When reviewing an InfraWorks model, the first things you see are the physical objects like roads, buildings, utilities and vegetation. What isn’t always obvious are the underlying attributes that define the model. In today’s installment, we’ll look at a way to visualize that model data using Feature Themes.
A feature theme allows users to colorize objects based on their properties or attribution. They also include a legend, making it possible to understand model data at a glance. Feature themes can be created for virtually any object class (buildings, pipes, trees, coverage areas, etc.) and can easily be shared with other models via. export and import.
If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video that covers the basics of how they work…
Today’s tool is all about QA/QC as it relates to our Civil 3D Point Objects.
In short, having duplicate Points or Points in very close proximity to each other can indicate a problem especially when the Points represent existing conditions.
Maybe the same object was collected from different setups and their elevations vary more than an acceptable amount. Maybe Points were inadvertently inserted multiple times into the same model. Maybe the redundant information is causing issues with Surface triangulation…
There are many reasons why duplicate (or nearly duplicate) Points should be identified and evaluated.
Unfortunately, until recently, there was not an easy way for us to identify these Points.
In Civil 3D 2016 there was a Transportation Extension module that was released mid-year. This module contained an AECCREPORTPOINTPROX tool designed specifically to evaluate our Points and generate a report of any Points that fell within our user defined proximity tolerance. This report could then be used to go back and evaluate the affected Points and determine if any resolution was required.
Very cool!!
I know what you are thinking… Where do I get my hands on this Transportation Extension so I can try it out. In short, if you have Civil 3D 2018, you already have it!! The Transportation Extension tools have been rolled into the "out of the box" Civil 3D installation.
Check out the video below to see where to find it and how it works.
I was recently asked how one could create a subassembly that would automatically find the last possible intersecting point on a particular surface target along a given slope. The use case was shoring slopes and computing resulting quantities on things like earthen channels and mines. Thanks to Auxiliary Points in Subassembly Composer (which I call ghost points), we can accomplish this without too much trouble.
Check out the video below to see this technique in action.
InfraWorks provides several ways to visualize content inserted into a model. Many times, when we think of visualization, we think of materials such as asphalt, concrete, grass, etc. While physical appearance is important, InfraWorks also provides ways to visualize the data "behind" the objects in a model.
In today’s installment, we’ll explore the concept of tooltips. Tooltips allow users to quickly view text labels or property data by simply hovering over a desired object. They provide a quick “heads up” way to display the data that defines a model.
If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video that covers the basics of how they work…
Today is a special day! Not only do we have two tools for Tuesday but they are undocumented commands. (At least as it relates to Civil 3D :) )
Being equipped with these tools extends your abilities when it comes to working with AutoCAD Blocks.
Let me set the stage…
From the beginning of time, there are just some things you cannot do with AutoCAD Blocks. For example Trim. If you try and Trim a Block, it is simply ignored.
Additionally, you cannot break a Block into two pieces. (Sure you can explode them but then the entire Block returns to numerous native AutoCAD entities)
You might be thinking, where would this be helpful? I thought the same thing too because I had never really considered the possibilities. Working with Blocks in this way was never really something I had ever thought about because it violated my understanding of all that is good in the AutoCAD universe. :)
In short, these tools can be helpful in a number of situations from creating exhibits, creating details or even creating a Model Space representation of a Paperspace viewport. As my mind slowly expands to accept this new reality, I’m finding more uses for them every day.
For this week's post, I decided to pull out a crowd favorite from my previous blog and share on Civil Immersion.
The problem is simple: how can I model a curb and gutter shape around a curb return that maintains perpendicular to the return instead of the baseline horizontal alignment. The answers are many: intersection wizard, manually building your own "intersection wizard-like" regions, multiple corridors, or grading objects. I'm sure there are more, but you get the point. Offset Assemblies give us an additional option and allow us to model a simple intersection in a single corridor region. You need an alignment to control the horizontal of the Offset Assembly object-which isn't a problem since you will generally have the curb return geometry. The trick is controlling the vertical position of the Offset Assembly...
Check out the video below to see this workflow in action.
If you’ve modeled driveways in the past, you may have found them to be one of the more challenging things to add to a Civil 3D corridor model. In today’s installment, I’m going to show you a way to add driveways using a simple pair of targets.
The workflow revolves around a custom part I created using Subassembly Composer. If you’d like to experiment with (or reverse engineer) this part, it can be downloaded here - http://autode.sk/2zoVhkR
To present the workflow, I’ve recorded a “triple feature” that walks through everything. If you are interested, I’ve provided hyperlinks to all three sessions...
Let me say up front that this workflow isn’t intended to be the “end all” way to create driveways, that being said, I do think it can be used to model many of them. In addition, I’m hoping what I show here may give you some new ideas, allowing you to take this concept even farther on your own.
Ok, today’s tool is really more of a "feature of a workflow" than it is an official tool. :)
Having said this, it helps us do a really cool thing. Create a section style view from Point Objects!!
Some background…
For years, field crews have collected points in a linear fashion to represent cross sections of swales, ditches, roads… Having said this, once the points were brought into Civil 3D, we see only points. If we wanted to see a cross sectional representation of even a single row of points, we needed to create a surface, alignment, profile view…. In short, I for one was always looking for an easier way to quickly visualize my point information.
Today is that day!!
There is a little known option of the Feature Line Elevation Editor that will do exactly what we want. (Create a section type view without having to build a Surface)
You simply connect the points together that represent your section using a 3D polyline, convert that polyline into a Feature line and display a Quick Profile of the Feature Line using the Draw3DEntityProfile option of the Feature Line Elevation Editor dialog box. (Takes longer to read than do!! :) )
Several years ago, I posted a video series on creating custom ground coordinate systems in Civil 3D. However, I neglected to cover the technique for building a "pseudo-ground" state plane system for a state which uses a Lambert Conformal Conic projection (I only did a Transverse Mercator projection example). After being asked about this technique recently, I knew now was the time to correct my earlier oversight.
InfraWorks makes it easy to stylize SHP files that are dragged and dropped into its interface. This workflow becomes even more powerful when a SHP file includes vertical data. By leveraging a feature’s elevational properties, you can quickly convert GIS data into an accurate 3D model.
In today’s installment, we’ll explore a workflow to model an underground utility using the vertical data stored within a SHP file. In the example, we’ll be creating a storm sewer network, however this workflow would apply to any underground piping or structures for which you have vertical attribution.
If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video below that walks through everything…
