From the Ground Up

What does it do? – the Bridge preview under LABs

You can’t have missed it…?!?   The preview of bridge functionality for Civil 3D 2010, available on Autodesk LABs  http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/civil3d_bridge/

I understand that we can not expect everyone to install it on their normal machines as it is a technology preview, and not a released and supported product. That’s why I have installed it myself and tried it briefly  ;-)

Below are a number of images showing what I managed to achieve without ANY previous experience in bridge design.

After installation you get a new part of the Ribbon in C3D 2010.

After selecting type of bridge and what Corridor to apply it on, we get this user interface.

Here we can select what Corridor Regions to use for the Bridge deck.

My Corridor has three Corridor Regions. Before, over and after bridge. The dialog below also shows the graphics and section labels for my selected Alignment. The graphics are interactive.

After going through a number of steps in the Bridge wizard, we get the the bridge created over the span where we had our Corridor Region.

It is also easy to use the “Project Object to Profile View” command and present the 3D-bridge with Styles.

It has, of course, created a fully 3D bridge for us to be visible from any angle.

We can use “Hide”. See columns

Below are some images showing what it looks like when we use the new “Drive along Corridor” functionality, released as Subscription Advantage Pack for C3D 2010.

Corridor Surface turned off to show the “construction” below.

Using Visual Style “Render” while driving along the Corridor.

…and as “Hidden”…  See the geometry of the curve and super elevation…

…and finally as an object in “Object Viewer”.

As said, I am not in any way skilled in bridge design – but I imagine this tool will help a good way in doing visuals and “preview” design of bridges. Great for getting a quick view for discussion.

We’re heading for Las Vegas, Autodesk AU, for the whole next week. Jack is already on the plane – or close to boarding…?   Who knows?  ;-)

Anyway – feel free to catch us in Vegas if you’d like to chat or comment on anything.

Have a great weekend!   / Ove

Teaser to BIM for Civil Engineering AU 2009 Class

Those that have registered for my class with Dan Philbrick on Tuesday next week, I thought I would drop a teaser to one of the items we will be covering.

I have just received a preview version of AutoTRACK 8.80 which now supports Civil 3D surfaces amongst some other enhancements.

Take a look below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRJNSV5qulA

These are the classes I am presenting along with Dan Philbrick, Mike Appolo and Bruce Harfield

Tuesday 01:00pm - 02:30pm PST		CV114-5	Banyan C	BIM for Civil
Wednesday 01:00pm - 02:30pm PST		CV214-3	South Seas J	A Billion Points of Light
Thursday 08:00am PST		CV304-2	South Seas A	Producing Compelling Visualization for Civil Engineering Project Proposals

Jack Strongitharm

Data Shortcuts – a sample of flow

I do hope most of you are using Data Shortcuts, or Vault, in your projects today.  For most of you I guess this is no news, but I quite often hear questions on how and why you use it.

Below are a sample of files, folders and links. The following images show a simple sample of how this can be set up.

I just want to say, again, this is just a sample. Not a lesson…  ;-)

From left to right, the columns are:
- Input data in one or a few separate folders
- Working data (on going design)
- Model files that are used as XREFs to the final drawings. These are also to be used by others that don’t have C3D, but want to XREF data (if they have C3D 2010 OE installed)
- Final drawings for print/plot

Image below is clean from links. Just the “categories” are set up.

Some of the input data is used to create Civil 3D objects in the working drawings. That can be XYZ-files, Survey data, LandXML etc.  (Shown in light blue below)

Here we have a number of Data Shortcuts created as “green boxes” at the bottom. (The Data Shortcuts are stored by C3D in a separate folder)

The yellow dotted lines/arrows show where data is coming from and where it is stored. (as a Data Shortcut).
Note: One green line also show that a Data Shortcut is linked back to the model drawing for design of the main alignment in the project.

Now we are getting somewhere…  I have used green to show where Data Shortcuts could be used. (sample…)

I have planned to have a number of model files presenting data from my Civil 3D objects. There are no design data under the folders that are called “Models” here. All files present Civil 3D objects in various scale, various Styles and with/without Labels.

The whole idea with this setup is that these model drawings can be used as XREFs for the final Print/Plot drawings, and that they are related to the dynamic Civil 3D objects.

One example below is the model called “Alignments 1:500 Labeled”. That model is suitable as a part of a finalized drawing if the user want to include the main alignment with Labels in a 1:500 scale.  Opposite is the model with the alignment suitable for 1:10 000 scale that has a purpose for more “over view” drawings. But they are both derived from the same Data Shortcut.

