Civil 3D Segment Label Mechanics

The Framework for Civil 3D embraces a mission critical concept we call Intelligent Publish On Demand (iPOD). Our brains must be actively and continuously engaged in the production deliverables process in Civil 3D.  That work is what we are paid to do as professionals. This is what this Jump On Civil 3D blog and our Framework for Civil 3D products are all about.

Autodesk Civil 3D is a big, complex, and often bewildering collection of civil engineering and survey software tools. Our professional project work is equally full of vital subdisciplines, and significant nuances or other people could and would perform the work.

A skilled Civil 3D Cadpilot delivers the work of four lesser folk. We do or we don’t.

All of us in Civil 3D Land experience the reality that Civil 3D is chock full of powerful opportunity and agonizing frustration – Call it the Ooo and the a Arrrgh.
We each have other words. Many might get this post banned or cancelled.

As daily Civil 3D users, we must always be in search of new and better ways to get our project work out the door.

Easy to Say - Tough to Do

That ruthless pursuit of effective and productive strategies and tactics is a personal and a corporate accountability like it or not.

The following video provides us some new Intelligent Publish On Demand (iPOD) Civil 3D tools and methods to consider.

 

Civil 3D Segment Label Mechanics

Better Civil 3D Style resources do create significant production benefits. The Framework’s Label Style Expression Set technologies will help our customers all deliver more and better work in less time. This is what we do.

The Video Simply Speaks Volumes

If someone told you yesterday that they could label 1750 feet of complex roadway design in a few quick minutes, you might think they’re either crazy or selling snake oil. Eheh.

Innovative design and ruthless attention to both the possibilities and details makes all the difference.

Segment Label Style Mechanics

An old, familiar whine in Civil 3D Land…
For reasons unknown, neither raw AutoCAD nor Civil 3D still have out of the box tools that will allow us to select objects with Property Set data assigned to them.
Please tell Autodesk in writing this is beyond dumb.

Label Collection Management

When we employ Property Set powered Label Styles we must resort to basics things like separate layer property assignments to hold and manage our Labels. Well crafted Civil 3D Object Settings in our Civil 3D Templates can make this management task a bit easier.

Publish Management

In the example shown in the video we employ a publishing drawing to produce the Segment labels on the Extracted Corridor Feature Lines. Sorry. This was necessary to help make the demonstrated results simple.

In a well-managed Civil 3D project, this is probably a management no no. If for no other reason than to manage our QAQC processes in a more useful and productive way.
A separate working drawing should be employed to produce the Label collections to be then employed as DWF IREFs or as XREFs in publish drawings.

Extracted Feature Line Management

Remember that Dynamic Extracted Feature Lines remain attached to the Corridor model.
This can be a good thing for our Segment Labels until the design reaches certain important benchmarks. This can be a bad thing when we want the Labels unattached to a big Corridor model.
It is interesting to see the results when we WBLOCK out Dynamic Feature Lines and their attached Segment labels. Do the Do.

If we employ Static Extracted Feature Lines, the Feature Line results and the related Labels produced are no longer dependent on the Corridor model. Hoorah. Segment Labels are always dependent on the Feature Lines, Lines, or Parcel Segments.

Speaking of IPOD

We probably do not want to plot the Extracted Feature Lines Segments in any form. We are duplicating the existing Feature Line output from the Corridor Model.
This significant nuance applies to Dynamic Feature Line design control employed in Corridor Baselines too. Dooh.

For Survey Folk

Odds are some of our deliverables from design projects will require Point output at those same Label locations from the design corridors or a site grading design produced with raw Feature Lines. Civil 3D tools and reports (better yet - Project Explorer for Civil 3D) can and will produce the Point data.
See the Point Wizardry in Civil 3D page for videos and links to posts.

The Framework for Civil 3D includes a powerful Label Style Expression Set for Points.
The Framework for Civil 3D includes powerful Label Style Expression Sets for Surface Spots and Contours.
See the Release 8 AddOns Details page for details and links.

The Framework for Civil 3D tools and resources get better.

Make Civil 3D Work and Work Better
Get the Framework for Civil 3D Release 8

 

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