Civil3D Performance

The minimum system requirements for Civil 3D 2009 have increased significantly and, as expected, so have the number of memory-related support cases. Civil 3D 2009 takes up a larger memory footprint than previous releases and Autodesk developers are currently reviewing how the program utilizes its memory.

Out of Memory Errors
If the memory footprint for Civil 3D exceeds 2 GB (regardless of how much memory is in the system) Windows will terminate the program. This is a limitation of 32-bit computing.

Typically, 32-bit operating systems allocate 2 GB of total memory to all open applications regardless of how much memory is installed in the machine. Any additional installed memory is reserved for the operating system.

That total allocation can be increased to 3 GB by implementing a /3GB switch in Windows. This is the maximum amount of memory that can be allocated in a 32-bit environment. In a 64-bit system the memory allocation has been increased and out of memory scenarios will be less common.

Although preliminary Autodesk testing on the /3gb configuration found some improvement in performance when working with larger datasets it should also be noted that there were some reported instances of performance degradation using the switch, specifically on drawings containing large images. (I don’t know what large means anymore so I can’t give you a guideline to follow.)

Attempts to use the Windows Task Manager as a memory gauge may not provide information quickly enough to avert out of memory errors. The Task Manager displays information in almost real time, sometimes showing memory usage in the 1.4 GB - 1.8 GB range when an application is actually hitting the 2 GB operating system limit.

Causes
Memory errors can occur during any process. Typical scenarios include: processes involving a large number of objects or files; working with files that contain large images; and even executing normal drawing functions if other applications are running. Repeatedly using the UNDO function involving complex objects such as grading groups or corridors will almost certainly fail. The following list details some of the most common causes.

Drawing files are too complex
Drawings that include multiple XREFs, multiple layouts, large raster images, large amounts of purge-able data, or large amounts of XClipping and/or Wipeouts will tax system resources.

Temporarily unload XREFs and images not necessary for the immediate procedure and purge all drawing files (including XREFs) to remove any junk data.

Drawing corruption
Corruption, purge-able data and unreferenced application signatures can cause a drawing file to use more memory than expected. Audit and Purge all drawing files. Use the -Purge command with the RegApps option to purge unreferenced application signatures.

Bad memory or insufficient system resources
The operating system should have at least 4GB of total memory available (this is physical RAM + virtual memory). At least 2GB of this should be physical memory for optimum performance. Ensure these systems have 2GB of RAM as well as at least 2GB of virtual memory allocated.

Bad blocks in RAM can cause the system to fail with memory errors even if sufficient resources exist. You might consider swapping the physical memory sticks with a machine that is not experiencing these errors to see if this affects the problem.

Recommended Solutions
Following are a few ideas on how to gain more memory and/or maximize the available memory. If a 32-bit machine repeated breeches the expanded memory limit you should consider moving to a 64-bit environment.

1. Install more RAM. With more RAM Windows dependence on the swap file is reduced and performance increases.

2. Check the space available on the hard disk drive. Not only is space needed for various temporary files, but it is also needed for the Windows swap file. If your swap file is dynamic (grows and shrinks in size as needed) then freeing up space by deleting files or removing programs you no longer need will give the swap file more room to grow. If the swap file size is static (does not change), then freeing up more space on the hard drive will allow you to adjust the size of the swap file.

3. Check and adjust system swap file settings. When Windows runs out of available RAM, it writes some of the information in RAM to the swap file so it can clear that area of RAM and reuse it. If you prefer a static swap file, you may need to increase the maximum size of your swap file to avoid the out of memory errors. See Autodesk related solutions, Windows Help, and the resource guide for your operating system for more information about performance and how to configure the swap file.

4. Install Service Pack 1. Officially, there is nothing in the service pack readme file indicating memory issues were addressed. Unofficially, some memory management improvements were made. Either way, support stalls at upper levels without it. Install it. Here’s the link: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=11687614&linkID=9240698

5. Close unnecessary applications. Identify programs that are running and close those not needed for your current application. The operating system allocates RAM to all open applications – not just the active application. Use the Windows Task Manager (CTRL+ALT+DEL) to identify runing applications and processes and click End Task to shut down any unnecessary applications.

