Civil 3D Interactive Terrain Shaping - Very Cool!

I have blogged previously about checking out the Autodesk Labs website, but this time around I am going to blog about a specific technology preview on their website; the Civil 3D Terrain Shaping Technology. For those not familiar with the Autodesk Labs website, go to the following link:

http://labs.autodesk.com/

All content can be downloaded for free, but you need to get a username and password, but even that is free! There is some pretty cool stuff. The Interactive Terrain Shaping technology basically turns a surface model into “putty in your hands”. With a whole palette worth of interactive modelling commands, this technology preview is awesome! Below is a screen shot of the tools as shown on the Civil 3D ribbon.

Terrain Shaper Tools

The things that can be done with this tools are great. You can see that there are pre-defined shapes that can be placed on a surface, then specify parameters and BANG! There it is! An example of one of the tools can be seen below. In this example, I used the pond shape tool to easily grade out a pond object on the terrain model. I basically picked a feature line, selected the shape type, verified parameters and there it is! Very easy to use.

Another example is adding a swale. This can be done just as easily as creating the pond was done. In the example below, I picked a feature line to create the swale terrain type, specify parameters, and a swale has been created as seen below.

I could spend alot of time going through all the things these routines can do but instead, I am posting the link to this technology preview at the Autodesk Labs website:

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/civil3d_terrain/overview/

Check it out! There are several videos to get an idea of what this can really do. I, for one, hope that this technology finds its way into a future release of Civil 3D. Oh, and by the way, it is also available for use in Map 3D as well.

Map Commands Are Still in Civil 3D…………Or Are They?

For several years now, Civil 3D users have been able to access Map 3D commands from within Civil 3D. This is nothing new to most people, but there are still many who have not utilized these commands. Things like drawing cleanup and the ability to allow multi-user access and editing through the use of source drawings are just a couple of Map “goodies” that any discipline could take advantage of. That’s all good stuff. But recently, I was instructing a complete Map 3D Essentials class using Civil 3D and I discovered something I did not realize until this class; some of the Map functions just do not work in Civil 3D 2012! The buttons are there on the ribbon, but the commands come up as unknown commands! Thinking that it was an issue on my machine, we checked several of our machines in the class and all of them behaved the same!

So specifically, which commands do not work? Glad you asked. First, in no particular order, is the “maptoacad” command, which is supposed to allow the user to save the current map to a .dwg file for vanilla AutoCAD users. Below is that tool on the ribbon, in the “planning and analysis” workspace, in Civil 3D 2012.

Map to AutoCAD

Why is this so important? A simple save of a drawing with Map objects in them will not provide the user with all the detail of the Map going out into the export. Map objects, especially those brought in via FDO (feature data objects for those whom have never heard of it) have alot of detail and thematic styling that will simply be lost.

The next set of commands I discovered did not work are the Map inquiry commands as seen below.

Map Inquiry

Now, truth be told, these commands do have their counter-parts on the Civil 3D default workspace, but it is still frustrating that you have to change workspaces to get to commands that work. I guess, I could always go into the cui and customize it, but I was expecting since the commands are there on the ribbon that they would work. Still plenty of great functionality exists, and really, the only real absence is the “acadtomap” command not working. Oh well. I wonder how many people out there have discovered these things?

Survey Says…………..FBK Files or Linework Codes?

For those who have not used the Survey tools in Civil 3D, you are missing out on some good functionality. Even if you do not do full-blown Survey work, Survey databases can give you a means of sharing your Survey points, which is something that you cannot get with data shortcuts. If this is all you would use the Survey tools for then the rest of this blog may not interest you, so you can go back to Civil 3D, create your Survey database, bring the points into it, and have a nice day! Ok, just kidding. If you intend to use the Survey tools to their fullest capacity, then please read on as I will discuss the pros and cons of two different means of importing survey data;

1. the use of .fbk files

2. using linework codes

So let’s begin by talking about the  use of .fbk files. These files can be created by using the Survey Data Collection Link software found in Civil 3D. This software can be accessed on the “Create Ground Data” panel on the “Home” tab of the ribbon as seen in the figure below.

