IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blog

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Margin of Error Applied to Swept Path Analysis - Autodesk Vehicle Tracking

Richard Morrow | Application Expert

In this Blog I wanted to look at Swept Path envelopes using Vehicle Tracking to make it more realistic with a reasonable margin of error, knowing drivers are not going to be perfect. The closer those envelopes are to curbs, signage, or building corners, the smaller the margin of error is for the driver. Creating the buffer or offset will help ensure vehicles can successfully navigate the path. Allowing you to create a better and safer design.

Autodesk Vehicle Tracking

As you can see below, we have a Swept Path of school bus navigating the road. There are some tight areas in the design. What I would like to do is add a buffer so I can make sure to make design updates based off the buffer so there is adequate space for the bus to navigate the turn.

To add the buffer, select Vehicle Tracking tab then the Vehicle Tracking Properties. This will allow you to set an offset for the tracking envelope. On the Properties dialog select Reports and expand Report0001 Clearance Envelope and pick Body Outline, then Edit.

Body Outlines

On the Body Outlines you will want to set the Offset Envelope to “1”. You can set the symbology and distance of the offset that will display within the envelope.

You now have a buffer to aid in a more realistic path design. This will make your design easier to navigate for the drivers and safer design for everyone.

To apply the buffer to all your future envelopes you need to set this at the Report Wizard.

Select the Body Outline like before and apply the same settings as earlier. This buffer offset will be applied to ALL you future Path Analysis.

Migration to Autodesk in 2020

Kevin Breslin | ISD/RCS Services Manager

Here we are in the middle of 2020 and I’m writing a blog post about “Migration to Autodesk”.  Seems kind of odd when you think about it, considering AutoCAD has been around since the 80’s and our flagship infrastructure program Autodesk Civil 3D has been around since 2004. The reality is, despite Autodesk technology being mature in the CAD/engineering world, it’s still *NEW* for what appears to be a growing number of users.

Unless you happen to be with an organization that is working on this move to an Autodesk platform, you might wonder “Who is just now going to Autodesk?”.

The Top Two Answers Are:

• The expected new engineers, designers, etc., fresh out of school and/or just beginning their careers in the industry.
• But the growing part of this segment of our customers are those migrating FROM a Bentley platform to an Autodesk platform.

For over 25 years, we have been in the consulting services business and have been providing education, support, implementation services to customers, and over these years, we have encountered customers that were also making this Bentley/MicroStation to Autodesk/AutoCAD/Civil 3D migration, but in the last year or so, the numbers have gone up . . . . a lot.

While I could spend time opining on the “why” this is happening, I’ll leave it at, there are changes within the industry that are driving people to consider an Autodesk-based alternative for design, drafting, engineering, survey processing, visualization and data management needs.

The ISD Services team over the years have collectively assisted many organizations, large and small, commercial and government with the move to Autodesk from Bentley and have done so as part of our TakeAIM services.  While the TakeAIM platform has given us the ability to meet the needs of customers making the migration, it often required additional steps which we have found necessary to effectively get an organization migrated to a new platform, with a customized optimized environment, standards, workflows, education and support to ensure the challenges associated to making the change is as minimal as possible.

By leveraging our collective years of experiences, we have developed best practices and methodologies to address the unique aspects of migrating platforms and have used these lessons learned to develop a new service.  This new service is simply branded “Migration to Autodesk”.

 Yes, it’s kind of on the nose. . . . but hopefully it’s self-explanatory.

In addition to the typical aspects of implementation (discovery, education, optimization, piloting, support), the challenges of migrating from another platform also adds the potential of needing to address migrating legacy standards (line types, cells, levels,) and in some cases, the actual conversion of legacy design data from Bentley/MicroStation-based files to Autodesk/AutoCAD/Civil 3D equivalent.  There are also aspects that deal with data management (ProjectWise to Vault Professional), automation, and more.

This new service takes all of these aspects into account.

While there may be many similar needs from one organization to another, we know that once you dig into the specifics, each migration requires a unique plan to be defined.

If you are with an organization that is currently considering making the move to Autodesk from Bentley, please review the details of this new service here, and as always, feel free to contact us with questions.