6. FDOs. Consider linking to images as FDOs (Feature Data Objects) rather than using the Map > Image > Insert command.

7. Reduce the amount of information you are working with. Simplify the drawing. Avoid hatching large areas. Unload unnecessary images and/or XREFs. Avoid excessive use of TrueType based text. Close all drawings not necessary for the current task.

8. Set LAYOUTREGENCTL = 0. This system variable can improve performance by not saving the layout tabs to memory. When LAYOUTREGENCTL is set to 1 or 2, the amount of additional memory used is the size of the Model tab's display list multiplied by the number of viewports in each layout for which the display list is saved.

9. Empty TEMP folder. Empty your temp folder on a regular basis.

10. Set FIELDEVAL = 4. Fields are only evaluated on plotting thus saving from constant regens.

11. Set INDEXCTL = 2. This will index the drawing making any further work in it much quicker.

12. Layout REGEN options. Set the Layout Regen options to Cache model tab and last layout. The drawing will not regenerate each time layouts are switched.

13. Adjust display performance. On the advanced tab of the System Properties set Visual Effects to Adjust for best performance.

14. Use the /3 GB switch. The following document describes the 3GB Switch in Windows. This document was written for Revit but applies to AutoCAD, Architecture and Civil 3D. The published document can be downloaded from this link http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS1060353

15. Set LAYERDLGMODE = 0

16. Close Ribbon menu (RIBBONCLOSE)

17. Set LAYEREVAL = 0

Other Helpful Tips for Civil 3D

1) Turn off the Event Viewer and Autosave features to improve Civil 3D performance.

2) When creating a new Surface initially choose the Border Only option and only apply the desired Surface Style when required (this will improve Civil 3D speed and performance)

3) Having “No Display” style or similar for other heavy duty objects is another idea

4) If you’re running Civil3D whole day re-booting your computer at Lunch will help in better performance

5) Have a separate folder for temporary drawing file location under “options” file tab and say “c3dtemp” for example

6) 3DCONFIG settings for display device and get the latest Autodesk certified display driver

Windows XP settings:

Go to windows control panel "system"advanced tab

Go to performance "settings", visual effects and "Adjust for best performance"

Go to the “Advanced” tab and increase the virtual memory

Complete and Forward Customer Error Reports (CERs).
Should an abnormal termination of the program occur the user will be prompted to complete a brief customer error report and forward it to Autodesk. A hardware/software assessment is performed at the same time and forwarded with the CER.

The CER and assessment and are read at Autodesk to determine an appropriate action. Recommendations to install software service packs and hot fixes are the most common but they may, in some cases, recommend hardware upgrades or request data sets for testing.

Civil 3D 2009 System Requirements
Recommended configuration (excluding server components used with project management capabilities):
Intel® Pentium® 4 (3 GHz or higher); AMD Athlon™; multiple processors supported, dual-core supported
32-bit only: Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate/Business/Enterprise, Microsoft® Windows XP (SP2)

Note: Windows XP 64 and Windows Vista 64 are supported in 32-bit compatibility mode only.

3 GB RAM
5 GB free disk space for installation
1,280 x 1,024 display with true color, 1,600 x 1,200 or greater recommended (OpenGL® accelerator with full OGL ICD support not required)
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6.0 (SP1 or later)
DVD drive

Cheers

Prem Joseph

AutoCAD Civil 3D Best Practises Guide Available

Just a quick link to the posted PDF from Autodesk. Really good stuff here and on the documents site…

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 Best Practice Guide
The AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 Best Practices Guide provides information on how to be efficient and productive with AutoCAD Civil 3D. The best practices were developed by civil engineers, including customers and developers of AutoCAD Civil 3D.

PDF Link:

http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/c3d_best_practices.pdf

Best Practices Guides webpage:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=8777904#section7

--Jeff

Start VBA Programming in Civil 3D 2009 Today!

