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AUGI atAU 2013

Also in this issue: Scripting Scenario

Interview with the Artist

When in Doubt, Steal It

December 2013AUGIWorldT h e O f f i c i a l P u b l i c a t i o n o f A u t o d e s k U s e r G r o u p I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Diamond Sponsor

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contents

columns

6 21

3730

4 Editors Note

46 Thank You to Our Volunteers

AUGIWorld

6 AutoCAD Pricing Trends in the CAD Industry

10 Revit Architecture Challenging Revit

13 AutoCAD ArchitectureTips & Tricks

18 Revit StructureThink Quality Control

21 Navisworks ManageA BIM Coordination

Case Study

24 InventorRelationships and Joints

30 3ds MaxInterview with the Artist

34 AutoCAD MapWhen in Doubt, Steal It

37 AutoCAD Civil 3DSpeak Up!

40 Revit MEPLookup Tables: A Formula for

Success

44 AutoCAD MEPScripting Scenario

47 Inside Track

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www.augiworld. com

EditorsEditor-in-ChiefDavid Harrington - [email protected]

Copy EditorMarilyn Law - [email protected]

Layout EditorTim Varnau - [email protected]

Content Managers3ds Max - Brian ChapmanAutoCAD - Curt MorenoAutoCAD Architecture - Melinda HeavrinAutoCAD Civil 3D - Christopher FugittAutoCAD MEP - William CampbellColumn: Inside Track - Lee AmbrosiusInventor - John EvansNavisworks - Michael SmithProduct Review - Lonnie CumptonRevit Architecture - Jay ZallanRevit MEP - Todd ShackelfordRevit Structure - Phil Russo

Advertising / Reprint SalesKate Morrical- [email protected]

AUGI Management

President

David Harrington

Vice-President

R. Robert Bell

Treasurer

Desire Mackey

Secretary

Melanie Perry

Community Director

Kevin Merritt

AUGI Board of DirectorsShaun Bryant

Tommy HolderKate Morrical

Michael Smith

Matt Worland

Scott Wilcox

Publication InformationAUGIWorldmagazine is a benefit of specificAUGI membership plans. Direct magazinesubscriptions are not available. Please visithttp://www.augi.com/account/register to join or up-grade your membership to receiveAUGIWorldmagazine in print. To manage your AUGI membership andaddress, please visit http://www.augi.com/account. For all other magazine inquires please [email protected]

Published by:

AUGIWorld is published by Autodesk User GroupInternational, Inc. AUGI makes no warranty for theuse of its products and assumes no responsibility forany errors which may appear in this publication nordoes it make a commitment to update the informatiocontained herein.

AUGIWorldis Copyright 2013 AUGI. No informa-tion in this magazine may be reproduced withoutexpressed written permission from AUGI.

All registered trademarks and trademarks included this magazine are held by their respective companieEvery attempt was made to include all trademarksand registered trademarks where indicated by theircompanies.

AUGIWorld (San Francisco, Calif.)ISSN 2163-7547

Hello, dear reader!

You have in your hands the final issue o the year orAUGIWorld magazine. Our authors and development teamwork very hard all year to provide you with the very bestcontent rom expert users o Autodesk sotware. As we wrap

up 2013, we look orward to an even better 2014 and even more varied content.But beore that happens, we have a little event to get through and that is our ocusthis issue.

Our theme this month is industry insights. It should come as no surprise that many

attend Autodesk University in order to get insight into the sotware industry thatmany have built a lie and career around. I you are lucky enough to attend I hope tosee you on the ground in Vegas. For those staying home and getting the work done,I raise my beer glass to you. Without your contributions, many o the experts at AUwould have no one to share with, post-event. So without urther delay, on to theissue at hand!

We begin our sojourn with Brian Benton, who explains the ins and outs o sotwarelicensing and pricing. As you come to the years end, Brian helps you to understandwhat we buy and what we dont. Ten we have Michael Beall who discloses theunique use o PSLSCALE in AutoCAD. And Shaun Ferrell steps into the pen tobox out what BIM really means.

Our perennial AutoCAD Architecture contributor, Melinda Heavrin, gives usa ew bright ideas and tips and tricks. Tose using ACA know you can alwaysuse more help! Ten Phil Russo shares how to improve quality control via thewonderul project browser in Revit Structure. And Brenton Wiberg shares his BIMcoordination case study using Navisworks Manage.

Next we have John Evans who shares his expertise about relationships and jointsin Inventor. Who knew sotware could be this constraining? Ten Brian Chapmanpresents a recent interview with Jos Alves da Silva, who is a very talented artistusing 3ds Max. And Andra Marquardt teaches us to leverage the efforts o others insetting up GIS standards when using AutoCAD Map.

Ten we have Christopher Fugitt, who discovers that we need to speak up and usethe eatures in AutoCAD Civil 3D we already have, and then speak louder to get theeatures we really need. Next we have Kelly Lubeley, who looks up and leads us whenusing Revit MEP. And Reysteve Garcia explains his scripting scenario when usingAutoCAD MEP. Yes, DIESEL files can save your day!

We close this final issue with our inside man, Lee Ambrosius, who in this monthsInside rack unveils new solutions by ransot, ools4Revit, and JB World. Andwith that, see you next year!

ake care,

David Harrington

Editors Note

DEC

EMBER2013

AUGIWorld

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BIM LibraryARCAT has the most comprehensive collecon of BIM objectsyou will find, available free of charge and without registraon.