Figure 1

Once inside this software you have the means to select various formats for incoming data, and then you can use the conversion tools to translate to another format. This is where we can choose the .fbk file format. Once brought into Civil 3D the .fbk option has some pros and some cons. Let’s first discuss the pros. The major advantages of using an fbk file is that it contains the original survey data, just with linework creation coding added in during the conversion process. As a result, this allows you to run network analysis on the data such as Least Sguares Analysis and adjustment as well as Traverse adjustments. Ok, now for the disadvantages of using the fbk files. One thing is that you cannot control the language for processing linework. It is hard-coded during the fbk conversion process. Another major disadvantage is that fbk does nor support multipoint curves and, if using fbk along curves, all curve points need to be shot consecutively in the field.

Lastly, I will discuss using linework codes, which till now, I really don’t see disavantages of. So, some of the big pros of linework codes are; 1. they are totally customizable. Whatever you want to use to begin a line, for example, can be used and it can be alpha-numeric, which fbk cannot use. 2. you can use multiple standards and just select the one you want to use to be current. 3. obviously, this option requires no conversion and produces linework just like the fbk option will. 4. it supports multi-point curves. 5. points on a curve do NOT have to be collected contiuously.

This has just scratched the surface on the Survey tools within Civil 3D. Down the road, I may write a blog that goes into more detail on Survey in Civil 3D. Stay tuned!

Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler; Just What Can it Do?

Alot of us have heard of this new product coming out and may have seen some snapshots of it, but what does it really do? Where does it fit in? How can I take advantage of it?  Well, likes take a quick dive into this product, shall we?

First, let’s give a little background on it. It originated on the Autodesk Labs website and was called “Project Galileo”. Now that it has graduated from Autodesk Labs, it has its new name, Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler.

My colleague here at Cadsoft, Rick Chappell, blogged breifly on this back in August at this link: http://www.cadsoft-consult.com/blogs/geo/.

Ok, with that out of the way, what is the “nutshell” description of Infrastructure Modeler? Well, I will give you my version: Infrastructure Modeler is a conceptual design and planning tool that can quickly show design intention with easily created objects such as roadways, buildings, water bodies, etc, that can produce rich visualizations, tally quantities, connect to GIS data, and much more. So there it is, my description of what Infrastructure Modeler can do in a nutshell.

Now let’s go into specific example of it’s functionality. In these examples, I will describe the situation and the resolution without going into specific technical details. In the first example, I have a situation where a proposed roadway project needs to be visualized for a meeting. In Infrastructure Modeler, I can bring in 3D surfaces and raster images for the existing topography. If the proposed roadway is intended to go through a mountainous area, I can export out corridor data from Civil 3D and plop it into Infrastructure Modeler. Why is this useful? First, if I already have it, I don’t have to recreate it, even though it is very easy to do so in Infrastructure Modeler. Second, and this is the really cool part for us technology geeks, the proposed roadway will automatically cut through the mountains and the road elevations can be easily adjusted with grip editing! Cool stuff! In addition to that, there is an extensive library with various road types and materials that can be selected to make the model even more realistic. See the picture below for how the roadway object reacts with a hilly area.

Take all of this, add the ability to add realistic trees, vehicles, etc, throw in the ability to also bring in realistic GIS data, much like how FDO in Map and Civil 3D work, and you have an extremely powerful software package. Oh yeah, did I also mention the ability to create fly-throughs as well?  Check out the picture below which shows the other side of the roadway. Notice the realistic trees and buildings? Not to mention the sky. Cool stuff.

This blog was intended to just scratch the surface on this software, so my apologies to anyone who was looking for more technical content.

Creating a Dirt Road? Corridors Are NOT Overkill!

Some people I have talked to have tended to shy away from using corridors for modelling certain things that they thought corridors would be “overkill” for. One of these things I am referring to is just a simple dirt road, with maybe a berm and/or a swale on either side. People tend to look at the lane sub-assemblies and other similar subassemblies saying, “but I am just moving dirt! I don’t need pavement and don’t want to have to sit there subtracting the pavement thickness to get my finished surface!” Wow!  Ok! While I can understand your concern for trying to keep it simple, the tools you are looking at are already complicating what could be a very simple process. By using Generic subassemblies in Civil 3D a dirt road can be created very quickly and efficiently. In this blog I will show you a very basic example of creating a simple dirt road using only content from the Generic Links tab in Civil 3D 2012.

In this example, I am going  to use three subassemblies (two are the same type) per side to accomplish the following:

1. create a two-lane dirt road

2. create a berm on either side of the road

3. daylight to the existing surface in cut or fill condition.

