GBUG - Ground Breakers User Group

Thank You

2012-01-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who attended our 1st 2012 GBUG meeting at the Royal Woodbine Golf Club.

Here are some highlights from the evening:

How to use Autodesk Infrastructure Modeller in real world conceptual design phase by Jeff Lyons, Cole Engineering. The audience were 'wowed' by his presentation and the passion with the tips & tricks.

A good presentation from Rick Larson, Autodesk on Department of Transports(DOTs) and Autodesk involvments triggered some discussions on "how it relates to MTO in Ontario"

Once again thank you to the presenters, sponsor(SolidCAD), Autodesk and everyone who attended the session.

On behalf of GBUG committee:

Best Regards,

Prem Joseph

Ground Breaker's User Group (GBUG) Meeting at the Royal Woodbine Golf Club on Thursday, January 12th, 2012

2012-01-03T11:16:00.000-05:00

We cordially invite you to attend our upcoming Ground Breaker's User Group (GBUG) Meeting at the Royal Woodbine Golf Club on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 for an evening of fun, food and great technology presentations!

Event Details:

Venue Name: Royal Woodbine Golf Club (Lower Level)
Address: 195 Galaxy Blvd.Toronto, ON M9W 6R7
Date: Thursday January 12th, 2012
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM EST
Parking: FREE

Agenda:

Introduction - Brock Smith & Prem Joseph of SolidCAD

Autodesk Infrastructure New Modeller Suite - Jeff Lyons, Cole Engineering.

• Learn how Autodesk's New Infrastructure Modeler can be used by Consulting Engineering firms and Municipal Governments.
• Observe best practices from the conceptual design stage up to the finished model.

Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suites and Department Of Transports (DOTs) - Rick Larson Applications Engineer, Transportation North America - AEC Solutions Autodesk.
• Detailed discussion on Autodesk's involvement with the DOT's in the U.S. (ie. Wisconsin Department of transport and Caltrans) and how it relates to MTO here in Ontario.
• Q&A.

To register contact Samantha Tran at 1-877-438-2231 Ext. 243 or via email at stran@solidcad.ca.

Thank You and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year!

Want to become a GBUG Member?

To become a GBUG member, please contact Samantha Tran at stran@solidcad.ca

Using Civil 3D Expressions with Profile Design Check Parameters

2011-03-13T21:30:00.038-04:00

While our last post looked at using an Expression to control the labels of our pipe lengths which is typically used at the final drawing production stage, this post deals with using Expressions to help at the preliminary design stage.

Here is the scenario...

The client is working on a 15 kilometre road reconstruction project that has a lot of vertical grade difference and needs to identify areas of the existing road that has a vertical grade of 6% or greater that may be considered for improvements based on the jurisdictions requirements.

How do we quickly identify these areas on a Civil3D profile?

By using the Expressions dialogue box and the Profile Design Check Set functions !

Here's how we do it.

Once you have your Civil3D Surface Profile and Profile View created select the profile and right click>Profile Properties.

Click on the Design Criteria tab and check the Use design criteria file check box

Click on the Create New in the Use Design Check Set section

Set the Type to Line and select then the Create New button from the pull down

Enter a name for the Design Check

Using the Insert Properties and Functions buttons add the following in the Expressions section and click OK

We should have the slope percent in degrees so lets enter into our Expression the equivalent of 6% in degrees which is 3.43363.

Click the ADD button to add it to the set

Click Apply and OK twice.

Select the Profile, right click and select the Edit Profile Geometry command and from the Profile Grid View button the violations will be displayed.

This Expression will check the profile and flag as a violation any grade greater than 6% or greater than -6%.

Don’t forget, even though we used Expressions this is still a Design Check so the function will be located under the Design Check Sets of the Profile Settings.

Stay tuned for more fun with Expressions!!

Civil 3D Label Styles-Using Expressions

2011-02-22T10:07:00.023-05:00

For every project we use either the out of the box styles or create new styles to meet the specific requirements of the company we work for or the project we are working on

Once they are included in our template we have everything covered, right?

But what if you need to display a property of an object that isn’t available under the Label Style Composer? Or maybe we want to display the label in a different way based on a certain value of the object?

Over the next few posts we are going to dig into the use and application of Label Expressions that can be applied in a variety of simple and complex labeling situations.

First, let’s take a quick look at the fundamentals of the Expressions.

Expressions are located under the Settings tab of the Toolspace, under the Label Styles folder.

The New Component dialogue box consists of a number of components that are used to create the Expression

1. In the Name field enter a relevant, identifiable name for your Expression

2. The Expression field will contain all the formulas and properties as the Expression is developed.

3. Buttons that may be used to aid in the development of the Expression (you can enter by the keyboard if you prefer)

4. The available object properties that may be inserted in the Expression field.

5. Functions that may be used in the development of the Expression

6. Chose how the results of the Expression are to be formatted. Usually always Double. (Unitless)

As an example let’s create an Expression that will truncate a pipe length label to the nearest 0.50 metre.

