IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blog

The Map 3D 2012 Version Comparison Matrix

If you haven't heard yet, or haven't seen any of the other posts published today, there is a rush of Autodesk 2012 release information hitting the presses today. One of the first things we always like to do is educate our customers and reader base on what new features exist for the new release of software. The quickest and easiest way to do that is to share with you the AutoCAD Map 3D 2012 Comparison Matrix.

The Map 3D Comparison Matrix is a great resource to quickly reference the new features, functions, and tools within the 2012 release and also how it compares with previous versions of the software. This document in particular compares Map 3D 2012 to the 2010 and 2011 versions.

The image below is a preview of what you can expect from the document. Over the next several days and coming weeks/months, keep coming back to the IMAGINiT Civil Solutions blog as we continue to cover and expand on reviewing each of these new features in detail.

Click the image or this link to download the Civil 3D 2012 Comparison Matrix.

 

The Civil 3D 2012 Version Comparison Matrix

The 2012 Autodesk product releases are coming and we're covering all the new features, functions, and tools available. One of the quickest and easiest ways to review new features within a release is to look through a summary of the features as compared to previous versions. Well, we've got that for you.

The image below is a preview of the document which contains a comparison of the AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 release as compared to the 2010 and 2011 release features. It's a great resource and breaks down the differences nicely. As time progresses, we'll provide you will a detailed review regarding each of these new features so make sure you keep coming back!

Click the image or this link to download the Civil 3D 2012 Comparison Matrix.

Life is Suite! Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suites Are Here

How huge is this? Autodesk has gone and bundled their software products into Design Suites and Creation Suites to better accommodate companies and users throughout the entire workflow process and lower the overall purchase price of these programs significantly. The Suites are broken down by industry and are custom configured to match the needs of each design discipline:

• Autodesk Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Product Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Factory Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Building Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Plant Design Suite 2012
• Autodesk Creation Design Suite 2012

The Suites are to be made available within the next quarter (sometime between April and June) and are broken down further to Standard, Premium, and Ultimate editions to suit the needs of everyone that much better and improve cost savings even further. You might be wondering what each of these bundles contains at this point, in which case you should click the image below to download a PDF document containing the breakdown of programs included with each Suite at each level.

That's not all, though. There is a lot more information to announce. I'll especially focus on the Infrastructure Design Suite offerings. First of which, if you didn't download the document or simply want to review the offerings at each level for the Infrastructure Design Suite 2012, I've included the package breakdown below:

• Standard
  • AutoCAD 2012
  • Map 3D 2012
  • Navisworks Simulate 2012
• Premium
  • All Infrastructure Design Suite Standard Edition Software
  • Civil 3D 2012
  • 3Ds Max Design 2012
• Ultimate
  • All Infrastructure Design Suite Premium Edition Software
  • Substitute Navisworks Simulate with Navisworks Manage 2012

Now Autodesk made the announcement regarding the Suites offerings during a webcast yesterday and I won't skimp on passing that information on to you. One of that last things mentioned during the Q & A, but probably the number one thing you are interested in, is the cost of these Suites. The response given during the webcast was that they will start at approximately $100 more than the stand-alone version of the primary (read: most expensive/advanced) software within the bundle. This means that you could expect the Autodesk Infrastructure Design Suite 2012 Premium package to cost approximately $100 more than an individual purchase Civil 3D 2012.

You may be asking yourself,"Why would this be more expensive than it is right now? Civil 3D already comes with Map 3D tools and AutoCAD." In which case, you'd be right, except you may have overlooked the fact that 3Ds Max Design 2012 (an amazing piece of software in it's own right) is included in the Premium package and reduces your overall cost tremendously. Now these Suites aren't going to be the answer for everyone, and the stand-alone software purchases are still available for those that aren't interested, so have no fear.

