The Dirt

Parcels man, parcels!

Here is a great tip from Jerry Bartels that I put to good use recently while working on a 200-lot subdivision. I hate to think how long it would have taken me to renumber the lots had I not come across this new feature in Civil 3D 2008. Jerry, I owe you!

To see how it's done, download this demonstration. (WMV format)

Got a cool tip?  Then send it to me!  If I post it to The Dirt, I'll send you something cool.

WinPointer, courtesy of Lucy Kuhns

Many of you know my good friend and fellow Autodesker, Lucy Kuhns. Lucy is indeed the high priestess of all things Civil here at Autodesk. If you have seen Lucy present, you may be wondering about the utility she uses to highlight items in Civil 3D.

It's called WinPointer and it's almost free. Download WinPointer. 

Thanks Lucy!

Got a cool tip?  Then send it to me!  If I post it to The Dirt, I'll send you something cool.

Uploading Description Keys and Figure Prefixes to Trimble Data Collectors

If you use Trimble data collectors, try this method of uploading your description keys and figure prefixes directly to your data collectors. This is a great way to get surveyors to follow field coding standards.

To view a demonstration, download DesckKeyUploadtoTL.wmv.

Draping an Image over a Terrain Model

Here is one of the coolest new features in Civil 3D 2008.  I use Google Earth to bring in an image, then I drape it over the terrain model with Civil 3D. 

To see a demonstration, download ImageDrape.wmv.

Layer Prefixes in Civil 3D

Are you eager to have each Civil 3D object (surfaces, alignments, etc.)  defined to its own unique layer?  This tip shows you how.

To view a demonstration, download LayerPrefix.wmv.

Survey Database File Tip

Here is a tip that shows you how to save default settings to survey database files (SDB) with Civil 3D. Using this method, you will not need to set the same settings to SDB files each time you create one. The demonstration also contains a tip within a tip for those of you using Trimble Link.

To see the demonstration, download sdb_settings.wmv.

Allocating more memory for Civil 3D on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Inspired by my tip last week about the STATUS command, Louis Morasse sent me a good tip about a switch option that you can add to the Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 boot.ini files to allocate more memory for Civil 3D. If you’re using Windows XP with more than 2GB RAM, you might want to try using the /3GB switch.

According to the Windows support page “Available switch options for the Windows XP and the Windows Server 2003 Boot.ini files”:

“This switch forces x86-based systems to allocate 3 GB of virtual address space to programs and 1 GB to the kernel and to executive components. A program must be designed to take advantage of the additional memory address space. With this switch, user mode programs can access 3 GB of memory instead of the usual 2 GB that Windows allocates to user mode programs. The switch moves the starting point of kernel memory to 3 GB. Some configurations of Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 may require this switch.”

To learn more, go to:  http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;833721
You might want to explore the /maxmem=number switch too.

Using the STATUS Command to Show Available Memory

Now that seventeen shows from the Experience the Possibilities Tour are complete, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned from it. Some of the most common questions people asked at the shows were specific to Civil 3D and its hardware requirements. For example, “How much memory (RAM) do I need to run Civil 3D?”

An old AutoCAD command allows you to see how much memory you have, and more importantly, how much memory you have left:

1. Open a DWG in Civil 3D. I suggest opening your biggest, most challenging drawing.
2. Type STATUS at the command line (if you want an accurate read make sure all other applications are closed on your PC or laptop.).
3. Press ENTER.

Voilá! Civil 3D shows how much memory you have on your computer and how much is available. Keep in mind that what you are seeing is the available memory. In the following example, my PC has 2 GB (2241.3 MB) available out of 4 GB (3326.1 MB).*

This is a great tool for convincing your boss, your CAD manager, or yourself that you need more memory.  If it says you have zero memory left, then you need to go shopping!

* Note: Not only is Civil 3D using RAM, but so is Windows and any other application you have running at the time.

Oh yeah . . . AutoCAD

I attended Tech Camp last week in Orlando.Tech Camp is our annual, internal event where we train our many partners on the new 2008 products. Picture an AU for our resellers, partners, etc. and you’ve got the general idea of what goes on.

I sat in on several really good classes. Nick Zeeban taught a great one about complex corridors, intersections, and round-abouts. Dan Philbrick taught another really good one on the new, Civil 3D 2008 sheet creation tool. But the one that had the most impact on me was Peter Funk’s class on AutoCAD tools for Civil folks.

Peter’s premise for the class was perfect. Most of us civil types concentrate so hard on the capabilities of Land Desktop, Civil 3D, etc., that we forget that these applications are built on top of AutoCAD. You remember AutoCAD, right? Lines, arcs, circles, text, blocks, model space/paper space, object snaps, etc.

During the class, it occurred to me that I had not had any AutoCAD training since (don’t laugh) R11.  Needless to say, MUCH has changed since AutoCAD 11!  Of course, we all stay current with the AutoCAD functionality we rely on everyday like plotting, etc. Yet there is SO much more AutoCAD functionality that we don’t pay attention to, ignore or pass by—functionality that can have a profound effect on our productivity. Like what, you ask?

Polar Tracking – In the settings, toggle on the Relative to Last Segment Option and you have a great COGO tool.

Dynamic Input – No more looking at the command line. This will be a really tough habit for me to break, but I’m working on it! This is also a great COGO tool.

Z not ZW – Did you know that in Autocad 2008, typing Z (not ZW) fires a Zoom Window command?  A 50% savings in key strokes!

Double Wheel Click – Did you know that double clicking on your wheel mouse fires a Zoom Extents?

There is so much more. I encourage you to monitor Lynn Allen’s Blog and to watch for classes at Autodesk University this year that address the new AutoCAD functionality in 2008.

AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 & Google Earth

For some time now, Civil 3D has had the ability to post (a.k.a. push) design data to Google Earth. Civil 3D 2008 will allow us to pull data from Google Earth into our drawings. How cool is that? Need imagery for your project? Now you’ll be able to grab what you need from Google Earth.

If you are not already setting a datum (local coordinate system) for your drawings, you’ll want to start. Without this setting, the imagery from Google Earth will have no point of reference and, in turn, will insert itself in the wrong location.