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Archive for the ‘Civil’ Category

Using LandXML to Import Legacy Data into Civil 3D

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008

Civil design software has been around in one form or another for more than 25 years. Luckily, there exists a data format that is capable of moving civil and survey data from one program to another; LandXML.

What is LandXML? LandXML (Land Extensible Markup Language) is a data format that allows civil, survey and other land development information to be shared between applications. Many survey instruments, civil/survey CAD applications and GIS applications can import and export LandXML files. Using LandXML, moving data is very simple. For more information about LandXML visit www.landxml.org.

The document (link below) is intended for two main audiences:

Eagle Point users who wish to share civil design data with Civil 3D users.
Civil 3D users who wish to migrate legacy Eagle Point data.

Using Land XML many objects created in Eagle Point can be transported into Civil 3D. The following procedures can be used for 2007 through 2009 versions of Civil 3D.

Which objects do transfer:

Alignments
Lots/ Parcels
Existing Ground Profile Data
Design Profile Data
Nodes/Points
Surfaces

Which objects do not transfer:

Typical Sections/Assemblies
Completed Roadways/Corridors
Cross Section Data

Exporting into Civil 3D Using LandXML

Posted in Civil | No Comments »

Ceci N’est Pas Une Pipe

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

Translation: This is not a pipe.

It is a parametric part meant to represent a concrete arched culvert as described by ASTM 506.

Click the image above to download the files. This part is created for Civil 3D 2009 only.

Download the zip file (less than 300k) and extract it to your US Imperial Pipes directory. It will create a folder called Arched Pipe containing the files needed to use this part.

XP Path: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\C3D 2009\enu\Pipes Catalog\US Imperial Pipes

Vista path: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2009\enu\Pipes Catalog\US Imperial Pipes

Once the part is extracted to the correct location, type PARTCATALOGREGEN at the command line. Then type P for pipe. Once that is complete, you can add the part to your parts list.

To add to your parts list, go to the Pipes menu > Parts List >Edit

Pick the list you wish to modify and click the Edit Current Selection option (even though you will be tempted to click OK at this point, don’t!)

Get yourself to the Pipes tab and right-click the list name. Select Add part family…

This pipe should show up under the Arched Pipe category. Put a checkmark in the box and click OK.

If you do not see the pipe, verify that the files you unzipped went to the correct folder.

Now that you have the pipe category listed, right click on it and select Add part size…

Toggle Add all sizes and set any hydrolic constants you may want. Click OK.

Set your pipe styles, rules and render materials as desired. Click OK.

Click OK to get back to your drawing and use the new pipe to your heart’s content.

Here is a table showing the size requirements for these parts, per ASTM 506.

Posted in Civil | No Comments »

Survey Tools for Map 3D 2009 Subscription Customers

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Are you a Map user on subscription? Keep an eye on the Subscription website for several new tools to make you more productive. The new tools will be available for download starting June 27th,2008.

I have been trying out the new surveying tools add-in for Map. There are several new COGO commands to enhance what we have on the Input and Inquiry toolbar. Those commands include a Bearing/Bearing transparent command, and a Distance/Distance transparent command.

In my opinion, the most significant thing the survey add-in allows users to do is to create a GeoTIFF from point data. DTM is back, and better than ever. In plain English, that means you can make a 3D surface right in Map.

In the following screen shot, you see the surface’s data being added from an external text file or FDO source containing contours.

You can add break lines to a surface right through the Display Manager in the Task Pane. Best of all, you can export the surface using LandXML to share with a Civil 3D user.

This is a great step forward for Map users who may have been considering the jump to Civil 3D.

Posted in Civil | Comments Off

The End of Land Desktop (+ New Product Announcement)

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008

It’s true. There will be no such thing as Land Desktop 2010.

Autodesk officially announces today that the current release of Land Desktop and its close relative Civil Design will no longer be upgraded or available in future releases. In other words, 2009 is the last year Land Desktop and Civil Design will be available.

What does that mean to you?

It depends.