We get this request at times because not everyone wants the accuracy of a pipe length shown to the tenth of a metre.

To create the Expression right click on the “Expressions” and select New

As an example let’s create an Expression that will truncate the pipe length label to the nearest 0.50 metre.

1. In the dialogue box enter a name and description for the Expression that reflects the resultant label style.

2. Pick the Formula button to expand the Expression Functions, in our case select the ROUND function

This inserts the ROUND function to the Expression window.

Next we need to add the Object Property by picking the Object the Properties button and picking the appropriate Property.

In our case we will select 2D Length-Center to Center which is automatically inserted into the Expression window.

Now we just need to add a little more math to complete the Expression and then click OK.

The new Expression will be displayed in the Previewwindow of the Toolspace>Settings tab under the Pipe Label Styles and is now available to be applied to a pipe label

To add the Expression to the Label Style create a New pipe Label by copying and editing an existing style.

Copy the default Length Description and Slope label style and rename it Rounded Length and Slope

Select the Layout tab and in the Text section on the Contents row pick the corresponding cell in the Value column and pick the Ellipse button to access the Text Component Editor

In the preview window of the Component editor highlight the “2D Length…” string and press delete to remove it from the label

In the Properties section pick the down arrow and locate the “Pipe Length to Nearest 0.5m” Expression that was created, set the Precision to 0.1 and click the UPDATE arrow to update the label in the preview window

Click OK twice to closer the Component Editor and Label Composer.

Apply the new pipe label to the pipe object and the center to center length with be rounded to the nearest 0.50m

Pipe Label

Actual Pipe Properties

Now that we have the basics down our next post will address a few more complicated Expressions and their applications.

cheers

Civil 3D Object Tooltips

2011-01-19T13:17:00.003-05:00

If you’ve been using Civil 3D for a while, you’re probably loving the object tooltips! The reason for this blog post is the few support calls we’ve received recently.

The typical technical call is along the lines of “Some of our project Surfaces / objects are not displaying the Tooltips? – help!!!”

Before I get into solving the problem, let’s explore a bit more on tooltips.

The following are from Civil 3D help documents:

There are 2 types of tooltips for C3D objects: proximity and rollover

Rollover

A rollover tooltip displays information about an object when you hover the cursor directly over it. If the object highlighting setting is on, the object will be highlighted when this tooltip is displayed.

Proximity

A proximity tooltip displays information about the current location of the cursor with respect to one or more objects in the drawing. More specifically, it displays information about the proximity of the cursor to the objects. These tooltips are displayed without having to hover the cursor over any specific entity in the drawing.

The most important object information is displayed at the beginning of the tooltip. For alignments and surfaces, the tooltip displays the station/offset information for the closest alignment to the cursor and the elevation of the topmost surface.

If you keep your cursor in the same location, additional information is displayed in an expanded tooltip that shows up to four more items. Which items are displayed depends upon the objects in the drawing and whether tooltips are enabled for that object. If there are five alignments and five surfaces in the drawing, for example, the proximity tooltip will display three alignments and three surfaces. Alignments are shown in order of proximity to the cursor. Surfaces are shown in order from highest elevation, to lowest elevation.

Ok, that’s enough “help”; let me get back to the technical support question.

On the Toolspace Settings tab, right-click Surface --> Edit Feature Settings

Notice the “New Entity Tooltip State”

On: Sets the default state of tooltips for new objects to be turned on.

Off: Sets the default state of tooltips for new objects to be turned off.

Click OK and voila the tooltips are back on all surfaces.

Well, the C3D world changes to a certain extent every release, mostly for the better, but sometimes the changes are painful :)

2011-01-05T14:25:00.001-05:00

The First Ground Breakers Meeting of 2011

Wednesday, January 19, 2011
7:00pm - 9:30pm

Brix Napa Valley Grille & Wine Bar
230 Commerce Valley Drive, East #1
Thornhill/Richmond Hill L3T 7Y3

Meeting Topics

Introduction to the Meeting: Brian McCorriston, CAD MicroSolutions
BIM for Civil Engineering: Derek Gauer, IBI Group
Autodesk Subassembly Composer: Prem Joseph, CAD MicroSolutions
User Group Executive Committe Selection
Topics of Interest for the Next User Group Meeting
Networking Opportunities

REGISTER NOW

Autodesk 2011 Solutions Event

2010-04-22T14:03:00.000-04:00

Keep Costs Down and Increase Productivity

Let CAD MicroSolutions show you how to turn your business challenges into opportunities at the Autodesk 2011 Solutions Event - May 7, 2010.

Sessions Include:

AutoCAD Civil 3D: What's New & Best Practices
Land Development Grading, Storm Sewer Design using AutoCAD Civil 3D & Hydraflow
Mi Symmetry: A Mobile Solution of Integrated Geospatial Data Utilizing SQL 2008 Spatial, AutoCAD Map & AutoCAD MapGuide

Friday, May 7, 2010
Toronto Congress Centre
8:30am - 2:00pm
Lunch Provided

For more information or to register visit www.cadmicro.com/learn2011

We look forward to seeing you there!

