How Productive Can Productivity Packs Make You?
Throughout the last couple versions of AutoCAD® Civil 3D®, Autodesk has released updates to subscription customers known as Productivity Packs, Subscription Advantage Packs, and other miscellaneous extensions during the year. Similar to an app on your mobile device, these tools are a way to provide users with continuous improvements to Civil 3D.
We have seen several enhancements in the 2016 release of Civil 3D. There have been Productivity Packs 1 & 2 as well as the Transportation Extension. The tools, once downloaded, show up on the Toolbox Tab of your Toolspace palette.
Figure 1
But just how much of a productivity “boost” can these tools really add to your workflow? This article looks at some of the optional add-ons for Civil 3D 2016 that have come out since the first release in April 2015.
2016 Productivity Pack 1
The following features have been included within Civil 3D 2016’s Productivity Pack 1.
Autodesk Civil Engineering Data Translator – These functions help translate Civil 3D files to files that can be used within Bentley InRoads and GEOPACK, as well as translate those same Bentley formats into files that can be used within Civil 3D.
You are required to have an A360 account, so make sure to sign up if you haven’t already.
The file type you can choose for importing are Bentley GEOPACK Project Data files (.gpk, .tin) and InRoads files such as the .alg file and .dtm file extensions.
Figure 2
Earthwork Plan Production – This takes creating a surface volume takeoff to a whole new level. You can insert labels and tables that contain the information about the volume between surfaces. Once you execute the command, you are presented with a simple dialog box where you specify your input data.
Figure 3
In that dialog box, you can choose to modify your output settings.
Figure 4
Once you are satisfied with your settings, select OK, and then OK again to proceed with creating the plan. When that is completed, your model should look something like Figure 5. Now that is a lot of information.
Figure 5
Create 3D Solids from Pipe Networks – Ever tried to do an interference check between gravity networks and pressure networks? Probably not, because it can’t happen! Use this command to turn these networks into 3D solids. This can be useful in coordination and clashing with Navisworks® between networks and all sorts of objects such as foundations for homes, bridge work, etc.
A couple other commands have also been included:
- Rail Turnouts and Crossings – Create and edit rail turnouts and crossovers.
- COGO Editor – This is a new version for creating and adjusting traverses, the other options still exist inside Civil 3D.
2016 Productivity Pack 2
The following features have been included within Civil 3D 2016’s Productivity Pack 2.
Extract Feature Lines from Corridor – The functionality of extracting feature lines and keeping them dynamic has been in Civil 3D for as long as I can remember. However, this functionality has now been enhanced with many new options.
The options for selecting which feature lines to extract include:
- Extract all feature lines at once.
- Select them one by one.
- Define Station Range.
- Select a subset based on a corridor region or a simple polyline.
By selecting a polyline, you will then be given the option for which feature lines to include/exclude for the extraction procedure. Select the settings option to choose whether or not to dynamically link them to the corridor. You can choose to add them to a site or now use the “Siteless” feature line options.
Figure 6}
Define Property Sets – Add intelligence to Civil 3D objects and AutoCAD® entities as property sets. This meta data can be used within AutoCAD Civil 3D or in downstream applications including Autodesk Navisworks and BIM 360™ Glue.
Similar to adding attributes to GIS data, this will add more information than just your basic layer, color, etc. You can use property sets to assign and access custom properties for particular objects within your drawing.
You define the property sets by using the Style Manager. Right-click on the Define Property Sets command within the toolbox and select Execute to launch the Style Manager.
Figure 7
Create a new property set and set up manual and automatic properties to associate with the objects. Assign them to objects
- Manual properties are manually entered for the object. The value entered for a manual property is saved with the object.
- Automatic properties are obtained from the object. For example, the physical characteristics of an object, such as its volume, is an automatic property.
Figure 8
Select the objects in the drawing and use the AutoCAD Properties Palette (Extended Data Tab) to assign the property set to the AutoCAD Civil 3D objects.