The ARCAT BIM Library is also accessible in the ARCAT app,

with eding capabilies in the AutoCAD 360 app.

arcat.com facebook

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AutoCAD 2014

PRO

DUCT

FOCUS

by: Brian Bento

Change happens on a consistent basis andthe CAD industry is no different. CADusers became accustomed to regularreleases, which eventually gave way to

yearly releases. Tis change has made it difficultor users to stay up to date on the sotware and the

tools available. But we, the users, are diligent. Another changein our midst is how we obtain our CAD sotware. Yes, change isinevitable; the sotware we use is constantly changing and how wepurchase these tools is also changing.

In the past we would receive a floppy disk that we used to installthe sotware. Tat eventually changed to CDs. Ten to DVDs.Ten to USB thumb drives. Now we just download the sotwarerom a website. Once upon a time we even received manuals withthe sotware media. Tis eventually morphed into manuals in theorm o PDFs that were included with those CDs, then the DVDs,then none at allwe visited a website or the manual. Help fileshave even changed over the years. Tey used to be CHM files, andnow they too are web-based. As you can see, everything changes.

It has been a major misconception by many users that the sotwarewe purchase and use is ours. Many o us incorrectly believed thatbecause we owned physical media (the floppy disks, the CDs) weowned the sotware. Tat part has never been true. What we didown was a license to use the sotware under specific circumstances.Pre-Internet, it was easy enough to install one license o sotwareon multiple computers. Tat was a violation o your license and itstill is. Now, sotware companies use the Internet to veriy sotwarelicenses. Te sotware will communicate with the vendors serversvia the Internet to veriy that you actually do own a license to

use that sotware. Its not oolproo, but it does help. It alcauses rustration when there is trouble communicating with thlicensing servers.

TYPES OF SOFTWARE LICENSESTere are many types o licensing methods or the CAD sotwawe purchase. Tey are perpetual licensing, standalone licensinnetwork licensing, subscription licensing, and pay-as-you-go rental licensing. Some o these are merely versions o another typor add caveats to other license types.

PERPETUAL LICENSESTe Perpetual License model is likely the most common sotwalicensing type. It has been the standard or decades. A perpetulicense means that you own the right to install your license the sotware on one computer. You are allowed to keep and uthat version o the sotware perpetuallyorever. Tis is easy sotware companies to do because they consistently produce new

versions o the sotware they sell. Te new versions add new toochange the user interace, fix bugs (in theory at least), improperormance, add new hardware compatibilities, and perhachange workflows.

I you dont care about any o these things and you never updayour hardware, then your one license is perpetually perect. Mausers will not update to a newer license because they eel theversion is fine. Its not broken (or them), so why fix it? Why spenmore money on new sotware and new hardware? Ater all, thnew sotware needs newer and more powerul hardware to driveIts an endless, vicious cycle.

Pricing

Trends inthe CAD

Industry

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AutoCAD 2014

STANDALONE LICENSINGPerpetual licenses are oten standalone licenses. Tat meansyour license allows you to install the sotware one time on onecomputer. Some vendors allow users to install a standalone licenseon two computers. Te idea is that you may work in two physicallocationsat the office and at home. Perhaps you have a desktopworkstation and a mobile laptop on which you need to access the

sotware. Te caveat is that you can only use the sotware on onemachine at a time. Tats typically not an issue because you canonly be in one place at a time. As the name iners, this type olicense stands alone, all by itsel.

NETWORK LICENSINGA Network License allows users to install the sotware on severalcomputers simultaneously, but they are only allowed to use iton one machine at a time. Tis is oten controlled by a networkserver that is running licensing sotware. Tis sotware has to bemanaged and maintained. Tese types o licenses are usually anadditional cost to a standalone license. It too is perpetual, but thereis the need or a server to maintain the license. Tis type o licenseallows multiple users to access the sotware or a short period otime. Not everyone in your office will need CAD all day long, everyday. In act, there may be several users who only need to accessCAD or a ew hours once a week. It is very costly to purchase alicense or each o those users, especially when they dont need aull license.

SUBSCRIPTION LICENSINGAutodesk and other sotware producers realized early on thatthey need to keep selling their products in order to make money.Te problem with CAD sotware is that is very expensive.Te problem is compounded with regular new releases o the

sotware. Autodesk and other sotware vendors have introducedsubscription licensing. A subscription license is an add-on to aperpetual license that lasts or a specified amount o time, typicallya year. Users pay an additional ee (subscription ee) when theypurchase a perpetual license that grants them the rights to anynew versions o the sotware during the subscription period.Since the license is perpetual, the user can decide not to renewthe subscription and simply keep using the last version receivedduring the subscription time. Tere is a risk involved because itis possible that the vendor will not release a new version o thesotware during the subscription time.

PAY-AS-YOU-GO (RENTAL LICENSING)A newer type o licensing is starting to come to light. It is RentalLicensing, or pay-as-you-go. Tis license affords the user the rightto use the sotware or a short period o time, usually one monthor 30 days. Tis licensing model is desirable or those who do notwish to release the capital required to purchase perpetual licenses.

Rental plans are oten less expensive. Users who only need thesotware or a short period o time do not have to pay ull price,but only need to pay or the sotware when they need it. Once theproject is done, there is no need or the sotware. Another eatureo rental licensing plans is that you will always have access to the

latest version. Tis gives you an advantage over your competitorsin that you have the latest tools, which should allow you to getmore done in a more efficient way.