Autodesk and Trimble Create AutoCAD Civil 3D Data Exchange Tool

2009-12-17T07:29:00.001-05:00

Autodesk and Trimble Create AutoCAD Civil 3D Data Exchange Tool to Help Break Down Barrier Between Engineering and Construction

Extension Enables Automated Data Exchange Between AutoCAD Civil 3D Model and Trimble Construction Solutions

SUNNYVALE and SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Oct. 6, 2009 — Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) announced that they have collaborated to develop a fully automated data exchange tool enabling information from an AutoCAD Civil 3D model to be directly imported into the Trimble Business Center-HCE (Heavy Construction Edition) data management software.

The new, free*, Web-downloadable software extension, called the AutoCAD Civil 3D Importer for Trimble Business Center-HCE, provides the ability to import DWG files that contain AutoCAD Civil 3D native design objects into the Trimble Business Center-HCE software. The AutoCAD Civil 3D model information is then used by the Trimble Business Center-HCE to prepare, manage and distribute data for use with Trimble's range of site positioning and grade control products for earthmoving, grading and finishing operations. Using the extension, contractors can realize a number of benefits, including:

* Reduced data preparation time and costs: Minimizing the need to recreate design information helps reduce data preparation time and supports the faster delivery of updated design information to the field as a result of design changes, which is especially beneficial on highways projects where design revisions occur frequently.

* Rich, first-hand information to the field: The ability to retain the intelligence of the Civil 3D source model incorporating corridor model sections, alignments, station equations, profiles, feature lines, finished grade and subgrade surface information and advanced point objects provides more detailed information and higher precision; the construction-ready 3D models can be more quickly leveraged by Trimble machine control and site positioning systems.

* Full DWG compatibility: Improved DWG file format support (including Real DWG) allows for extraction of both native CAD data and Civil 3D model data (which would previously have been lost) delivering enhanced compatibility with the Autodesk DWG file standards.

* More simplified workflow: Now instead of using intermediary and often less comprehensive file formats such as LandXML or basic CAD files for exchange of information between the engineer and contractor, the engineer can simply save the project and deliver the native design file without needing to think about saving the file out to an alternative format, which is immediately detached from the source design.

"Our new utility is a bridge that makes rich Civil 3D model information available to contractors who are going to grade the site," said Jim Lynch, vice president of marketing, Autodesk Architecture, Engineering and Construction Solutions. "With this new software extension, which transfers the Civil 3D model data into the Trimble Business Center data management software, we are bringing the benefits of a model-centric approach all the way to the job site. Before grading starts, contractors want to verify that the model they are sending into the field is appropriate for construction. That's where this new utility contributes; helping to reduce errors, save time and increase accuracy."

"Streamlining and optimizing the flow of data and information between the engineering design and the construction communities is a key motivation we share with Autodesk," said Roz Buick, general manager, Heavy and Highway Division, Trimble. "Our new collaboration creates a powerful data exchange extension that allows the information contained in Civil 3D models to flow more easily and efficiently out to the machine control and site positioning systems. Now contractors can take Civil 3D information and create models designed to optimize the use of Trimble site positioning and machine control solutions."

AutoCAD Civil 3D software, the building information modeling (BIM) solution for civil engineering, helps project teams create, predict and deliver transportation, land development and environmental projects more efficiently. AutoCAD Civil 3D helps civil engineers explore more what-if scenarios and optimize project performance with visualization and analysis tools such as geospatial and stormwater analysis, quantity takeoff and interactive 3D simulations.

Trimble Business Center-HCE software supports construction data preparation and intelligently manages the provision of data to and from construction field crews. The software puts emphasis on efficient data management for multiple field crews and machines operating on a site over the lifetime of the project. Using Trimble Business Center-HCE, contractors can import, review and analyze digital design information or field generated data and easily assign, manage and track that information through the lifetime of a construction project.

To download the free* AutoCAD Civil 3D Importer for Trimble Business Center-HCE import software extension visit: www.autodesk.com/civil3d-trimble or www.trimble.com/tbc-hce. For more information on the Trimble Business Center-HCE data management software visit: http://www.trimble.com/tbc-hce.shtml. For more information on Autodesk Civil 3D visit: www.autodesk.com/civil3d.

Autodesk Subscription Advantage Packs for AutoCAD Map 3D 2010, AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 and AutoCAD Civil 2010

2009-10-29T15:21:00.001-04:00

Autodesk is pleased to announce the release of the Autodesk® Subscription Advantage Packs for AutoCAD® Map 3D 2010, AutoCAD® Civil 3D 2010 and AutoCAD® Civil 2010. These ground breaking product releases culminate a tremendous team effort by people in Product Design, SWD, Tech Pubs, QA, OPS, Localization, Product Management and Marketing.