Add Custom Attribute Columns in BIM360 DOCS

Matt Miyamoto|ISD Project Manager

During a recent customer conversation around Autodesk BIM360 implementation, a requirement for the ability to add custom properties to BIM360 DOCS files was brought to our attention.  The default settings within BIM360 DOCS already include primary file-based information like Name, Description, Version, Shared status, Size, and DOCS specific information like Markups, Issues, RFI’s and Sets.  In addition to controlling the visibility of any or all of these default fields, users can create their own custom attributes to add more columns of relevant information to the BIM360 DOCS view.

Custom Attributes are easy to add using the “Add Attribute” option by right-clicking on any folder in BIM360 DOCS or clicking on the ellipsis (…) icon next to the folder name.  Similar to permission assignments, custom attributes that are added to a higher-level folder are automatically added to subfolders under the same project folder structure.

When creating custom attributes, you must first provide a name, then select from one of three available options (available at the time this blog was written).  The Text Field option allows the user to manually enter text in the custom attribute column.  The Date Picker option loads a calendar for users to manually select dates from, and the Drop-down Menu option provides a user-defined list of items to select from a drop-down style menu.  This list can also be edited at any time to include more items as the project progresses.

With Version tracking in BIM360 DOCS, the current attribute value is applied to future versions of each file, however users may manually override version specific values as needed.

Currently, custom attributes are only allowed for individual files (folders do not support custom attributes at this time).  When attributes are changed or edited by a project member, the Last Updated and Updated By fields will indicate the date, time and project member who made the change.  Project members must have edit-level permissions to the folder in order to make changes to custom attributes. View-level members will be able to see the attribute data, but not edit the values.

In the screenshot below, a custom field for Phase with a pre-populated drop-down list for Phs 1 and Phs 2 has been added to the Civil Design location.  Additionally, a user-defined column for Company was added to the main top-level Project Files directory and has been automatically added to the Civil Design sub-folder.

To find the details of what changes were applied, check the box next to the file name, then go to View File Activities from the top menu.

For step by step info on how to add custom attributes, check out this BIM360 DOCS Help file post on the Autodesk Knowledge Network:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/bim-360/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/ENU/BIM360D-Document-Management/files/To-Work-with-Document-Management/To-Work-with-Folders/GUID-244FAB32-8E3B-4D1B-A1EB-C982DB93ABB3-html.html

Custom attributes do not currently appear in the Civil 3D START tab when accessing your BIM360 DOCS project files from you desktop application, however if you are a project owner looking for a way to include custom attribute data to your files being housed in BIM360 DOCS, now you know how to do it.

Civil 3D – Push My Buttons: Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Leo Lavayen | Applications Expert

Keyboard shortcuts provide access to functions within AutoCAD and Civil 3D, below are some examples:

** A special shout out to Boris Tillet from WITHERS for reminding me of these basics **

Ctrl + Select = Nested Selections

Useful when dealing with Civil 3D Alignment and Profile labels as they are grouped.  And isolation allows for right-click menu access to edit content, change styles or erase.

Another use is for this nested selection ability, is to highlighting Contours or Grids.  Unfortunately, there is no extra functionality to show off here.

 Shift + Select = Remove Selection

Typically, selection commands allow users to continuously add to selection sets.  The chance to remove items from a selection is done (by default) by holding the Shift key and selecting the objects again.

We can control this from the Options dialog box > Selection tab > Selection modes

The behavior is controlled by the PICKADD system variable, the default value is 2.

Value	Description
0	Turns off PICKADD. The objects most recently selected become the selection set. Previously selected objects are automatically removed from the selection set.
1	Turns on PICKADD. Each object selected, either individually or by windowing, is added to the current selection set.
2	Turns on PICKADD. Each object selected, either individually or by windowing, is added to the current selection set. If the SELECT command is used, keeps objects selected after the command ends.

At times users have accidentally changed the variable from the Properties tool palette.

Shift + Hold to Flip Between Trim/Extend

The AutoCAD Trim and Extend commands are sister commands, in that while one of the commands is active the same selections will complement each other when holding the SHIFT key.  In the example below the vertical blue line is selected as the boundary or cutting edge.

Shift + Hold = Ortho Lock

The option to have the ORTHOMODE enabled (keyboard shortcut F8) is great but working in a locked 0° or 90° mode can be restrictive.