Another great benefit to these Suites is that Autodesk is shipping them via USB flashdrives. The flashdrives will contain the entire suite you purchase, is write-protected so you CAD Managers out there don't freak out, and allows for several install options. The Electronic Software Delivery (downloads from Autodesk Subscription Center) are still available and you can get a replacement USB, too, so don't worry about inadvertently losing or damaging the flashdrive. When you plug the flash drive containing the Suites into your machine, you'll be given the options of performing a 1-Click Install, Custom Install, creating a Network Deployment, and more. Everything there is the same except for the 1-Click Install, which I can't wait to get my hands on and see how well it works.

That's it for now, folks. There is a lot more 2012 software release information to write about and make available to you, so make sure you keep coming back and checking out what's been posted. You can also subscribe to the RSS Feed so you receive new posts directly to your email inbox by selecting right here.

Discover Topobase Tools Within Map 3D 2012

Just the mere thought of it gives me the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. In Map 3D 2012, get ready for developing GIS information and maps from industry models and construct industry models from GIS information and geometry. How amazing is that? Map 3D now includes the tools previously available only in Autodesk Topobase for developing industry models for water, sewer, gas, and electric distribution. Not only do you have access to these tools, but you can utilize them in a way that is much more familiar to AutoCAD users - by simply using basic AutoCAD commands.

What are these so-called Industry Models? They are DWG files containing indsutry-specific:

• Strcutures to help deal with water, wastewater, gas, electric, etc.
• Symbology and styles
• Rules and Workflows
• Forms and reports
• Analytic capabilities

The Autodesk Topobase software already had/has clients within high-end utilities markets and are centralized on Oracle databases with advanced options to support their respective industries. These have rules and relationships between objects and analysis reports that can be produced. In AutoCAD Map 3D 2012, users will have access to all this functionality, improved user interface, easier creating and editing functions, and much more.


Autodesk has taken into consideration that many of their customers don't have or want a centralized database and may want to utilize the hundreds or thousands of DWG and SHP files they already have available. What they've done, is included the option to utilize an embedded database within the same AutoCAD format (DWT or DWG), but contains a Topobase model which consists of:

• Data model and Configuration Parameters
  • Document Explorer
  • Labels
  • Forms and reports
• Styling Information
  • Symbols
  • Themes
  • Scales

The models can be created or edited and mantained through the Autodesk Infrastructure Administrator. The Infrastructure Administrator is a tool for CAD or GIS managers/administrators, consultants, or users for creating entirely new data models, editing feature classes and rules, and much more.

One of the coolest (in my opion) new features with all these tools is the ability to apply different rule sets to the labels and symbology. This will allow a user or administrator to toggle between a design/edit style of drawing to a GIS data model style with a quick "flip of the switch" and allow users/reviewers chance to see the model and map exactly as the want or need to.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for new features in AutoCAD Map 3D 2012, so if you are interested in everything else that is on offer and available, be sure to check back in with the Civil Solutions Blog for more updates on this and other Autodesk 2012 release information throughout today, the next few days, and the coming weeks/months. There is much more to come and a lot of really great new tools and options from Autodesk.

Protecting Your Civil 3D Styles

Regardless of who you are, what company you work for, or where you work out of, you've spent a lot of time, money, and/or resources developing your Civil 3D Styles and template. There are many different ways to create a template: build it yourself, contract an Autodesk partner to build the template with you, or hire a new employee with extensive Civil 3D experience so he or she can develop it. No matter the method, you want to protect the investment. That template is your intellectual property and you don't want it getting into the hands of your competitors.

Okay, so maybe that is a bit paranoid, but there are a lot of people out there who share this sentiment. All it takes is just saving your Civil 3D drawing, burning it to a disc or uploading it to an FTP site, and submitting it to a client. What's to protect you from a competitor finding it on your FTP site, the client from distributing the CAD file to them for a future project, or an unruly employee taking an archive disc with him or her when packing up for the next gig at your biggest local opponent?

Hopefully your FTP site is password protected and segmented by project. It would also be great if there was a portion of your contract with the client that agreed they wouldn't share your files, but a lot of contracts are written up so that the design files and drawings belong to the client upon submittal (this is a hot topic to be discusses at another junction in time). As far as an unruly employee goes - aside from locking all systems down from CDs, DVDs, and thumb drives (I don't personally agree with any of this) - there isn't a whole lot you can do.