WHICH LICENSE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?You need to consider how many licenses you need. How manyusers need the sotware all day long, every day? Is this number

expected to change much? I not, then a perpetual license is likelywhat you need. I this is the case, then consider a subscription.Te initial cost is the highest o all o the licensing types, but overa period o several years it is actually the least expensive option. Iyour company has 10 ull-time CAD users and you do not planon firing or hiring anyone over the next five years, then you area perect fit or this case. It is especially true i your projects takeyears to complete.

On the other hand, i your projects are short term, lasting a ewweeks or or a month or two, then perhaps you should look at therental licensing plans. Tere will be no large up-ront paymentas with the perpetual license. Make a smaller, more manageable

payment until the project ends. Tis also allows you to more easilytranser the cost o the sotware to your clients. I you oten hireusers or a project then release them, a pay-as-you-go plan will alsofit your needs quite nicely.

CONCLUSIONOur CAD tools are always changing. Te way we gained access tothem has changed and it is going to change again. Te way we usedCAD has changed. We once drew with a stylus or puck on a tablet.Now we typically use a mouse. Tere have also been gesture-basedinput devices where you wave your hands in ront o a sensor tocontrol your computer. ouch screen devices are becoming more

commonly used in the design world. What type o input willbe next?

Te installation media we use has changed. Now we dont evenhave installation mediajust a file we downloaded via the Internet.Te latest version or hotfix can be acquired almost instantly.

Now how we purchase the sotware has changed. We used to paya large up-ront ee, but now we can make regular installments ona subscription plan or a rental plan. Whats next?

Brian Benton is a Senior Engineering

echnician, CAD Service Provider,technical writer and blogger. He hasover 19 years of experience in variousdesign fields (Mechanical, Structural,Civil, Survey, Marine, Environmen-tal) and is well versed in many de-sign software packages (CAD, GIS,Graphics). He is Cadalyst Magazinesip Patroller, AUGI HotNews Pro-duction Manager, and Infinite SkillsAutoCAD training video author.Contact him at cad-a-blog.com.

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AutoCAD 2014

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And Heres How to

View Dashed Linesin a Viewport

With Autodesk University just around the calendarcorner this month, I thought Id drop somethingin this slot or those attending my seminar toconsider. In the hands-on labClick My Ride:

Customizing Autodesk AutoCAD for How You Workweretaking a look at a ew undamental approaches to customizing,and adjusting the viewport display o non-continuous linetypessuch as Dashed, Center, Hidden, etc. is just squirrely enough towarrant some automation.

As we know, non-continuous linetypes in model space aregoverned by the LSCALE variable. A common rule o thumbis to set the LSCALE actor to the inverse o the plot scale; i.e.,i youre plotting 1/4 = 10, set it to 48.

Q:But why is it that most o the time you cant see the brokenlines in a viewport, such as in this first illustration?

A:Set the variable PSLSCALE (Paper Space Linetype Scale)to , then REGEN, to accomplish the task shown in thesecond illustration.

MEMO: Curiously, this variable is layout-specific. Tat meansyou will have to set the PSLSCALE variable on each layout tabo the drawing.As or a macro you can add to your ool Palette or Quick Accessoolbar, try this: ^C^CMSPACE;PSLSCALE;0;REGENALL;

Michael E. Beall (B. Arch.) is an AutodeskAuthorized Author and the owner of CADrainer Guy, LLC. He has been present-ing onsite CAD training around the plan-et for more than 30 years. Contact him [email protected] or givehim a call at 502.500.2267.

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Revit Architecture 2014

PRO

DUCT

FOCUS

by: Shaun Farre

Challenging Revit:

Lets face it,its ALL BIM

When I was asked to write this articleI thought o a huge list o possibletopics and it was really challengingto come up with a theme that could

tie them all together. We have many great thingsand not-so-great things going on in our industry. (Quite rankly,I am ed up with BIM this and BIM that and the sooner itbecomes the way we do things and is ully integrated, the better.But I digress)

One thing that has always struck me is that two o the key benefitso BIM are on time and on budget. So, by implication, it is thenorm or a project to be late and over budget! When did it becomeacceptable or an industry that offers a service to a client to not beable to guarantee to that client that they will have their product whenthey asked or it and or a sum agreed upon between proessionals?

So i there is one item to keep coming back to, its cost. Shouldthat cost be money, time, value, the project, or human lives?

My background is in architecture and design. I now work moreon the delivery side and even when working on the design side

I realise one key actor is that design can be a nice clean digienvironment that is easy to control and define, but constructisites are not! Tat is a huge divide between the design andelivery o a project. One person works in nice, air-conditionoffice space at a computer or meeting table and the other knee deep in mud in all types o weather! Tere is a distinmismatch in the potential or one to understand the needs o thother. Tat goes in both directions. So how do we address thi

I preer to define BIM as Building Inormation Manageme(It also lets me get away with saying BIM Model). We ain the business o managing inormation, so one o the kflows is between as designed and as constructed. A commterm in the industry is as built. Te debate comes as to whas built really means and who does it. Is it as designed or manuactured or as installed or is it as is currently operating

Well as designed is a no brainerthat is not as built. Amanuactured is useul or comparing against as designeand can be used to improve coordination and accuracy o thdata and subsequent costing, but it is still not as built. Ainstalled is closer to as built, but there are many system

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Revit Architecture 2014

that change and flex once in operation and so a currentlyoperating data set may be required to give a true as built.

