ASCENT Blog

Tips to Work Effectively in a Team Environment using AutoCAD 2019 - Webcast Follow-up

By Michelle Rasmussen

For those of you who joined me on June 13^th for my webcast on “Tips to Work Effectively in a Team Environment using AutoCAD 2019”, thank you for taking time out of your day. Below is a link if you wish to watch it again or in case you missed it. As promised, here is the list of questions and answers we covered at the end of the webcast.

 

 

Q: ­Can you go the other way? Can you compare 2 drawings in the mobile device?­

A: You can compare two mobile drawings. However, you must compare them in the desktop application. The best way to do this is to open both mobile drawing in the desktop application. Then start the DWG Compare command.

 

Q: ­How would this work with data sharing?­ In ­C3D­?

A: You can share views in Civil 3D the same way you share views in AutoCAD. I assume this question actually refers to how are Civil 3D data shortcuts handled in Shared Views. Since I had not tried it yet, I promised that I would research it for you. In doing so, I created a new drawing and added two data shortcuts. One was a surface, the other was an alignment. Then I created a shared view. The data shortcuts come across fine along with their properties. When I selected the surface in the Autodesk Viewer and turned on the Properties palette, it showed the basic information about the surface (including layer name and surface statistics), as shown in the image below.

 

Q: ­Can we delete markups or change it’s status after the original drawing is revised?

A: Once you save a markup, the only way to get rid of it is to mark it as resolved.

 

Q: ­Can the mobile app/drawings be made available to an entity outside of a firm (think in terms of a vendor or outside consultant being given limited access)?­

A: You can share your mobile drawing with anyone you choose. Just do the following:

1. Tap the ellipses next to the drawing name in the mobile app. Then tap Manage Sharing, as shown in the image below.
   
2. In the dialog box that appears, type the email address in the To field for the individual with whom you want to share the model.
   • If you just want them to be able to see the files then select Reviewer, as shown in the image below.
   • If you want them to have full rights, then select Collaborator. Finally, type a message in the bottom field. This will be the email text they receive with the link.
     
     
     
3. Tap Share.

It is my recommendation that you create Shared Views for anyone you want to be able to review the models and provide feedback without being able to make edits. The Autodesk Browser is a great way to measure and markup the models without having any Autodesk licenses. For those you wish to give edit rights to for collaboration, share mobile drawings so they can make edits to the models in the field.

 

I hope you enjoyed the webcast and it helps you to work smarter, not harder.

Collaborating More Efficiently

By: Michelle Rasmussen

The idea of multiple people working on the same drawing file often makes CAD Managers cringe. Yes, two heads are better than one. However, shared files have a higher chance of edits made by one user being overwritten by another user who might be making edits at the same time. This can be a nightmare for a CAD manager whose job it is to make sure all the edits make it into the final drawing files.

Luckily, the Drawing Compare command provides a way to quickly highlight the differences between two versions of the same drawing file or two different drawing files. It does this by creating a new drawing with objects that are unique to the first drawing on one set of layers (<layer name>_DWG1) and the objects unique to the second drawing on another set of layers (<layer name>_DWG2). This allows you to filter drawing layers to better visualize the differences. It also places a revision cloud around the changes, as shown in the image below. One drawback to the compare command is that only drawing objects are supported during the compare process with the following being ignored:

• Coordination models
• PDF, DFW and DGN underlays
• AutoCAD Map 3D GIS objects
• Images
• OLE objects
• Point clouds

How To: Compare Two Drawings

1. In the Collaborate tab>Compare panel, click (DWG Compare).
2. In the DWG Compare dialog box, select the two drawings you wish to compare, as shown in the image below.
3. Click Compare.
4. Review the contents of the comparison drawing.

Updating Set Datums to Datum Feature Symbols in Creo Parametric 4.0

If you are new to Creo Parametric 4.0, and have started working with drawings or the Model Based Definition (MBD) annotation tools, you may be asking, “What is going on with Set Datums?” The simple answer is that Set Datums are replaced by Datum Feature Symbols.

In previous releases of Creo Parametric, a Set Datum was created as a property of a plane or axis feature. Now, a Datum Feature Symbol is created as either a standalone annotation or inside of an annotation feature, and can only be placed on a surface, dimension, witness line, or GTOL.

In Creo 3 and earlier, Set Datum Tags could be created in one of two ways:

1.  Using the  (Set Datum Tag annotation) option in the Datum dialog box (shown) or the  (Set Datum Tag annotation element) option from inside an annotation feature.
   
   
   
   
2. Using the  (Set) option in the Datum dialog box.

Prior to Creo Parametric 4.0, Set Datums were derived from existing datum planes or axes. Now, Datum Feature Symbols must be associated with solid geometry. So when you open a model created in Creo Parametric 3.0 or earlier, you have to update the existing Set Datums to Datum Feature Symbols. It is important to note that the Set Datums may also be referenced by Geometric Tolerances, so you will have to manage that circumstance as well.

You can  select an annotation in the Detail Tree, right-click and select either the Convert or Convert All option to convert outdated GTOLs and dimensions to the modern annotation types, as shown. 

Unfortunately, simply completing the conversion operation doesn't solve the problem. as the associativity between the legacy datums and GTOLs may be lost in certain scenarios. 

Scenario 1:  (Set Datum Tag annotation) On a Plane or Axis

Note the icon indicating the outdated annotations in the Detail Tree shown.

1. Convert all outdated GTOLs and dimensions by selecting an annotation, right-clicking and selecting Convert All.
2. Right-click and select Change Reference to establish a new reference for each Datum Tag Annotation you have converted. Note that for Datum Tag Annotations, right-clicking and selecting Change Reference will  automatically complete the Convert operation.

Scenario 2:  (Set) Legacy Set Datum Tag

Datum Feature Symbols can not be placed on a datum plane or datum axis, so once you convert the annotations, for any Set Datum, a new Datum Feature Symbol needs to be created and the legacy set datum tag needs to be unset.

1. Convert all outdated GTOLs and dimensions by selecting an annotation, right-clicking and selecting Convert All.
2. Create a new  (Datum Feature Symbol) with the same name as the Set Datum.
3. Select the set datum, right click and select Properties. In the Datum dialog box, click   (Unset) as shown.
   
   
4. Finally, just check any GTOLS that referenced the Set Datum you cleared to ensure it picked up the correct Datum Feature Symbol, as shown.

Using the above steps, you should be able to replace your legacy Datum Tags with Datum Feature Symbols to convert your older models to Creo Parametric 4.0.

In June we will be releasing Creo Parametric 4.0: Working with 3D Annotations and Model Based Definition, where you can learn more about the creation and usage of Datum Feature Symbols and other model annotations.