There are several options for protecting your Civil 3D Styles from getting into the wrong hands, though. Let's explore some of the possibilities:

• Submit in DWF or PDF form instead of DWG (if the option is given)
• Use the command AECEXPORTTOAUTOCADxxxx - where xxxx represents the DWG version
• Go to the Application Menu drop-down and Export to AutoCAD DWG (pick the version)
• Export the Civil 3D file to a DXF format and import the DXF into AutoCAD

A lot of people will discredit the first option, submitting in DWF or PDF format. I'll argue the ability to create PDF and DWF files with layers, the possibility of underlaying those files into a DWG and then subsequently controlling the visibility of those layers, as well as Object Snapping on an underlaid DWF or PDF negates most of the complaints against them.

Regarding which of the options to use, however, that's entirely up to you. Each of the other 3 methods essentially ends up with the same results so it is more a matter which one takes less time or can be more easily and consistently utilized by your other designers. I like exporting to an AutoCAD DWGformat, personally, as it has fewer operations and is manipulating the data in the file less. Don't take my word for it. Try them all out and determine what works best for your and your company.

Another option not mentioned above previously is to simply not worry about it. Every Civil 3D Style that you create or modify has your Windows Login information tied to it and that data will follow your drawings and styles around wherever they may go. Even Civil 3D Styles that are copied and edited retain who initially created the style it was based off of. If you receive a drawing file from a client or competitor some day and find your name within any of the styles, you'll know that they have potentiallydone something unethical and can pursue however you wish.

Here's a suggestion to leave you with, though. When finalizing a project, do everyone a favor and clean up your drawing files. This means Purging, removing RegApps, running an Audit or RecoverAll, and simply giving them another look over. Whether you are creating an archive, backing up an entire folder, or eTransmitting the project (my favorite archiving and submitting option), the next person to work with your files will thank you greatly. You never know, either, you may just be thanking yourself a few years from now.

Customize Your Civil 3D Reports

In a previous post, I discussed how easy it was to produce a report within Civil 3D. I'd now like to take the opportunity to share with you how to customize those reports for your company and client needs. It is a pretty easy process and there are a couple different tools available to get the job done.

First, understand that Civil 3D reports are pretty generic out of the box. As you can see in the image below, there is nothing distinguishing who created this report and who it was for. It is easy enough to modify a report after-the-fact in a text editing program (as you can see in my previous post), but it would be a lot nicer if the report was already formatted to meet your needs.

The first and most readily-accessible option is to to change the report settings within Civil 3D. Go to the Toolbox tab of the Civil 3D Toolspace and left-click the toolbox icon at the top left representing the Report Settings dialog.

Here you can change all the defaults for company, client, and contact information for a project. These changes will apply to all future Civil 3D reports, so be sure to update the information when working on another project or executing a report for another client.

Select "OK" when you are done editing the settings and run the report you are needing. As you can see below, all the header information in the report has been updated to match what I had entered into the editor.

What happens when you want to make changes to the accuracy of the numbers being reported, though (i.e. number of places to the right of a decimal)? What if you want to run several XML reports or even create many new report templates? That's where the Autodesk LandXML Reporting tool comes into action. It isn't easy to find, but it is a part of your Civil 3D install and should be found within a similar directory.

With the Reporting tool open, you can browse all the formats and locations of the reports currently available. You can import existing reports, edit options, or create new files.

The reports are based from .xsl files which also come as part of your Civil 3D installation. You can see an example of one such .xsl file below. If editing the information in a report isn't enough for you and you want to actually change the format and style of the report, you must do so within these .xsl files.

To edit information in the .xsl files similar to what was done in Civil 3D, go to the Settings tab of the LandXML Reporting application and go through the hierarchy of settings to change the defaults.

Also, note that you can change many other variables aside from just basic naming and titles of reports.

