Civil Immersion

Smooth the Appearance of Sectioned Civil 3D Pipe Networks using FACETDEV

On occasion, sectioned pipe network components may appear “faceted” when displayed in a Civil 3D profile or section view.  In today's installment we’ll look at a quick way to smooth out the appearance of these objects using a system variable (unique to Civil 3D) called FACETDEV.  FACETDEV is short for Facet Deviation.

FACETDEV controls how much the display of a sectioned object can deviate from its true curved shape.  The lower you set FACETDEV, the closer the geometry will match the actual curve.  That said, there is a trade-off.  Setting it too low may impact drawing performance, so try not to be overly aggressive when assigning a value.  It’s important to note that this system variable is stored within the drawing, so assigning FACETDEV in a template file would apply it automatically to all future drawings.

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video below that demonstrates the use of FACETDEV…

-Jeff

More information about FACETDEV (and its companion system variable FACETMAX) can be found here – https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/civil-3d/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2017/ENU/Civil3D-BestPractices/files/GUID-F6294C44-36B8-433C-ACBC-6D4414AB2B5E-htm.html

Display Multiple Civil 3D Section Views within a Single Grid

Many times, when creating Civil 3D section views, each view will have its own grid.  In today’s installment, we’ll learn how to display a single grid that multiple section views can share. 

Typically, section view grids are configured and displayed within the Section View Style.  The trick to creating a “unified grid” can be found by visiting the Group Plot Style.  Selecting the Display Tab within a Group Plot Style, you’ll find a series of grid components that apply to the overall sheet.  By configuring and displaying these components, a single unified grid can be displayed that is shared by multiple section views.

If you're interested, I’ve created a quick recording that walks through the process…

-Jeff

Using InfraWorks Tooltips to Open Files

Quite often, InfraWorks tooltips are used to display the data associated with objects in a model.  Because these tooltips are HTML based however, they can do a lot more.  In today’s installment, we’ll explore a way to use InfraWorks tooltips to open files. 

For a tooltip to open a file, you’ll need to provide the filename (and file path) and a description using the following HTML syntax… <a href= "Path/Filename"><font size="4">Description</font></a>  This is a relatively simple example that will produce a text label called “Description” that opens a designated file when clicked.  By incorporating a little creativity (and a few more HTML tags) you can create much more elaborate tooltips.

By leveraging this technique, an InfraWorks model can act much like a “kiosk”, providing a graphical representation of an overall site that users can navigate to open associated files.  Everything from CAD models, to parts lists, to maintenance schedules could be accessed by simply hovering over the objects in a model!

If you’re interested, I’ve created a quick video below that walks through a possible workflow…   

-Jeff

Allow ANY Stakeholder to View & Markup Civil 3D Drawings!

On occasion you may need to collaborate with stakeholders who don’t have access to Civil 3D.  Fortunately, Civil 3D makes it easy to share designs with anyone using only a web browser.  In today’s installment, we’ll explore the concept of Shared Views.

Shared Views allow engineers and designers to publish Civil 3D drawings to the cloud where they can be accessed via. a hyperlink.  Simply clicking the link makes it possible to review and provide comments on a civil design without the need for specialized CAD software or training.

Shared Views are considered “temporary”;  as such, they are assigned a 30-day expiration date.  This provides stakeholders time to comment on drawings before the views expire.  (If necessary, an additional 30-day extension can be applied.)

Using Shared Views, stakeholders never have access to the actual CAD drawings.  They cannot download or edit design files.  A Shared View is simply a cloud-based environment that allows them to view a design and provide comments where necessary. 

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video below that demonstrates some possible workflows…

-Jeff

 

Simplifying Civil 3D Corridor Modeling using Contextual Tools

Most Civil 3D courses teach students to create and edit corridor models using the Corridor Properties dialog box.  This dialog box represents a “one-stop-shop” for creating baselines, regions and surfaces. It is also used to assign targets and frequencies; and if you Rt-click on the entries, you can access even more tools for adding, removing or splitting components.

That said; if this dialog box the ONLY tool you use for corridor modeling, you’ll soon find that as models become larger and more complex, so also does the dialog box, which can make it cumbersome to edit proposed designs.

Today, we’ll look at some alternative ways to build corridor geometry that do not involve the Corridor Properties dialog box.  These techniques can help simplify your workflows and allow you to take your corridor modeling skills to a whole new level!