I have been asked many times about "how do I start programming in Civil 3D?" or "I wish I knew VBA"... This is my first posting that addresses the basic request to start. This is my "Hello World" solution to VBA programming in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009.


Download the Civil 3D Developers Guide Here:
http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/civil3ddevelopersguide.pdf

Download the following Sample Application Here:

www.civil3dsolutions.com/downloads/code/mycivil3dapp.zip

Quick Start

Using VBAMAN, select the Load button and browse for the downloaded sample application. Now select the Visual basic editor button the get started. Once you are within the VBAIDE or programming environment. You will be able to see either the form design and the code behind it.


Setting AECC References
For every Civil 3D related project you will need to check the "references" option in the sample application. This is where we can tell VBA that we intend on accessing the AECC Object Model. Select "Tools" menu option and then pick "References". In the sample application we have pre-selected the object models for AEC Base 5.7 Application and Object Library, and the AECC Civil Engineering Land and UILand Object Libraries. You will need to select other libraries for Pipes and Road Corridor programming.



Code Review


Setting Public Variables in the UserForm
These are the AECC objects set for the form to use.


Loading the UserForm
We need to connect with the Civil 3D object model using the GetInterfaceObject Method in AutoCAD. Then we can go ahead and set the public variables for AECCApp, AECCDb , AECCDoc.



Getting some Information from AutoCAD and Civil 3D
This basic code snippet will get information from both AutoCAD and Civil 3D. Note that in VBA, the user has access to all the objects, their properties and methods. This is just a small sample of what we can pull out of the object model...but it's a start.



Your First Application!
When you press F5 key or Run Program, you should see the formload. By selecting the "Get Information" button, you can see the list boxes fill with properties from both AutoCAD and Civil 3D.

AutoCAD Civil 3D and the 3 Gig Switch

I don't normally post information that is found on Autodesk support sites but this is a re-occuring request from users buying hot new systems with lots of RAM...

---------< Read Information Below for Details>-----------

Issue

You want to know if there is a way to increase the memory usage of Civil 3D® to improve performance when working with large datasets.

Solution

By default, the Windows operating system limits the amount of physical memory available to applications to 2 GB. It reserves the remaining memory for the operating system itself. However, if you have more than 3 GB of physical memory, it is possible to increase the amount of memory available to applications, such as Civil 3D®, to 3 GB.

Autodesk has conducted some preliminary testing on this configuration and has found some improvement in performance when working with larger datasets.

To enable the 3GB switch on Windows XP

1. Right-click My Computer. Click Properties.
2. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
3. On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
4. In the Startup and Recovery dialog box, under System startup, click Edit.
   The Windows boot.ini file will be opened in Microsoft® Notepad.
5. Save a backup copy of the boot.ini file on your computer, in case you need to revert back to the original version of the file.
   Note: The contents of the Boot.ini file may vary from computer to computer.
6. Select the following line in the boot.ini file:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

7. Copy (Press CTRL+C) this line and paste (Press CTRL+V) it immediately below the original.
   Note: Your string may be different from the string shown. Be sure to copy the string from your boot.ini file, not the string shown here.
8. Modify the copied line to include " /3GB", as shown in the following example.
   Note: Do not overwrite any existing lines.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional 3GB" /3GB /fastdetect

9. Save the boot.ini file and exit Notepad.
10. Click OK to close each dialog box.
11. Restart your computer.
12. During startup, select the 3GB option. If you do not select the 3GB option, the system will default to the 2GB memory setting.

If there are problems during startup, you may need to update some of your drivers.

To enable the 3GB switch on Windows Vista™

1. Right-click Command Prompt in the Accessories program group of the Start menu. Click Run as Administrator.
2. On the command line, enter "bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa 3072"
3. Restart the computer.

To turn off the 3GB switch on Windows Vista

1. Right-click Command Prompt in the Accessories program group of the Start menu. Click Run as Administrator.
2. On the command line, enter "bcdedit /deletevalue IncreaseUserVa"
3. Restart the computer.

For more information on the 3GB switch, refer to the following Microsoft MSDN article:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms791558.aspx

If you experience any problems when using the 3GB configuration, you can switch back to the original configuration.

