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Extract TIN surface points from LandXML

A TIN surface in LandXML sits inside a element, under a that holds two lists: and . Each

inside Pnts is a surface point with an id attribute and northing easting elevation as its text. Each inside Faces is a triangle, written as three point ids that reference the Pnts list. Together they describe the triangulated surface — the same structure a digital terrain model uses everywhere.

To get a surface out as data you need both lists, kept in sync. This tool exports the Pnts as a CSV of id, northing, easting, elevation (or X, Y, Z in PXYZD order), and optionally the Faces as a CSV of triangle vertex references. Because the face file keeps the point ids, the triangulation round-trips: you can rebuild the same surface in another package from the two CSVs.

Exporting just the surface points is enough for many tasks — importing breaklines, checking spot elevations, feeding a volume calculation. When you need the full mesh, add the faces export and you have the complete TIN as plain text.

Open the LandXML exporter — free, no upload

Exporting a TIN surface to CSV

  1. Drop the LandXML file containing the surface on the tool.
  2. Confirm the summary shows a surface count and TIN point/face counts.
  3. Tick "TIN surface points" (and "TIN faces" if you need the triangles).
  4. Export — each surface becomes its own CSV file, bundled into a ZIP when there's more than one.

Questions

What's in the surface points CSV?

Each row is one TIN vertex: its id from the LandXML P element, then northing, easting and elevation (or X, Y, Z if you choose PXYZD). The id is what the faces reference.

What's in the faces CSV?

Each row is one triangle: a face index plus the three vertex ids (VertexA, VertexB, VertexC) that point back into the surface points file, so the mesh can be reconstructed.

Can a file have more than one surface?

Yes — existing ground and proposed surfaces often ship in the same file. Each Surface is exported to its own CSV, named after the surface, so they don't collide.

Export your LandXML now