When you have made all the necessary changes to the style and settings of your reports, you can load LandXML files exported from Civil 3D and run reports from the data contained within. Simply "Open Data File" and select the LandXML file, select the report type from the Forms tab, and then the Output tab to preview the results.

The Autodesk LandXML Reporting application is a pretty easy piece of software to use, but most people aren't even aware that it exists. Good luck in your next attempt at customizing your reports, whether they be directly from Civil 3D or within the reporting tool. If you have any further suggestions on ways to utilize the features mentioned in this post, please comment below!

View Civil 3D Drawings in Other Applications

It goes without saying that just because you are working on a project in Civil 3D, doesn't mean that the company you are collaborating with or owner reviewing the project is. This is already an ideal scenario, because it is assuming that whoever you are working with is even looking at the project digital, but I digress. The fact of the matter is that the person in the cube next to you may not have Civil 3D installed or there aren't enough Civil 3D network licenses to go around for everyone in the office to be running it at the same time.

Chances are, either you've got some additional AutoCAD licenses for someone to keep productive with or the client/company you are working with has some AutoCAD installations for using and reviewing your Civil 3D files. The problem presents itself when someone without Civil 3D attempts to open a drawing with Civil 3D objects in it and wonders why the drawing looks barren and all design data is gone. We have 2 options. One option required us to do something different. The other option requires the recipient of the Civil 3D file to do something on there end.

Option numero uno: Set your PROXYGRAPHICS system variable to "1" and save your drawing. When someone using AutoCAD opens up the Civil 3D file after this has been done, they will view the Civil 3D objects as they were last saved, but attempting to manipulate any of them will affect them as a group. Think of the Proxygraphics as a "snapshot" of your latest Civil 3D design and is now treated as an OLE object when displayed in anything except Civil 3D. As a matter of fact, this is the only option available if you want to save a Civil 3D drawing and someone plans on opening it up later on with Autodesk's online software, AutoCAD WS, through an iPad, iPhone, or web browser. Changing Proxygraphics has no affect on your ability to continue designing and editing, but it does significantly increase the file size of your drawing.

Option numero dos: Tell the person opening up your Civil 3D drawing in other software that he or she needs to go to Autodesk's website and download the Civil Object Enablers for the software package currently used. You can find those enablers available for download at this link but make sure that the enablers being downloaded and installed are for the correct software. After installing the plug-in, the user can then open up the Civil 3D drawing and see all the design objects. Even with the object enablers, it is still not possible to edit the Civil 3D design objects in other software, though. Also, this option is limited to the software packages that Autodesk develops and releases Civil 3D object enablers for.

Which option will work best for you? It's hard to say. My preference will always be to have the non-Civil 3D user download and install the object enablers. Civil 3D drawings can generate large enough file sizes without bumping them up with Proxygraphics. However, you can't always convince people to do what you want, so on a case-by-case basis, save the drawings over with Proxygraphics set to "1" and keep up good relations with the companies and clients you work with.

Have any other ideas on how to handle viewing Civil 3D objects in other programs? Post your suggestions to the comments area below.

Getting Started With Civil 3D Reports

Civil 3D has some great productivity tool built into it; many of which I think are overlooked quite often. Although it isn't always necessary to produce a document or spreadsheet for every little design task on a project, Civil 3D has an easy-to-use and effective reporting tool built into it for when the need arises. If you haven't attempted to execute or export a report within Civil 3D before, this would be a great first attempt at doing so.

One of the many reporting functions in Civil 3D is generating a general legal description or Surveyor's certificate from Parcels. Of course the report can only be as accurate as the geometry it is created from, but it is a fairly powerful tool that could be the verbiage basis for a plat or other submittable document. (Please note that all reports produced by Civil 3D should be reviewed and/or corrected to meet standards and regulations)

To create the report, go to the Toolbox tab on the Civil 3D Toolspace. For this particular report, navigate to the Parcel category, right-click "Surveyors_Certificate", and select "Execute" (alternatively, just double-click the report to execute it).