Te Nth degree o a data set is one that contains the inormationas it currently is at this moment in time. Trough the liecycle o a data set, the design inormation will be replaced byeach subsequent activity. Tereore, at the end there will benothing let by the designer. Te manuacturer carries out shopdrawings o the equipment to be installed, but its oten letto the installer to optimise it on site to match site conditions.Many o these items are buried or concealed. Ten the as builtsare done to demonstrate what is actually done on site (whichcan be challenging when most o the construction is concealedby walls, floors, ceilings, and earth). And i you get an FM teaminvolved, they will just bin the lot and start again. What a arce!

A ar better process is to do whilst built. Te prime unctionbeing that beore anything is hidden, concealed, or buried isscanned and photographed. Tis will create a raw data set thatcan be used as is or data extracted as necessary. Tis will ormthe single source o truth as to what is really going on. Tis willalso create a BIM diary o activities on site: Conditions beore,during, and ater activities. Tis ensures stakeholders are workingwith acts and not conjecture. Te inormation can be leveragedby the planners, logistics teams, construction management, healthand saety, manuacturers, the design team, and, most importantly,gives an accurate picture to the client o what is going on and what

they are paying or. We all know the collaboration requirementsand we are seeing these becoming more mainstream, but what weneed to know is what is actually happening on site now and to beable to compare this data with what should be happening on siteand what is planned to happen on site in the uture.

I see this being the role o a dedicated reality capture team. Teirrole is to document exactly what happens on site. Many peopletalk about BIM to Field but there is also Field to BIM. (Lets aceit, its ALL BIM). Tis process creates a eedback loop. With high-end total stations it is possible to eed in the coordinates rom themodel data and set it out on site; conversely, you can take what hasbeen set out to match site conditions and eed it back, via the total

station, into the data set to inorm the next set o project decisions.Tis is then communicated back to the stakeholders who make thenecessary amendments to all the relevant data to ensure that thedata hand-over is correct.

By data hand-over, I mean maintaining the data that is to beused by the person ollowing you. So, in the same way thattrades ollow each other on site, the key is getting them to arriveat the right time. Tis is also true or data. In order or the teamutilising the data to make the best decisions and keep costs andmistakes to a minimum, there has to be a rolling update to thedata. eams must have optimised processes and be lean enoughto react and keep on top o data being ed back rom site and keeptheir data up to date to be used by others. No more I am onlypaid to do this once. Tis needs to be changed, as the personwho really ends up paying is the client. o tie this to live costreporting on what is designed, manuactured, in transit, and onsite, what is installed, commissioned, and in operation are alsokeys to delivering the service that we promise to our clients.

Te expectations o clients are risingpartly by their exposure totechnology and partly by aspirations o our society as a whole. Manyo us carry around a personal device that gives us access to the entirestored knowledge o mankind, and yet we use it to look at pictures okittens and get into arguments with strangers. But this is personalinormation that we all have access to and clients have now broughtthis desire or access into the business and our construction world.

In many ways though, there is still what I call the in flight magazinementality. Tis can be seen as both a negative and a positive.Sometimes it can set expectations way too high, but it can alsogive us something to aim or by at least giving some ocus to issues.It is this ocus that we need. Many, i not all, clients are ocused

on cost. How much will the construction cost? How much willthis change cost? Am I getting value or money? We as an industrymust be able to react to this with greater certainty and speed.When setting levels o development or suitability o inormation,we must be sure to enable as accurate a costing analysis as possibleto be carried out, with the same approach taken to defining thelevel o accuracy as we do to current BIM data. In doing so wemust be completely transparent with the client and work withthem to ensure that their needs are satisfied as they, in the end,are paying the bill. Anything we can give them to ensure they canmonitor cash flow will be immensely valuable and, at the moment,certainly a competitive advantage until such time as it becomes the

norm. However, be warnedthat norm is not too ar away!

Shaun Farrell, at the time of writing, isthe Practice BIM Manager for ZahaHadid Architects and an AutodeskExpert Elite with over 20 years expe-rience in the architecture, engineering,and construction industry.

The expectations

of clients arerisingpartly by

their exposure to

technology and partly

by aspirations of our

society as a whole.

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AutoCAD Architecture 2014by: Melinda Heavrin

COMMAND LINE

The command line has several newenhancements, including giving the usermore control over transparency, contentsearch, and autocorrect. I you float the

undocked command line above the AutoCAD Architecturedrawing window, you will notice that the semi-transparentprompt history doesnt affect the drawing area. I you select thecustomize tool on the command line, you can control the numbero lines o prompt history (which displays up to 50 lines) as well as

ransparency, Options and Input settings, and Search. I you wish,you can make the command line almost completely transparent sothat it will display only when you hover over it.

AutoCAD Architecture 2014 eatures new SynonymSuggestions, which is very helpul or users o multiple CADsystems. You can customize your synonyms by using the EditAliases tool on the Manage ribbon tab. I you need moreinormation on a command or system variable, simply move thecursor over the intended command in the suggestion list andselect the new Help or Internet icons that appear in the upperright corner.

AutoCAD Architecture 2014 has also added even more eatures tothe Command Line search and now allows aster and easier accessto all architecture styles within a drawing. You can customize thesearch eatures by selecting the wrench icon on the let o theCommand Line and choose Input Search Options. Te InputSearch Options dialog box will appear (see Figure 1). Be sure thebox is checked by Architecture and hit okay. Once the Architecture

Tips &Tricks

Figure 1: Input search options

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AutoCAD Architecture 2014

PRO

DUCT

FOCUS

box is checked, you can type in any part o a style name on theCommand Line and a list will appear o all the styles that containthat word. When you select the Style name you wish to use in theCommand Line, the Add command is started, enabling you to addexisting styles to your drawing more quickly and easily.