Optionally, with ORTHOMODE off, we can hold the SHIFT key and restrict the mouse movements.

Shift + Right Click [or] Ctrl + Right Click = Osnap Shortcut

The running Object Snaps can be helpful on a daily basis (keyboard shortcut F3)

Sometimes we need just one extra OSNAP, just ONE – a single-use – this is where Object Snaps Overrides come to save the day.  Just hold either the SHIFT or CTRL and right-click to access the applicable menu of options to choose from.

Taking Your Civil Designs to 3ds Max

James Branagan | Applications Expert

When you want to give your civil designs much more visual impact, one option you have is to take them in to Autodesk’s 3ds Max software. 3ds Max is a 3D modeling, rendering and animation software for design visualization, games and animation which will allow you to produce stunning images and videos of your design. You can also take your 3ds Max project to Virtual Reality for even more impact.

The first step in leveraging the power of 3ds Max is to bring in your design data. There are two main sources of design information for civil based projects; Infraworks and Civil 3D. I will go through both processes below.

From Civil 3D

Once you are ready to export your design, on the Civil 3D Output tab select Export to 3ds Max

This will bring up a dialog box where you can choose what to export. All of the Alignments, Corridors, Pipe networks and Surfaces are available to be selected individually or as a group. On the right-hand side of the dialog box are the Alignment options which lets you set intervals for points on tangents, curves and spirals.

When exporting from Civil 3D, only export what you need. Exporting extra objects will slow down the performance of 3ds Max. You can always export additional items at a later date.

Once all the objects have been selected click Export and choose a place to store the file. This will produce a .VSP3D file which will be imported in to 3ds Max.

If it isn’t already, start 3ds Max and navigate to the Civil View tab in the top menu bar. The first time you open it you will have to select Initialize. This will open a dialog box which allows you to set the system units, country resource kit and start mode. It will also require a restart of 3ds Max.

Upon restarting, select Civil View again and in the dropdown, select, Geometry Import > Civil 3D (VSP3D) file…

In the Civil 3D Import Panel click Open and select the .VSP3D file. Once loaded, all of the Civil 3D objects will be listed. Select the objects to import and select OK. This will import the Civil 3D objects in to 3ds Max.

The other option is to import from Infraworks

Open the Infraworks model you want to export and change view to conceptual. Under Setting, Export 3D Model

In the Export to 3D Model file dialog box, select the model, or area of the model to be exported. Define the coordinate system and set the offset to User Defined. (Note: 3ds Max does not use the decimal places in the offset values so delete the decimal and any numbers to the right.) Select the radio button for Multiple files and set where to save the output files.

This will export individual .FBX files which can then be imported in to 3ds Max.

In 3ds Max, select Import in the File dropdown menu and choose one of the .FBX files to import. Keep all the defaults and select OK. This will import your .FBX file, repeat the import for the other .FBX files you wish to import.

Those are two of the ways to bring your Civil projects over to 3ds Max to give them great visual impact.

Reducing Point Cloud File Size With Autodesk Recap

When saving out a RCP or RCS file from Autodesk's Recap, the default resolution is 5 mm between points. This can make for quite large files and raises questions on how to best store these massive files. When exporting entire scans, do you really need that tight resolution? Typically the scan is only for reference and only a few points are selected off of a wall to determine the line or plane. Point cloud file sizes can be drastically reduced by changing the spacing between the unified points. 

Specify this point spacing during the export to RCP\RCS process. Start the Export command and specify what the exported file will be called and where it will be saved. Then this message box appears. But many are unaware of the spacing option hidden behind the little gear icon. Clicking on the gear slides out the spacing slider. The slider goes from 1 mm to 100 mm. The default is 5 mm.

For this example, I scanned a house using Leica's BLK360 laser scanner.
This has the default 5 mm export from Recap brought into AutoCAD. 

And this is 90 mm spacing.

Now to zoom in and see the actual difference between the grid sizes. Here is a cropped view of the side wall at various grid sizes.
This is the default 5 mm.

