AutoCAD WS – Not Just Mobile

While I don’t personally own an iPhone, iPod or iPad, I borrowed my wife’s iPod Touch to check out the AutoCAD WS. I found the program a bit hard to use on such a small device. The program got confused when there was numerous objects where I wanted to zoom in closer. I found the user interface on a normal desktop a whole lot more enjoyable. It was easier to zoom in and select objects for modifications.

My biggest disappointment is the lack of compatibility with Civil 3D objects. My computer which has Civil 3D is down, but I suspect if proxygraphics is set to 1 AutoCAD WS may show the underlying primitives instead of boxes.  Another nice feature is the versioning. You can make changes to the  drawings and save them back to the server. The program then allows you to go back and view older versions of the file.

As well as being installed via the Subscription Advantage Pack, the WS Plugin for AutoCAD and AutoCAD based vertical products is available from the AutoCAD WS website. It may have sounded in a previous post of mine that it would only be available from the Subscription Advantage Pack.

AEC Blogger’s Day – Subscription Advantage Pack

Master James Wedding is presenting regarding the new Subscription Advantage Pack for Civil 3D 2011 to be released in the next few days. All of the Subscription Advantage Packs for AutoCAD, MAP 3D and Civil 3D should install onto Civil 3D this year.

AutoCAD

AutoCAD gets an AutoCAD WS plugin to take the drawing from the computer to the mobile device. Formerly called Project Butterfly. View, edit and share from the web. WS has no official meaning. Do you have a suggestion for what it should mean?

DWG Conversion Tool – Replacement for Batch Convert

IGES Import/Export – Have no idea what this would be good for. Master John Evens indicates it has something to do with Inventor or Mechanical Desktop.

MAP 3D

New FDO provider for ArcGIS. Access more data from ArcGIS Geodatabases which will utilize feature classes and schemas. Can directly connect directly to ArcGIS without going through converting the data to a SHP file and importing it into MAP. Can connect to databases such as the State of Utah’s or other agency databases on line, live.

Civil 3D

Style Management

Import Style and Settings command helps to bring in styles and settings into a drawing. Allows you to select a DWG or DWT file with a dialog box to bring in styles only or styles and settings. Still no option to just bring in a portion of the styles or settings. 918 styles and 1108 settings in the default drawing that ships with the program. If a drafter has messed up the styles, then you could overwrite the styles in the drawing with the correct ones. Not the best solution if you only want one or two styles overwritten. I’m thinking if you have to take 5 minutes trying to explain why this is good, it doesn’t really solve the problem.

Improved Point Imports

Once you select a file, a reduced list of point file formats is available based on what the file contains. So if the file is spaced by commas, comma file formats will be presented. A preview pane is also available to show you what column is assigned to which data type (not a graphic preview of where the points are going to be located at, with the existing linework show, which would be pretty cool to see if the N,E is the correct column).

Superelevation Control

Can transfer from one alignment to another

COGO Editor

Is a dialog box to help create traverses in a graphical manner. Can apply different error reports. Can change the accuracy of what the reports need to be run on. Zoom to segment, zoom to figure. Can change the input data as you go, so if you make a mistake you can go back and edit it rather then starting over. Can save the traverses into an external file and import it back into another drawing, run the dialog on existing polylines. “So simple Simeone could use it”.

DGN Import

The SAP provides the ability to import in DGN files that converts the DGN linework styles into AutoCAD linework styles. Converts the levels to layers. Need the RSC files for the DGN file in order for the linework styles to get the command to work as expected. Put the RSC file into the support file. Make sure you ask for the RSC file when receiving DGN files from others.

DGN Export

Can export utilizing the RSC files to get the linetypes to show up correctly in Microstation. Need to select a seed file that matches the file type you are sending out. Get the seed file from the requester to make things easy.

Don’t forget that Subscription Advantage Packs usually get rolled into the next version of the program.

Disclaimer: Autodesk paid for my trip and stay to attend this event live at Autodesk AEC Headquarters in Waltham, MA.

