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Please bookmark this and visit us there.  I will keep up the posts and help at that location.

This post was moved to:

http://civil2inventor.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/part-1-of-crea…center-library

This post has moved to http://civil2inventor.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/new-frame-generator-parts-2/

Recently in one of the Civil 3D discussions, a poster requested a fast solution to a multi tiered grading. The requirements were 2 tiers@ 1:1 cut slope, each 4.5m deep, with a flat 1m land in between, and it appeared flat at the bottom. The fill slope was similar, but @2:1 slope. 

In an attempt to VERY quickly help the poster, I use feet in this ugly example, but the process is the same.

Yes, I intend to repost something a bit more well rounded, but for now, I have other client’s to tend to.

I created a feature line, and using the standard Autodesk Relative Elevation @ Slope grading criteria, I applied the first tier grading (-4.5 @1:1). Then I applied to the newly created feature line at new edge of the grading, the standard relative elevation @ distance, and created the land (0′@1′). I then applied the initial sloped grading criteria to the feature line at the new edge of the land grading, just like before.  

Since this is a cut slope, I need to get out of the hillside I dug into. I created a simple Grade to Surface criteria and applied it the feature line created at the edge of the lower tier grading, and entered 1% for a grade, and selected the Existing Grade surface to grade to. The result came out as shown below.  

  Yeah, I know, that plan view is funky. Did I mention I needed the example quick?  

This is the view from the Object Viewer.

The following discussion appeared on the Autodesk Discussions here

Does anybody know what the maximum number of table entries for an iPart is?

When iParts were first implemented we had a limit of 1000 rows for performance reasons. It takes a fair amount of time to parse the table when there are a lot of rows. I would edit the table via the spreadsheet, copy half of the rows to a different workbook, and then test the smaller factory. If it works then you can determine the best way to split it into smaller factories.

Loren Jahraus     Autodesk Inventor Product Design

Surface Patching has moved to http://civil2inventor.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/surface-patching/

I always liked the Memphis Airport. My hat goes off the people there. 

When travelling overseas, one should be acutely aware of when that last bird leaves Detroit for overseas.  It doesn’t matter how many connections there are to get to it, the only things that matter are:

When does the Detroit Plane board, When does the connection BOARD, and how pitiful do I have to look to get this disaster fixed (the answer is pretty damn pitiful).

When they say the time of the flight, one should memorize it.  If one (me) decides to go for a smoke, then the correct time of Boarding should be known.  If one should mistake the takeoff time for the Boarding time, and show up 10 minutes early, then some one is screwed, because the DOORS ARE CLOSED.

Do not bother begging the lady that can open the door.  You should bribe her.  I always get that confused, it’s BRIBE the lady!!!! Otherwise she says, “I’m sorry, we went looking for you, you know your connection in Detroit is the last flight…”  Suddenly I know alot of things I didn’t a few minutes ago.

Did you know that of the Smoking related deaths and accidents last year,  that the cigarette poisons and related health issued only accounted for about 85% of the deaths.  The other 15% was the wives of the poor bastards that just HAD to have that cigarette….

Get the PATCH!, and hunker down.  Don’t try and smoke when your connection out of the country leaves within the next 16 hours.

I begged, man I begged.  I told the truth, “sir, that lady over on the side will kill me if you can’t help me make this right. I kid you not, I will need a police escort out of here if I can’t get to Detroit in less that 3 hours PLEEEAASSEEE help me.” 

Northwest Airlines really took care of us, and got us on the next flight to Detroit in time to catch that Overseas flight.  Thank you Northwest, and Memphis.

 Check out Part 2 here.

In this discussion I will pick up here where we left off. We will cover Creating Points.
Here we will discuss:

• Point Creation
• Point Identity
• Points created by Station and Offset on a Line
• Minor adjustment to a Point Label Style
• Editing Point Properties
• Description Formatting 

From the menu, select POINTS->CREATE POINTS

This dialog will appear.

Sometimes just the bar at the top will show. To the right is a double chevron button. Pick it to show the remaining vista. This vista shows all the point defaults and options you may have set in the command settings, as well as 2 additional key headers Points Creation, and Point Identity.

Learning all these areas and what they can do is important. However in our scenario today, we will focus on the latter 2. 

