Tag Archives: autodesk

Cad News

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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Drawing Management

Creating and Managing Legends in Autocad – A Great Simple Solution

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UPDATE: Although I still recommend creating legends in model space of xref’s, this process really needs to be reviewed. As creating excess view ports in PSPACE can slow a drawing down significantly. Update should come soon.

We all create legends and keys regularly throughout our drawings. However creating them and managing them as we work proves difficult and cumbersome. I have a simple method I have been using for years that I notice regularly is not in use.

The secret is quite simple.

Place your legends in each xref! 


Then simply viewport onto each in each layout as required.

If you are like many other civil drafters and create many xrefs to separate different data types, then you will find this tip exceptionally straight forward and obvious. Hell, you may already do it!

If you don’t work with xrefs in this manner then I suggest its time to change, however you can still employ the same technique.

I’ll explain some of the intricacies below.

What do you expect from legends?

I want my legends to:-

  • Be dynamic and update as I change each viewports layer settings in layout space.
  • Be dynamic as I make changes to layers in the xref
  • Get scaling correct on hatches and linetypes.
  • Be able to update legends on multiple drawings at once.
  • Be able to leave some items off legends or mismatch items.

All of this is possible using this technique.

How it all works

Inside the xref you only create each component and its label for the xref in model space off to the side (I typically go right side). Like below.

Step 1 – Add each component to a dummy legend in your xref

Ensure you create the legend at the scale you intend to viewport onto it with. ( i always create legends at 1:1000)

Ensure that all the objects you have on your legend are on the same layer and are the same linetype scale as your data in the xref. If you have annotative objects like hatches make sure you have added the legend scale you intend to use.

Step 2 – Allow space and stack straight

If you have more xrefs that have data that needs to be on the legend. Make sure you don’t put it in the same place as your other xrefs. I xref in other drawings that have legends already and continue to make a big panel that runs up and down in model space. This makes it easier in each layout to construct my legend with viewports.

Then last of all xref in the data, if you haven’t already, and place a viewport at the scale you chose on your legend. If you want multiple items just create more viewports! Ensure you place the viewport with space to expand down and across. The legend below has legends from 3 (three) different xref’s. With the exception of the existing boreholes I have allowed room for the testing and geophysics items to move up and down accordingly.

Step 3 – Place viewports onto each xref’s legend component.
ensure you allow space to move.

If you change the colour on a layer in that particular drawing, the legend updates accordingly. If you have this same legend on multiple drawings and make a change in the xref, obviously it updates on all drawings. If you add a few items or so, they are all updated on each drawing and you do not need to go into the drawing.

A completely simple time saving technique that makes legends in Autocad extremely easy to create and manage. Give it a try some time!

 

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