This final image shows/scares the whole idea  ;-)   (I have not included ALL links below. Just a few)

I hope this can explain a little how things can be connected. This is not the only way…  just one way.

// Ove

Learn the lingo!

So those travelling to Las Vegas in just over a week may hear my beautiful Northern English Accent!

Unfortunately there will be no translation services in my classes, so I thought some hints may help you out.

UK English                         US English

Chainage                            Station

Level                                  Elevation

Junction                              Intersection

Brown Sauce                      Steak Sauce

Trainers                              Sneakers

 

However words are fine but understanding it the way I say it is not so easy potentially.

I was sent this video earlier in the week by my colleagues here in Autodesk and it is really funny and sounds a bit like me.

(from an old UK comedy program called Hale and Pace)

(PS I am not from Yorkshire but my name is and Lancashire isn’t far away)

Jack Strongitharm

StormNET in Europe

So I have been in London this week and some of the Benelux User Group guys came over to meet with Chris Maeder and Dave Simone.

A couple of them stayed on for another day and Jordy Brouwers of Geonius and Cristian Otter of Breijn, decided to have a play with StormNET (from the recently acquired products from Boss International) in its current form with one of their own Civil 3D projects.

He got everything working within two hours including learning the product for the first time.

(Civil 3D pipe model)

 

(Model and catchment data added)

Video of the profile animation of the water flow

Sounds promising for the near future

Jack Strongitharm

Drive Along Corridor – used in a tunnel

I thought I just had to try out the new “Drive” Along Corridor functionality on a previous tunnel example I set up several years back.

It also struck me today that since I did this simple tunnel (just an idea I had then) Civil 3D has developed quite a bit.

When I did this one in the 2006 version we didn’t have easy splitting of Corridor Regions, Interactive Boundarys for the Corridor Surfaces, or “Shrink wrap” Boundarys etc.  It would have been much easier to set this up today in 2010…  which is good!  ;-)

For those of you that haven’t seen or tried out the new SAP release – go ahead as soon as you get your hands on it!  This new Drive command is really useful and we see a lot of interest in it.

Here I have used it, with a green target 90 meters ahead, in my tunnel.
Tunnel on YouTube

// Ove

Early Christmas Present for me!

If you are building lots of corridor models and have some temporary corridors to build some of your design (my speciality!), you made need to rebuild multiple corridors quite often.

Well a colleague has come to my rescue and built a little utility and posted it on his website for all.

http://www.stefandidak.com/ramble/2009/11/12/rebuilding-all-or-all-out-of-date-corridors-in-autodesk-civil-3d-2010/

(I want his monitor setup!)

You can add this tool to the toolbox also for easy setup

 

Jack Strongitharm
 

Bridges in Civil 3D!

Just released (yes even more!) a technology preview of a Bridge modeller working directly in Civil 3D!

Also available with the same user interface for Revit Structure

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/civil3D_bridge/overview/

Fast Corridor 3D Orbit

 

I am sure you have all found that spinning a corridor in a 3D view can be a bit sluggish.

This is because you are probably drawing every single featureline, link surface, point marker and shape.

The reason the corridor has these components is to be able to create volumes and surfaces to the formation (datum) etc at any moment.

This factor applies to everything else in Civil 3D, the more you display the more your computer/graphics card has to handle.

So what do you want to see in the 3D view? 

More than likely just the top surfaces and lines so you can see how the model is formed and tied back into existing ground.

The display is all controlled by the corridor code set style.

So if you create a code set style with only the lines and links you what to see it works perfectly.

Make style for feature lines, point markers and links with everything turned off

Turn off the visibility in plan and model views

To refresh the feature line style, you may need to uncheck the parameters, hit apply and then recheck.  The corridor will then rebuild with all your styles implemented.

Now try to orbit, works like a dream!

Even in realistic it works really well.

 

You do want to use that drive tool in the Subscription Advantage Pack don’t you!!

Bliss!

As I mentioned this applies to everything else,

A little fine tuning on your styles and careful to what you display makes Civil 3D run like a rocket.

Also saves your eye sight from looking at lots of thin lines!

Jack Strongitharm

Irish West Coast AutoCAD Civil 3D User Day

Had a great event in Oranmore near Galway, Ireland with a great bunch of users supported by Amicus Technology.

Also some great different applications of Civil 3D being used such as

canals, dredging, bathymetric surveys, lidar etc

A lot of positive vibes in the room as people are finding their way through the product to their advantage now.

Jack Strongitharm