Our goal from the get go has been to produce a resource Framework for AutoCAD Civil 3D that simplifies the grisly and time-consuming details that make customizing Civil 3D and maintaining that such a money pit for civil engineering and survey organizations. Central to that purpose are the principals of robustness, consistency, and adaptability.
No AutoCAD Civil 3D customer should have to spend thousands of dollars more to make Autodesk’s expensive and powerful civil engineering and survey software work in production.
Can We Raise the Bar Again?
You bet. As we approach a next release of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2017, improvements are coming. The good news. Our Framework Releases are not tied to specific AutoCAD releases. Our planned Release 7 changes will be available for multiple releases of AutoCAD Civil 3D. Everyone benefits. Easy product Upgrades are always supported.
“Dave? Do our templates and styles do that?”
Probably not. You can fix that.
The Civil 3D Framework for Customization
“OMG! Dave. It’s affordable.”
Is this even possible for complex software like AutoCAD Civil 3D that Autodesk is changing all the time?
Yes.
- Get the back-end core resources right.
What do most people want and use? - Improve and expand the capabilities of the resources regularly for a decade.
We made more improvements in Release 6 than ever before. - Manage those resources with common tools and skills Civil 3D users understand.
- Conform to accepted industry standards and rules and apply them consistently.
When we say compliant we mean compliant. - Target the work at how Civil 3D is designed and built
- Pay attention to customer feedback
- Focus on Civil 3D end user project productivity
- Supply all the resources end-users need - not just some of them
- Field test again and again in many varied customers
- Be compulsive about detail and quality control
- Be persistent
- Be innovative and creative
Civil 3D Innovation Beyond the Code
Our customers say that we accomplish the impossible feat.
Release 6 for AutoCAD Civil 3D Works
Ok. We cheat. We work smarter not harder. We do have a lot of practice. We’ve created and maintain the largest Style tools and Symbols collections for AutoCAD Civil 3D in the world available at any price. By any count that matters, the Production Solution products are the most downloaded third-party products for AutoCAD Civil 3D in history.
“What’s the secret sauce to the Framework’s back end resources?”
The Civil 3D Spreadsheet Tools Work
- Layer Standards Tool – Change any STB Layer system to anything you want in scary detail
while obeying rules, Keys, and conventions.
Customize the Layer system underneath any Civil 3D Style library.
Builds complex and detailed working and publication Layer States for end users
Works for any AutoCAD based application and even includes the AIA’s NCS keys - Survey Code Tool – Change the huge list field-tested Survey Codes to anything you want or
go back and forth to anyone else’s.
While you’re at it, learn how to save a ton of field time too. - Description Key Set Tool – The centerpiece of Civil 3D’s Point display and annotation engine.
Works with the Survey Code Tool and integrates with the Figure Db Tool. - Figure Db Tool – Build Civil 3D Figure prefix Dbs outside of Civil 3D
No matter how you figure it this is better.
Works with the Survey Code Tool and integrates with the Description Key Set Tool - Subassembly Codes Tool – the Stock Civil 3D codes documentation and even dwg visuals
and sets of standard abbreviations and descriptions for annotation and corridor point output. Yes there are supplied Description Key Sets to match supplied in the Framework. - Symbols Maintenance Tool – Tools to build and maintain Symbol Sets that even obey NCS like naming conventions to make symbols and libraries easy, consistent, and flexible.
The core graphics resources for Civil 3D point styles and even AutoCAD Tool Palettes.
We introduced the Figure Db Tool with Release 6 and recently released Subassembly Codes Tool as an AddOn available for free to all site Members in January 2016.
The Layer Standards Tool and the Symbols Maintenance Tool are not technically tied to AutoCAD Civil 3D and can be employed for any AutoCAD based applications. All the AIA NCS Keys are also included along with our Civilized Standard Keys which are an Open Download. The Keys are in use in more places than you could ever shake a stick at.
The on-line documentation for all the Spreadsheet Tools is available for review by all site Members. People do buy InstantOn Survey and Jump Kit just to get their hands on the Spreadsheet Tools. Enjoy.
The work is never done.
“How about a seek peek at Release 7?”
Future Spreadsheet Tool Attractions
CTB Layer Standards Tool
We are currently field testing a new CTB version of the Layer Standards Tool.
- Automate the conversion of the STB version of the Framework to CTB
- Easily construct CTB publication templates using the supplied styles
- NCS and GSA compliant and multiple .CTB resources will be included
- Employs our robust , consistent, and adaptive Key-based approach to rule based color management and output
- Customize the Layer system underneath any Civil 3D Style library.
- Builds complex and detailed working and publication Layer States for end users
- Consistent color identification for quality control in production work is simply built-in
- Built-in support for NCS compliant basic screening
- Detailed and variable percentage screening is also supported
- The on-line help documentation, the CTB Color Rules, and conventions are already available for review by site Members
Release 7 plans include updated STB styles for the Framework’s Style Library and CTB replacement styles where required.
The new CTB Layer Standards Tool works for any AutoCAD based application.
Like we said in the beginning…