From the Ground Up

Point Cloud - Shape Object Extraction in AutoCAD and Civil 3D

I am a day late with this post as I was on holiday yesterday.

It is Saturday morning and my son got me up at 6am, so while he is drinking his milk I thought I would catch up.

On Autodesk Labs, they have released a Point Cloud Shape Extraction tool.

So from your point cloud you can create AutoCAD primatitves, such as Spheres, Cylinder, Torus, Cylindrical Surface, Cone, Plane, Multisurface plane.

Also sections and the ability to crop the cloud to the area of interest.

I had five minutes playing with this and the plane, multisurface plane can create regions which on exploding you get 3dlines.  Are you thinking what I am thinking? Breaklines

Early days here, but try it out on this time limited tool.

This is an AutoCAD tool, where you need to attach the point cloud through the AutoCAD user interface.

However AutoCAD has limited raw point cloud import such as LAS, XYB, FLS, FWS.

So if you use AutoCAD Civil 3D to first Index the raw point cloud you have

So create an ISD file and then reattach with AutoCAD UI and you are ready to extract objects.

Check out Scott Sheppards Labs Blog for more details and videos

Jack Strongitharm

3GB Switch for Memory - 32bit

I am sure that the majority of you are still stuck on 32bit operating systems even though you have a good spec pc under the desk.

For 2011 especially we have made an adjustment available so that you can use this switch to pull more memory for Civil 3D.

Link

Jack Strongitharm

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011 - Performance Hotfix

Small hotfix available for opening large models

Download

Jack Strongitharm 

Project Photofly – 2nd

Hope you all have a great summer!

Up here in Sweden it has been one of the warmest summers in many years. +28 degrees Celsius in the mornings…

Autodesk Labs has once again released a very pleasant technology preview. This nice tool, using “Cloud computing” creates photo scenes from simple digital photos anyone can shoot with their “point and shoot camera”.

Just download the tool and follow a few guidelines. It gives amazing 3D models of your house, street, square etc.

Project Photofly - Getting started

Upload photos – get stunning 3D results!

Export to a 3D dwg-drawing

Give it a try…

Have a great summer!

// Ove C

Farnborough Airshow - Autodesk in Aerospace Design

So this week is the Farnborough airshow which is over the fence from our office in Farnborough.

Myself and Ove along with our other colleagues have come together to design our own airport and related airplane designs.

We have used Autodesk software from designing the runway in AutoCAD Civil 3D to designing a seat in a plane using Alias Design.

For those of you that are coming we are also on Stand 4 in Hall 1 with some big screens from Holovis.

We will take some videos and photos and will share on here.

Our team has created a mini site for our presentation for everyone to also take a look at what we have been upto

http://www.aec-area.co.uk/MillenniumAirport/

 

 

 

Jack Strongitharm  

UKIE 'T' Junctions not working for you in 2011?

Just working through some fixes and enhancements for 2011 and the UK and Ireland Country kit.

 

Seems that the 'T' Junction assembly set was not working and coming up as 'Null'.

So I have sorted that out and while I get the remaining files together you can download it from here and you can use it now.

(Right click on the link and 'Save Target As')

 Download Autodesk Assembly Sets_UKIE_v1a

Copy it to this location

XP

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Autodesk\C3D 2011\enu\Assemblies\UKIE

(address above amended 21/09/2010)

Vista and Windows 7

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2011\enu\Assemblies\UKIE

Jack Strongitharm

AutoCAD CIvil 3D 2010 - Update 3

Following on from the Update 3 to AutoCAD 2010, the AutoCAD 3D Update 3 is now available for download.

Download

Jack Strongitharm 

More 3D Stereo

Ok, I am a little hooked with 3D Stereo.

Mr Louis Marcoux has rendered out the tutorial dataset which comes with the Civil Visualisation Extension (Dynamite) for 3DS Max Design in stereo.

I think on drive through's the effect of 3D is not as much as you might have thought without making it uncomfortable.

However I have seen some nice videos that have orbit cameras overlooking the sites and with some high rise buildings really stand out.

More instruction coming soon to help you try this out for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpSh2Y2T_ZY

Jack Strongitharm

Back to designing again

So over the last couple of weeks in my spare time (which isn't a lot!) I have had to quickly knock up an airport model. This month next to our main UK office the Farnborough Airshow is on and we have a stand at the show and also invited some of our local companies to see what we can do when we throw all the Autodesk software in one project just like many of you reading this do everyday.

It is quite an interesting time as an application engineer you generally are so wrapped up in your own world that you miss out on the overall picture.  So coming together to design a project, even though we are making up is good fun.

As we all live in various places in the UK we are collaborating with our own Buzzsaw technology to keep the central files coordinated at all times, so there is no excuses to not be upto date with the latest layouts.

So I have done my basic model now which consists of two runways, linked in taxiways.  Hard standing and spaces for buildings, noise bund screens with an access road and of course a roundabout just because I can.

During my quick modelling task I came up with quite a few new little neat ideas that I will record as tips and get posted on YouTube soon as I next get another spare moment for modelling some of those potentially tricky areas much easier.

Here is a glimpse at the basics from me, which soon will get all the buildings and other stuff thrown on.

Looks flat from a distance as these things are rather large and I have the building areas varying to around a 1m in height difference.

Of course the runways etc are generally flat-ish but I did follow the CAP 168 guidance to try and make it real.

This is how the last one turned out when we did a water treatment works using

AutoCAD Civil 3D

Revit Building, MEP and Structure

Plant 3D

3DS Max

Inventor

(Its not just a pretty picture)

I will share what we do when we are ready, countdown is on to the show.

Jack Strongitharm