LAYER MERGE

Layer Merge (LAYMRG) has finally been incorporated intothe Layer Manager with AutoCAD Architecture 2014. At thecommand prompt, enter LAYMRG. Ten in the drawing area,select an object on each layer that you want to merge and pressEnter. Next select an object on the target layer. All objects onlayers that contain objects in the first selection set are moved to thetarget layer.

You can also do this using the Layer Properties Manager. Selectthe Home tab o the ribbon, Layers panel, and then select LayerProperties. In the Layer Properties Manager, select the layers youwant to merge into another layer and right-click and select MergeSelected Layers o (see Figure 2). You will need to press Ctrl+click

to select more than one layer. In the Merge to Layer dialog box,select a target layer. Objects on the merged layers are moved to thelayer you select in this dialog box.

AUTOCOMPLETEAutoComplete is the ultimate time-saver or those who like to keyin commands. As commands are keyed in, AutoCAD Architecture

will automatically complete the entries. I you pause while enterinthe command, a list o all possible commands and system variablwill display, allowing or easy selection. By entering the commanAUOCOMPLEE, you can customize which o the ollowineatures are activated. Append Controls whether commands and system variabl

are automatically completed as you type. List Controls whether a list o valid commands and syste

variables is displayed as you type. Icon Controls whether the corresponding icon or

command is displayed in the list. Te same icon is used or system variables.

System variables Controls whether system variables are alincluded with the Append and List eatures.

Delay Sets a time delay in seconds beore the Append anList eatures take effect.

On Enables the operation o the AUOCOMPLEeatures that are currently turned on.

Off Suppresses the operation o AUOCOMPLEeatures without changing their settings.

At this point, you will notice that the history is now displayewith a gray background color, which can be modified in Optiono obtain the above list o options, you can also right-cli

on the command line and tAutoComplete list is present.

FILE TABSFile tabs provide an easier way you to access all the open drawinwithin AutoCAD Architecturas well as create new ones. Yo

can turn the file tabs bar on or ousing the File abs control on tView ribbon tab. When file taare turned on, a tab or each opdrawing is displayed at the too the drawing area showing tull name o the file. File tabs adisplayed in the order they weopened, but you can drag tabs change their order, i needed. I yorun out o room or all the file tato display across the AutoCAArchitecture window, an overflo

menu at the right end o the fitabs bar provides access to thadditional files. Simply select a fitab to make it active. A lock icoon the file tab indicates that thfile is open as read-only and asterisk on the file tab indicatesthe file has been modified since i

last save. When you pass the cursor over a file tab, preview imago the model and layouts are then displayed. I you pass the cursover one o the preview images, the corresponding model or layois temporarily displayed in the entire drawing area.

Figure 2: Merge Selected Layers To

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AutoCAD Architecture 2014

Plot and Publish tools are accessible rom each preview image. APlus (+) icon to the right o the drawing tabs enables you to easilycreate new drawings. Te right-click menu or file tabs enables youto create, save, open, and close files, including the ability to close all

open files except the one on which you right-clicked. You can alsocopy the ull file path to the clipboard or open the file location inExplorer. Tis is an excellent new eature!

ASSOCIATIVE ARRAYTe ARRAY command creates a new array object that isassociative by deault. An associative array treats the entire arrayas a single array object, similar to a block. Unlike a block, however,you can still manipulate the individual objects. Tis makes editingthe properties o an array much easier. Editing can be done usingmultiunctional grips, which is quick and easy. You can editindividual items within the array by using the Ctrl key. I you find

that you have made errors in your edit, the Reset tool returns theitems to their deault size and position and you can begin again.You can use the new Replace Item tool to replace selected instanceswith other objects.

Tere are three types o associative arrays: rectangular, polar, andpath option. Rectangular arrays are automatically displayed in a3-row by 4-column grid. Polar arrays are displayed in a ull circularpattern o 6. Associative arrays can be 2D or 3D. 3D associativearrays are very powerul in AutoCAD Architecture. You can indicatethe number o items needed in the Z direction and speciy thedistance between levels. It is important to note that the distance o0 between levels would create each row at the same elevation. Te

visual preview provided by AutoCAD Architecture makes it easyto get your array right the first time around. Multiunctional gripscan be used to quickly increase or decrease the number o rows orcolumns or to control the spacing between the rows and columns.

SECTION & DETAIL VIEWSCreating Section Views has become easier than ever! Its as simpleas picking the points on the section line on an existing view. TeSection View Creation tab includes tools such as depth and hatch

controls. A section identifier will display once you create a sectionview. Te identifier automatically increments each time moresection views are added. You can also display a view label thatdisplays both section and scale. You can use the Section View StyleManager to customize the section views to meet your standards.

Creating Detail Views in AutoCAD Architecture 2014 is easy aswell. From the Detail View Creation tab, you can speciy smoothor jagged edges, a circular or rectangular boundary, connectionlines, and so on. Once this is complete, a detail view label isautomatically inserted. Like the Section View, the Detail Viewidentifier automatically increments each time more detail views are

added. You can use the Detail View Style Manager to control theappearance o the label, detail view, and boundary.

ESCARPMENT BLOCKTe new escarpment block is used to quickly generate graphicsto represent slope changes, which eliminates the need to createthese complex graphics manually. Escarpment representation isused to display two relatively level areas o differing elevations.Tese elevations could include embankments, levees, cliffs,construction pits, etc.