Top 10 Reasons AutoCAD Civil 3D software provides better design, analysis, and construction documentation for civil engineering

1. Data Compatibility and Interoperability

Accessing and importing data from disparate sources is critical to civil engineering projects. With AutoCAD® Civil 3D®, you can easily import and export data between CAD and GIS platforms, including industry-standard formats such as DWF™, Google Earth™, LandXML, DGN, and GIS data.

In AutoCAD®: Importing and exporting data in AutoCAD is limited to non-georeferenced formats, which limits your ability to exchange data with other users and coordinate-based applications.

 

2. Surveying

Tired of manually translating coordinate systems and transferring data from a survey package into your civil engineering package? With AutoCAD Civil 3D, survey functionality is fully integrated so you can quickly import raw survey data directly from industry-standard data collectors, perform least-square adjustments, edit survey observations, and more. And with the Autodesk Survey Link Extension, surveyors can quickly import, adjust, and convert proprietary survey data into manageable formats that are easily consumed by Civil 3D or by third-party applications such as those offered by Leica or Trimble®.

In AutoCAD: There is no survey functionality, so survey tasks need to be done manually which is a time consuming and error-prone process.

 

3. Surfaces and Grading

Do you sketch out a set of contours based on a conceptual design so you can visualize how a project will begin to take shape? While this technique can be helpful, it is also error prone and can lead to hours of rework when changes occur. AutoCAD Civil 3D includes terrain shaping tools that support large surface models while maintaining dynamic relationships to source data, including contours, breaklines, corridor models, and grading objects. And, any change to the source data results in automatic updates to surfaces and references, helping you save time and reduce errors.

In AutoCAD: Drawing contours is done manually which is not only tedious and time consuming but can compromise a project‘s budget and schedule.

 

4. Purpose-Built Design Tools for Land Development and Transportation Projects

AutoCAD Civil 3D helps streamline and accelerate workflows with purpose-built tools for automating time-consuming land development and transportation design tasks. With the robust alignment, profile, and corridor modeling tools you can quickly layout and update road designs. And for land development projects, Civil 3D includes parcel creation and grading tools that automate the process.

In AutoCAD: There is no specific functionality for completing complex land development or transportation designs. As a result, engineers must use manual methods which are much more time consuming, taking away from the time that can be spent on design iterations.

 

5. Stormwater Hydraulics and Hydrology

Want to increase the value of your design information and be able to predict project performance before construction begins? AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 includes stormwater design and analysis functionality for storm sewer design, watershed analysis, detention pond modeling, and culvert analysis functionality.

In AutoCAD: There is no stormwater design and analysis functionality so you would need to use another dedicated software package to provide this functionality.

 

6. Data Management/Team Coordination

Do you need your entire project team to work from the same consistent, up-to-date model so they stay coordinated throughout all phases of the project? AutoCAD Civil 3D provides a scalable approach to data management and team coordination that fits your specific needs. Using AutoCAD external references and data shortcuts, project team members can share individual model elements such as surfaces, alignments, and pipes and work off the same instance of a design object for multiple design tasks. If you are looking for more advanced project management such as project-level backups, user permissions, archive control, and version control, Civil 3D 2009 includes Autodesk® Vault software, which performs these and many other functions.

In AutoCAD: While AutoCAD allows drawings to be shared via AutoCAD external references or Autodesk Vault software, it does not facilitate sharing of data at the individual project element level. As a result, project teams cannot easily work on different parts of a design without the risk of getting out of synch.

 

7. CAD and Design Standards

CAD and Design standards are an important component of a project, but setting up, maintaining, and enforcing them can be time consuming. AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 ships with an extensive library of country-specific CAD styles to control virtually every aspect of drawing display. And if these don’t fit your needs, you can customize your own styles and standards to meet the specific needs of your organization. The CAD, design styles, and standards functionality in Civil 3D can save you time and minimize costly rework.

