Civil Immersion

Creating "True" Offset Geometry using OFFSETGAPTYPE

Generally speaking, when using the OFFSET command we are creating a parallel copy.  That being said, parallel copies aren’t always the best solution for every offset. For example, if an offset is meant to define a buffer, limit, safety zone or impact area; the “traditional” result may not be the most accurate.

At times like this we can leverage the OFFSETGAPTYPE system variable.  When active, OFFSETGAPTYPE will ensure offset geometry is created having rounded outside corners, thus ensuring a consistent offset distance between the original object and the copy.  In the recording below, I walk through a workflow using OFFSETGAPTYPE to improve the accuracy of a wetland buffer. 

As a side note I created this example using Civil 3D, however OFFSETGAPTYPE is native to AutoCAD, so this technique will work using all AutoCAD vertical applications.

-Jeff

Finding and Tracing the Intersection Between Two Civil 3D Surfaces

In today’s installment we’ll explore a tool in Civil 3D called “Minimum Distance Between Surfaces”.  This tool makes it easy to identify and delineate the intersection between two surfaces.  (It does this by tracing the intersection as a 3D polyline.)
Once surface intersections are traced; the resulting 3D polyline can be leveraged in a multitude of design tasks.  (Targets, breaklines, surface boundaries, grading edges, etc.)  You are only limited by your creativity. :)

In the recording below, I demonstrate a workflow using the tool to help identify potential flood areas within a property boundary...

-Jeff

 

Finish Strong Friday: Civil 3D Property Set Data – Export to Excel and Access

Similar to my last post, this post is in response to a question I received about the "Property Set Data-Link to Excel" video.  The user asked if there is a way to reverse the direction of this workflow-meaning, export Property Set attributes to an external file.  You can export directly to Microsoft Access and use the Schedule tool for the Microsoft Excel export.

Check out the video below to see these two workflows.

-Alan

 

Removing an Application using Autodesk's Dedicated Uninstall Tool

After installing a large application like Civil 3D you may have noticed several other programs were also added to your system.  They might include things like material libraries, object enablers, add-ins and supporting applications.  While this isn’t a problem, it can present challenges if the time comes that you need to uninstall Civil 3D and all of its associated components.

Fortunately, Autodesk provides a dedicated uninstall tool making it easy to remove an application and its “dependencies” using only a couple clicks of the mouse.  In today’s post we’ll explore the Autodesk Uninstall Tool by leveraging it to remove Civil 3D from a machine.  With the 2018 product line quickly becoming available, this tool can provide an efficient way to remove older Autodesk applications to make room for a newer release.

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick recording that walks through a sample workflow...

-Jeff

Using BIM 360 Team to Share Project Files with Any Stakeholder

Sometimes, sharing files (especially large ones) with stakeholders can be a bit of a challenge.  If you rely on email, you can easily run into file size or file type restrictions.  If you use FTP, you may experience difficulty connecting to a stakeholder’s site, or they may have difficulty connecting to yours.  If you are required to send updates on a regular basis, traditional file exchange methods can make it challenging to follow the history of your revisions, or know which files were provided to each stakeholder and when.  

Fortunately BIM 360 Team makes it easy to share files with anyone using a simple hyperlink.  In addition, BIM 360 Team retains a copy of every uploaded file making future audits of project correspondence virtually painless :)

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video that walks through how to use BIM 360 Team’s share feature to make any of your project files available to others.

-Jeff

If you'd like to explore more of what you can do with BIM 360 Team, please review this playlist.

 

Using Raster Design to Extract Text from a Scanned Image

No one likes to re-type paragraphs of text.  That being said, it isn’t always possible to obtain all necessary project data in digital form.  In some cases the data you need may only exist as a scanned drawing or exhibit.  Fortunately, Raster Design can make quick work of converting rasterized content into fully editable text.

Raster Design’s Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature can easily identify, extract, and validate the text lifted from a scanned image.  After extraction, if further QA/QC is needed, it is also possible to have your computer read the converted text back, such that it can be cross checked against the original scan.

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video that walks through the process.

NOTE: The quality of the text extraction is directly proportional to the quality of the scanned image.  If you are working with a “dirty” scan, try despeckling the image prior to extracting.  Use the following link to learn how to despeckle images!  https://youtu.be/YCSLB0oCfhk

-Jeff

Using Civil 3D to Create a Cut & Fill Earthwork Exhibit

Civil 3D makes it easy to analyze the volume between two surfaces using the Volumes Dashboard.  That being said, volume calculations alone represent the overall earthwork as a number.  If you’d like to add a little more “color” to the earthwork story, you can easily make your volume calculations more visual by creating some custom styles.

As an example, you could create a surface style that highlights positive and negative elevations to colorize the cut and fill areas throughout a project site.  Once these areas have been defined, a custom spot elevation label style could be used to identify the amount of cut and fill going on in these areas.  The best part is that the colorization and annotations remain dynamic to the model.  Any changes made to the design will automatically be reflected in your earthwork visualization.

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video that walks through a possible workflow.   

-Jeff

Creating a Virtual Reality Experience from an InfraWorks 360 Model

There is no better way to experience an InfraWorks 360 model than to physically put yourself inside the 3D environment.  If you’ve ever thought about experimenting with virtual reality (and you have access to the AEC Industry Collection) it’s actually easier than you might think to create an immersive VR experience from an InfraWorks model.

The process takes only minutes (with absolutely no learning curve) and the resulting stereo panorama can be viewed using a smartphone.  Just imagine the many ways you could use this technology to show off your next civil infrastructure project!

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick recording that walks through the process.

-Jeff

Finish Strong Friday: Volumetric Gaps for Corridors

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.

-Alan

Finish Strong Friday: Custom Subassembly Edits for Existing Corridors in Civil 3D

A custom subassembly built using Subassembly Composer can be just what the doctor ordered in many corridor design situations. Sometimes however, a phased approach is needed to tackle a tricky subassembly.  Being able to iterate between the cycles of building the subassembly and testing at various levels of completion can be very beneficial and time saving.  In other cases, edits have to be made after a corridor is created for the simple reason of correcting a mistake.

Check out the video below to see one workflow that will allow you to preserve the integrity of the existing corridor and eliminate the need for large edits to the existing assembly.

 

-Alan