That’s correct! Only three generic subassemblies on each side to accomplish all of that quickly and easily. Figure 1 below shows what was used to create the assembly.

Figure 1 - Assembly

The three subassemblies used from the Generic tab in Civil 3D were as follows:

1. Link Width and Slope for the lanes

2. Link Width and Slope for the inside of the berms

3. Link Slope to Surface for the outside of the berms that will daylight to the existing ground surface.

With the assembly completed, and the alignment and design profile created, the corridor and finished road surface can now be created. The completed corridor and finished surface can be seen below.

Figure 2 - Corridor

Figure 3 - Finished Surface

You can see how the corridor moved dirt to get our road surface created quickly and easily. Also, notice how the daylighting toward the end of the corridor went into a more extreme fill situation based on the elevations of the design profile daylighting to existing ground. Obviously with everything being linked, edits made to any of the elements will be dynamic. With all of this said, if you haven’t tried them, consider using the Generic Subassemblies in Civil 3D and you will see how quickly and easily you will be able to create your corridors and surfaces with them.

The Latest Subscription Benefit………….Subassembly Composer!

Being on subscription is not just about getting the latest releases of software. There are some great benefits that all users can take advantage of. One thing is that every year, Autodesk produces what they call “Subscription Advantage Packs” which provide additional functionality to the software that is only available to subscription customers. Cool stuff. They also provide other functionality here and there. The latest in this list is the new Subassembly Composer. This can be installed for Civil 3D 2011 and/or 2012.

The following list is taken directly from the subscription site listing the subassembly functionality for corridors with the Subassembly Composer:

• Use geometric relationships to set and control subassembly points, links and shapes.
• Create simple and advanced links including arcs, fillets, parabolas, daylight rounding and surfaces.
• Create rehabilitation subassemblies with built in parametric characteristics that automatically adapt to varying existing conditions.
• Set parameters that will be used to create corridor feature lines, annotation, and other model output.
• Define shapes that will be used in corridor output including material volumes.
• Define input parameters such as depth of pavement and super-elevation slope.
• Define target parameters such as surfaces, offset alignments and controlling profiles.

So what are you waiting for? If you or your company is on subscription, get out there and download this composer! If you are not on subscription…………….why aren’t you?

A view of the interface can be seen below:

Subassembly Composer Interface

I’ll post more later on this after I dig in and get more familiar with it!

GIS Pipe Data Import In 2012

I know I blogged previously on new features in Civil 3D 2012, but I just had to talk in a little more detail about  this one. While there are several new features in Civil 3D 2012 that I like, one of my favorites is the ability to import GIS data and have Civil 3D automatically create pipe networks from that data. This new wizard will have you connect to a SHP source file, ask you to map a few of the data field attributes, and then before you know it, Civil 3D pipe networks are created! Figure 1 shows the import wizard.

Figure 1

Once you connect to the SHP file, you will be on the “Object Options” page, where you will name the network, choose a parts list, choose labeling settings, etc. When you get to the “Data Mapping” page, you will then map the Civil 3D pipe properties to the appropriate data field properties contained in the SHP file. Figure 2 shows this page.

Figure 2

At this page, you can go through all of the properties one by one, or, if you have or will work with additional SHP files that have their data fields set up with the same properties, you can go through and map all of  the properties and then click the “save data mapping” button to save the mapping to an external file for importing later. This can be a real time saver during the import process.

Over on the “Query Options” page, you can do queries based on location and/or any of the attributes in the data fields such as pipe type, size, etc. Figure 3 shows that for my example I am using a polygon location and I am going to select the rectangle that I have in my drawing as the boundary for the data. This is an important step in the process, as I found out early when 2012 was first released. If your SHP file has a ton of data in it (like an entire city’s pipe system!) then you will want to filter out some info as it will bog down and even crash if there is too much data for it. Remember what it is actually doing; importing data that it is reading from the SHP file, then converting it into Civil 3D pipe networks which is 3d elements. When I first tried this with that large SHP file, Civil 3D kept chugging along, but at one point it got to over 200,000 pipe objects imported and then things went downhill!

Figure 3

At this point, I can either go to the “clean up options” page, or click finish to begin the import process. Once the import begins, a box with a progress meter opens and tells you the number of objects being imported. A small portion of the newly created pipe network can be seen in figure 4 below.

