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Civil 3D 2017 new features… Finally some core functionality improvements

It’s been almost four years since Autodesk bothered to do anything with Civil 3D. However I am very pleased to see a host of new core functionality improvements that will make everyone’s life easier back in the 2017 version. Even if most of the features are somewhat half-baked.

So what’s changed in Civil 3D 2017 and how can you use it? Fortunately for you, I have made a series of videos for you to see how you can use the new features. I will also highlight some of the limitations in them so you don’t spend hours beating your head against the wall wondering why they don’t work as you expected!

In a nutshell, here are the new improvements

  • Civil 3D Object version has changed,
  • New Corridor Feature Line Extraction workflow
  • A host of Data Shortcut Improvements (Create Folders, Surface Caching, Import Multiple DREFS)
  • Data shortcut corridors (Probably my favourite new feature)
  • Use a feature line as corridor centreline (Very useful!)
  • Corridor Curve Cleanup (Automatically remove bowties… not as good as you think it is and only really good for basic situations, but still a step in the right direction)
  • Corridor Solid Extraction Improvements (Now Dynamic, with property sets for meta data)
  • Civil 3D “property sets” to improve downstream data workflows (attach subassembly data to solids etc.).
  • Feature Line Enhancements (‘No Site’ options, crossing centreline join (median problem fixed),
  • Style Management with Reference Styles (Create a style then “link it” to other drawings, incredibly useful)

Haven’t made all the videos yet. Here are some first passes below.

New Corridor Feature Line Extraction Workflow

Data Shortcut Improvements (Including Corridor Data Shortcuts)

Featurelines as Centerlines for Corridor / Corridor Curve Cleanup

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Data Shortcuts Reimagined – Give us a new box!

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Data shortcuts are so critical to performance but also functionality/production within Civil 3D. However they haven’t even got their own bloody window!

Here are a number of amazing features you could add to data shortcuts that will blow everyone’s mind.

1. Move the data shortcuts section out of that crappy little section in the prospector tab. Maybe give them their own tab?

Lets take a look below at what a better Data shortcuts system would look like

2. Allow Corridor Linework etc., sites/Grading Groups, and Cogo Points Groups to be Data Shortcuts. We are all sick of copying this stuff manually into production drawings. The modelling environment always looks different to the finished drawing production environment!

3. Allow Filter. Search Functionality

4. Provide Find/Replace Naming functionality that actually renames the objects in the drawings they have been referenced into. Or fixes the paths similar to “data shortcuts manager”

5. Display the Current working folder as well as a drop down to access previously used working folders

6. Data shortcuts tab

7. Project Folders displayed as well as sub folders for objects that can be created

8. Set default styles for objects so that when they are referenced you don’t have to select it.

9. Allow objects to be exported to other formts from the data shortcuts window. Maybe Sent to IMX, LandXML etc.

10. If you spend more time looking at this there is even more you can add. Hopefully this gets the creative juices flowing though.

Ps. Why your at it. Can you change this set working folder box so we can actually paste a path into it

Like this Idea? Vote it up on Idea Station here

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