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick recording below that walks through everything…

-Jeff

If you are interested in how Offset/Return alignments and profiles are created, please visit these links…
Creating Offset Profiles & Connected Alignments - Pt. 1  - https://youtu.be/8Nu1_L91JLU
Creating  Offset Profiles & Connected Alignments - Pt. 2 - https://youtu.be/kP_tcWLGwvA

Exploring 3D Modeling using AutoCAD

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of teaching an AutoCAD course at a small school in northern Thailand.  Part of the training included some 3D modeling.  Typically, when I teach 3D modeling, I give students small inexpensive objects (usually toys) and ask them to model the objects using the commands they’ve learned.

In today’s installment, I thought we would model one of those objects because it’s a great way to explore some of the many 3D tools available in AutoCAD.  Please note, that as we go through this we are not looking for the “fastest” way to create the object.  Our goal is to explore as many tools as possible.  Hopefully, along the way, you’ll see a command or two you haven’t tried before. 

If you are interested, I've created a quick video below that walks through everything...

-Jeff

Would you like to work along with me?  Download the image I used here - https://autode.sk/2KlaIAb

“Prompting for Name” when Inserting Civil 3D Subassemblies

The shape of a Civil 3D corridor is based on its assemblies.  Assemblies are built from individual components called “subassemblies” that represent things like lanes, shoulders, sidewalks and curb.  By default, subassemblies are assigned generic (sometimes identical) names making it challenging to tell them apart, especially when selecting corridor targets.

For this reason, subassemblies are typically renamed by users.  In today’s installment we’ll look at a way to eliminate the renaming process and assign logical names to subassemblies ONE TIME at the point of their insertion.

The feature is actually a toggle called "Subassembly Name Prompt", found within the Subassembly Options on the Settings Tab of the Toolspace. Once turned on, Civil 3D will prompt users to enter a name each time a subassembly is inserted into the drawing.  Simply add this setting to your template drawing and you may never need to rename subassembly parts again!

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video below that demonstrates a possible workflow… 

-Jeff

Apply Transitions to Virtually any Civil 3D Subassembly!

Quite often, a proposed corridor design will require subassemblies to transition or change shape as they progress along an alignment.  Typically, these transitions are controlled using a horizontal, vertical, or surface target so long as the subassembly part supports it.  Not all of them do.

In today’s installment we’ll look at a way to assign transitions to virtually any subassembly part, even if it doesn’t support targeting.  We’ll do that by creating a “numeric control line” to calculate and apply the transitions for us!

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video below that walks through everything…

-Jeff

Learn more about Subassembly Composer...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjsw5HrA4MXn0qTwXCASOBlnYeG2jN8KI

Learn more about Output Parameters...
https://youtu.be/N5Gid8FbUAI

 

 

Sharing Properties Between Civil 3D Subassemblies using Output Parameters

If multiple parts in a Civil 3D Assembly require the same dimension or slope, it may be possible to share their common properties.  By sharing properties, future design changes are more efficient because one subassembly part can be used to drive the properties of several others.  In today’s installment we’ll learn about a concept called Output Parameters.

Output parameters represent dimensional values that are baked into many of the “out of the box” Civil 3D subassemblies.  Specifically, output parameters are values that a subassembly part can pass to other subassembly parts.  (To view the available output parameters for any subassembly, Rt-Click on its icon in the Tool Palette and select Help from the menu.)

Using output parameters, dimensional properties can be applied to a group of subassemblies, making it much easier to modify a proposed design!  If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video below that demonstrates some possible workflows.

-Jeff

 

Locking Civil 3D Structure Label Leaders to ANY Location

On occasion, structure labels placed in a Civil 3D profile view may need to be pulled into a dragged state.  When dragged, the default leaders will point to the “center” of each structure which isn’t always what is wanted.  In today’s installment we’ll look at a simple trick that gives us more control over the location of these leaders.

The trick involves the toggling of a label “pin”.  Typically, the pinning feature is used in drawings that are saturated with annotations.  Pinning labels in congested areas helps ensure future design changes do not cause updated labels to overlap other labels.  For our purposes today, using the pinned feature (along with a temporary leader grip) will also make it possible to lock the leader’s arrowhead at any location.

If you are interested, I’ve created a quick video below that walks though the workflow…

-Jeff