In the drawing, the escarpment is displayed as a pattern o longand short lines maintaining a certain distance between each otherIt is drawn as an AutoCAD Architecture block on the currentlayer o the drawing. o do this, begin by drawing the upper andlower boundary o the escarpment. Boundary lines can be createdby using lines, polylines, circles, arcs, splines, or ellipses. Ten

Figure 3: File tabs

Figure 4: Array toolbar

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click the Vision ools tab on the ribbon, Graphics panel, andselect Escarpment (see Figure 5). Now, select the upper and lowerboundary line. In the command line enter a value or the distancebetween the escarpment pattern lines. Te smaller the number,the closer together the pattern lines are drawn. A larger numberdraws the pattern lines o the escarpment block urther apart romeach other. It is important to note that the escarpment patternis created as an AutoCAD Architecture block. Double-click thepattern to edit the block using the block editor.

AUTODESK RECAPFor those who work with 3D laser scans, Autodesk ReCap is anexcellent new tool. Autodesk ReCap is used to convert scanned filedata rom a variety o ormats to a high-speed point cloud that youcan view and edit in other Autodesk products. Begin by openingAutodesk ReCap and select scan files you wish to import. Tenuse the tools provided inside Autodesk ReCap to work with thescanned data. You can use the Home tile menu to save the currentproject as a Point Cloud Project file (.rcp) or you can export to aPoint Cloud Scan file (.rcs). Both o these file types can be used in

AutoCAD Architecture. You can use the Display ools tile menuto change the appearance and display o components, and analyzeand speciy lighting options o the point cloud.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONGeographic location inormation in a drawing file is built arounan entity that is known as the geographic marker. Te geographmarker points to a reerence point in model space that corresponto a location on the surace o the earth o known latitude anlongitude. Te program also captures the direction o the norat this location. Using this inormation, the program can deri

the geographic coordinates o all other points in the drawing fiYou can set a geographic location using the Set Location tool othe Insert tab o the ribbon, then easily search or an address roa map and drop a marker on the map to mark the spot. Drawinunits can be easily modified.

Ater you insert a geographic marker in a drawing, you can do ano the ollowing: Make the program automatically determine the angle

sunlight when you perorm sun and sky simulation. Insert a map rom an online maps service in a viewport. Perorm environment studies. Use position markers to mark geographic locations and reco

related notes. Locate yoursel on the map in real time on systems th

support location sensing. Export to AutoCAD Map 3D and expect the model

position itsel automatically.

You can remove geographic location inormation rom a drawinfile using the GEOREMOVE command. Te geographic markand GIS coordinate system are removed rom the drawinfile. However, position markers will continue to remain in thdrawing file.

Melinda Heavrin is a CAD Coordi-nator & Facility Planner for NortonHealthcare in Louisville, Kentucky. Shehas been using AutoCAD Architecturesince release 2000. Melinda can bereached for comments and questions [email protected].

Figure 5: Escarpment

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Revit Structure 2014

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Think QualityControl

In this article we are going to look at someproject browser organization that may assistwith quality controls. I am sure you have beenin some Autodesk Revit projects where your

browser has ??? categories and/or views scatteredthroughout the project, making it difficult to navigate the model.Because Revit makes it so easy to generate views, people getcarried away and do not pay close attention to the organization othese views inside the project browser and how it will affect otherteam members.

DEFINE YOUR CATEGORIESSome typical categories or organizing views in a structural projectmay be: Coordination Working views Documentation Analytical

I would like to suggest making a category just to keep quality

control views. Te goal o these views is to give you a quick

glance at the integrity o your project. Tese views will have vietemplates assigned, different filters and schedules that are not usein your coordination views or construction document views. Lestart with the basics o creating the category and assigning it toview in the project browser. Tere are a ew ways to accomplisthis. Lets look at duplicating the view type.

Once we have another vietype established we need to sup the rules to organize ouproject browser.

Once in the browsorganization window, creaa new set o rules (step A Figure 3), provide a name (steB in Figure 3), and finally edyour rules (step C in Figure 3

For the rules we will sort ou

browser by Discipline anthen by ype (Figure 4). Onthe rules are set, duplicate view and assign the correview type to confirm youbrowser organization rules abeing applied.

Figure 5 shows the new Quality Control view type in the projebrowser. Using this kind o browser organization will make more efficient to browse or views during design and constructiodocumentation phases.

by: Philip Russ

Figure 1: Duplicating view type

Figure 2: Project browser setup

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a filter applied can help those members be identified more easily.Figure 9 shows a filter created that will look or structural raming

volume o over 2 cu. t.

Figure 10 shows the filter being applied to the view in

visibility graphics.

Even though this is a basic example, do not underestimate thepower o filters in a Revit Structure model. Tere may be certainthings an engineer is looking or in a model and filters can providea way to graphically display these items. Figure 11 shows the resulto the filter being applied to the view.

SCHEDULESFrom a quality control point o view, schedules are a great way tocheck your data. I would suggest looking into creating a qualitycontrol schedule that schedules all the view names in your model.Tis makes it much easier to make sure views meet your companystandards. Tis schedule can help you identiy views that dontbelong to a category or are just not necessary in the project.

