Lest we forget - One of the most powerful new tools in Civil 3D 2020 is Dynamo for Civil 3D. Autodesk released a new Autodesk Dynamo for Civil 3D 2020 Update 2 right after the new year. The officially supported depth and breadth of the Dynamo scripting support for both raw AutoCAD and Civil 3D is much improved in Update 2.
Cool and important stuff like a default directory for scripts and interactive User input is now included in the Dynamo Player. This means your Civil 3D and AutoCAD users can just run common Dynamo scripts without being forced to see and/or mess with the gory details of the scripts behind the curtain. Hoorah!
The Managed Systems geek in me wants to remind you that scripts can be general, project, and/or drawing specific. Where you store them matters. We must manage that. ‘Nuff said.
What Can Dynamo for Civil 3D Do?
A walkthrough video of the Dynamo for Civil 3D essentials is worth more than a few words…
Speed Up Design Tasks with Dynamo for Civil 3D
Adam Walmsley's Dynamo script walkthroughs help you identify many key Dynamo process mechanics and details. Basic Dynamo for AutoCAD examples are covered here without the clutter and complications of Civil 3D Features that can initially confuse matters.
Maybe we can call Adam the Fire from Down Under. Ok. Maybe that’s a bad, politically-incorrect joke. I couldn’t resist. I grew up in a National Forest. I can personally testify to running away from forest fires. I get it. The smell of woodsmoke still wakes me up in the night.
The Civil 3D Toolkit for Dynamo
Autodesk’s Paolo Emilio Serra has a nifty Dynamo Addon Package you probably also want to install. Get the Civil3DToolkit Package and get more Dynamo for Civil 3D capabilities. The Dynamo for Civil 3D video page includes many of Paolo’s in-depth videos.
By the by, the Autodesk sample DYN script collection has some truly useful tools you can tweak and perfect for your purposes. If you employ or want to use Property Sets in your Civil 3D production work, you might want to pay attention.
Autodesk Dynamo for Civil 3D 2020 Update 2
The Autodesk Dynamo for Civil 3D 2020 Update 2 is available via the Autodesk Desktop Connector app or via download from the Autodesk subscription site. The update requires access to the original install resources.
A word of caution. Your older Dynamo Addon Package installs may not work or support the newer Dynamo code. Packages may need to be reinstalled (or will not install) after the install of Dynamo for Civil 3D 2020 Update 2. Check for Dynamo Addon updates.
New Features and Enhancements
- Added the Dynamo Player which provides the following functionality:
- Default directory for scripts
- Filtering visible scripts
- Viewing the status of current scripts
- Launching a script
- Providing input for scripts in Dynamo Player
- Editing a script in Dynamo
- Dynamo script trace data is now saved in the drawing.
- Added the ability to control, get, and set dynamic block reference properties.
- Added the ability to create MText.
- Added the ability to get and set MText properties.
- Added the ability to create layers.
- Added the ability to get and set layer properties.
- Added the ability to copy and transform AutoCAD objects.
- Added the ability to get and set the name of corridor baselines and their baseline regions.
- Added the ability to get and set names and descriptions for COGO points and point groups.
Fixed Issues
- Fixed an issue in which Dynamo Player could not be launched on some localized versions of Civil 3D.
- Fixed an issue in which you could not open Dynamo from the Civil 3D ribbon after editing and closing a script from the Dynamo Player.
Known Issues
- There is a stability issue that can occur when closing a drawing with newly created COGO points.
Read the Release Notes
Magical Thinking or the Magic of Innovation…
Get the Framework for Civil 3D Release 8