This is 25 mm

This is 50 mm

This is 90 mm

And finally to compare the different file sizes. 
The original project straight from the BLK is 18 GB after deleting the unnecessary points around the property. 
The export to RCS at the default 5 mm creates a 2.75 GB file.
Changing the grid to 25 mm drops the file size to 200 MB!! And looks very close to the 5 mm in quality. 
Changing the grid to 50 mm drops the file size to 60.2 MB.
Changing the grid to 75 mm drops the file size to 29.6 MB.
Changing the grid to 90 mm drops the file size to 18.5 MB. 

Hopefully this helps you better manage you point clouds that are being referenced in other software.

Remote Collaboration Options for Civil 3D Users

Kevin Breslin | Manager ISD/RCS Services

For many organizations the recent pandemic has created a range of disruptions with operations as more people are for various reasons staying home.  For a growing number of our Civil 3D customers this has compromised their ability to keep projects on track and to keep people working. 

Under these circumstances, it seems like a good time to review options that may allow users to continue to work, collaborate with others and to keep projects moving forward.

Software & Hardware

The first step to consider is the software itself.  Depending on the version and license type of Autodesk software you’re using, in many cases there is an allowance to use licenses for “Home Use” or to be borrowed from a license server.  (See links below)

In cases where your office workstation is a laptop/notebook, you may have the ability to bring your workstation home with you (with management’s consent of course).  For users who cannot bring their work computer home, there are options available where you can install Autodesk software on your personal computer, and using one of the licensing options noted below, work remotely (assuming said home system meets system requirements).

COVID-19 Autodesk Resource Center

Request a license to use software at home

Autodesk Licensing Options

Other key necessities would be an internet connection sufficient to transfer large files in a reasonable time. 

[FWIW, I have a ~300MB down and 30MB up connection at home and I have absolutely no issues with even very large files.] 

Keeping in mind, your personal internet connection at home is only part of the story when considering file transfer speeds.

Collaboration (file sharing) Options

In the case of working with Civil 3D, this is where things get a bit more complicated.  Most organizations utilize Civil 3D’s ability to share Data References (e.g. Alignments, Surfaces, etc.) as well as Xref and image files, etc.  Accessing these files remotely is possible if your organization can grant remote system access (i.e. Remote Desktop) to your office workstation, or access to your network files share (e.g. VPN access).  In many cases however, this is not an option.

Vault Professional

If your organization utilizes Autodesk Vault Professional your remote (home) workstation may be configured to allow you to access shared files (including references and data references).  If your organization does use Vault Professional, contact your system administrator to find out how you could work remotely.

More information on Vault Professional and Civil 3D

BIM 360 Design for Civil 3D

The latest option for remote collaboration would be the 2020.2 (and newer) versions of Autodesk Civil 3D along with the latest version of BIM 360 Design.  With BIM 360 Design users have the ability to create and work on projects in the BIM 360 environment.  Through this cloud-based system, access to and the ability to share files including drawing files, data reference, Xrefs, images, etc. is possible.

While still somewhat new to Civil 3D, the technology is solid and offers the easiest means to collaborate and share project files remotely with users pretty much anywhere internet access is available.

Important Note: BIM 360 Design technology does necessitate BIM 360 Design licenses and the 2020.2 (or newer) version of Autodesk Civil 3D to function.

BIM 360 Design Information

For organizations implementing BIM 360 Design for Civil 3D, late last year, IMAGINiT developed a quick implementation/training service called the BIM 360 For Civil 3D Jumpstart service which is designed to quickly get organizations up to speed and running with BIM 360 Design for Civil 3D.

Other Options

In addition to the options noted here, IMAGINiT is well versed in the tools and technology related to remote education, consulting services, etc. and have been using these technologies for years.  If you or your organization is considering using this time to get caught up on some needed training, or the development of an optimized and customized Civil 3D environment, let us know.

With the technology advancements over the last several years, working together doesn’t require travel, or even having to be in the same room. 

If you have any questions on anything noted here, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Masking Labels in Autodesk Civil 3D

James Branagan | Applications Expert

When placing text on drawings, many times, the only place to place the label will be over lines in the drawing. This obscure the text and make it difficult to read. To remedy this, you can place a mask around the text which will wipe out or hide the objects under that mask.  When working in Autodesk’s Civil 3D and AutoCAD there are a few different ways that you can add a mask around the label.

