Bringing a Netcad Project into CartaX: Step by Step with DXF and NCN

Most survey work in Turkey is produced in Netcad; CartaX is where those drawings get draped over orthophotos, point clouds and 3D models. Netcad's project format (NCZ) is proprietary and cannot be read directly — but there are two short paths:

Data in Netcad	File that goes to CartaX	What you need to do
Drawing / project (NCZ)	DXF	Export from Netcad as DXF (AutoCAD 2010 or newer)
Point list (NCN)	NCN	Nothing — upload the file as it is
DWG	DXF	Pick DXF instead of DWG; the content is identical

1. Export the drawing as DXF

1. Open the project in Netcad and choose DXF in the export dialog.
2. Pick AutoCAD 2010 or newer as the version. Newer versions write text as UTF-8, so Turkish layer names (ÇİT, İRTİFAK, FOSEPTİK…) and labels arrive intact. If you pick an older version (R12 / 2000), CartaX reads the code page stored in the file and repairs Turkish characters.
3. Leave the coordinates as they are (in your project's TM / UTM zone). A DXF carries no coordinate-system information; CartaX infers the zone from your project card's location.

DWG and DXF come out of the same drawing engine; DXF is all CartaX needs. There is no separate DWG→DXF conversion step — just pick DXF when exporting.

2. Upload the point list (NCN) directly

NCN files are plain text; CartaX reads them without conversion. The expected column layout is Netcad's standard output:

PointNo   Y (easting)   X (northing)   Z (elevation)   Code   "Description"
1         525723.6501   4344543.8999   1254.3315        0      ""

• The point number appears as a label next to the marker on the map.
• Elevation (Z) and code are listed in the info window when you click a point; the Z value is stored with the data.
• Files without a Z column, tab- or semicolon-separated files, and files using a decimal comma (525723,6501) are read as well.
• Lines starting with # or ; are treated as comments; unreadable lines are skipped.

3. Upload in CartaX

1. In the map workspace press Upload and pick the Vector card — the file type (DXF, NCN, KML…) is detected from the extension. You can also drag the file straight onto the map.
2. CartaX resolves the coordinate system automatically: TUREF TM 3° zones (27°–45°), UTM 6° zones and geographic (degree) coordinates are recognised. When it stays ambiguous, use Place on map in the layer panel to position it manually.
3. In the analysis workspace you can add the same files as a vector layer of an orthophoto card; the card's location is used as the hint for zone resolution.

What comes through from a DXF?

Netcad object	In CartaX	Note
Line, polyline	Line	Closed polylines become areas (parcels)
Circle, arc	Line	Manholes, poles and similar symbols
Text (TEXT / MTEXT)	Label	Spot elevations, channel types; title in the info window
Block (INSERT)	Expanded geometry	Symbol blocks are placed with their scale and rotation
Point	Marker
Layer name	layer property	Shown in the info window

Not carried over: hatch patterns (fills on the TARAMA layer), dimension objects, per-layer colour and line type (in CartaX a layer's style is set once from the Style panel), and objects that live only in paper space (title blocks).

Limits: 40 MB and 25,000 entities for DXF. Geometry inside blocks counts towards this budget; once it is exceeded, the remaining blocks are shown as a single marker each. NCN files follow the same limits as GeoJSON.

Common questions

Why don't you open NCZ files directly? NCZ is a Netcad-specific, undocumented format that changes between versions. A DXF export carries the same drawing and works with every Netcad version.

Turkish characters look broken. Re-export the DXF with AutoCAD 2010 or newer. For older versions CartaX applies the code page automatically; if the problem persists, send the file to support.

The drawing landed in the wrong place. If the project card's location is far from where the drawing actually is, the zone guess can miss. Pick the right zone with Place on map in the layer panel, or fix the card location and upload again.

For every supported format and the current limits see Supported formats and limits.