Beginning with TPC Desktop 2017 R2, TPC supports three coordinate systems used with shape files by reading and writing their corresponding projection (.prj) file.
Geographic
TPC imports / exports geodetic positions for all shapes using a projection file (.prj) that includes the GEOGCS[] information.
The following is in example of what it will look like.
TPC imports / exports coordinates for all shapes without the use of a projection (.prj) file.
When importing shapes without a projection file, TPC evaluates the extents of the shapes and prompts you to read them as geographic positions if their extents are within the range of -360 to 360 (values of latitude and longitude in degrees). Coordinates for these geographic positions are generated using the current CRS of the survey.
Import Geographic Shapes Without a Projection File (3:16) - If TPC imports a geographic shape file without a projection files, it stops and tells you the file might be geographic and asks if you want to import it as such.
EPSG 3857 and 4326
Google Earth, Open Street Maps, etc. generally use these coordinate reference systems which TPC provides as .prj files.
Starting with TPC Desktop 2026, TPC reads the ellipse data from an associated PRJ file and adds it to the list of available ellipses. See Managing Ellipses.
