Files to use: GPKG, TIF, DXF. Written for: QGIS 3.x (LTR).
Steps
- Set the project CRS to EPSG:27700 (bottom-right corner of the window).
- Drag the GeoPackage into QGIS: contours, spot levels and the boundary each come in as a layer, with their CRS.
- Drag in the ground model GeoTIFF for the full height grid. Style it as Singleband pseudocolor or add a Hillshade.
- To make your own contours at another interval, use Raster › Extraction › Contour on the GeoTIFF.
Good to know
- The DXF also opens in QGIS (Layer › Add Layer › Add Vector Layer), but DXF carries no CRS: set it to EPSG:27700 when asked.
Coordinates, units and heights
- Units are metres. Plan positions are real Ordnance Survey British National Grid coordinates (EPSG:27700), so a point at easting 324630, northing 639730 sits at exactly those coordinates in your drawing.
- Heights are metres above Ordnance Datum Newlyn, as in the LiDAR. Each contour line is drawn at its own height, and each spot level is a 3D point with a text label beside it.
- The layers are listed in SOURCE_AND_ACCURACY.txt, along with the survey date and the accuracy note. Keep it with the drawing.
Vendor help: QGIS user manual: Contour (GDAL). If your version's menus differ, follow the vendor's page.
Try it with a real sample first
Real public LiDAR for a small patch of ground at the edge of Peebles (Scottish Public Sector LiDAR Phase 3, 0.5 m). It's a sample area, not a real plot for sale. Free to download, no account needed.
Scottish Government LiDAR, tested to ±0.14 m typical on open ground (95% within ±0.28 m), shown with the date the survey was flown. Good for feasibility and early design; for setting out and detailed design, commission a measured survey. When you need a surveyor.
Other guides: AutoCAD · Revit · SketchUp · Vectorworks · Civil 3D
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