Single line text:

Single line text can be masked using the Wipeout command on the Markup panel of the Annotate tab.

To create the Wipeout, select the tool and create a polygon to represent the area to be hidden. A Wipeout is its own separate drawing object so it may need to have its display order adjusted so that the text displays but the underlying lines do not.

With both Multi Line text and Civil 3D labels, the masking is attached to the text.

Multi line text:

Create Multi Line text and select it to open the text’s contextual ribbon. On the Style tab select the Mask button.

The Background Mask dialog box will allow you to choose whether to use a background mask or not as well as what color it will be (or the same color as the drawing background color). It will also allow you to control the size of the mask to some degree.

The size of the mask is ultimately controlled by the text editing box (the big grey box that’s placed around the text when you select it for editing). The Border offset factor further increases the mask by the amount you specify. In conjunction, these two items control the overall size of the background mask

Since the mask for MText is tied to the text itself, any changes you make will be automatically reflected in the mask

Civil 3D Labels:

The last way in Civil 3D to add a mask to a label is through the Label Styles dialog box.

On the Layout tab of the Label style underneath the Border section, there is a setting for Background Mask. Setting it to True will turn it on and setting it to False will turn it off. Again, you have the ability to control the size of the mask by adjusting the Gap size.

INSERT & CLASSICINSERT in Civil 3D 2020

Matt Miyamoto | ISD Project Manager

Those of you who are working with the new 2020 versions of the AutoCAD product family may have noticed an enhanced INSERT command.  In previous versions of AutoCAD-based products, the INSERT command would launch a dialog box containing options for selecting blocks and setting Insertion Point, Scale and Rotation.  The new enhanced INSERT command in 2020 introduced a BLOCKS palette, which appears on screen and includes tabs for selecting blocks defined in the current drawing, recent blocks, and blocks from other drawings.

Along with the tabs to access the blocks, the common Insertion Options for Insertion Point, Scale, Rotation and Explode are available down at the bottom of the palette with a new added function called “Repeat Placement” that allows you to continuously insert multiple copies  without having to repeat the command or copy the block.

For some, the new BLOCKS palette might take a little bit of time to get used to, but here are some tips:

• Left-clicking on the block thumbnail is similar to selecting the block name from the drop-down list in the old Insert dialog box (it specifies which block you intend to use).
• Setting the Insertion Options after you click on the block thumbnail will apply those options to the block you’ve selected for placement in the drawing (same as the bottom portion of the old Insert dialog).
• Once you’ve clicked on the block thumbnail and set the insertion options through the BLOCKS palette, it’s business as usual for placing blocks in the drawing; left-click where you want the block to be, or zoom/pan to the pre-set Insertion Point that was specified in the options.

If you’re really not a fan of the enhanced INSERT command and the new BLOCKS palette, there is always the option to go back to the previous version of the command.  In a lot of cases, when commands are updated or enhanced in a newer version of AutoCAD products, the old version of the command is still accessible through the “classic” option.  This was also the case in the past with commands like Array, Layer and XREF, which are now displayed in the newer updated dynamic mode dialog boxes and Ribbon tabs.

To access the classic version of the INSERT command, type CLASSICINSERT at the command line.  What you’ll see is the old Insert dialog box that you might be more familiar with.

The command shortcut “I” for INSERT has also been updated to refer to the enhanced INSERT command and will launch the BLOCKS palette when used.  If you want to reset this back to the old Insert dialog box, you can use the Command Alias Editor to edit the command shortcut and set “I” to CLASSICINSERT instead of INSERT.  Once you do that, your shortcut will go back to launching the old Insert dialog box instead of the new BLOCKS palette and you’ll still be able to get to the new BLOCKS palette by typing in the full INSERT command at the command line.

If you’ve been working in 2020 and using the new BLOCKS palette, but aren’t quite used to it yet, or if you just want to get back to the old classic command, now you know what to do.  But I will say, give it a chance.  The more you use it, the more you might find that there are some added bonuses to the new BLOCKS palette.  The Other Drawings tab is like having a built-in link to the Design Center for pulling block definitions from other drawing files, and the Repeat Placement option could end up saving you some steps in your workflow when having to place multiple copies of the same block.