Savor the Flavors of the Framework for Civil 3D

The Framework for Civil 3D is designed and built to be a consistent, robust, and adaptive managed system to help organizations and daily Civil 3D users employ Civil 3D in actual production project environments.
The Framework is The Adaptive System to Build Civil 3D Standards.
If you employ Civil 3D, you want a copy of the Framework for Civil 3D.
Here are some of the many reasons why people choose to use the Framework system and tools.

Civil 3D System Management That Works

Today our customers employ Framework resources to do their daily work in all reasonably current Civil 3D releases. In one public form or another the Framework for Civil 3D products technically support more than a decade of Civil 3D releases, updates, and service packs. Our experience and focus on practical functionality delivers proven production Civil 3D results.

Back in the day we produced the first free, in-depth, and truly functional set of Civil 3D Templates and Civil 3D Styles. Our products for Civil 3D are the most downloaded and employed 3^rd party products in history. Odds are if you use Civil 3D today, you employ parts, pieces, and/or resources derived from Framework products. Many Civil 3D experts agree…

It is Easier to Edit than Create

Today, you can download the Framework for Civil 3D proof of work and trial Civil 3D Templates and Style library product, Templates Only, for a nominal $25 service charge. Templates Only is a popular way to learn Civil 3D. Templates Only is frequently recommended by a variety of Civil 3D courseware providers and instructors as a valuable resource. For small customers, the Templates Only product works out of the box with only minor customization tweaks required.

We grant Templates Only customers a purchase credit towards the upgrade to our most popular product - Jump Kit.
Jump Kit is the whole Framework for Civil 3D deal at a price affordable to everyone.
Most people upgrade.

Let’s just call the Framework what a Framework for Civil 3D is designed and built to be…

The Adaptive System to Build Civil 3D Standards

What does an Adaptive System for Civil 3D customization and implementation mean?

These days we consider that our famous Civil 3D Style naming conventions and Key-based naming systems to be free Open Source resources. We supply the detailed documentation free to all interested parties. You can download the Framework Standards PDF and multiple NCS 6.0 and NCS 5.0 Keys PDFs from here. A PDF of the graphics and standards for the Symbol Set Library is also available there.

Adaptive Civil 3D Templates and Resources

The Framework for Civil 3D supplies all the many types of integrated production templates the informed Civil 3D user employs in Civil 3D. We not only supply them we explain how to employ them and help you put them to use.

• The Civil 3D Project Template – this is the core working project structure, the container for your approved in-use resources, your backup and archival strategy, and ultimately your delivery method to the troops. It represents the current “approved” snapshot of your on-going implementation project. All the rest is in here. Many people miss the basic reality we can pre-build the core named Features and other project standard resources in there.
• The Sheet Set Template and Sheet Templates – these define the published model output in Civil 3D. There is a folder structure, naming conventions, standard resources, and methods to hold that buried in here. If the daily project quality control and check loops do not happen here, plan set deliverables become the crisis.
• Civil 3D Model Templates – these contain the Styles and Set tools we need to create, edit, maintain, and publish the model Features. The Civil 3D template is said to be the Holy Grail of Civil 3D implementation. The good news - You can now avoid that work as much as possible.

Here’s a not so basic example: Libraries of Plan and Production Tool layouts in multiple title block variations and all the common and many atypical scales are supplied. Edit some simple AutoCAD graphics and you are ready to publish in Civil 3D.

The Framework fully supports all the latest powerful Civil 3D Style management tools like Reference Templates. We provide working examples in the supplied sample projects.

Adaptive Publish on Demand Publication

All Release 8 and Release 7 versions of our InstantOn Desktop and Jump Kit customization products natively support both STB and CTB publication. If required, you can perform your project work in one and publish your projects in the other.

All the Framework products include integrated linetype resources with support for the supported NCS compliancy, multiple State DOT compliancy, DGN conversions, and classic Autodesk civil product resources. About 1000 linetype definitions are included with linetype prototypes to easily construct your own variations. We supply sample drawings of the supplied linetypes. We supply many Style-based linetype alternatives to further reduce export and interoperability issues.

The Adaptive Flavors of the Civil 3D

The Framework for Civil 3D supplies the largest and deepest field and project-tested Style Libraries on the planet. They support quick conversion into multiple Layer Standards including any custom, Key-based Layer Standard you want to employ and maintain. Most customers don’t bother.

