Will you be attending Autodesk University 2016 this year? If so, we will see you there! Jerry Bartels and I are scheduled to present the following classes… LD23337 - Weapon of Mass Production: Harnessing the Power of the AEC Industry Collection 11/15/16 (Tuesday) 3:00 PM (PST) – 90 min. https://livestream.com/accounts/22109712/events/6561502
For those of you who are not able to attend, we plan to live stream both of these events. (We’re bringing our own equipment to the sessions to present “off the grid” live broadcasts.)
If you are interested, please use the hyperlinks above to register for these sessions. Then tune in and experience a portion of AU as it happens!
The time it takes to make important design decisions can often slow down or even stop the work being done on a project. Fortunately, BIM 360 Team makes it possible to collaborate anytime, from anywhere. Using the mobile app, (supporting both iOS and Android devices) team members have continuous access to projects, and can share ideas or ask/answer questions even when out of the office. This week we’ll explore a couple workflows demonstrating how BIM 360 Team can be leveraged remotely.
First of all, BIM 360 Team includes a Live Review feature that allows team members to collectively view and comment on plan sheets and models. When launched, the host is provided a hyperlink that serves as the “invitation” to the meeting. Anyone who is sent this hyperlink can then join the session using a web browser, smartphone, or tablet. Using Live Review helps ensure design decisions (and directions) are clear, because everyone is reviewing the same area of the design.
In addition, the BIM 360 Team mobile app allows team members to review, markup, and comment on plan sheets and models even when they are working off-site. As a side note, taking advantage of the mobile app can also provide additional benefits such as camera access and hands free typing.
If you are interested, I’ve created a couple quick videos that walk through each of these concepts.
Today’s focus is on Data Management, specifically using Vault Professional to manage our Civil 3D project data.
For those not familiar with Vault, the workflow looks like this…
We check-out our project data to a Working Folder (typically on our local computer), perform edits and/or create new objects, and then check the model back into Vault.
Simple yet extremely powerful and can have numerous benefits over using Windows Explorer with a mapped network drive along with data shortcuts. (Perhaps topics for future installments. :) )
Having said this, by default, the end user is able to set their own working folder location.
In smaller offices this may be fine if we are only dealing with a few workstations. In larger installations, leaving this control up to the end user can present challenges that would be eliminated if every workstation/authoring application used a consistent Working Folder name.
Imagine for a moment the chaos that could result if every application and workstation connecting to the Vault used a different folder on the local computer.
(i.e. Civil 3D's working folder set to C:\Civil 3D Projects, AutoCAD's working folder set to C:\2017 Projects, Microstation's working folder set to H:\Current Projects...)
Or worse yet, end users mapping their working folders to network drives on top of another user’s working folder.
How do we enforce a standard working folder? Do we have to set it individually on each workstation and each application???
Short answer No. We need only change a single setting in Vault Explorer and every computer and every application that connects to the Vault now and forever will use a consistent working folder name on the user's local computer.
Although there are a few ways to turn off and/or hide corridor and surface data in Civil 3D, care must be taken when it comes to end area volumes. Simply clipping out a portion of the corridor data can lead to irregular results when these volumetric calculations are made. Check out the video below to see a technique that will give precise control over corridor volume gaps.
To ensure an infrastructure project stays on track, every team member needs to be kept in the loop regarding deadlines, meetings and project milestones. It’s also important that any direction (or action item) provided at these events is shared with the entire team. BIM 360 Team can help simplify these communications using the Wiki page and Calendar features.
A Wiki page is a document containing project specific information. An example might be a list of project members, their responsibilities and contact information. By storing this information in a centralized (cloud based) location, it becomes a resource the entire team can leverage. Meeting notes could also be stored as Wiki pages. Most Infrastructure projects require several meetings involving a multitude of topics and stakeholders. Using the Wiki page feature, everyone on the project team can take advantage of the notes taken at these meetings.
BIM 360 Team also provides a dedicated calendar for storing (and reviewing) all project related events. Being cloud based, the calendar can be accessed from anywhere while displaying only the meetings, deadlines, and milestones specific to a project. When an event is added to Team’s calendar all members of the project team are notified via. email, ensuring everyone stays informed. The email received also includes an invite.ics file so the event can be added to Microsoft Outlook if desired.
If you are interested, I’ve created a couple quick videos that walk through each of these features.
When you need to know how to get from “Point A” to “Point B”.
One of the core functions of performing COGO operations is the ability to Inverse Between Points.
(Essentially, calculating the Bearing and Distance between two coordinate locations usually by entering only the point numbers)
Civil 3D has always been able to do this. In fact, it can actually be done several different ways. Unfortunately, the purpose built commands don’t immediately jump out at the end user. As a result, some folks tend to struggle to perform an Inverse operation using pure AutoCAD commands.
In an effort to help drive more awareness around these tools, today’s “Tool for Tuesday” installment focuses on two ways to perform an Inverse Between two Points operation.
These include Civil 3D’s Inquiry Tool and the Survey Command Line Interface.
The most important part of design collaboration is having an open dialog between members of a project team. One way BIM 360 Team helps groups communicate is through the use of redline markups and comments. Simply adding a notation to a plan sheet (or model) will automatically send notifications to other team members, ensuring everyone can participate in the latest discussion. In addition, BIM 360 Team retains a history of all design comments making it easy, if necessary, to trace the evolution of a final design.
In today’s installment, we will continue our exploration of BIM 360 Team by focusing on its commenting and markup capabilities. If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video highlighting each feature.
So you have a Civil 3D model that contains tons of Point Objects and you need to import or create even more. You would like to prevent them from being renumbered when created so you need to find an open slot of unused Point numbers to accommodate the new ones. Sound familiar?
If not, your lucky! If so, it means that (like me) you are responsible for managing the data collection and/or the construction stake out portions of a project. (Also known as Survey :) )
Fortunately for us, Civil 3D contains a quick and easy tool to accomplish this. It is probably the best example of a feature that “says what it does” and “does what it says”. The feature I am speaking of is ListAvailablePointNumbers.
Over the past couple weeks I’ve had a chance to explore the BIM 360 Team application. BIM 360 Team represents a cloud based “hub” where design teams can store, share, and view data associated with their projects. Each project can be assigned its own “space”, thus creating a one-stop-shop for all things related to that project. (Drawings, plan sheets, documentation, images, videos, calendar events, etc.)
Since BIM 360 Team is a cloud based service it can be accessed anytime, from anywhere using a web browser or mobile device. (Both iOS and Android are supported.) This means that important design decisions can be addressed in real time, and no longer have to wait until team members get back to the office. BIM 360 Team also provides a lightweight viewer allowing users to access and review more than 50 different file formats. With its simplified, intuitive interface, everyone on the project team can review and comment on plan sets and 3D models without having to be an expert in CAD.
If you are interested, I’ve posted a quick video series to help get you up and running using this helpful tool. (More to come!)
If you are interested in incorporating BIM 360 Team into your workflow, you can get more information and/or access a free 30 day trial here – http://team.bim360.com
Have you ever wanted to compare two .DWG files and see what is different? (I’d be shocked if anyone actually said No! :) )
Over the years folks have come up with numerous (sometimes really creative) ways to accomplish this. In today’s Tool for Tuesday I walk through one of them.
Check out the video below to see how the “Compare Sheets” feature of Design Review can help you quickly determine additions and deletions to your Civil 3D model.
(Note: Technically, the tool compares .DWF files which means it can be used to compare any files that can be printed. Very cool!)