AEC Blogger’s Day – Subscription Advantage Pack Webcast

AutoCAD SAP

Since I don’t have an iPad, so probably not something I’ll be using, but may be of interest to some people. When it does come out check to see how Civil 3D objects are displayed. If they aren’t what you want make sure to voice what you want how Civil 3D objects to be shown.

Not quite sure how this will handle Civil 3D objects, hopefully better then the last tool for the job.

If you use Inventor or other product that utilizes IGES Import/Export you may want to check this out.

MAP 3D SAP

If you use Map and ArcGIS you’ll want to check out Maps SAP feature of FDO support for ArcGIS. One is able to directly link on the web a source for ArcGIS data.

Civil 3D SAP Stuff

A simpler dialog import for points, giving you a preview of the columns to see if you selected the correct file format. A graphical preview showing the points in models space would be cool to see if N/E are in the correct column. Maybe to the right of Advanced Options? Too soon for wishes?

Style import and settings, wholesale importing in of styles and/or settings from another drawing. A sledgehammer approach to bringing in style into a drawing or correcting styles which have been improperly edited. An example is in the picture below, go from bad styles with the same name to the corrected ones. Maybe have styles based on customer, with styles with the same name, to go from one to another in case the starting template was wrong.

COGO Point Editor, can edit as you type in the values for a closure, or select a polyline in the drawing. Then do a closure report. Probably will need to do some cleanup before converting the polylines to parcels since you will end up with overlapping polylines between the parcels.

Improved DGN import with support for RSC linetypes and levels. Export is improved by being able to utilize seed files to import them in. Need to make sure to get the RSC and Seed files from who you got the files from or are sending them to. DGN fidelity on exporting of drawing.

Coming soon to that thingy on the top right of Civil 3D.

 

Links if you want to type:

 

Civil Visualization

See post: http://blog.civil3dreminders.com/2010/09/aec-bloggers-day-civil-visualization.html

Storm and Sanitary Analysis

See post: http://blog.civil3dreminders.com/2010/09/aec-bloggers-day-storm-and-sanitary.html

AEC Blogger’s Day – Vault Collaboration 2011

Vault has an updated process.

Lifecycle states through your design process to tailor to your design process.

Can declare files with permissions that are based on how far the drawing is in the design process. Be able to restrict users from the file, such as keeping engineer’s out of the file until the surveyors are done with the file.

Formalized workflow to go from work in process to accepted drawing as complete.

Workflow:

Work in Process >>> For Review >>> Approved

Each step can have its own permissions on who can view it. A little more to set up to create to formalize the process which can take more time and having to make decisions on how things work.

Categories, Automating Document Management. Categories assign how files are handled ie. who gets to modify it, when different user types can modify the file. Categories can be automatically assigned to drawings, say a surveyor creates a file, the file gets put in the Survey file category. Also can use file name to automatically assign the category. The category can be changed after it is created.

A trail of who opens the file is provided, so you can tell who messed up your files.

Multiple-Sites replication, it handles it in the background. Can determine what gets replicated to other offices, so not all projects need to be replicated to each office, able to pick and choose. A field office get access to their projects rather then a bunch of stuff they don’t need. Saves on bandwidth.

Vault is Files (DWG, .DOC, .PPT, .XLS) and Metadata, what the data contains or what it is about.

Probably need to get some help from your reseller to see if it will work for you, probably best suited for larger offices.

Scalable options based on your needs. Per seat license fee, get the server, pay for the clients.

Probably won’t see it in my office anytime soon.

AEC Blogger’s Day – Storm and Sanitary Analysis (SSA) Extension

Stand alone product which is a hydrology and hydraulic analysis tool. Downloadable from the subscription advantage pack.

No restriction on the number of nodes and links.

Stormwater management methods.

Water quality modeling for BMPs, TMDL and exfiltration methods. Based on EPA SWMM engine.

Import/Export from Civil 3D to SSA with STM. From SSA can export to SHP file since you can’t export from Civil 3D, but can from SSA.

SSA can fit in the process through design since it can be imported/exported back and forth. Probably not the best workflow, but better than what it was in the past.