SECTIONSHow many times are you in a project and see section 1 througsection 101. Sections are a great tool while modeling a structurhowever, i anyone else is involved in your project these sectiohurt production and organization. Next time you are cuttia section in a model strictly to help you model and not

construction documents, name it accordingly: PR-HOR-EMPTis has the initials o the owner, the direction o the sectioand that it is a temporary section. You can be more descriptiveneeded, but at least another person in the model has a clue whthe section is being used or. Ten once your visibility graphics aset or that section, you can move it to different locations o youmodel as needed. Tis is much more efficient then generating endless number o sections that clutter the project browser.

SUMMARYBIM and 3D modeling is here to stay and as an industry we aneed to rethink our Quality Control methods. Te days o printi

out drawings and grabbing a red pen will all short in controllinthe quality i the 3D world. Use some o these processes to bettorganize your models.

Philip Russo began with AutoCADversion 2.5 in 1986. Trough the yearshe has held positions in the CAD in-dustry as CAD Draftsmen, CADManager, Sr, Applications Engineer,and is a Certified Autodesk Instruc-tor. Lately Phils focus has been on theimplementation of standard practices

for the Revit platform. He currentlyholds the position of Sr. echnicalApplication analyst at OBrien &Gere Limited and has his professionalproduct certifications for Revit Archi-tecture 2013, 3DS Max 2103 andAutoCAD 2013. OBrien & Gere isan engineering firm located in Syra-cuse, New York. Phil can be reached [email protected]

Figure 9: Steel volume filter

Figure 10: Apply filter to view

Figure 11: Result of filter

Figure 12: Sample view list

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Navisworks Manage 2014by: Brenton Wiberg

A BIMCoordination

Case Study

Autodesk Navisworks has quicklybecome the industry standard or modelcoordination and clash detection. C.W.Driver has recently completed the BIM

coordination o one o its newer projects, the StudentRecreation Center Expansion at University o Caliornia, Riverside.Tis article provides a brie overview o that coordination effortand the role o Navisworks in that process.

PROJECT OVERVIEWTis project was a two-level, 88,000 square oot addition andremodel to the existing Student Recreation Center at Universityo Caliornia at Riverside. It was a GC Select delivery methodand was a steel and concrete structural design with a budgeto $35,000,000.

BEGINNING THE PROCESSTough ull BIM coordination was not undertaken untilconstruction, the design team had been working in 3D as they

Figure 1: The new Student Recreational Center.

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created the construction documents. Tis allowed our constructioncoordination to begin, having first signed a release orm, with the3D design models.

Beore coordination began, the models rom the design teamwere sectioned down into three levels using Autodesk Revit:Underground, Level 1, and Level 2, so that coordination or eachlevel could be perormed in an organized and methodical ashion.

In addition to sectioning down the design teams models,C.W. Drivers BIM managers also created 3D project grids,acoustical ceiling grids, and ooting zones o influence to urther

enhance the models and to aid in the accuracy o the upcomingcoordination process.

Once these changes and additions had been made, the modelswere saved out in two ormats: 3D dwgas a reerence orDrivers subcontractors; and nwcor internal use in Navisworks.Tese files were then posted to Drivers cloud-based file exchange

site, so as to be available to the entire coordination team. Withese model preparations complete, the construction coordinatiprocess was able to begin.

BIM coordination ormally began with an on-site kick-off meetinIn attendance were Drivers project team and all participatisubcontractors with their respective oremen and BIM detaileor BIM consultants, as was the case or two o the subcontractoon this job. Te purpose o this meeting was to assure that personnel relevant to the coordination process were on the sampage regarding established modeling expectations, schedulinnaming conventions, meeting times, deadlines, model coordinat

lines o communication, file transer methods, and so on. Tmeeting also provided an opportunity or the team to meet ato ace and bring up any concerns or apprehensiothey had regarding the coordination o the project

COORDINATIONAter kick-off, the subcontractors had two weeto create their models and populate them wiall the system elements in their respective scopo work in preparation or the first coordinatimeeting. Coordination meetings were held remoteon a weekly basis using an online virtual meetiservice. A day beore each meeting, the subs wouupdate their models on the cloud site. Drivers BImanager would then pull down the posted modebring them into Navisworks Manage, and run a cladetection to identiy any clashes that representlegitimate constructability issues that needed be worked out. A report was then generated xml using Navisworks Report unction. Te BI

manager used this xml file to create a spreadsheet that detailed tissues ound in the clash detection process. Among other thingthis report showed the name o each individual issue identified the BIM manager along with its location and an image.

Figure 2: One of the three sectioned-down levels.

Figure 3: Structural footing zones of influence.

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Navisworks Manage 2014

Tis report was then uploaded to Box along with an nwd versiono the clashed model. Te coordination team was expected todownload and review the report and model in preparation or the

next days meeting. Te meeting was held online where the teamreviewed all the identified issues and assigned appropriate teammembers to resolve the conflict or write any necessary RFIs.

Upon completion o the meeting, Drivers BIM manager againcreated a report documenting the meetings assignments anduploaded it to the cloud along with a new nwd. During the week,it was expected that the individual subcontractor would use hisown version o Navisworks whether it be Manage, Simulate, orFreedom to, at minimum, review the posted nwd and then makethe assigned changes in context o the other trades models soas not to create more issues upon solving the items identified

that week.

Tis process continued on a weekly basis until all issues wereresolved, whereupon the sign-off process began. Each subcontractorprepared his shop drawings rom the coordinated model and thensigned them along with a composite drawing and a legal documentbinding each subcontractor to his respective coordination models.Tis method o iterative model updates and weekly coordinationuntil sign-off was perormed or each o the previously mentionedlevels until the entire building was completely coordinated.