After it is assigned to an object, a property set becomes the container for the property data associated with the object. Values for properties are obtained directly from the object (such as 3D solid volume) or are entered manually for the object.
This may be an advanced workflow that not everyone will use, but could be a very productive tool in your ever-increasing toolbox.
Civil 3D Transportation Extensions
Due to the increasing work being done with the DOTs across the country, we have seen an increase in new features surrounding the heavy transportation design workflows. The 2016 Transportation Extension is no exception. This extension is basically split into two areas:
- General Product Enhancements
- Reporting Utilities
Figure 9
We will start by looking at some of the reporting tools that have been enhanced.
Alignments
- Horizontal Alignment Report − Creates a report that lists the horizontal tangent, curve, and station equation information for a range of stations for specified alignments.
- Alignment to Alignment Relation Report − Creates a report that lists information for staking out an offset alignment from stations on the primary alignment.
Figure 10
Corridors
- Corridor Points Report − Creates a report that lists specified corridor point code properties, such as station and offset, relative to a specified alignment.
- Slope Stake Report − Creates a report that lists the cross sectional and slope break data along the selected link within the selected corridor.
Points
- Radial or Consecutive Inverse Report – I get asked for this one all the time! Glad to see it brought back….because I think it was in LDT.
This creates a report that lists coordinate, angle, and distance, and slope information for a list of specified COGO points - either consecutively or radially from an occupied COGO point.
Profiles
- Profile Geometry Report − Creates a report that lists profile curve design violations for passing sight distance, headlight sight distance, and stopping sight distance.
- Profile Vertical Curve Report − Creates a report that lists information for crest and sag vertical curves.
- Profile PVI Report − Creates a report that lists the station, elevation, and grade out for each PVI in existing and finished ground profiles, as well as vertical curve information for finished ground profiles.
Project
- Project Summary Report − Creates a report that lists information about project data, survey database information, and data shortcuts. Once the command is executed, you can then select folders and Project Feature Types to include within your report.
Figure 11
My computer freaked out the first time I tested this report so maybe save your drawing first! This may take some time depending on your project size, but the report should include a pretty extensive list of items.
Survey (I love when they include new survey tools!)
- Metes and Bounds Report − Creates a report that lists legal descriptions in metes and bounds for a selected alignment, parcel, or survey figure.
- Survey Figure Node and Point Report − Creates a report that lists user-specified survey figure node and point data based on a specified survey database and filters.
- Figures Report − Creates a report that lists user-specified survey figure node and point data based on a specified survey database and filters.
- Survey Points Report − Creates a report that lists user-specified properties for all survey points in a specified survey database.
Parcel Properties Manager
This is by far my favorite tool added to the Transportation Extension. Yes, you can edit parcel properties within parcels individually or even in the preview window of the Prospector. But there are more global changes such as changing several styles at once.
The Manage Parcel Properties allows you to view all parcels within the drawing, regardless of which site they are in, and make multiple changes all at one. You then save it back to your drawing and even export out to Excel.
Once you launch the command, you get the dialog box shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12
The other thing I really like is that when you add in user-defined properties, they show up in this dialog box. Pretty cool if you use a lot of custom fields.
A few other options within the transportation extension are:
- Line by Direction and Distance – Similar to the Transparent Command
- Survey
- RW5 Raw file to .FBK Conversion
- Star*Net DAT file to .FBK Conversion
- Improve Least Squares .LSI Editor
- Quick surface cross section − Creates temporary cross sections of a surface. Gives you many more options then the Quick Profile currently in Civil 3D. Try it out!
- Surface High/Low Points − Creates COGO points at the highest and lowest points within the boundary of a specified surface
Conclusion
I believe this is the way things are going with our everyday software. We may still see the annual release every year, but instead of Autodesk making us wait for any new tools, they are putting them out in the form of these subscription enhancements throughout the year. With the changes in licensing structure, this is a good way to gain additional value from your software all year long.
Are these tools for everybody? No.
Are these tools for you? Maybe. Just give it a shot.
Hope you enjoyed!
