This document provides instructions for using SoundPlan software to model sound propagation. It describes how to open SoundPlan, create a new project, import terrain and object data from various file types including ASCII, ESRI shapefiles, DXF and bitmaps. It also explains how to calculate a Digital Ground Model from terrain data, perform coordinate operations, create road embankments, calculate building heights, and find freely available geospatial data resources.

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SoundPlan Student Manual
Irfan Mughal, Pallav Shrestha
2014
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1. Opening Soundplan
● Open Soundplan7.2 from the start menu.
Figure 1Open soundplan from the start menu
● Choose the Basic Network License.
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Figure 2 Select the basic network license
● Press Ok on the screen which shows the amount of license in use. Currently the
maximum number usage allowed is 20.
● Locate your Sound plan Global settings folder or specify the location for the new
one. Default location is …currentuserDocumentsSoundPlan Globdata 7.2.
● Press Ok
Figure 3 Press OK
● Choose the Licence again if prompted to.
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● Create a New Project
Figure 4 Choose the correct save file location.
● Choose a Save Location.
● Assign a Project Folder and Project Title.
● Choose UTM northern hemisphere as coordinate System and geocentric worldwide GPS as
reference system
● Open GeoDB
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● By default, A new Project Folder opens with an Empty situation and an empty Geo file.
2. Importing
a) Terrain
Most common Terrain data are found as ASCII data. The common file extensions for
ASCII data include .xyz, .asc and .txt.
Geo database > File> Import > Filter and import elevation data…
Figure 5 Import elevation by filtering raw data
Open an ASCII file containing the desired data. Select [Get file information] on the Tasks
submenu and Click on execute.
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Figure 6 Get File information
The file information will show an .elg file choose to Filter Elevation data from the task
dropdown menu. If large and clumped terrain data needs to be imported then filtering the
data might be required by increasing the max point distance and maximum height
difference to original points.
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Figure 7 Filtering Elevations
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Figure 8 Importing filtered Elevations
The .elg file may contain one or more elevation data (.elv). Choose the one required or both
in case of doubt. Select Import Elevations in the task dropdown and click OK. This terrain
is now imported.
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Figure 9 GeoDB with Terrain data
b) ESRI shape file (ArcMAP)
ESRI shape files can be imported directly to Soundplan. ESRI shape file contains polygon
or line data which represents, areas, buildings and roads.
Geo database > File> Import > ESRI shape file
Figure 10 Import ESRI shape file
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Locate the shape file and choose the correct Object type and choose or create a new
Geofile. Here, Object type has been selected as Building. Object type can be changed later.
The assignment table shows the available data on the shape file and needs to be co­related
to Building properties on the right. Press Ok when done.
Figure 11Don’t forget to correlate the available data
Depending upon what Object type was selected, a second menu box appears for setting the
emission properties or building height. Select a general property if a large amount of data is
being loaded or assign the correct property if a single data is loaded and Press OK.
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Figure 12 Buildings Loaded
c) DXF shape Files (CAD)
Geo database > File> Import > DXF…
Locate the correct DXF file and press OK
Figure 13 Loading DXF
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Choose the correct layer to import or choose [All Layers] and press OK.
DXF files are imported as general Objects. The property of the objects needs to be defined
(roads, buildings, area etc.).
Figure 14 DXF files loaded
d) Loading Bitmap
● GeoDB>Fundamentals>Bitmap>Load
Figure 15 Loading Bitmap
Whenever a map is loaded as an image, it needs to be calibrated in the coordinate system.
This can be done manually with two or more reference points. This however, can cause
errors in calibration even with the presence of a minute error.
If maps are downloaded from a proper map source, then it is usually accompanied by a
geo­location file. The calibration then is automatic if the geo­location file is in the same
directory as the map file.
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Figure 16 Auto­calibration from geo­location file
3. Calculating DGM
DGM stands for Digital Ground Model. It is the digital interpretation of the terrain data
which can be used in calculation. DGM is calculated very conveniently if terrain data is
present. When terrain data is present, Go to GeoDB>Fundamentals>DGM>Calculate
DGM. Terrain data normally is a big file
4. Coordinate Operations.
When the imported data or shapes are not directly on the terrain but under or above it,
simple coordinate operation can be carried out to fix this. For example, when buildings are
imported and they are under the terrain, then select all the buildings and go to
Edit>Coordinate Operations…
This will open a window. Input =dgm as the operation and press Execute.
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Figure 17 Coordinate Operations
Figure 18 Coordinate Operations…
5. Creating embankments for roads
After Coordinate operation is carried out to make sure the Roads are on the terrain but in
3D view you can notice that still some roads run little below the terrain or in the air ( above
terrain) at some points, embankments can be created to solve this problem.
● Open situation and remove all other files from the situation except roads and ground
elevation data (high points).
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● Go back to GeoDB and close the DGM.
Figure 19 Unloading DGM
● After that your DGM line should disappear from the situation.
● Select all the roads… make terrain elevation file active (visible),
● Go to Geo­tool>Create embankments…
Figure 20 Creating Embankments
● You should get a dialog box.
● After pressing create embankment, press ok to the default settings.
● That should run your roads nicely and smoothly through the terrain.
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● Press ctrl+s to save the situation and remove everything else other than terrain point
data from the situation.
● Recalculate the DGM and save the whole situation once again.
● Removed files can now be reinserted to the situation.
6. Calculating Building heights
When you have buildings and the database on the buildings is missing its height, building
heights can be calculated from laser scan of the topography. The laser scanned data
contains the topography, buildings and any object. Building heights can be calculated from
the difference between the laser scanned data and the topography.
● Create a new geo­file for Building heights.
● File>Import>Filter and import elevation data.
● Locate the desired laser grid data. The laser scanned data needs to be in ASCII
format.
● Select Get file information and press execute
● After the process completes, choose Import elevation, check the box Use areas
and/or lines corridors and select the geofile with the building(s). Press execute
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Figure 21 Import without filtering
● Press OK and you should have Building height points on the building height geofile
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Figure 22 Buildings with building point data.
● Hide all the layers other than buildings and building heights
● Select the buildings and calculate individual building heights using
Geo­Tools>Evaluate points for building heights.
● Remove the building height points from the situation or make it hidden. Save and
press Ctrl+F10 for 3D view.
Figure 23 3D view of building with calculated height.
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7. Resource gathering
National Land Survey of Finland (NLS), (Maanmittauslaitos, MML) has one of the best
geo data of Finland online. It is available publicly for download at:
https://tiedostopalvelu.maanmittauslaitos.fi/tp/kartta
The data is available in national grids.
Figure 24 Data Library, NLS
a) Laser scanned data
Among the various data available, laser scanned data is one of them. It contains data of a
grid’s surface as scanned by laser. It contains surface data like roads, bridges, buildings or
any objects on the terrain. This is available as .laz format, which cannot be directly
imported into Soundplan.
There are different programmes on the internet which can translate the .laz format to a
desired one. Currently, las2txt is being used to translate the .laz file into ASCII point data.
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Figure 25 ASPRS LAS data grid M4212G3, Tampere
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