Deeper Civil 3D Corridor Annotation

These days Civil 3D will actually let us reach deeper and directly into the current state of the Corridor Model data behind. The reality that we can Data Shortcut Corridor Models in our projects enhances our Civil 3D potential annotative capabilities significantly. How that might be accomplished could take a bit to get our head around.

Case in point - The data supplied in specific Toolbox Reports allows us to consistently annotate all the stages or phases our civil and survey projects systematically with fewer production man-hours invested.

Sadly, there isn’t a new set of Civil 3D Ribbon tools. Some Autodesk interface tools could help a lot. Since Civil 3D supports updatable Features Lines from Corridors, more automated corridor annotation as Labels or Points based on exactly that same data behind you see in Corridor Toolbox Reports isn’t impossible just improbable in the short term.

Time to Innovate

Three years ago this blog previewed the first iPOD (Intelligent Publish on Demand) workflows in the Better Civil 3D Deliverables post. The mechanics for survey projects centered around Alignment Based Point Groups is covered in courseware detail in the Deliverables series of posts and videos. This is field-to-finish tested stuff that is used by real customers. Register here and get access to even more Civil 3D help and documentation.

Some folks employ the iPOD method and practice or something similar to their civil design work. They aren’t likely to share that publically for understandable competitive reasons. Time can be serious money.

iPOD is a Big Deal

When I say “Intelligent Publish on Demand” I mean that our brain is engaged in both the process execution and the continuous improvement of the process itself. No. Those are not the same thing. Doing the process without continuous improvement is actually downright dangerous and certainly painful. No worries. All that means is you have to do the do to get better at it. A ten-minute How to video sadly won’t cut it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Keep in mind that our process development goals must be focused on the end consumers of our work not only the vagaries of specific jurisdictional, departmental, or organizational preference. Those differences are important.

I consider those vagaries in the Civil 3D space to be mostly driven by managed Styles and Sets. Hopefully, today you have more adaptive Civil 3D standards and deeper Style and Set libraries to match. If not? That is a problem the Framework for Civil 3D addresses like no other solution around.

I acknowledge that I could also use the BIM word instead. These days that means a lot of different stuff. I am talking about the construction build and maintenance data mechanics. In other words –

The suitable published information to the specific people in a form they can employ to get their work done.

Sometimes that is a classic deliverables plan set. These days it is much more. A better iPOD process can and should produce both.

Some customers that employ the Framework for Civil 3D have asked that I cover the design side iPOD deliverables workflows for projects that are based on complex Civil 3D Corridors in more detail. I can do that.

Let’s do the do in an example with Civil 3D stock subassemblies to make the explanations a bit easier to follow. The drawings, styles et al used in the video are all included in the Framework for Civil 3D for Civil 3D 2019 supplied data set.

 

Corridor Station Labels

Next time we’ll explore some of the Corridor Report, Excel, and Point Group trickery involved in more detail.

Innovation Beyond the Code
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Corridor Station Labels Post Series