In AutoCAD: Styles functionality is not included so it is the responsibility of individual users to ensure they are following company CAD standards. This often leads to inconsistency of deliverables and the creation of additional layers that do not comply with company or jurisdictional standards.

 

8. Evaluate Design Changes and Alternatives

Do you need to quickly understand the impact of changes and be able to evaluate design alternatives? With AutoCAD Civil 3D, design and documentation are intelligently connected enabling you to deliver higher-quality designs and construction documentation faster. Make a change to your design and all related design elements, annotation, and tables update automatically.   In AutoCAD: Creating multiple design iterations is time consuming and requires a lot of manual editing and updating. And design changes can be equally time consuming since you need to manually ensure vital project data is updated, such as spot elevations, tables, and station offset labels. Manual edits can not only compromise a project schedule and budget, it can also result in errors and omissions.

 

9. Production Drafting

Labeling and manual drafting is one of the most time consuming and error-prone tasks of a project. What if you could speed up this process and automatically create production sheets? With AutoCAD Civil 3D you can automatically generate production plans such as fully annotated section sheets, profiles, grading plans, and more. And drafting can be generated across multiple drawings by using xrefs and shortcuts. The result is a workflow that enables production sheets to use a single instance of the model, and, if the model changes, all production sheets are automatically updated to reflect the changes.

In AutoCAD: As design s change you need to manually update production drafting. And since most projects involve multiple labels on multiple layers, shown through several viewports, even the smallest change is labor intensive and time consuming.

 

10. Communicate Design Intent

Most civil engineering projects require review and approval from various public agencies. This mea ns that selling the design can be just a s important as the design itself. AutoCAD Civil 3D provides integrated tools for quickly developing 3D renderings to clearly communicate design intent and create wining presentations. For example, when designing a rooad, Civil 3D automatically associates the appropriate render materials with the corridor model for quick visualization.

In AutoCAD: Renderings and fly-bys are time consuming taskks that require manual association of render materials and tedious rework when design changes are made.

 

Returning Role at Autodesk Canada

This is just a formal announcement that I have returned to my role at Autodesk Canada as AEC Territory Manager for Civil Products in Ontario.  As some of you may already know,  I had a very busy spring and summer working with CAD MicroSolutions as a Senior Technical Analyst essentially building an implementation strategy for AutoCAD Civil 3D, reviewing changes in the production processes for residential site design  and re-building the Landproject toolset (Point Tools, PipeX and DirtDemon) for AutoCAD Civil 3D. 

Competing with AutoCAD Land Desktop…

 

Overall, the combination of Autodesk Civil 3D product training, custom “styles” and minor tool development (only if needed) was the solution to moving through a pilot project with expectations of matching productivity against proven 10+ year processes/custom tools currently running on Land Desktop.   In my opinion, as users build more product experience, as style templates grow and new processes get adopted, the overall gains will easily surpass the AutoCAD Land Desktop legacy.  Visions of using the data for other internal and external design, tendering and scenario comparison become reality once the true civil design model starts to take shape during the pilot and every project afterwards,

Our changing role as Civil Engineers…

 

While 3^rd party tool development was the short term priority to ease the transition for some long time Land Desktop users, the work this summer was mostly about confirming that the “Civil Design Model” is the direction that will change how you interact as Civil Engineers with each other, your clients, the construction industry and government approval agencies.   Model based design and analysis (Building Information Model or BIM) within the Architectural world is at least 5 years ahead of us civil people.  Sustainable design and LEED Approved – these are terms now common place in a market where BIM is a standard design deliverable and is being requested by clients and government agencies alike…

 

Moving forward with AutoCAD Civil 3D in 2009,

As our industry changes in 2009 from massive land development to public infrastructure and environmental projects, consider how model based design, analysis and dynamic drafting could help your company.  If you are having a hard time answering this question, contact me and I can meet with you and your team before you get started on that next big project.

 

Contact Information

Email: jeffrey.lyons@autodesk.com

Autodesk Canada, 210 King Street East, Toronto ON M5A 1J7,

Direct 416-874-8212 | Mobile 905-442-8985 | Fax 416-874-8386