The Autodesk Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD Map 3D 2010 contains exciting new functionality for using and visualizing point clouds, as well as 3 great new tutorials, further extending the capabilities of AutoCAD Map 3D 2010 software. The Autodesk Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 provides new functionality for importing and visualizing point clouds and designing roundabouts, and powerful enhancements that can help streamline existing workflows in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 software. The Autodesk Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD Civil 2010 contains valuable new functionality for designing roundabouts, also further extending the capabilities of AutoCAD Civil 2010 software. All three subscription advantage packs also include Autodesk ImageModeler 2009 software.

AutoCAD Map 3D 2010

1. Point Clouds—Import and visualize large sets of point cloud data, such as 3D laser scanning/LiDAR data sets with millions of points, in AutoCAD Map 3D 2010 with the Point Clouds feature. With the Point Clouds feature, you can:

• Import LiDAR data in LAS and ASCII file formats

• Visualize large point clouds in 3D

• Stylize point data based on LAS classifications, RGB, elevation, and intensity

• Filter point data by spatial extent and LAS classification, elevation, or intensity

• Mask and delete points

• Extract point data to create surface models

• Snap to points within the point cloud using standard AutoCAD® software tools

• Export surfaces as digital elevation models (DEMs) in GeoTIFF and ESRI® ASCII GRID file formats

• Export point cloud layers to LAS, ASCII, and SDF file formats

2. Tutorials—Three new tutorials offer hands-on exercises that help you learn how to perform specific tasks with AutoCAD Map 3D 2010 using realistic sample data:

Point Clouds—The Point Clouds tutorial helps you learn how to use the point cloud functionality in the Autodesk Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD Map 3D 2010. Tasks covered include the following:

• Adding LiDAR data in LAS format

• Merging files and creating indexes

• Displaying and stylizing point clouds using spatial filters, density controls, and LAS classifications

• Creating surfaces from point cloud data

Survey Tools—The Survey Tools tutorial helps you learn how to add and organize survey point data in AutoCAD Map 3D 2010. Tasks covered include the following:

• Entering the location of new features based on field-collected measurements

• Using coordinate geometry (COGO) commands to calculate the position of features

• Importing electronically stored point data and organizing it into point groups

• Exporting points to geospatial file formats

Annotation Tools—The Annotation Tools tutorial helps you learn how to add text to maps and drawings using the following methods:

• Annotation templates―Label drawing objects with information specific to each object, such as object data, linked data properties, and native drawing properties

• Styles―Label geospatial features using attributes and static text

• Text layers―Add annotation that is not tied to a particular drawing layer or feature class; for example, use text layers to label large areas on a map, or add notes to a map.

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 & *AutoCAD Civil 2010

1. Point Clouds—Import and visualize large sets of point cloud data, such as 3D laser scanning/LiDAR data sets with millions of points, in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 with the Point Clouds feature. The point cloud feature enables you to:

• Import LiDAR data in LAS format and all point file formats supported by AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010

• Visualize large point clouds in 3D

• Stylize point data based on LAS classifications, RGB, elevation, and intensity

• Filter point data by style

• Snap to points within the point cloud using standard AutoCAD® software tools

2. Roundabout Layout—More quickly lay out roundabouts, including signage and striping, based on common design standards using the Roundabout Layout feature. Once the horizontal geometry of a roundabout has been defined, you can dynamically move and edit the roundabout throughout the optimization process. *(Available in Autodesk® Subscription Advantage Packs for both AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 and AutoCAD Civil 2010)

3. General Enhancements—Streamline existing workflows in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 with a variety of powerful enhancements for transportation design, survey, visual analysis, and general production. Capabilities include:

Transportation Design Tools

• Best-fit alignment creation tool

• Split (create subset) alignment

• Join profile tangents (extend tangents to point of vertical intersection [PVI] by grade intersection)

• Set PVI by elevation and grade

• Create spiral by sweep angle

• Import superelevation from Microsoft® Office Excel® files (XLS)

Survey Tools

• Crossing breakline utility

• Survey import (TSS format support)

• Survey change report

• Survey point and chain edit utility

Visual Analysis Tools

• “Drive Along” visualization

• Line-of-site analysis

• Vertical distance analysis

General Production Tools

• Save as DGN format

• Create surface from GIS data

• Zoom to point

• Calculate minimum vertical distance between surfaces

• Calculate minimum vertical distance between entities

• Divide/crop surface (create subset for use in other drawings)

Autodesk ImageModeler 2009

ImageModeler 2009 image-based modeling and photogrammetry software helps you generate 3D models from 2D digital images, giving architects, designers, and entertainment creators a new approach to 3D modeling.

Additional Resources

For more detailed information as well as video demonstrations please visit:
AutoCAD Map 3D 2010: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=13912908

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=13953217

AutoCAD Civil 2010: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=13958760

Vancouver Transportation Network Project Captures Autodesk BIM Experience Award

2009-09-12T07:58:00.001-04:00

Autodesk has announced that H5M has been selected to receive the latest Autodesk BIM Experience Award. H5M is a design joint-venture team comprising engineers from Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) and the MMM Group.

