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It’s a pretty good bet that most folk consider Points to be pretty much a survey thing in Civil 3D. It’s even a better bet that these same folks have complaints about Civil 3D’s point display representations, or rather point resolutions. It’s sad but true. Many want and still try and force Civil 3D to behave like Land Desktop, Eagle Point, or some other old school CAD software. It can be more important to make things familiar.

No Sweat No Equity

Others put the gloves on, pick up the shovel, and get the ditch dug quicker. If we’re going to talk about the important Keys to getting the most from points in Civil 3D, you have to do the work. The Framework for Civil 3D supplies an incredibly detailed and complete set of Codes, Keys, Points and Figures tools to generate a more productive and much less painful Civil 3D point experience.

Adaptive Integrated Survey for Civil 3D

The Framework’s legendary field-to-finish, project-tested Survey in Civil 3D support includes:

  • Pre-built and fully customizable Survey Code system
    Most customers say they employ most of the Code system because it was better than what they used before
  • Automated Match your Survey Codes translation tools
    Most customers say they matched 90-95%+ of their codes on the first pass
    Customers who employ outside survey collection partners say the tools produced better data integrations from multiple contractors quicker and with less hassle.
  • 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.
    In other words, the support for multiple Layer Standards is already ready-to-run.
  • System Codes, DescKeySets, Prefix Db collections are optimized to; reduce field time; maximize data gather flexibility; and shorten shop QA, validation time, and existing conditions deliverable production
    Customers report the Framework Survey resources and tools produced better work in less time.
  • Pre-built libraries for specialty Survey types: common field structures, tree surveys, and design corridor output.
  • 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 and ready-to-run Survey Query support with lots of common production Survey Query variations
  • Survey Query Customization Tools to build the Query resources 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.

This summary of our optimized Framework for Civil 3D tools and resources covers a lot of ground.

The Whole is More Than the Sum of the Parts

The Framework for Civil 3D is a whole product. The Framework’s managed system approach to Civil 3D customization and implementation requires the nuanced details are covered in-depth and the parts are adaptive to real world project demands.

You can check out our much-visited Civil 3D Survey at Jump Speed page. The page includes links to lots of videos and related posts and documentation related to Survey in Civil 3D functionality and the supplied Framework for Civil 3D resources for Survey.
Most of the Civil 3D Survey content is applicable even if you don’t employ the Framework per se.

Five Keys to Civil 3D Points

The list above hints to all the following mission critical point challenges and benefits in Civil 3D. My initial No Sweat No Equity point is and is not a point. It is like gravity. It is and that sucks.

Integrated Into the Entire Project Workflow

Hoorah. You already successfully employ Survey Dbs to manage you survey work in Civil 3D. Do you employ multiple other Survey Dbs to manage locations, the annotation, or even the QAQC in your project design? It’s all about location, location, location.

Many people are simply stunned by the reality that you can successfully annotate any Feature Lines generated from any design corridor(s) with Survey Db data. See the Corridor Points videos for how to do this with or without the Framework.

From the list above you should be able to see there are more than a few more hidden point design wonders.

Adaptive to Different Project Types

Bare earth design to shopping center, tank farm, wind farm, waste water treatment plant, or a subdivision land chop all are a bit different from each other. These project types are separate yet again from the Operational data collection and system management tasks that tend to dominate in utility infrastructure, municipal, State, and Federal government agencies.

Most commercial firms tend to over specialize and confine themselves because to their traditional approach to both collection and their historical usage of point data. The Framework delivers a more adaptive and systematic integration of Civil 3D point resources because of a varied user base that does all of the above and more. Tools to adapt and tweak all the parts are included in the Framework for Civil 3D.

Adaptive to Varied Collection Methods and Sources

I’d argue that most people want a points solution for Civil 3D that works for them. Most surely don’t need a custom solution for points that confines them. Understandably this tends to happen until the lack or need becomes a business problem.

Civil engineers and survey firms need and adaptive system that allows them to employ point data from many sources in a systematic and integrated way. The classic case might be a large or long-term project where the collectors and data collections are contracted on demand.

Civil 3D’s built in string interpreter and Description Key Format capability enables a lot of point data translation potential that is easy to overlook. The Framework simply includes these basic Code translation tools because they are necessary sooner rather than later. The translation tools also make adopting the Framework for Civil 3D much easier. In effect the Framework probably already speaks your local dialect of survey field code banter.

Publish to Various Project Deliverables

Over the length and breadth of the project lifecycle the deliverables civil engineers and surveyors must produce do change. Our ability to respond to those changing deliverable demands can and does become a significant hidden cost. We all know about the dreaded one-off demand that seems to reoccur with growing frequency these days.

We can connect project locations to sets of related data in lots of ways in Civil 3D.
Survey Dbs work better for this task than many civil design people realize.
You can employ Codes at point locations to connect easily to other data sources available in Civil 3D without a lot of customized code that can be problematic in the long term to maintain.

Put simply - a Point Table Style report connected to a separate points collection can be a wonderful deliverable. How it looks is up to you and the Style tools available to you.

Publish on Demand to Different Standards

Intelligent Publish on Demand is a Framework for Civil 3D principal goal. The CAD Standards you are required to deliver should not be a major civil engineering or survey business obstacle. Most of that detail should be malleable, adaptive to different Standards, and robust in the execution performance.

Our approach to Intelligent Publish on Demand and Adaptive Standards is not to create a burden of more code and complexity you have to continuously pay for.

The Framework for Civil 3D is about easy to get to content resources built around easy to learn rules that are easy to modify to meet your needs. The idea is simply to change as little as possible to get the work done for the least number of project man-hours invested.

This doesn’t make sense to everyone which tends to equate to more competitive advantage for those that get the five points of the star.

Get the Standard to Build Standards From
Get the Framework for Civil 3D Release 8

 

Adaptive and Integrated Civil 3D Posts

Most posts include videos

Civil 3D Point Wizardry

  • Practical production improvement for Site Plan and Plan and Profile Deliverables with Civil 3D

Five Keys to Civil 3D Points

  • Why adaptive and integrated Survey Codes, Description Key Sets, Point and Figure Resolutions Matter in Civil 3D

The Civil 3D Setup Checklists

  • Civil 3D Setup Checklists and mechanics in detail.

Better Civil 3D Sandboxes

  • Sandboxes provide the ability to better visualize, evaluate, and employ Adaptive and Integrated resources

Structure Matters In Civil 3D

  • Structured Resources in Civil 3D allow for more Adaptive and Integrated Production Solutions

Back to the Future in Civil 3D 2020

  • The power of Adaptive Standards coupled with Reference Templates (TREF) and managed Style libraries in Civil 3D