If you are already primarily using Civil 3D as your drafting/design product, you are ahead of the game. Civil 3D will not loose the ability to convert legacy projects from Land Desktop.

If you are on subscription but still using Land Desktop things get a little more interesting. You will receive support through the end of your subscription - however you will no longer receive updates. This would be a great time to contact us about cross grading to Civil 3D 2009 or a new product: AutoCAD Civil 2009.

If you are not on subscription and decide to upgrade after July 8th 2008, you will just get a Civil 3D 2009 disk. Land Desktop Companion will only be a downloadable product for subscription customers after July 8th.

What are your options?

The good news is that Autodesk is putting out a new product called AutoCAD Civil 2009. This is essentially a version of Civil 3D 2009, minus the Map and Hydraflow functionality. This product is meant to work in tandem with Civil 3D with seamless round-tripping of data between the two. If you’ve ever wished you could upgrade all your base AutoCAD seats to Civil 3D - but couldn’t due to the price, AutoCAD Civil is your go-between.

Is this a good thing?

Yes! Both the Land Desktop freeze and the new AutoCAD Civil product are positive developments. If you are a Land Desktop user, you’ve already noticed the conspicuous lack of new functionality over the past few years. With the focus now on the newer technology in AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Civil we will see many more enhancements and improvements in the years to come. The AutoCAD Civil product is a less expensive option for users who do not need the heavy-duty analysis tools in full Civil 3D.

Where can I learn more?

This week I expect Autodesk to publish an FAQ regarding these changes. When that becomes available I will post a link ASAP. In the meantime, give us a call.

Posted in Civil | Comments Off

BIM: More than a Buzzword

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

If you keep up with CAD industry publications you’ve seen the term BIM thrown around with abandon. Often BIM (Building Information Modeling) is mentioned in the same sentence as 3D modeling. However, just because a software package creates a 3D object, doesn’t mean BIM is involved. At the heart of BIM is data linked to an object. The object “knows” what it is and can react with other objects with programmatic intelligence. Most likely, if you are reading this blog you are already using BIM without realizing it.

Take for instance a base Autocad rectangle. Even if we extrude it into a rectangular prism, it is still just a “dumb” object. Take that same prism into Revit, convert it into part of a door and now you’ve got BIM.

As the concept of BIM becomes more widely understood, users naturally want to take it to the next level. “OK,” they are thinking, “If my door ‘knows’ there’s a wall, and the wall ‘knows’ its part of the building - can my building ‘know’ it is sitting on the ground?” Well, we are getting there. In this case, now we have to jump to a different application - and this is where the concept of BIM can dim.

The attached document explains how to make the jump from Revit to Civil and vice versa.

Keep in mind that when the civil surface is imported to Revit, it must be converted before it is back in the BIM world. On the flip-side, a Revit building in Civil 3D is just a block - no BIM in sight.

As future releases of AutoDesk products evolve - conversions and loss of intelligence will be a thing of the past.

Until then we still need to share data. I hope this document narrows the gap.

Revit 2009 and Civil 3D interoperability 2009

Posted in Building / AEC, Civil | No Comments »

Civil 3D 2009 and Mass Haul Diagrams

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

As I mentioned in the PDF attached to my last post, Civil 3D 2009 now automatically generates mass haul diagrams for you!

This is a fantastic time-savings compared to the method previously needed by Civil 3D 2008 and prior.

Enjoy!

Posted in Civil | No Comments »

The Best of What’s New in Civil 3D 2009

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

This is by no means a complete list, but it is far more comprehensive than what you will find in the New Features Workshop.

At long last, I give you: Whats New in Civil 3D 2009

Civil 3D training in 2009 will begin after June 2nd.

See our calendar for a list of upcoming classes!

Posted in Civil | No Comments »

How to Get Multiple Intervals in a Sample Line Group

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

Q: With the project you have assisted me with in the past, I need to supply cross sections at 100 foot intervals in rural areas, and 50 foot intervals in urban areas. I currently have 50 foot cross sections the length of the project. Can separate sections of an alignment be sampled at different intervals? I also need to add cross sections at culverts and driveways.

