Autodesk Land Desktop has had the ability to define Parcels and generate Area, Inverse and Map Check reports for a long time. But with the 2005 version it has added the ability to create a Legal Description from a defined Parcel. This is done with the help of LandXML and the LandXML Reporting tool that is automatically installed when you install Land Desktop. The Land XML Reporting tool is a separate program and runs independently from Land Desktop. It includes a style sheet that formats LandXML data of a Parcel into a Legal Description. This also means that you can use it to create Legal Descriptions from any LandXML file that contains Parcel data no matter what software package created it.
The process to create a Legal Description if you are using Land Desktop is to first define the Parcel(s) in Land Desktop using any of the Parcel definition or sizing commands. Then Export the Parcel(s) to a LandXML file. Next launch the LandXML Reporting program and open the LandXML file containing the Parcel(s).
Select the Forms tab and expand the Parcel Report Forms folder. Pick the “General Legal Description for Parcels” form.
Then select the Settings tab. Enter any desired custom setting including Units, Precision, or even personal information.
Finally, select the Output tab. Choose the desired Parcel from the list or enable the Select All Parcels option. Click the Append to Repor”button to generate the Legal Description.
The Legal Description can now be printed, saved to an HTML file, or you can copy and paste it into a word processor. If it is not in the exact format you want you can modify the report settings and generate it again or just use this as the base to modify manually in your word processor. Either way it should save you a lot of time over creating the Legal Description manually.