Adaptive Layer Standards

Our Release 8 and Release 7 of our InstantOn desktop and Jump Kit customization products natively support:

• Six (6) different variants of the official NCS 5.0 and NCS 6.0 Layer Standards
  • Release 8 products default to NCS 6.0 compliant resources
  • Release 7 products default to NCS 5.0 compliant resources
• All the supplied NCS key schemes are fully compliant in detail with NCS recommendations
• Keys are validated to be consistent and unique across all the official NCS disciplines
• For the NCS 6.0 variants a large sample of other official disciple Keys and Layers are supplied
• All customization tools include built-in Key translation and rule-based property definitions
• Both small and large project AIA NCS design discipline Layer schemes are fully supported
• Classic AIA large building project utility Layer schemes are supplied
• Both classic civil engineering and common municipal layer schemes are supplied
• Rule-based ACI based color systems are supported by default
• An RGB-based color system can be employed and ACI to RGB and RGB to ACI conversion resources are included. The RBG system may not be employed in CTB by definition.
• Layer Standards files (.dws) for use with the AutoCAD Standards Checker are supplied in all the multiple formats and forms
• Included are a standardized set of production Layer State resources to optimize both daily production work and publication of project plan sets from Civil 3D project drawing resources
• Supplied are the resources and tools to fully support the easy construction and conversions between Layer Standards for templates, backend resources, and project drawings

Adaptive Style Library

The simple answer to the most frequently asked Style Library question – It’s in there. Better yet, what’s in the Framework’s Style Libraries is tested and proven to work in real world Civil 3D production environments in organizations small to large.
Current Framework products do not include any custom Civil 3D catalogs.

The Style Libraries include:

• Thousands of functional Styles for every Civil 3D Feature
• Multiple variations of many Styles and deep Style coverage for production quality control tasks
• Hosts of in-depth annotative Label Styles most with typical and even many atypical variations
• A host of Style choices for all the Civil 3D View production output features
• A varied array of detailed Code Set Styles with built-in plan screening and other annotative capabilities are supplied
• Specialized annotative Styles to maximize design and existing QC, reduce publication time, and ease conversion issues to raw AutoCAD, DGN, and other CAD and/or GIS deliverable formats
• Color Ranged-based design Styles are supplied to maximize production Feature identification, design decisions, and Civil 3D Feature management
• Optimized Styles and documented process and workflows to generate site design and corridor design-based Plan Production Tool with advanced Label Style output
• Advanced Expression and variable driven Label Styles are supplied where appropriate to maximize production output. The Expression content is also supplied separately from the Styles in which they are employed.

Adaptive Template Building Blocks

Adaptive Template Building Blocks are designed to be employed with either of both Corridor and Assembly-based design solutions and/or Feature Line based Grading solutions.

Each Adaptive Template Block includes all the specific and integrated Style collections to complete common civil engineering design tasks. Adaptive Template Blocks are designed to be combined with other blocks based on the required design complexity of the finished design. The level of detail produced or published is accomplished primarily by Style deletion – remove what you do not need.

Adaptive Template Building Block Style Library includes:

• Packaged Style resources to allow the fast creation, maintenance, and use of task specific special templates with or without the use of the Civil 3D Reference Template tool
• Many typical USGS, DOD, and US Army Corps template blocks are supplied
  Some examples: Airfields, Beach Erosion, Levee Systems, Flood Control, etc.
• Each Adaptive Template Block includes the integrated Alignment, Profile, Section, Feature Line, and Parcel Styles. Civil 3D View related Styles are supplied separately.
• Each Adaptive Template Block includes the built-in production Layer States to employ the resource in part and when combined with other related Template Blocks and core resources

Adaptive Symbol Libraries

The supplied Symbol Set and deep and detailed Point Style libraries include:

• Generic Point Styles in multiple forma are supplied for both relative and fixed annotative scale representations of point data
• Support of thousands of Point Styles with multiple shape/block representations of common and uncommon civil and survey symbols
• Both WCS and VIEW based versions of Point Styles are included where appropriate.
• All major and many specialty forms of civil engineering, survey, and public works utility and many other forms of typical civil infrastructure systems are included.
• The supplied block graphics are packaged to allow the rapid creation of Tool Palette tools
• Tools are supplied to manage, maintain, and customize the same
• A large collection of AASHTO compliant typical roadway assemblies with all the appropriate partial Assemblies
• A large collection of prebuilt typical Intersection Assembly Sets
• In depth Tool Palette Tool support for the supplied and/or customized Assembly resources
• All Assemblies include fully customizable subassembly properties to construct and maintain typical, state, county, and municipal roadway prototypes
• A collection of typical grading and other typical Assemblies is supplied in example drawings
• Detailed resource drawing examples of all stock assemblies and PKT files are supplied

