documentation that accompanies Terrain Navigator Pro for specifics on the .MXF file format.

Technical Support

These utilities were created after customer requests.Although we provide these free to our customers, we cannot provide unlimited support for their use.

How To Install

Click the link below. In most instances, your web browser will ask if the file should be Opened, or Saved to your computer. Choose Save, then select a location to Save the downloaded file In. If you are unfamiliar with downloading and applying software patches, we recommend choosing your "Desktop"; select Save In, Desktop and press Save.

Once the download completes, double-click the downloaded application that appears on your Desktop. This will extract the MXF Conversion Tools to your computer. Please note that the default installation location for Terrain Navigator Pro will be chosen.

MXF Conversion Tools Revisions

01/06/06 - 1.0 Release
02/03/06 - 1.0 Release with minor tweak to ASCII2MXF
02/17/06 - 1.0 Release with new tool: GBD2MXF
02/22/06 - 1.0 Release with fixed version of GBD2MXF
04/25/06 - 1.01 Release with updated display for all utilities
08/17/07 - 1.2 Release with corrected tool name: GDB2MXF

Download Link

MXF_Converters.exe
812 KB
Requires an installation of Terrain Navigator Pro.

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