The H5M team is being honored for its innovative application of a building information modeling (BIM) process for the $2.46 billion (CDN) Port Mann/Highway 1 (PMH1) project for the Ministry of Transportation of British Columbia. The H5M team is also being recognized for its use of Autodesk software for BIM, including AutoCAD Civil 3D software, to help create a sustainable solution designed to manage traffic congestion and accommodate growth through 2031 and beyond.

Initiated in 2007, the PMH1 project is part of the Ministry of Transportation's Gateway Program, which is designed to address current and future transportation needs in the greater Vancouver area. The project is one of the largest transportation network projects currently under way in North America, and involves the construction of a new Port Mann Bridge and widening 37 kilometers of Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway linking Vancouver to the rest of British Columbia and Canada. Other onshore work includes reconstruction of 13 interchanges, construction or rehabilitation of more than 42 bridges, and the reconstruction of a complex highway interchange at the end of the Port Mann Bridge. Design and construction are expected to take five years, and must accommodate existing traffic. As of August 2009, the project design is about 40 per cent complete.

"BIM and a shared core AutoCAD Civil 3D model have helped boost our productivity, enhanced our design coordination and decision making, and improved conflict checking and overall multi-discipline collaboration," said Chris Mealing, design manager at H5M.

--JPL

Online Engineering Degrees

2009-09-10T15:27:00.000-04:00

For all those who're interested in online engineering degrees find the link below

http://onlineengineeringdegrees.com/75-cutting-edge-lectures-for-engineers/

Regards,
Prem

How Government Can Foster Digital Cities: Singapore's Example

2009-09-09T10:08:00.001-04:00

How Government Can Foster Digital Cities: Singapore’s Example

Geoff Zeiss, Director of Technology

e-submission

Digital submissions are mandatory in Singapore. Singapore's e-submission system means that when making a submission for a building permit, DWG, DGN, DXF, DWF, or PDF files are mandatory, paper is not accepted. The process of moving to electronic submissions began a decade ago and took about four years to complete. The organization responsible for building permits in Singapore is the Building and Construction Authority (BCA). When a submission is received, it is reviewed by 16 government agencies, seven of which review the application in detail, and the BCA has the final authority to grant or reject the submission or ask for clarifications or modification. The objective of mandatory e-submission is efficiency with the objective of reducing the time and effort required to review submissions. Singapore’s objective is to automate the review process and is optimistic that BIM will help make automation practical.

BIM submission

Currently, e-submission requires 2D drawings with layers defined according to a BCA standard. At the present time e-submission of building information models (BIM) is partially supported. Architectural BIM models from Revit and ArchiCAD are accepted, support for e-submission of structural BIMs is in progress, and e-submission of MEP BIMs will be starting later in the year.

More Intelligent Urban Models

As architects move to e-submission of BIMs and civil and utility engineers develop model-based designs for transportation, utility, and telecommunications networks, urban planners will increasingly have access to model-based digital data which will enable much more intelligent modeling of urban environments.

(Many thanks to Ho Chow Jin of Autodesk Singapore for information about Singapore’s e-submission initiative.)

-JPL

Why 3D Models will Drive the Construction Process

2009-09-09T10:05:00.001-04:00

Why 3D Models will Drive the Construction Process

Terry Bennett, Sr. Industry Manager

In an industry conversation with Tim Tometich, GPS division manager, McAninch Corporation at their offices he stated: “Traditional processes of paper plans, stakeout sheets and grade stakes used to take up to a week to implement. Now with GPS machine control and 3D models from designers, that same size project can take hours. This allows us to reduce fuel consumption, idle time, air pollution including greenhouse gas emissions, and material waste while providing our clients with a more accurate product. We believe that starting from 3D models to drive the construction process is the way of the future.” Why should all heavy contractors care about models and BIM – well two very important aspects – time and cost.

Here is what McAninch has been able to do achieve:

· Increase productivity by up to 50 percent

· Cut redundant survey costs by up to 90 percent

· Reduce fuel consumption (and associated GHG emissions) by 43%

· Grade check accuracy of 98% vs. traditional staking of 45%

What have others been able to achieve:

· Contractors who recently invested in GPS machine control paid for their systems within 13 to 18 months

· 70% of respondents report that GPS machine control increases their opportunities to bid contracts

The Net Net: Models + GPS Machine Control = more efficient operation, reduced material use and waste, lower fuel costs, and more accurate results. It’s a way to green heavy construction!

-JPL

Autodesk Acquires Assets From BOSS International, Inc.