Adaptive Assemblies and Sets

• A large collection of AASHTO compliant typical roadway assemblies with all the appropriate partial Assemblies
• A large collection of prebuilt typical Intersection Assembly Sets
• In depth Tool Palette Tool support for the supplied and/or customized Assembly resources
• All Assemblies include fully customizable subassembly properties to construct and maintain typical, state, county, and municipal roadway prototypes
• A collection of typical grading and other typical Assemblies is supplied in example drawings
• Detailed resource drawing examples of all stock assemblies and PKT files are supplied

Adaptive Survey for Civil 3D

The Framework’s legendary and deep Survey in Civil 3D support includes:

• Pre-built and fully customizable Survey Code system
• Automated match your Survey Codes translation tools
• Multiple pre-built libraries for the supported Layer Standard variants of Survey Codes, Description Key Sets and matched Figure Prefix resources and the tools to customize the same
• Framework Code Systems are collection optimized to; reduce field time; maximize data gather flexibility; and shorten shop QA, validation time, and existing conditions deliverable production
• Pre-built libraries for specialty Survey types: common field structures, tree surveys, etc.
• Packaged internal and external, in-depth Point Group definitions with variations
• Automated Legend and Abbreviation List creation tools
• Symbol Exchange Tools to swap block graphics in templates and project drawings
• In depth ready to run Survey Query support with lots of common production Survey Query variations
• Survey Query tools to customize the Query resources from outside of Civil 3D
• Optimized Styles and documented process and workflows to generate site design and alignment-based Plan Production Tool and Label annotation output from Survey Db resources

Adaptive Sample Civil 3D Projects

The Framework ships with both STB and CTB output versions of detailed sample Civil 3D projects.
The sample project sandboxes allow Civil 3D users to explore, edit, and maintain Framework resources and their customizations of the same.

• The supplied drawing resources allow the display of any and all of the supplied Styles and other Framework resources in a typical Civil 3D production environment with live data
• All basic and many advanced Civil 3D tasks and workflow examples are included
• Raw data for both existing and proposed conditions is supplied include multiple variations of survey data with detail
• Detailed publications are documented and produced with differing publication methodologies.
• The sample projects are designed to be employed in Civil 3D training for all basic to advanced Civil 3D topics for both survey and civil engineering design users
• Release 8 versions of the sample projects employ localized, project-based Reference Templates to allow for the rapid update of the included Style references to your customized versions

Adaptive Civil 3D Production Environment

The Framework for Civil 3D intentionally includes no programming code.
All the supplied content resources are expressly and exactly only that.

• Installation is intentionally manual and basically adds the supplied resources to the typical Civil 3D resource locations or points to the supplied Framework locations.
• The Framework for Civil 3D is effectively neutral to all other AutoCAD and Civil 3D 3^rd party applications, tools, and other Civil 3D customizations.
• The Framework can be employed and maintained in both local computer and/or network environment installations with limited Windows OS Administrative rights
• Appropriate content can be easily incorporated into Autodesk network deployments if desired
• All the resources to necessary to produce plan set deliverables from Civil 3D are included

The Framework’s Adaptive Secret Sauce

The Framework for Civil 3D includes our innovative set of Spreadsheet Tools for Microsoft Excel that allow you to tweak and maintain Standards for Civil 3D across the entire range of the supplied resources. The current list of Framework Spreadsheet Tools for system construction and maintenance include:

• Layer Standards Tools
  • STB Layer Standards Tool
  • CTB Layer Standards Tool
• Survey Code Tool
• Description Key Set Tool
• Figure Db Tool
• Subassembly Codes Tool
• Survey Query Tool
• Legends and Lists
• Symbols Maintenance Tool
• Symbol Exchange Tools

All the Framework Spreadsheet Tools are fully documented and supported on-line. Register on the website. The complete details and practical employment specifics of the Spreadsheet Tools and mechanics can be reviewed prior to purchase.

The Framework for Civil 3D allows organizations and users to create and maintain a consistent, robust, and adaptive managed system to employ Civil 3D in actual production project environments.

The Power of the Adaptive System for Civil 3D
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