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

Exploring the New Traverse Tools in Civil 3D 2016 Productivity Pack 3

If you’re someone who creates geometry or cogo data from deed information, you may be interested in the updated traverse functionality included with Productivity Pack 3 for Civil 3D 2016. In there, you’ll find two new tools: “Traverse Editor” and “Traverse Adjustment”. 
The Traverse Editor allows you to create a traverse (composed of cogo points and/or lines) using keyed in entry, or by selecting existing geometry.  The tool provides several ways to define bearings, distances, turned angles and arcs.  As you work, your traverse remains dynamic, allowing edits to be made by simply adjusting the underlying data.

The Traverse Adjustment tool is then used to calculate the error of closure and then balance the traverse using a selected adjustment method. After an adjustment is applied, the results can be exported to a report and/or displayed graphically on screen.  The tool is also flexible in that in can accommodate open or closed traverses.

If you are interested, Wes Newman has created a pair of videos that demonstrate the capabilities of each of these tools. (As always, Wes does a great job presenting this material in a way that makes it easy to get up to speed using these applications!)

Exploring the Traverse Editor...
 

Exploring the Traverse Adjustment tool...
 

NOTE: Productivity Pack 3 is a free of charge subscription benefit for Civil 3D users. Instructions for accessing Productivity Pack 3 can be found here...  http://tinyurl.com/c3d-pp3-get

- Jeff

Tool for Tuesday: Subscription Administrator’s Guide

If you are like me, you can never have access to enough Documentation.  Whether you are looking for instructions, suggestions or just want to know how something is designed to function, it is ALWAYS nice to have some reference material.

That is what today’s tool is all about!  It is “The Software Administrator’s Guide to Autodesk Subscriptions”.  Essentially it is a reference explaining how to set up, install and manage your desktop subscription software and users.

With the 2017 product launch, much of Autodesk’s portfolio has moved to desktop subscription licenses and this Administrator’s guide can help you rapidly achieve a level of understanding to get you up and running smoothly.

Click Here to access the guide

-Jerry

Getting up and running using Subassembly Composer

When it comes to corridor modeling, Civil 3D provides a large number of subassembly parts right out of the box. Since these parts are also parametric, they can easily be modified to build assemblies capable of replicating a wide range of design requirements. Even with all of these options, the time may come when you can’t find the exact subassembly part you need “shopping off the rack”.

At times like this, you can easily create your own custom parts using Subassembly Composer. Subassembly Composer is an application that is included with your Civil 3D installation. Using Subassembly Composer you can author your own Civil 3D content, providing near limitless possibilities, without having to write custom code.  

If you are interested, I have created a quick series of videos to help you get up and running with Subassembly Composer. (The entire series takes less than an hour!)

 

Interested in learning more? Click the link below to watch Alan Gilbert use Subassembly Composer to build a road rehab subassembly that accommodates overlay and widening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng8SMwUjtgY&list=PLePCYzFL3CSBMfwmqM6hZmH6XlWs7Dimi

-Jeff