2009-08-28T08:22:00.001-04:00

StormNET, RiverCAD and WaterNET Software Tools to Provide Autodesk Civil Engineering and Utility Customers with Comprehensive Water Analysis Capabilities

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK), a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, has announced the acquisition of certain assets from BOSS International, Inc. to further expand its water resources analysis capabilities for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. StormNET for stormwater management analysis, RiverCAD for floodplain analysis, and WaterNET for water distribution analysis will be more closely integrated with Autodesk's model-based design solutions, including AutoCAD Civil 3D, to help engineers streamline workflows, reduce errors and boost productivity. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The environmental engineering and water/wastewater utility markets have recently experienced an uptick due in large part to economic stimulus spending. The acquisition of these products aligns with Autodesk's mission to consistently extend value to its customers and satisfy industry demand. Adding valuable expertise and industry knowledge, Chris Maeder, former president and CEO of BOSS International, will join Autodesk as an industry solutions manager for the environmental engineering industry.

"The addition of BOSS International's water, sewer, and stormwater analysis technology to the Autodesk portfolio supports Autodesk's commitment to extend the value of our model-based design solutions for conducting simulation and analysis of design performance before projects are built," said Jim Lynch, vice president of marketing for AEC solutions at Autodesk. "This is particularly important for sustainable design when engineers need to evaluate the impact of various stormwater management approaches - including rain gardens, bioretention and green roofs - to identify those with minimal environmental impact."

"This acquisition is exciting news. I am a long time user of Civil 3D and BOSS International's StormNET and RiverCAD. The integration of the two is a striking example of Autodesk's continued commitment to the maturation, improvement and evolution of civil engineering proficiency," said Robert Gill, senior project manager at Menlo Engineering Associates. "The civil engineering community will receive a tremendous lift by Autodesk and BOSS International aligning these technologies to further facilitate the design process, reduce the time required to complete projects and improve the quality of deliverables to the client."

At this time, product support and distribution of new product licenses for the StormNET, RiverCAD and WaterNet software products will only be provided by BOSS Computec, a former subsidiary of BOSS International. Product integration details will be announced at a later date.

Business Outlook

This transaction is expected to have no impact on previously issued guidance.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is a world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art Digital Prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are built. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This media alert contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the impact of the acquisition on Autodesk's previously issued guidance, product offerings, product integration plans and the performance of its business. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the following: difficulties encountered integrating Boss International's business; whether certain market segments grow as anticipated; the competitive environment in the software industry and competitive responses to the acquisition; and whether Autodesk can successfully develop new products or modify existing products and the degree to which these gain market acceptance.

Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial results of Autodesk are included in the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2009, and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2009, which are on file with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, StormNET, RiverCAD, and WaterNET are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

Autodesk YouTube Videos on Civil 3D

2009-08-23T08:42:00.001-04:00

No sure if you have been to the new Autodesk Youtube site but you should check it out. New video’s are coming every week it seems and it’s a great way to learn more about AutoCAD Civil 3D and Map 3D products during lunch breaks at the desk… or as material you could use during Monthly CAD Committee Lunch n Learn’s.

http://www.youtube.com/autodesk

--JPL

New Civil 3D 2010 vBooks are ready!

2009-08-23T08:38:00.001-04:00

Retrieve Technologies is pleased to announce we have added four new Civil 3D 2010 vBooks to our RetrieveMedia store. We have taken a new and innovative approach to online teaching. We are bringing the instructor to you via live-recorded video sessions where you feel like the instructor is right there in the room with you.

The following Civil 3D 2010 vBooks are now available:

Alignment Offsets and Widenings in Civil 3D 2010 Webinar - In this vBook you will learn how to use the alignment offset and widening features available in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. A live recorded instructor shows you the tips and techniques for modeling turn lanes, acceleration lanes and deceleration lanes using alignment offsets and widenings. The final chapter walks you through a practical example for creating the geometry for a 'T' intersection.

Alignments in Civil 3D 2010 - In this vBook you will learn how to create, manage and modify horizontal alignments in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. Watch and listen to an instructor guide you through the steps required to create and edit alignment geometry, modify alignment properties, use design criteria and superelevation, and create and apply both object and label styles.

Plan Production in Civil 3D 2010 - This 90 min Plan Production class covers setting up a project directory structure, project drawings and then using the Sheet Set Manager to create a set of construction drawings. Creating Cross Section Sheets, Plan and Profile Sheets, Cover sheets are all covered in this class. Additionally we will show you how to setup the Drawing Templates and configure the Sheets Set to make creating Construction Documents a breeze.

Geospatial for Engineers in Civil 3D 2010 - Geospatial for Engineers is a 90 min class on using GIS data in Civil 3D. The class covers how connect, stylize, and analysis GIS data to produce and create Maps typically used in a Civil Engineering Design project. Queries, Transparencies, Zoning Maps and Slope Analysis Maps are some of the topics covered in this class.