Points Creation

Expand the header Points Creation and you will see the settings contained therein. I will leave everything default, except the following: Prompt for elevations, Prompt for Descriptions, and Default Description. My description keys will process the layer for me, but not any styles. I still need them on.

Since I am reducing these points from a field book, using an alignment, then I will need to set my elevations to whatever is written in the book. Set Elevation prompt to manual. During the process, the program will ask for the elevations. With the setting on Automatic, it feeds the elevation from the Default Description field. And there is also the setting for none. With this setting on, well you get……none.

The descriptions prompt will be set to manual. You could set this to automatic, but when variations occurred, you would have to switch it back and forth. Automatic is best if your descriptions area 85% or more 1description, and 15% other. If they are grouped by page, the automatic is definitely the way to go. If they are a bit scattered, the I like manual. Less time in a dialog, more time on the keyboard. Today we will be a bit scattered, so Set the Description Prompt to manual.

The focus today will be existing grade shots, on top of a natural sedimentary muck. The bridge going in will not set well on top of the muck. We need to know how much muck there is. Set the default description to GS-MUCK. You may have asked the question, Why set it here, if we are going to be using manual prompt? Later when I change the prompt setting to Automatic (because it suits the conditions), then that setting is waiting there. 

Point Identity

Expand the header Point Identity and you should see the setting contained therein. I will leave everything default except Next Point Number. This is where you get the next point number……uuhh, yeah, anyway. I will set the number to go into the range with the previous exercise, 17053.

 [*TIP* If you are setting data back and forth to the field, or a contractor, and are using a dedicated range for these outgoing points, then fix the starting point for this range in the command settings. TOOLSPACE SETTINGS TAB->POINTS->COMMANDS->CREATE POINTS. Right click and edit. You should find the same settings there. Set the Next Point Number (make sure the number is not in use, otherwise it will revert to what was already there). Now each time you Create a point, the next number will increment from there. I set all mine at 4000-4999. No one else uses that range, so we don't walk on each other's point numbers.]
 

Points Created by Station Offset on a Line 

Pick the MANUAL CREATION BUTTON FLYOUT and select STATION/OFFSET OBJECT. 

Rather than going through the great fun that having an alignment provides, I chose to simply use a line object. I set the endpoint at a known station and extend it’s length through the area I need to create in. It’s a temporary alignment. This works well if you are doing something fast, or the alignment changes everyday, and you are not dependant on having it for typical workflow.

The software asks me to select the line (always select near the lower station endpoint). Then it asks what the beginning station is. I enter 4200. Then it asks what station, and then what offset. Once there, it asks what the description should be. I set the points using the following description: GS-MUCK 14.0.

(this example was clipped at a later time, so the valued aren’t like the other examples….sorry) 

 Then it asks what the elevation should be. I set 15.7 . Then it asks what station, and we begin the cycle again. When you are done simply ENTER out until you are back to the command prompt.

We will discuss the odd description format soon. All the points enter the area expected, but the bottom field looks funny. They DON’T look like the example below and we wanted them to. 

They actually say GS-MUCK 14.0 . Let’s fix that now. 

Minor adjustment to a Point Label Style 

First we go to the Label Style Composer. TOOLSPACE->SETTINGS TAB->POINTS->POINTS STYLE->Right click on “MUCK” style->LAYOUT TAB.

In the Bottom of Muck component (Full Description) we change the text height to 0.06″. Then in contents we add () around the field in the right pane of the editor dialog as shown below. 

Now onto the Elevation component, and change the precision to 1. Remember to make sure the field on the right pane highlights, after you change the precision, force the update my clicking the ARROW BUTTON. Pick OK until you are returned to the application. REGEN. 

 Now the data points I formatted like this. Pretty!

The point group we had created in the previous exercise does not know about these points, but I want them included (My organization groups are field note oriented). I don’t want to use a range for this, because the only “GS-MUCK” I have in this project is this group. I could use the Point Number range, but the description is more convenient. If we were to add some more of this type to another setup, then this WILL have to be changed. 

[*TIP*: For your organization groups, use INCLUDE TAB->WITH NUMBER MATHCING. For your display and function groups, use INCLUDE TAB->WITH RAW DESCRIPTION MATCHING. For your export groups, use POINT GROUPS TAB-> select groups to query.] 
 

Editing Point Properties 

Next we need to provide some changes to the points.

