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We can make the annotation of Complex Corridors in Autodesk Civil 3D faster, better, and more consistent. A Complex Corridor is one of those Multiple Baseline beasties (or beauties) that can model our design solutions more effectively.

Autodesk invests seriously on improving the Civil 3D Corridor engine’s capabilities. Today, Civil 3D users to can grade site design solutions as easily as we can create roadways and irrigation channels. Put simply – Would we rather manually create and manage tons of Feature Lines or manage them systematically all together. There is a major man-hour difference in the long term.

 

Non-Linear Corridor Design

Intentionally, this example is a video recorded in an old release of Civil 3D that does not employ the improved Civil 3D 2018+ design tools like Connected Alignments, Offset Profiles, etc. The video makes the point that Corridor-based site design solutions are no big deal. Ok. There is a definite change of the Civil 3D specific tools employed and a different workflow required. No one said you couldn’t even tweak the final surface results in an old school way.

We’ve included a version of this non-linear Pond Corridor in our affordable Templates Only trial product’s supplied Example Corridors drawing for years and years. That drawing even includes station-based Alignment Group Label Styles for labels with multiple surface references to document the Corridor locations plan view.

Alignment Group Label Style annotation works. That’s not quite the same thing as documenting any or all the Corridor Feature Line output well. Complex existing conditions and design solutions may require greater level of detail.

The Annotation of Corridors is Different not Difficult

Somehow, we must document that level of detail for Corridor design work. That problem seems to be an issue for some of the Feature Lines Only (design with breaklines) crowd. Once again, the challenge is the matter of a basic change of perspective and easy to learn new Civil 3D skills.

Corridor models produce many forms of published results. It’s sometimes an overwhelming list or options. Obviously, the Profile and Section Civil 3D View Features and tools perform those forms of documentation decently, provided you have the Style Libraries to render the results.

Code Set Styles and the detailed knowledge of subassemblies requires knowledge and practice. Sorry, I have to say it…

Know Thy Subassemblies

The Autodesk Online Help page contains useful release specific links to the stock subassembly help listings and the Subassembly Composer based PTKs that Autodesk supplies.

Jump Kit has included sample resource drawings with both all the stock subassemblies and the PTK representations in multiple flavors and with separate a detailed Code Set Style. Yes. The Framework for Civil 3D even includes a Subassembly Code Spreadsheet Tool to help you manage all of those type of codes systematically.

Civil 3D Can Be Non-Intuitive

How we can do that detailed Corridor annotative work is, sadly, far from intuitive or obvious in Civil 3D. There’s no nifty Civil 3D Ribbon panel with a dedicated set of tools to do that work.

We need to consider the many Civil 3D tools available. We should put them together in new ways to get from where we are to where we need to be. We should search for and then learn to master non-linear solutions and methodologies that produce more results with less total effort.

 

Corridor Feature Line Annotation Made Easy

Can we make plan-based Corridor annotation robust, consistent, and more adaptive all at the same time?

If we couple some standard Civil 3D Toolbox Report output and massage the results with Excel, then one or more than one Civil 3D SurveyDbs allow us the systematically manage the detailed location-based Corridor annotation. Any project drawing can render and host the results in various forms and flavors based upon the specific need.

Significantly, the output of more than one specific Toolbox Report may be applied to this workflow. A Report that works for design conditions may not be the best Report to use for existing survey conditions.

See the Point Wizardry in Civil 3D page for more videos and examples explained in detail. The fundamental Civil 3D skills to learn are applicable in many annotative task scenarios.

Managed Annotation Works

The good news is that it is reasonably easy to can the file prototypes we need to perform this work. We can easily add those file prototypes to any Civil 3D project. See the Civil 3D Projects and Setup page for Civil 3D Project Template examples, related links, and detailed videos.

What If More Design Capabilities Were Built-In?

The latest Civil 3D Codes AddOn helps us all integrate many new forms of Corridors design output as point annotation as well.

The new Codes Spreadsheet Tool contains support for our rich Adaptive Building Block Style Library for design and survey. If you survey it and if you design it, the Framework for Civil 3D has Styles and resource details to do that and demonstrably annotate the results.

Odds are that how you prefer to talk about all those many design and survey details can be found in the Framework’s larger and more detailed collection of 5000+ Codes. In-depth support for the many NCS Keys is included.

The Point of the Civil 3D Spear
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