It would be incredibly useful to allow certain aspects of Civil 3D styles to change dependent on the scale they are visible at. (other than just the size, which happens already of course!)
This could be done at style level or object level or even better both? one overrides the other.
Fox example
Contour Intervals could change depending on the scale
Alignment Intervals could change dependant on scale.
Style could also allow visibility of certain objects only at certain scales.
Components could display different information at different scales (labels could become more or less complex)
Dragged states could have different locations for different scales (similar to annotative scaling already for regular autocad objects)
I particularly like the way arcgis handles this with scale ranges that make sense, like room, county, building,continent etc..
When using Plan Production Tools. Pipe network styles and labels in plan view do not get carried through to the new drawing. It simply defaults back to the default styles in command settings.
Can we please add a way to use the styles and profile labels specified in the drawing that we create the sheets from. Particularly on larger projects, its really annoying to have to open all the sheets a respecify all the labels we already specified.
Projection sets would allow you to create a dynamic editable “query” to group desired objects that you want to use for projection. This query also defines how these objects should be displayed in profile/section views/exaggerated views?.
I’ll let the image below explain itself. But generally a few key points.
ALL Objects are Available for Projection!!!
ALL Objects can be assigned labels as well as projections styles
BOTH Profile Views/Sections views have similar projection options (Crossing/Superimposed/Bounding Box limit etc, explained further below)
Queries can be assigned to objects so that they can be assigned default styles based on the point group or there layer or whatever.
The same projection set can be used for multiple profile views etc.. Its dynamic..When it updates it updates the profile view/section nview etc.
Projection Options/Types
It’s really important that we have options to filter how objects are selected/cut/displayed in section/profile views.
I’m thinking there could be two/three types.
These would be saved as styles and can be changed/updated.
Crossing Only Only objects that intersect the line are displayed
Bounded Parameters Only objects within specified parameters can be seen. I.E 25m either side of alignment. Similar to how the sample line projections work now. This should be enabled for profiles views as well of course!
Bounded Objec Only objects within a selected polygon are sampled. This would allow flexibility for users to limit things by stage boundaries etc..
Anyone who is new or old to Civil 3D knows how difficult it is to create all the styles you will need to finish projects in a timely fashion. But most of us don’t have the time to sit down and create all these styles. Let alone the will power to just sit down and create styles and nothing else.
So here is a technique for creating styles as you do project work. Using a WBLOCK style inbox.
Feeling lazy.. watch the video.
In a nut shell though, you are working, you create a style. You WBLOCK it out to a common directory. You keep working.
Next chance you get some free time you do some “Style Review and Cleanup”. Incorporate it back into your template. Then Repeat!
The WBLOCK command.
This is also a great method for creating DXREFS with Civil 3D, onto that another time though
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.
Be awesome if all of the build definitions where exposed to the regular autocad properties window. This would allow angle/length to be changed on multiple surfaces at once!
Maybe even the operation build order could be exposed when you have once surface selected?
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.
Surface Slope Shading
Surface Boundary Technique for Linework and hatching
DXREF’s data shortcuts in XREFS
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
0.0001% – 10 % and (< -you can’t type 0 exactly)
10% – 999999999999999% (type lots of nines in case you make even steeper areas than you have, then it always updates)
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.
DS-ROAD_curb,
DS-ROAD_footpath and
DS-ROAD_pavement
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.
Before Applying Angle/Length ParametersAfter Applying Angle/Length Parameters
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.
Creating a surface style that only uses the border object
The finished Result is dynamic linework though. Using a surface border.
Surface that represent linework only using surface border styles
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.
So i have data shortcutted my top surface and set the shading.
Data shortcutted my linework surfaces in and created different “border only” surface styles that I needed.
Added a hatch onto the pavement surface.
I also brought in my alignments and station/chainage labels in as well.
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!
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
Civil 3D news/tips/tricks from someone like you and also some Unity Game Development stuff