A: There are several ways to accomplish what you are looking for. You could just delete the sections you don’t need from the sample line listing in Prospector, but that can get time consuming. The easiest method is to create a new sample line group. Go to Sections > Create Sample Lines and select the alignment.

On that toolbar, click the New Sample line group icon. It looks like an alignment with a snowflake next to it.
Give the new group a name. In my example I called it 50s&100s.
Click OK.

Back on the Sample Line toolbar, click the down-arrow on the sample line creation button and select By Range of Stations.

When the range dialog pops up, set the “From Alignment start” and “from Alignment end” both to false. For example, say you need 50’ stations from 410+00 to 500+00, set these as your Start station and end station, respectively.
Then set your increment to 50 or 100, depending on where you are in the station range. In my example, I set this to 50’.

Click OK.

Repeat the process for the next station range. Set your start and end stations. Set your increment in this range. Click OK. If it pops up with a box telling you that you already have station 500+00 accounted for, just click OK to recreate it. (In my opinion, this is easier than remembering to add 100 or 50 to the start station each time.)
Keep going until the full length of the alignment is taken care of.
Now, for oddball stations such as driveways and culverts, use the “At a Station’ option in the sample line creation tools. You can type in the station values or click to create the stations. The command line will prompt you to specify the width of the sample line on each side.

Posted in Civil | No Comments »

Autodesk Impression

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Subscription customers can download Autodesk Impression for free from their Autodesk Subscription website.

Impress your colleagues and clients with compelling presentation-ready graphics created directly from your DWG™ and DWF™ files. Autodesk Impression software is easy to use, saves you time, and recognizes data from your CAD files. Autodesk Impression 2 software is available to AutoCAD®, AutoCAD® Architecture, AutoCAD® Civil 3D®, AutoCAD® Map 3D, AutoCAD® MEP and AutoCAD® Revit Architecture Suite software products’ subscription customers.

Benefits of Impression include:

Generate Great-Looking Images—Fast. Presentation graphics are about winning business. Your images have to sell your projects. With Impression you can easily apply graphical styles to your CAD files using prebuilt styles or customized styles that you create—from pencil styles to watercolor fills.
CAD Compatible - Because Impression understands CAD data, the illustration process is much faster than with general-purpose graphics applications. Open any DWG or DWF file in Impression. Impression recognizes blocks, layers, hatches and other CAD-specific data.
Easy to Learn and Use - Impression is designed so that anyone in the office can learn the application in minutes and can get great results right away.
Quickly Create Multiple Design Iterations - Quickly update your presentation graphics when designs change or apply your signature style to all the drawings that you produce.
Integrate Into Existing Workflow - Impression fits easily into your existing workflow and is interoperable with many popular graphics applications.

Posted by Scott Brisk

Posted in Building / AEC, Civil, General, Visualization | No Comments »

Raster Design Object Enabler Ready for Download

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

AutoCAD Raster Design 2009 Object Enabler You’ll need this in order to import MrSID format files. This is especially important for users of Civil 3D 2009 or Map 2009.

Make sure you download the version appropriate for your Autodesk program. Civil 3D and Map are both technically still 32-bit applications, so you’d need the 32-bit version in this case. (The download site implies it is the OS that determines the download - but I tried on my 64-bit Vista and the 64-bit install did not work.)

Before Installing Raster Design 2009 Object Enabler:

After Installing Raster Design 2009 Object Enabler:

That’s all for now!

Posted in Civil, General | No Comments »

MasterGraphics Weblog

Archives

Archive for the ‘Civil’ Category

Using LandXML to Import Legacy Data into Civil 3D

Ceci N’est Pas Une Pipe

Survey Tools for Map 3D 2009 Subscription Customers

The End of Land Desktop (+ New Product Announcement)

BIM: More than a Buzzword

Civil 3D 2009 and Mass Haul Diagrams

The Best of What’s New in Civil 3D 2009

How to Get Multiple Intervals in a Sample Line Group

Autodesk Impression

Raster Design Object Enabler Ready for Download

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