Canada Ontario Styles Kit for Civil3D 2010

2009-08-10T09:37:00.000-04:00

The Canada Ontario Styles Kit is available to download from the following link

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=7271531&linkID=9240698#2010

Some Key Highlights are listed below:

DWT template containing Ontario Civil 3D settings and object/ label styles
Plan, Profile and Plan and Profile (MTO)template sheets
Predefined assemblies for creating intersections
Pay Item Data based on Ontario Provincial Specifications categories and MTO Contract Preparation System(CPS)
Pipe and Structure catalogue based on Ontario Provincial Standard Drawings
Figure Prefix Library and Description Keys specific to MTO Surveys and Plans standards
TAC (metric) design criteria for roadways
NCS Layers
MTO IESCAD Layers
Linetypes and Hatch Patterns
MTO IESCAD .LIN and .PAT files
MTO Description Keys
MTO Point Marker and Label Styles
MTO Survey Settings and Styles
MTO Alignment Object
MTO Stationing Styles
TAC Design Criteria
TAC Superelevation Tables
Preset “Assembly Set” created for Intersection wizard
Pipe and Structure Labels
Pipe and Structure Rules
OPSD Pipes Catalog
OPSD Pay Items and Categories
MTO – CPS Pay Items and Categories

Enjoy and feel free to let us know your comments and any wish list items for future updates

Thanks

Regards,

Prem

Second Ontario Civil 3D User Group Meeting!

2009-06-04T15:53:00.001-04:00

Join us for our second Ontario Civil 3D User Group (OC3DUG) Meeting.

Date: Thursday June 25, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: Jack Astor's Etobicoke Airport, 25 Carlson Court, Toronto, ON, M9W 6A2. T: 416-213-1688
Directions:
From the 427: Take the 427 Northbound to Dixon Road where you will head East (right). Turn left onto Attwell Drive. Turn right onto Carlson Court. We are located on the right hand side. Click here for map.

From the North: Take Highway 400 south to Highway 401 (exit 21), and go west. Exit at Dixon Road. Turn right onto Attwell Drive. Turn right onto Carlson Court. We are located on the right side. Click here for map.

Agenda
• Industry Updates
• Product Highlight - Navisworks Manage
• Ontario Styles Kit template Review and Giveaway
• OC3DUG Best Practices for Site / Stormwater Grading using Corridor Models
• Networking

If you would like to become an OC3DUG member or attend this meeting as a guest, please contact Allison Lau at alau@cadmicro.com.

There is no charge to attend.

For further information, please click here.

Civil 3D Workshop: June 12

2009-06-04T15:44:00.001-04:00

Join CAD MicroSolutions Inc. for an AutoCAD Civil 3D Workshop.

Date: Friday June 12
Times: Morning Session - 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Afternoon Session - 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Request Registration: Call Allison Lau at 416-213-0533 x229 / 1-888-401-5885 x229 or email alau@cadmicro.com

For further details click here.

First Ontario Civil 3D User Group Meeting!

2009-03-24T16:38:00.000-04:00

Join us for our first Ontario Civil 3D User Group (OC3DUG) Meeting.

Date: Thursday April 16, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Location: The Marlowe, 155 York Blvd, Unit 1, Richmond Hill ON, L4B 3B4. Located just off of East Beaver Creek Rd (near Highway 404 and Highway 7). Click here for map.

CONTENT:
Introductions, Welcome and News
Jeff Lyons, Civil Territory Manager for Autodesk Canada will introduce the objectives of the Ontario Civil 3D User Group as well as explaining the benefits of membership, participation, and networking.

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 Highlights
Jeff Lyons (Autodesk Canada) and Prem Joseph (CAD MicroSolutions Inc.) will discuss the new features and functionality of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010.

Landproject-RSI Update
Robert Steltman (Steltman Software) will provide an update on the status of the acquired Landproject Suite and RSI Tools for existing Land Desktop and AutoCAD Civil 3D users.

3rd Party Review
An Introduction to the Pinnacle Series products and the CAD MicroSolutions Process Model.

Each new member to attend will receive one license of the Eagle Point Pinnacle Series Task Navigator (SRP: $800 USD).

If you would like to become an 0C3DUG member or attend this meeting as a guest, please contact Allison Lau at alau@cadmicro.com

There is no charge to attend.

AutoCAD Civil 3D Workshop

2009-02-11T11:41:00.000-05:00

Join CAD MicroSolutions Inc. for a complimentary AutoCAD Civil 3D Workshop on:

Thursday February 26: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Thursday February 26: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Friday March 27 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Friday March 27 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Click here for complete details.

