Eagle Point to Civil 3D

This might end up being my last post before I head off on holiday next week - but then again I've got a 9+ hour flight on which I might end up creating all kinds of content.

Enjoy the following document which describes how to export a LandXML file from Eagle Point and what to do with it once it is in Civil 3D.

Exporting from Eagle Point into Civil 3D Using LandXML

Peace out.

Base AutoCAD Information

The following information applies to base Autocad 2009 users only. However, whenever there are changes to base Autocad, the updates make their way into Civil 3D more often than not.

AutoCAD 2009 Subscription Tools

Autodesk has released a Bonus Pack filled with goodies from the AUGI wishlist. These enhancements and goodies are available to current subscription customers using base AutoCAD 2009.

So what’s in it?

• Consolidated Inquiry tools. With one command, MEASUREGEOM, you can get distance, area, volume, angle or radius.


• Additional tools in PEDIT and SPLINEDIT. You now can convert a spline to a polyline and reverse the direction of a polyline with this tool.


• Rotate a Viewport and View together. There is a new system variable, VPROTATEASSOC. When the variable is set to 1, rotating the viewport brings the view with it.


• Updates to PURGE command. You can use the new tool to purge empty text boxes and zero-length geometry.
  

Download them from the Autodesk Subscription Center. Login is required. If you are not sure how to log in, contact your CAD manager or I.T. contact to see if a subscription account has been set up for you.

Base AutoCAD 2009 Service Pack

Autodesk has released the first product update (service pack) for the AutoCAD 2009 and AutoCAD LT 2009 products. Updates have been made in the following feature areas:

• 3D Visual Styles


• Annotation Scaling


• External References (xref) palette


• Raster Images


• Partial Open


• Plot


• Properties Palette


• Hatch


• Remote text (rtext)
  

This update includes a wide range of general updates, including fixes to Attributes, Blocks, Hatch Boundaries, and many other functional areas. In total, more than 100 improvements are included in this product update.

Anyone can download this update from Autodesk’s website.

A Good Friday Photo

A photo of my co-workers from techcamp.
They were definitely taking charge...of the free beer.

Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe

Translation: This is not a pipe.

It is a parametric part meant to represent a concrete arched culvert as described by ASTM 506.



Click the image above to download the files.
This part is created for Civil 3D 2009 only.

Download the zip file (less than 300k) and extract it to your US Imperial Pipes directory. It will create a folder called Arched Pipe containing the files needed to use this part.

XP Path: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\C3D 2009\enu\Pipes Catalog\US Imperial Pipes

Vista path: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2009\enu\Pipes Catalog\US Imperial Pipes

Once the part is extracted to the correct location, type PARTCATALOGREGEN at the command line. Then type P for pipe. Once that is complete, you can add the part to your parts list.

To add to your parts list, go to the Pipes menu > Parts List >Edit



Pick the list you wish to modify and click the Edit Current Selection option (even though you will be tempted to click OK at this point, don't!)


Get yourself to the Pipes tab and right-click the list name. Select Add part family...
















This pipe should show up under the Arched Pipe category. Put a checkmark in the box and click OK.







If you do not see the pipe, verify that the files you unzipped went to the correct folder.









Now that you have the pipe category listed, right click on it and select Add part size...











Toggle Add all sizes and set any hydrolic constants you may want. Click OK.









Set your pipe styles, rules and render materials as desired. Click OK.





Click OK to get back to your drawing and use the new pipe to your heart's content.







Here is a table showing the size requirements for these parts, per ASTM 506.



























If you have problems with this arched pipe, let me know.

Raster Design 2009 + Civil 3D 2009

You'll want to download this hot-fix if you have any Autocad 2009-based product plus Raster Design 2009. You do not need this if you have the Raster Design 2009 Object Enabler only.

In Civil 3D, you may notice that items do not hatch themselves as expected.

The first image shows what my solid-filled slope arrows look like before the fix. The second image shows the slope arrows after the fix. (You may see this rear its head in other styles or objects as well. This is where I noticed it first.)


To apply the hot-fix, download the zip file and extract it to a temporary location. One of your extracted files is AeciGix51.dll for 32 bit installation (not sure which is which? Check the file properties).

Exit Civil 3D. Using plain-old Windows explorer, find the Raster Design 2009 directory. This will most likely be c:\Program Files\Raster Design 2009. There already is a AeciGix.dll in there, so rename it to AeciGix-old.dll. Drag the new one into this directory. Restart Civil 3D and objects should fill-in as usual.

On a not-very-closely-related note: There is a known problem with slope arrows not picking up any other color scheme besides Blues. It's will not harm the actual information, its more of a nuisance than anything.

An Experiment in E-commerce

Hi All-

As many of you know, I enjoy writing documentation and helping spread the good cheer when it comes to Civil 3D. I've written a document for an introduction to interesection design and want to share it. However, I put a lot of personal time and effort into it - therefore I am going to try a little experiment. Are people willing to spend money on the information I give them? We'll see...

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Civil 3D 2009 Intersection Design 101 - $5.99USD (Quite a bargain for the folks using Euros!)

This document is intended for people who already have built Civil 3D corridors and want to take their knowledge to the next level. Concepts also apply to Civil 3D 2008. This 18-page PDF document will introduce you to the basic concepts behind interestion design.

To get the most out of this paper:

• You have a basic understanding of corridor design.


• You understand how to create and modify both Alignments and Profiles.


• You understand how to build assemblies.


• You can perform some minor style modifications.

In this example we will create a very basic intersection:

• Aspen Lane and Maple Road have same cross section.


• Both streets maintain crown through the intersection.


• The streets are perpendicular to each other.


• The radii of the curbs are equal.

Click on the button below to purchase the PDF document I created for intersection design.

Let's Make the Most of This Beautiful Day

Ms. Holland's Neighborhood, Civil 3D style:























This little subdivision only exists in my mind and as a 3D model on my computer. This rendering took 4.3 hours in Civil 3D 2009 on an HP with Intel Core2 2 GHz Duo, 4 gig ram and Vista 64.

The numerous 3D trees took forever to render. These are the concept trees found in the Civil MV Blocks palette.

Some settings I had on:

• Fog - Off
• Fog Background - Off
• Sun - On
• Sky - Off
• Force two-sided - ON (which is needed to render the corridor correctly)
• Output size - 2048x1536

Click on the image for full-blown effect. Can you spot the 3 pedestrians? Hint: 2 are on the nature trail and one is on the sidewalk.