It’s a pretty good bet that most people in Civil 3D Land consider Points to be pretty much a survey thing in Civil 3D. It’s an even 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 older CAD software. It can be more important to us to make stranger 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, we 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.
The Framework Survey for Civil 3D
The Framework’s legendary field-to-finish, project-tested Survey in Civil 3D support includes:
- Pre-built and fully customizable 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 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 and Design 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 Framework for Civil 3D Spreadsheet Tools
Most of our famous Spreadsheet Tools for Civil 3D help us create, edit, and manage the resolution of Codes, Points, Links, and Shapes in Autodesk Civil 3D into those important Civil 3D Features we employ in our drawings, workflows, and production projects.
Here’s the relevant Framework Spreadsheet Tools list:
Layer Standards Tools
- There are more than a few of these in multiple Layer Standards versions in both STB and CTB formats
Civil 3D Codes Tool
- Build, Manage, Filter Design and Survey Point, Link, and Shape Codes for use in DescKeySets and Figure Dbs
Description Key Set Tool
- Build, Manage, and Filter Design and Survey DescKeySets
Figure Db Tool
- Build, Manage, and Filter Design and Survey Figure Dbs
Subassembly Codes Tool
- Build, Manage, and Filter Design subassembly and PKT point content
Survey Query Tool
- Build, Manage, and Filter Design Survey Query content
How well we learn to create, edit, and manage the both the Survey and Design Codes in Civil 3D matters a lot.
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 civil engineering and survey project demands.
Five Keys to Civil 3D Points
The capabilities list above hints to all the following mission critical point challenges and benefits in Civil 3D. The 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? We like to say it’s all about location, location, location.
Many people are simply stunned by the reality that we can successfully annotate any Feature Lines generated from any design corridor(s) with Survey Db data.
See the Intersections and Corridors page 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 municipal, State, and Federal government agencies.
Most commercial firms tend to overspecialize 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 Jump Kit product.
Adaptive to Varied Collection Methods and Sources
We argue that most people want a points solution for Civil 3D that works for them. Most folks 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 an 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 the 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 included 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 that 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. All wary Project Managers know about the dreaded one-off demands 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.
We 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 we 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 Civil 3D Standards From
Get the Framework for Civil 3D