Civil3D Performance

2008-10-28T14:34:00.000-04:00

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

2008-10-28T11:40:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-10-26T16:20:00.000-04:00

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

2008-10-26T13:53:00.001-04:00

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

Right-click My Computer. Click Properties.
In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
In the Startup and Recovery dialog box, under System startup, click Edit.
The Windows boot.ini file will be opened in Microsoft® Notepad.
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.
Select the following line in the boot.ini file:multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect
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.
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
Save the boot.ini file and exit Notepad.
Click OK to close each dialog box.
Restart your computer.
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™

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

To turn off the 3GB switch on Windows Vista

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

2008-10-14T16:10:00.001-04:00

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

2008-10-08T15:55:00.001-04:00

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

Windows XP Service Pack 3 and Civil 3D

2008-08-13T13:47:00.000-04:00

An installation rule to keep in mind when installing Civil 3D and Land desktop Companion 2008 is to ensure that your Windows XP Service Pack 2 has ALL of its required updates installed, before you install Civil 3D. DO NOT install Windows XP Service Pack 3 before this. If Windows XP Service Pack 3 is installed before installing Civil 3D 2008 then after you install and run Civil 3D you will get a FATAL ERROR and will not be able to run Civil 3D. This unwanted result will force the user to roll back there Windows XP Service Pack 3 to Service Pack 2 and perform the Custom Install & Updates from Windows.

View Transitions in Civil 3D 2008

2008-03-28T14:16:00.000-04:00

Once VTENABLE is set to 7 within a certain drawing the view transitions work normally in that drawing only, when another drawing is opened or Civil 3D is shut down and re-started, the View Transition settings are gone and have to be initiated again.

The question, how is VTENABLE set in Civil 3D so that it is enabled to work as a default every time Civil 3D is started?

Deleting unused Styles in Civil 3D 2008

2008-03-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

When Styles are created and used in Civil 3D 2008 a yellow indicator appears next to the style name telling you that it is in use in your drawing. However in some cases when a Style isn’t required and needs to be deleted from the Styles list you would normally highlight the style, right-click and select Delete. Civil 3D 2008 occasionally keeps a yellow indicator next to a Style even though the Style is not in use and therefore will not allow you to Delete this Style. As shown below you can highlight the Style then select Refresh and now the yellow indicator will be removed enabling you to delete the Style.

Cut and Fill Surface Labels

2008-03-18T11:01:00.000-04:00

Creating Surface Labels for Cut Fill Drawings

Once a Cut and Fill surface has been established you can create a Surface Label Style to view the Cut and Fill labels. When a Surface Label Style has been created it must be applied to each individual Cut and Fill surface.

Below there is sample drawing which displays a site that has several Sub-sites with several Cut and Fill surfaces listed in the prospector tab. (ex. DDVol (Building1), etc..))

The following steps will create the Surface Label Style that will display the Cut labels in RED with a negative symbol and the Fill labels in GREEN:

1. Once the Settings tab is selected you must expand the Surfaces>Label Styles>Spot Elevation trees and right-click to create a NEW style. Once the Label Style Composer has been opened, you can add a new name such as Cut Fill Labels

2. Next you must select the Layout tab and rename the current General Name from Surface Elevation to Cut, and change the color to RED. (set the text height and rotation angle as per your requirements)

3. Highlight and select the Text>Contents and select to open the Text Component Editor ensure that the Sign is set to sign negative and accept the remainder defaults

4. Select the copy button and copy the Cut component name and re-name it to Fill
5. Highlight and select the Text>Contents and select to open the Text Component Editor ensure that the Sign is set to hide negative value and accept the remainder defaults
6. Change the colour to GREEN and accept the remainder (the text heights and rotation angle will be similar to the settings for the Cut labels)

7. The new Cut and Fill Surface Label Style has been created, to apply this style to each Cut and Fill surface select the following menu, Surface>Add Surface Labels>Add Surface Labels , this will open the Add Labels dialogue box.

8. In the Add Labels dialogue, the Feature should be set to Surface, the Label type should be Spot Elevations on Grid, and the Spot elevation label style should be set to the Cut and Fill label style. (If you wish to add a Marker style to indicate the exact location of the label you can select that option or choose none)
9. Select the Add button and choose the surface border and set your grid (usually 5m grid)

Finally your surface labels should appear as shown below, the Cut labels are in RED and have a negative symbol next to them, the Fill labels are in GREEN and have no symbol.

Using Text Symbols in Civil 3D 2008

2008-03-18T10:52:00.000-04:00

Using Symbols in Multi Line Text with Civil 3D 2008; once you have initiated the Mtext command and selected an area to begin adding text you can then Right-Click in the text window and select Symbols, you will then have the option to choose various symbols as shown below……..

Commands list for Civil 3D 2008

2008-03-18T10:46:00.000-04:00

To view a list of Commands that are available in Civil 3D 2008 you must select the Help menu (F1 key) in Civil 3D and then select the Contents tab; now expand the AutoCAD Help>Command Reference>Commands tree to view the list of commands with their brief descriptions in alphabetical order.

Match style properties in Civil 3D 2008

2008-02-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

Are there any methods or tools that would act similar to the "match properties" button in Civil 3D but used to "match styles"?

Welcome to the Ontario Civil3D users Group Blog

2008-02-04T14:57:00.000-05:00

The purpose of this site is to connect the Civil3D users in Ontario who would like to have their say. We will be discussing issues that range from general Civil3D use to specific topics that only affect us in this part of the world. So, let's get this party started!

Civil Team

CAD MicroSolutions