Proceed to the TOOLSPACE TAB->PROSPECTOR->POINT GROUPS->Right Click the organization group for the muck shots, and select EDIT POINTS.

Here you should see that I have some stray layers. Hmmm…. Select the upper point and lower point rows that need to be changed. Right Click the Point Layer Column Header, and select Edit. You should be able to scroll to the layer you need. NOTE: you cannot create a new layer here. Possible wish list item. I use the layer “PNT-TRAV-CK”. These are all check shots. 

 [*TIP*: When selecting point rows, click in the grayed (or sometimes green) fields. These cannot be accidentally edited, and ar more convenient to select rows with.]

Here I make the decision to set the point style for each point manually. It would have been suitable for these to be controlled by a Parent Point Group for function, but I don’t need another function group (I have about 50 point groups in this project). I also don’t mind if these stay this way.

Once again select the upper point and lower point rows that need to be changed. Right Click the Point Style and Point Label Style Column Headers respectively, and select Edit.

 You should be able to scroll down to the styles you wish to use. I have chosen the styles we created in the last post. 

Description Formatting

As of right now, the points display “GS-MUCK –” etc. This is not the intent, as I don’t want to see the “GS-MUCK” part of the description.

We need some assistance. Notice the Description Format column next to the Full Description. This field takes the data from the Raw Description field, and formats it into the Full Description field. It looks for SPACES in the Raw Description and separates strings in the description using the spaces. This is why we left a space after the text “GS-MUCK”. The first string is 0, the second is 1, and so forth. The nomenclature for getting the string is the old Basic language ‘$’. So to have the second string in the description (the one we are using here), enter $1. That is what I did to the entire collection of ‘muck’ shots. See below. You should also note the Full Description has changed. 

 They should all update as above.

Now, one last item needs to be addressed. That is the existing grade shots that had no secondary elevation. These are just ground shots. However for this sketch, I want them to have a nice appearance. I have created a separate style the appears muck like the old table drafting spot grade style, with the elevation split so that the decimal appears as the grade locator, the point Marker. I will not go into that in this exercise (you know I will update this post later, because it will bother me until I get it done), but I will show you the change to the point properties.

As before, select the upper point and lower point rows that need to be changed. Right Click the Point Style and Point Label Style Column Headers respectively, and select Edit. I chose the newly created spot grade styles. 

And this is what you get. 

There are alot of display control questions.  I will post a permanent page on the point architecture, butin the mean time, here is some input on workflow.  See also the Point Cleanup Post.

The terminology tends to get a bit muddy, since there are 2 Label Layers.  For this discussion, the P-MARKER and P-LABEL layers are what is found in the POINT STYLE.  The LABEL layer is what is found in the LABEL STYLE.

The hierarchy of layer control for the points is: OBJECT layer -> P-MARKER layer and P-LABEL Layer-> LABEL Layer.

NOTE: If I have referred in an instance to None for an Object, then the Point Group Parent style will prevail, and should use a generic.  Generic P-MARKER and P-LABEL Style layer is _C3D-POINTS.  The generic LABEL Style layer is 0.

If you have a point that should display something specific, with no specific label (like a power pole), then assign the layers as follows:

OBJECT Layer = PNT-Ex-Ut-ele     P-MARKER layer = Ex-ut-ele   P-LABEL layer = 0    (LABEL NONE);  Since it has no specific label, then the generics take over on the cleanup layer scheme. The point stays but the labels freeze with the generics.

If you have a point that should display something specific, with a specific Label (like a Spot grade), then assign as follows:

OBJECT Layer = PNT-Ex-gr-spot     P-MARKER layer = Ex-gr-spot     P-LABEL layer = Ex-Gr-spot   LABEL layer = 0;  Since it has a specific matched POINT and LABEL, the control them from the POINT STYLE. The point and label stays on when the generics freeze.

If you have a point that never displays something specific (a generic), with a specific Label (like general labeling over an area without the desire of showing the specific location), then assign as follows:

OBJECT Layer = PNT-Ex-something area     (POINT NONE)   LABEL layer = SOMETHING AREA;  Since you want a label, but location is useless, then control them from the POINT LABEL STYLE.  The makers will go away, and leave the text styling in it’s place when the generics freeze.  If you don’t want it shown on a sheet, just freeze the LABEL STYLE layer in viewport.

Check out this post for possible Free pass.

http:/ /discussion.autodesk.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=697923“