Civil Immersion

Using BIM 360 Docs by Civil Teams

Today’s installment is all about ways to work together.  Whether your Civil team resides in a single office, spans multiple offices, works from home…  the ability to collaborate efficiently on a project is critical.

This collaboration includes more than just file access.  It also requires ALL of the typical “face to face” interactions that happen countless times a day. For example:

Marking up large format plan sheets, Assigning and tracking critical tasks, Facilitating communication, Understanding who is working on what and when, Comparing current and previous documents, Exchanging files, and more.

Fortunately, there is a single tool that can help with all of this.  The tool I am speaking of is BIM 360 Docs.

Click on the video below to see it works!

FYI – If you do not currently have access to BIM 360 Docs, at the time of this post, Autodesk is making it easier than ever to access their cloud services as part of Autodesk's COVID-19 response.

You can find more information here:

https://adsknews.autodesk.com/views/covid-19

-Jerry

AEC Collection – The Best Tool for the Job!

Recently, I had the opportunity to present a live demonstration focused on the advantages of using the AEC Collection for a civil site plan.  The goal of the session was to demonstrate how the many tools in the collection can work together to take a project from conceptual design through finished visualizations.  Fortunately, the session was recorded, giving us the opportunity to share it here!

If you have access to the AEC Collection and are using a small handful of tools, this presentation can help you take advantage of even more applications and increase the value of your investment.  If you are someone who leverages Civil 3D to accomplish most of your design work, this presentation will introduce you to many of the purpose-built, time-saving tools and workflows made possible using the AEC Collection. 

If you are interested, I’ve added a link to the recording below…

-Jeff

 

Adding Intelligence to InfraWorks Models using the Extend Schema Tool

Historically, the default schema used by InfraWorks was “fixed”, having a predefined number of feature classes and attributes.  This limited the number of unique features (and data) InfraWorks was able to consume and represent.  As a result, it was a challenge to manage multiple utility types or leverage extended attribution.

Today, InfraWorks 2020 includes a new Extend Schema Tool that makes it easy to create custom feature classes having virtually unlimited attribution.  By opening up the schema, designers now have much more control over the organization of attached content while also increasing the value of data analysis and visualization.  In today’s installment, we’ll use the Extend Schema Tool to create a custom feature class (with attributes) and then explore some ways to take advantage of the rich attribution.

If you're interested, I’ve recorded a video that walks through everything…

-Jeff

Modeling an InfraWorks Site Plan from Aggregated Data

Last Friday, (2020-01-24) I presented a live demonstration that focused on modeling large InfraWorks site plans from multiple data sources.  During the session I showed how to aggregate data from SHP, 3D models, LandXML and ArcGIS Online.

If you're someone who is just getting started with InfraWorks, I also walked through some of the basics when it comes to creating, visualizing and analyzing models.  For more experienced users, this recording represents a great introduction to the new ribbon style interface. :)  We don’t often get a chance to share "long format" recordings, so I was excited for the opportunity such that I could post the content here!

If you are interested, a link to the recording can be found below…

-Jeff

 

Displaying Empty Fields in Civil 3D Title Blocks

If you organize your Civil 3D projects into sheet sets, you’re probably familiar with the concept of Fields.  Fields represent “smart” text objects that populate automatically when they’re added to a sheet set.  On occasion, individual fields may present a challenge when linked to an empty (or unknown) value.  That’s because fields have an inherent need to show SOMETHING.  In today’s installment, we’ll learn a trick for displaying empty fields.

The trick involves using a pair of “%” symbols.  Back in the day, these symbols were used to incorporate special characters into text objects.  (%%C for example, placed a diameter symbol.)  By simply “pulling up short” and eliminating the character after the %% will cause a field to have an empty display.  Using this technique, you can create nice clean fields that only display data when you want them to.

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

-Jeff

Note: In my example I am working in Civil 3D.  This trick also works in ANY other AutoCAD based application.

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