Within the Export to XML Report dialog, make sure that the parcel or parcels you want to generate a description are selected. Note that Civil 3D will parse any object type that isn't relevant to the type of report being generated, so you don't have to check or un-check every option within this dialog, just the objects pertinent to the type of report as shown below.

Once you have the items selected as needed, select "OK" and you will be directed to a Save-As dialog to define the file name and location for the report to be saved to.

After saving the file, it will then open up your default internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or in my case, Chrome). You'll see the report in HTML format which is essentially a web page. You can review this document for correctness, but it is difficult to edit HTML documents unless you are familiar with basic web programming.

If you are educated in HTML programming and formatting, feel free to open the report in Notepad or something of the sort and customize the document to meet your needs. However, what I often offer as an easier - and more universally understood - option, is to open the file in Microsoft Word. Simply navigate to the file on your hard drive or network, right-click, go to "Open with", and choose the "Microsoft Office Word" option from the short-cut menu.

This opens the HTML file in Word and allows you to edit all the contents just like any other rich text format file. As you can see below, there are no discernible differences between the HTML file and a regular Word .doc file.

When you are done editing the file, simply save it to keep it as an HTML file, or perform a save-as and convert the HTML file to any other format Word can output to (.doc, .docx, .wps, .txt, etc.). This will allow for easy archiving and editing in the future. It is also a format that a far greater number of people will recognize and know how to use.

I hope these simple tips will motivate you to utilize the Civil 3D reporting tools a little more often, or at least get started with them. If you have any suggestions for future blog post topics, please submit them in the comments below and we'll try to address them as allowable.

Get Rid of Those Pesky Contour Label Lines

A question I often get asked is,"How do I turn off the line on my multiple contour labels?" The answer is a probably a lot simpler than you might expect. Let's start out by creating some Civil 3D Contours so we can explore the different ways to turn off the contour label line.

First, select the surface in your drawing and pick "Contour - Multiple at Interval" from the "Add Labels" drop-down on the surface contextual ribbon.

 

Next, draw the beginning and end points for where you would like your contour labels to be placed on the surface. A Civil 3D contour label will be placed every time the line you are drawing crosses a contour line (depending on the current label style, this may not be true as major or minor interval labels may be turned off in the label set). 

 

After you pick the path of your labels you will be prompted for the frequency you would like the interval contour labels to be placed along the linear path of each contour line crossed.

 

 

Below, you will see the end result of the contour line and multiple contour labels placed at the defined interval. All labels attached to the contour label line move and are affected by properties as a group. The multiple contour line can be stretched to include or avoid other contour lines.

 

Each interval label is an individual entity and can be moved, copied, and even stretched across multiple contour lines to create a new multiple contour label.  When an individual contour label is moved along a contour line, it rotates to match the contour line's path (by default). When it is moved to another contour line, it will update to call out the proper elevation of the new contour line.

 

 

Here, you see an example of how the contour label line has been manipulated as well as an individual contour label moved to a new location. Additionally, the Properties Palette has been opened and the "Display Contour Label Line" option is changed to "False" in order to turn its visibility off.

 

 

The result of changing the "Display Contour Label Line" option to "False" is shown below. Now, anytime you select the multiple contour label object, you will see a blue line with grips at either end for the purposes of editing it.

With everything unselected, the contour label line goes away and there is no longer a concern that it will show up when plotting your drawings.

If your preference is for the contour label line to never show up in Civil 3D, you may be better off adjusting the Surface Feature Settings so that the default is set to never display it. Go to the Settings tab in Toolspace, navigate to the Surface category, right-click and select "Edit Feature Settings..." from the short cut menu.

This brings up the "Edit Feature Settings - Surface" dialog. Expand the Contour Labeling Defaults category and you will see the option to change the contour label line defaults. Select the cell next to "Display Contour Label Line" in the Value column and change the setting to "False." This will cause all subsequent multiple contour labels to have the contour label line disabled automatically.

If this is your preference as a whole, it would be wise to change this setting with your Civil 3D template so all future projects can avoid going through this process. It is just another little step toward refining your Civil 3D template and less to be concerned about when it comes time for production.