AutoCAD plugin + Android app · Fibre-optic network design

Aerial fibre-optic cable route design software

A software suite developed by the Institute of Information Technology in Civil Engineering (IIC), Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, for Viettel Consulting and Services JSC (VTK). Field workers locate each pole with the VTK Map phone app; office engineers open the KML file in AutoCAD and the software draws the complete cable route design set, with a bill of materials.

2 Components: field app, AutoCAD plugin

KML · KMZ Route coordinate formats

4 Drawing types in the design set

See the design workflow About the software

What the software does

From pole coordinates on the street to a print-ready set of route drawings

Engineers used to place each pole by hand, connect the route and count materials in AutoCAD. With this suite the data flows straight through: poles are tapped on the phone map and saved as KML, then converted to plane Oxy coordinates and drawn as a route in AutoCAD with ready-made pole blocks.

Read the route from Google Earth KML or KMZ files or from Excel; edit or add pole details and save as a new KML
Calculate the span between poles and the cumulative distance, recalculated as soon as the data changes
Place pole blocks by type, shape, suspension set and pole code; connect the cable route and draw the road according to its position relative to the poles
Drag poles on the drawing to match the site; the software updates the coordinates and spans
Insert a base map image into the overview and detail drawings
Split the route into several layouts, each with a bill of materials and a title block that updates the site names; batch print to PDF

Cable route detail drawing with pole positions, spans and the bill of materials — Route detail drawing: poles placed at their located coordinates, with the span table and bill of materials below.

Components

Field app and office software

Both parts share the KML format, so a surveyed route also opens in Google Earth.

VTK Map – locating poles

A map with a + mark in the centre of the screen; tap to capture the pole's longitude and latitude and enter its details on the spot.
VTK Map – editing the route

Insert several poles between two poles, drag poles to new positions, change the connection order, measure distances, undo actions.
AutoCAD plugin – data

Open KML, KMZ or Excel; choose the cable type, splice closure, installation method, the two end sites and the province.
AutoCAD plugin – drawings

Draw the legend, route overview, cable distribution and route details; create title blocks and schedules and print to PDF.

VTK Map app: the pole route on the map and the add pole dialog — VTK Map: the pole route on the map, and the Add pole dialog for height, pole type, and suspension or dead-end set.

Pole data

Information attached to each pole

Each pole on the route carries the following information. The office software uses it to choose the pole block and count materials.

Field	Values
Start and end points	Site code, site name and address
Pole shape	Square, double square, spun concrete, double spun concrete
Pole type	New pole or existing pole; classes DL≤8.5; DL10.5; DL12; >DL12; CSC; CMB; C-VT
Cable support	Suspension set or dead-end set; aerial or underground cable
Accessories	Fibre-optic cable marker, D12 plate, pole clamp, KV200 suspension set…
Pole owner	Viettel, VNPT, the power utility, MobiFone…
Road	Road name, road position relative to the pole base, distance to the road edge
Other	Pole height, longitude, latitude, notes

Cable route overview drawing with the bill of materials — The route overview drawing and the bill of materials for the whole route.

Cable distribution drawing between two sites — The cable distribution drawing between the two end sites.

Workflow

Designing a cable route, step by step

1. Create a route in VTK Map

Open the menu, choose Add new cable route and enter the route name. In Settings, choose the map type: normal, satellite, terrain or hybrid.

2. Locate each pole

Move the map until the + mark is on the pole, then tap to capture the coordinates.
For the first point choose Add start site and enter the site code and location. For the following points choose Add pole, and for the last point Add end site.
Enter the pole height, pole type, suspension or dead-end set, aerial or underground cable, accessories, pole owner, and the road position and name.
Poles are connected in order; pole numbers are reassigned when you insert or delete a pole.

3. Edit and share the route

Tap Insert poles and enter how many poles to insert between two poles.
Drag a pole to correct its position; reselect the connection order if the route is broken.
Tap Save, then Share file to send the KML file to the office team via Zalo or Google Drive.

VTK Map: inserting poles, the cable route menu and sharing the KML file — Inserting poles between two poles, the cable route menu, and sharing the KML file via Zalo or Drive.

4. Open the route in AutoCAD

In AutoCAD, open the software's control panel and choose Open KML file or Open KMZ file (or Get Excel data). Check the pole list and fill in missing details; the software recalculates the spans and cumulative distances.

KML Reader panel in AutoCAD with the project tree, routes and cable routes drawn over the base map — The plugin's control panel in AutoCAD: the project tree and the routes read from the KML file, drawn in model space.

5. Enter route details and drawing settings

In General information: site 1, site 2, province, cable name, cable type (for example ADSS KV200 24Fo fibre-optic cable), splice closure and installation method.
In Settings: title block, text height and colour, LinetypeScale, route rotation, number of poles per layout, spacing between two drawings.
Click Save settings and Save project.

6. Draw the route and adjust pole positions

Click draw to place the pole blocks at their coordinates and connect the cable route. If a pole is off from its real position, move it into place with the AutoCAD move command, then run the edit coordinates function and select that pole again: the software reads the new coordinates and updates the spans in the data.

Cable route drawn in AutoCAD layout by layout, with a pole schedule under each segment — The cable route split by layout; each segment has a pole and span schedule below it.

7. Output the design set

Choose Open map to insert a base map image into the drawing.
Create the overview drawing, detail drawings and schedules; each layout has a title block with the site names and location.
Click Print PDF to batch print the layouts into the design set.

Legend sheet in the cable route design set — The legend sheet opens the set, followed by the route overview, cable distribution and route detail sheets.

About the software

Developers and ownership

Name: Cable route design software (VeTuyenCap) and the VTK Map app
Version: In development since 2021, upgraded under supplementary contracts; the version used for 2024 design sets
Developed by: Institute of Information Technology in Civil Engineering, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering
Users: Viettel Consulting and Services JSC (VTK)
Ownership: Under the contract between the Institute and VTK
Platform: AutoCAD plugin on Windows; VTK Map app on Android (built on Google Maps)
Data exchange: KML, KMZ, Excel; DWG drawings, Excel schedules, PDF design sets

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