Figure 4

This new import process can be a tremendous time saver over how this would have had to have been done prior to this new import process. Try it out, but remember, don’t try to import over 200,000 pipe objects at once!

My Favorite New Features in 2012 - Part 2

In Part 1 of the new features blog I talked about the new features relating to styles. For this blog, I am going to discuss a couple of my other favorite new features for Civil 3D 2012. Since one of these features doesn’t have much to it but is still handy, I will discuss it first. This new feature is for labels. First, they have added the ability to rotate a label independently of the marker it is associated with! Basically, the label text can be modified to have a rotation angle set that is independent from the marker of it. Additionally, the marker itself can have a rotation angle applied to it as well. Gone are the original grips like the green point rotation grip. The old grips have been replaced by new ones as shown in figures 1 and 2 below. Figure 1 shows the label options, and figure 2 shows the marker options. Very nice!

Figure 1

Figure 2

In addition to these options, another thing that was added for labels is a parameter to control the maximum width of a label. This means that if the label text goes beyond the width value specified, it will automatically wrap, or drop the text down to the next line. This will work great in space constrained situations.

The last new feature I want to talk about is the new ability to import GIS data and have it create pipe networks! You can now invoke a new “import GIS data” command that is specifically for pipe networks. You can connect to a SHP file and then decide on what data to use from the SHP information to be imported into your Civil 3D pipe networks. Figure 3 below shows the dialog box for this new command.

Figure 3

As part of the many options in this wizard, users have the ability to bring specific data in through the use of a query. For example, using a query you could bring in all pipes in a 20 mile radius that are pvc pipes installed after a certain date and installed by a certain installer. Of course, this all depends on the on-board data available with the SHP file.

These new features for Civil 3D 2012 are going to be great. Be sure to check out the rest of the new features of Civil 3D 2012 on the Autodesk website.

My Favorite New Features in 2012 - Part 1

Civil 3D 2012 has some great new features and functionality coming with it. Since there are enough significant new features, I decided to do more than one blog to talk about them. For this post, I am going to talk about what Civil 3D 2012 has for styles. For me, some of these features have been a long time coming. I can remember instructing classes and saying, “that would be great if we could do this?”…………and………..”wouldn’t it be handy if you could do that?” Well, some of those “ifs” are now realities! With the new Styles Management tools in Civil 3D, you can manage your styles better than ever before! A new dialog box allows users to select a dwg or dwt file that they want to import styles and settings from. In this dialog box, users can see all of the styles that a file has and they can select all of the styles, or, they can select only the styles that they want. In addition, if an incoming  style already exists in the destination drawing, users have the ability  to see the differences between the styles, then and decide to update the style with the imported style, or not to update it. This will essentially get rid of the old “drag and drop” method of getting a few styles from another drawing or template file. Figure 1 below shows the Import Styles dialog box. Very cool!

Figure 1

There are a couple other new features involving style management in 2012 that rock as well. One of these features, reminds me of when I mentioned in several of my Civil 3D classes what I would like to see Civil 3D be able to do with styles; find all the locations in the settings where they are being used, and, which objects are using them as well. Tada! We can do that now! Yeah! Now, when you right-click on a style in the Settings tab of the Toolspace, you have the option to “find references” as shown in figure 2 below. This opens a dialog  box that shows where the style is used in the settings as well as which objects are using them. In addition, you can click on any of the references as shown in figure 3 and it will bring you to where the reference is, weather it is on the Settings tab, or if it is an object, it will bring you to that object on the Prospector tab.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Autodesk Labs………..Have You Seen It?

Hi everyone! It has been a while since I blogged and I apologize for that!  I wanted to take the time to talk about a cool website that has some………you guessed it………..COOL STUFF! The website I am talking about is Autodesk Labs. And just what is Autodesk Labs you may be asking? Autodesk labs is a website where Autodesk developers post some nifty routines for the different Autodesk products. For example, they had posted a studio for easily creating custom parts for the Civil 3D parts catalog so that you can incorporate these parts when building corridors! There was also a bridge modelling routine for Civil 3D as well!  I haven’t gone back out there to see if these are still available, but I had downloaded them when I saw them. The Part Builder Studio is cool! At any rate, this site asks that you create an account (for free) so that you can download the content. Here is the link to this site:

http://labs.autodesk.com/

Check it out and see what you think!