CADit... cad, bim, gis, ipd, vdc, plm, etc. etc.

Down the Drain with AutoCAD Civil 3D Pipes… at AU

If Civil 3D is your area of interest and you are attending Autodesk University this year, my good friend Peter Thomson of MWH New Zealand is presenting a class that is well worth getting to see…

Here’s an introduction from Peter to his AU class: Down the Drain with AutoCAD® Civil 3D® Pipes: Getting Started with Company Standards and Smart Ideas...

I understand that this class is filling up fast, so get registered ASAP.

For class details…
http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=event_class&session_id=7443&jid=614770

See you there.

AutoCAD Civil 3D - MapExport to SHP creates an empty file

Autodesk have released a fix to resolve an issue with AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 & AutoCAD Civil 2010.

The problem occurs when you attempt to export data to an ESRI Shape file using the MAPEXPORT command.

I recall this being a problem with the 2009 versions also.

When you use the MAPEXPORT command to export to an ESRI Shape file (*.shp), the resulting SHP file is empty.

The Export dialog box used when exporting to a SHP file is missing the section (highlighted below) that allows you to select the Object Type (Point, Line, Polygon, or Text).

To resolve this problem, download the updated MapExport.ini file and copy it to the relevant folder on your hard drive.

Follow the link below for further details and to download the updated .ini file…

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=13251791&linkID=9240697&CMP=OTC-RSSSUP01

AutoCAD Civil 3D Service Pack 1 Released

Service Pack 1 for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 has just been released.

For more information and to download follow the link below...

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=11687614&linkID=9240698

The end of Land Desktop and birth of AutoCAD Civil

Autodesk has announced that the 2009 release of AutoCAD Land Desktop will be the final release.
In addition, a new program, AutoCAD Civil, will be released next month (July 2008, in the US).
First impressions of the features in the new Civil product would suggest it looks like AutoCAD Civil 3D without AutoCAD Map 3D and the Stormwater extensions.

For details have a look at...
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=8777380

For a feature comparison between AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Civil take a look at...
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=11348175

Trimble Link for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009

Trimble Link for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2009 has been released...

http://www.trimble.com/link_ts.asp?Nav=Collection-56702

AECDWGSETUP - Error in Civil 3D - Fixed in 2009!

Do you use the AECDWGSETUP command in Civil 3D?

Whilst this command is useful in Civil 3D, the additional settings, saved in the DWG file, can cause problems when using DWG files in plain AutoCAD that were created (or at least, last saved) using Civil 3D.

As long as you are aware of these settings and how to manage them, then you won't have a problem. However, the AECDWGSETUP command is not available in plain AutoCAD, but the settings that are managed by this command in Civil 3D are still recognised by AutoCAD.

For example: If I save a drawing in Civil 3D with the units set to metres using AECDWGSETUP, then AutoCAD recognises the drawing units as metres, which can be an issue when inserting content created/saved from Civil 3D into AutoCAD.

I suppose a good rule of thumb maybe to only create general AutoCAD content... blocks, templates etc. in plain AutoCAD, particularly for those companies that run a variety of Autodesk applications, plain AutoCAD and verticals like Civil 3D.

Anyway, with all that said... There is a problem in Civil 3D which has been there at least from the 2007 version of Civil 3D and maybe in earlier versions and certainly still exists in Civil 3D 2008.

The problem is with the Drawing Units values listed in the Dialog version of the AECDWGSETUP command, and the way the Drawing Units values are listed in the command line version of the same command -AECDWGSETUP.

This was noticed when I needed to run a script over a number of drawings to change/repair the Drawing Units settings in AECDWGSETUP.

AECDWGSETUP dialog version, lists the drawing units correctly...

-AECDWGSETUP command line version, lists the drawing units incorrectly, also showing "Meters" twice...

The Drawing Units listed in the command line version need to be corrected.

Anyway, if you do need to use -AECDWGSETUP from the command line or in a script, which I would assume to be a rare requirement...

Entering 3 will get you Millimetres
Entering 4 will get you Centimetres

The list should read...

Problem raised with Autodesk Support...

Hi John The discrepancy between running AECDWGSETUP in a dialog box and AECDWGSETUP at the command line with respect to the unit values has been resolved in the 2009 release. Thank you for notifying us about the issue. Best Regards, Autodesk Support Team

How about that for a quick response, I didn't even get a chance to post the issue to the weblog... well done Autodesk Support

TIFF Image Problems in 2008 with latest Service Packs loaded

Thanks to "cclem0234" on the discussion forums, see thread...

http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5852545&tstart=0#5852545

and the solution from his dealer "Master Graphics" posted on their blog site...

http://www.masterg.com/wordpress/2008/tiff-image-problems-in-civil-3d-2008-sp2/

If you are having issues with tiff images in AutoCAD 2008, AutoCAD Map 3D 2008 or AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008, then take a look at the above links.

We have successfully tested the fix on AutoCAD 2008, AutoCAD Map 3D 2008 and AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008.

Details of the fix are available at the above links. You can also download the relevant DLL file from here...

http://www.cadit.net/downloads/AdImaging.dll

Civil 3D 2009 - What's New...

Thanks to James Wedding over at www.civil3d.com we have some interesting comments on what to expect in the next release of Civil 3D.

http://www.civil3d.com/2008/02/death-taxes-and-the-annual-release-cycle/

Hydraflow Express Extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008

Autodesk have released the Hydraflow Express Extension for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software. The extension provides you with a collection of powerful calculators that solve everyday hydraulics and hydrology problems. It addresses a wide variety of tasks including culverts, open channels, inlets, hydrology and weirs. This is a downloadable extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 subscription customers and is available in English only.

To read more and download...

http://pointa.autodesk.com/getPage?action=download&id=civ3dHydroExt

Hydraflow Hydrographs Extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008

Autodesk have released the Hydraflow Hydrographs Extension for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software. The extension is a comprehensive solution for watershed analysis and detention pond design, from simple sites to complex watersheds with interconnected ponds. This is a downloadable extension for AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 subscription customers and is available in English only.

To read more and download...

http://pointa.autodesk.com/getPage?action=download&id=civ3dHydroExt