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I wish you could create a boundary using link codes in Corridor Surfaces
You can create a hatch based on link codes in the code set styles.. seems like a pretty easy thing to implement.
Boom
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This would be so useful. Been able to save the styles you have selected for various civil 3d objects. In particular, for more complex projects, where constantly resetting between various styles can be rather tedious.
This workflow could even flow over to data shortcuts. Where it would be possible to create reference to multiple objects using the “style states” saved in your project.
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Move the Contour Interval, Grid Spacing, Analysis Number of Ranges and Precision outside of the style and into the Object Properties. Why you ask?
Firstly you wouldn’t need so many surfaces styles just to change a contour interval.
Secondly you would be able to change all/ or multiple intervals at once without changing the style in the properties box or prospector
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Why we all eagerly await the day that all Civil 3D objects, like corridors, become data shortcuts or Civil 3D gets replaced with Infraworks (Not sure which is going to happen first). Until that day though we still need to get those Civil 3D models into our drawings in the most dynamic way possible. So here are a few sneaky tricks to do so, keeping everything as dynamic as possible and not exploding a thing.
Feeling Lazy watch the video. (Coming Soon)
While I love all the slope patterns that get generated from grading’s and corridors. I’m sick of exploding AECOBJECTEXPLODE all my linework from my model and copying it across to my xrefs etc. Every time I update, drives me crazy!
So what If I told you that the image below has not a single bit of exploding in it. Everything is produced via data shortcuts, even the linework, all dynamic. Interested? read on ->
Slope Shading
It’s so simple you will kick yourself for not working it out earlier. To produce the grey slope shading on the surfaces is quite simple. Using the surface slope analysis. Right Click – Surface Properties – >Analysis Tab – > Select Slopes from dropdown.
My embankments are 1:2 cut and 1:2 fill -> so >40% and my road cross fall is 3 %. So im going to drop down two ranges
Change the colours to 254 (light grey) and 253 (Slightly darker grey) respectively.
Then you should have what I have above, dynamic updatable surface shading. If you can’t see anything then you will need to choose a surface style that has the slopes turned on under the “display tab”. See below. Make sure you set a layer for the slope objects if you want to utilize Autocad transparency.
Linework and Hatching – The Surface Boundary Technique
I unfortunately have to assume that if your reading this you know how corridor point, link and shape codes work. What we can do with these wonderful codes is create surfaces where the surface boundary represents the linework we are trying to display on plan. The Red, White and Orange dashed lines taht represent that linework.
So I create 3 additional surfaces in my corridor properties.
You will then need to work out the boundaries for them. You can do an interactive boundary if you feel like wasting hours of time. Or just use the Angle/Length Trick.
Tod do so, go to the surface properties for the footpath for example. Definition Tab – > Expand the Build Section and make the maximum angle like 92º and the maximum length about 5m.
To explain what this is doing. It will analyse the footpath surface for triangles that have an angle greater than 90°, quite often these are the weird “spiderwebs” we get on the outside of the surface. Then it will analyse the triangles that have a length on any side greater than the number specified and remove them. It’s important to note that the “Maximum angle” only works on outside triangles, not internal triangles. The “maximum length” will remove triangles anywhere. See the diagram below.
The finished result is just footpath. You can use this trick on all your surfaces though
Now do the rest of the surfaces as well in a similar fashion. You will need to create a style that has only border displayed to see the finished result. You may also need to play with your corridor frequencies to get the desired result.
The finished Result is dynamic linework though. Using a surface border.
As for hatching well its as easy as using that hatch command
Putting it all together
The final step is to collate all this together for use in a drawing. Here is my recommended workflow.
Now I simple select it all and WBLOCK it out to an xref location.
The best part about the WBLOCK is that you only have the layers you need in the new drawing. Meaning improved performance when using it as an XREF as well as not doing your head in. WBLOCK does not destroy the data shortcuts either!
Let me know what you think below.
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I’m aware I can save changes to my command using the settings tab in toolspace.
However wouldn’t it be nicer if we could just save settings for any command we are in as we need to? Its pretty annoying to have to keep going back to the settings to tab to toggle this on and off as you need to.
It would be even nicer if we could save many defaults and reload them as we need to as well. Sort of like styles for commands?
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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
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We all like to manage our civil 3d styles in combination with regular AutoCAD layers. But quite often after assigning layers in the display tab we need to modify the layers properties. It can be difficult to determine what layers a civil 3d style is using, as we have to keep flicking between the “edit style” dialog box and the layer manager.
Unfortunately within the Display Tab of any style edit, we can only assign layers not modify the layers properties themselves. Meaning you need to keep closing the box and going back to the layer manager.
Although adding the ability to edit the layer properties from within the style box might be handy, It would be even more useful to filter layers in the layer manager based on the selected objects.
This would make quick changes to styles possible without overriding the layers selected in the styles or even ever needing to enter the “edit style” dialog box
Controlling the transition of parameters within corridor models is not as easy as it could be in Civil 3D.
In fact I don’t see a clear and “simple” method for managing the transition of a daylight slope at all? Although there are methods that I discuss in this post here. They are still convoluted and cumbersome to setup.
So how does one create this sort of daylight transition in Civil 3D? vvv
Well I have a very simple idea. “Parameter Views” and “Parameter Targets” which can control everything!
So basically a “parameter view” can be placed directly above or below a profile view and “parameter profiles” can be drawn on this view that represent the desired values or grade,width,slope etc.. This process is very similar to the management of superelevation, except parameter views can control everything!
The other change to make this a lot simpler is to upgrade all the generic subassemblies to have the ability to have its parameters overridden in a relative fashion. Although it’s possible to do this in the assembly properties, it is cumbersome and not straightforward as discussed in my post here. (additional links have to created, crazy profile views where elevation = slope or grade etc etc..)
I am aware that this can be achieved using Custom Subassemblies. But such a simple change would make life a lot easier for even the basic user. Plus custom subassemblies don’t travel inside the dwg!!
Particularly useful as parameters get more complex and difficult to visualise!
Do i really need to explain this further? Who doesn’t want a native “Halo Text” capability in Autocad/Civil 3D. And don;t even think about telling me that you can do it in Autocad Map or with some crazy block you came up with. Lol.
REAL Halo text….. NATIVE Halo Text….!!!
Is too much to ask? or maybe ban the use of Aerial photography in civil engineering drawings..?
There it is
You can change it
Wow
Go away
Put simply, I wish you could use multiple bits of linework/other alignments/profiles to create dynamic alignments. Sort of like an offset alignment than co reference more than one object.
Similar to the way kerb returns work already, but in a much more customizable and intuitive way. (this is done incredibly well in 12D using computators!)
Horizontal Geometry Example
Let’s consider horizontal alignment design of two roads (blue and red) using the below example.
There are offset requirements for the existing property boundary, the new road (blue) and the highway. Typically to create an alignment we would offset all of this basic linework and then convert to an alignment and add curves etc.. But this is not very dynamic at all!! What happens if the offset requirements requirement’s change? or If the new road is adjusted?
What would be useful is if we could produce alignments based on these very requirements parametrically. Using a partial reference element-based approach that maintains the links to the original linework or other design elements.
So instead of creating all this alignment geometry manually we can create “dynamic rules” for the alignment to create itself. Most importantly the alignment can be created using multiple partial parts of other objects or alignments.
Vertical Geometry
Using this same example it would be also useful to create dynamic element based vertical geometry as well. Grades can be projected dynamically to create element based tangents or PVI’s.
Some light “freely” available reading can be found here. 12D computators
Or watch a video here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-ETpftB7WA
