We could argue that any consideration of workflows in Autodesk Civil 3D is merely a result of the considerable depth of function that is already built into the software. Civil 3D does support a virtual feast of inherent capabilities for civil engineers and surveyors.
We could also argue that all this attention is unwarranted. The emphasis is only necessary because of the strange mix of old and new interface design that is mashed up into Civil 3D.
Both arguments are true.
Regardless of that, our productivity using the software is what we get paid for.
That remains our responsibility.
It is easy to forget that simple, and not so obvious, things may make the Civil 3D interface a user challenge. The current screen in our current drawing tends to dominate our focus.
In training sessions, I remind folks to ask,
Who’s Data Behind Are You Watching?
Our expectations can be our downfall.
Inside Civil 3D, we must remember to consciously adjust and readjust our focus.
We need to remember to watch ourselves work.
All skilled Civil 3D users change their focus of attention unconsciously.
Sadly, we usually have to learn this experientially – aka the hard way.
A new Civil 3D user simply doesn’t know where to look when - or worse - they focus on the wrong things.
We see this all the time in Civil 3D training. None of us are immune.
I still manage to stumble over the functional fixedness or focused attention problem myself.
“What went wrong?”
We looked in the wrong place.
“Dooh.”
Civil 3D Driver Training
The classic defensive driving cycle we all learned in driver’s education classes works:
Window>> Review Mirror>> Side Mirror>> Speedometer>> Window
In Civil 3D, we replace that basic pattern in the defensive driving metaphor with:
Screen>>Ribbon>>Command Line>>Toolspace>>Screen
We can argue that the Screen in the cycle often far less important than we might expect.
This Focus Cycle pattern works even better most of the time as far as the data behind is concerned:
Toolspace >>Ribbon>>Command Line>> Screen>> Toolspace
You get the point.
These basic Focus Cycle patterns will help us avoid many self -inflicted and idiot operator accidents.
Cycle Focus or Lose It
To be truely productive in Civil 3D we need to be – CAD Pilots. Eheh.
Up here in the sky things come at you from front and back and side to side and also from top and bottom as well. The Civil 3D interface may tell us there’s a problem, but we have to know when and where to look.
It is our responsibility to manage the focal point of our attention.
“Bob.”
“What?”
“The command line is asking you to pick a point.”
More than half the battle with any new Civil 3D release or an update is to identify the new focus patterns and the sometimes subtle changes to the old ones. Call me dumb. Like I said - I still neglect to change my focus if I haven’t done a task in Civil 3D for a while or I am learning something new.
Project Explorer – Another Focus Cycle?
One of the most important and more recent improvements to the Civil 3D interface is the Project Explorer (PE) interface. The modal PE rocks. The PE allows us to view both a better summaries of the most important Civil 3D Features and get faster access to the mission critical data behind of those Features.
The PE centric Focus Cycle pattern probably looks like this:
PE>>Ribbon>>Command Line>> Screen>> PE
A peek at the PE and the appropriate PE detail window replaces a glance at the Civil 3D Toolspace.
Work the Task to Space
Complex model-based software is really more like piloting a high performance aircraft than a car. Different interface elements on the instrument panel become critically important to introduce into any basic Civil 3D Focus Cycles at different times.
Landings require different information and controls than takeoffs.
Corridor design requires different interface tools and focus patterns than Parcel construction and/or Pipe Network editing.
Survey point or Survey Figure QAQC and the classic Civil 3D Surface build tasks once again are best performed with different collections of interface tools.
The software interface attempts to steer us with Civil 3D Feature-based Ribbon Tools. Like an alert on our cell phone, this automated help can be a distraction.
In Civil 3D we must deal with lots of different data behind Buckets.
“What’s a Bucket?”
See the Civil 3D Production Buckets and the Civil 3D Bullets in the Buckets posts.
One key point from the posts -
How fast we learn Civil 3D is a non-linear function of how quickly we can learn to identify how to get to specific Buckets and the specific mini-buckets in the Civil 3D interface.
This is both a pattern recognition problem and a challenge of physical habit.
What we pay attention to must change.
To get control and manage that is part of what AutoCAD workspaces and the Project Explorer are in there for.
Focus Cycles a Learnable Skill to Practice
As Civil 3D users, we are accountable to control the WTMI (Way Too Much Information) and our Focus Cycle problems appropriately.
The Most Important Civil 3D Training Tip
Every day before we do any work in Civil 3d read a different part of the Civil 3D Help file(s) for only 1-5 minutes.
It doesn’t matter what we read.
It doesn’t matter if we understand it.
At the moment, understanding may be impossible.
Get the Power Beyond the Code
Get the Framework for Civil 3D