CONCLUSIONFrom this experience and others like it, it has been ound that

every step in the coordination process is absolutely necessary tothe efficiency and success o a coordination effort. Reliable models,with the addition o construction-relevant clearances and objects,are key to properly identiying real constructability issues. Equallyimportant is the kick-off meeting along with pre- and post-meeting reports, so that good communication and accountabilityis maintained among all the team members. Nor would the entireprocess be o any efficacy without the sign-off process, whichbinds all subcontractors to constructing their various systemsaccording to their coordinated models. As the execution o thisprocess is continually improved, the BIM coordination effort getseasier, more effective, and produces better results or the entireconstruction team.

Brenton Wiberg is a BIM manager forC.W. Driver, a large general contrac-tor in Southern California. Te firm ishighly regarded throughout the designand construction industry for imple-mentation of BIM innovations oneach project, and for creating custom-ized software plug-ins to increase theefficiency of the latest software releases.

Figure 4: Drivers spreadsheet report.

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Inventor 2014

JOINT BEHAVIORJoints are designed to permit the ollowing reedom o movement:

Rigid removes all degrees o reedom (DOF)

Rotational one rotational DOF

Slider one translational DOF

Cylindrical one translational and one rotational DOF

Planar two translational and one rotational DOF

Ball three rotational DOF

Note: You can use Joints in conjunction with Constraints toposition and describe motion.

JOINT LOCKING AND PROTECT

As Joints are created and their respective alignment eatures areidentified, they continue to remain flexible. One example o thisis the Rotational constraint. Te base cylinder edges translationalDOF are fixed, but one rotational DOF remains (it spins in place).Autodesk intended or this Joints natural behavior to continueuntil you purposeully cause it to halt.

We can remove all DOF using the ollowing two options: Lock maintains the current position until a connected

component position is changed. Protect alerts you i an added relationship violates the

required DOF.

Note: Lock and Protect are not available or constraints.

JOINT LIMITSLimits urther define the manner in which Joints behave. Tey canlimit both linear and angular motion in component behavior. Inthe example shown in Figure 6, the ension Bolt (which once wasrelated in the assembly with an Insert Constraint) is limited to0.20 o linear (axial) movement.

You can grab it and pull it about and it will move, but only theamount prescribed. I think thelimits behavior is well definedin this release, and helps make

the Joints a better solution thanConstraints in most instances.

DRIVEAll Relationships can be drivenrom the context menu activatedby the Relationship browseritems or the RelationshipsGlyph. Joints Drive unctionalityand dialogs are consistent withthose o the Constraints we areaccustomed to.

JOINT

MANAGEMENTJoints are stored under eachcomponent in halves similar tothe manner we are accustomedto with existing Constraints.Te Constraints older hasbeen renamed to Relationshipsand now appears in both theAssembly and Modeling views.Tis I like.

Figure 5: Locked ball joint.

Figure 6: Limits tab defines joint behavioral limitations.

Figure 7: Relationships Group in

the browser.

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RELATIONSHIPS DISPLAYVisual management o Joints is provided by glyphs (on-screenicons) that are attached to related components. Each Relationshipype is represented by a glyph and once visible, can be acted uponby double-clicking or using the context menu.

Tese glyphs can be visualized using the Show and Hide toolsavailable on the Relationships panel.

Show When active, relationship glyphs appear when thecomponent is selected. Further editing o the relationships isprovided through the related contextual glyph menu.

Hide All Removes all relationship glyphs rom the display. Show Sick Displays the glyphs or all sick or damaged

relationships. Grounded glyph Pin appears when you mouse over

a component.

Once shown, the display is persistent until the Hide All unctionis reactivated.

Where Joints are concerned, each Relationship ype glyph isaccompanied by two additional glyph halves that represent thebase position and alignment or the two related components.Tese are activated when the Relationship glyph is hovered over.Additionally, as components move either through the Jointsbehavior or by a Free Move, the Relationship glyphs remain witheach respective component, resulting in two visibly separatedhalves or each Relationship.

FREE MOVE AND RELATIONSHIPSTe Free Move command allows users to move any componen

regardless o Relationships. Te translation is temporaand remains until the assembly is updated, at which time thcomponents return to their respective original locations.

ASSEMBLY AND SIMULATION JOINT

SIMILARITYAs you may have noticed, Assembly Joints are similar to the Joinound in the Simulation environment. I like this because it reducthe difference between the modeling and simulation environmenSome conversion o names between the two still has to be madwhen entering the Simulation environment.

Figure 8: Joint visibility tools.

Figure 9: Showing Relationship glyphs.

Figure 10: Activating Relationship glyphs. (Note the joints alignmenvisibility and the information panel.)

Figure 11: Relationship behavior during a Free Move. (Note the context menu activated from the Relationship glyph half.)

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Inventor 2014

SIMULATION JOINT CONVERSION TYPESAssembly Joints are automatically converted to Simulation Jointswhen you enter the Dynamic Simulation environment. TeConverted Joints are listed as Standard Joints in the SimulationEnvironment browser.

Te ollowing are the automatic conversions:

Inventor Joint Joint in Dynamic Simulation

Rigid Welding

Rotational Revolution

Slider Prismatic

Cylindrical Cylindrical

Planar Planar

Ball Spherical

Table 1: Assembly and Simulation Joint comparison.

Eventually these two types will most likely be developed as asingle eature that successully passes between the Simulationand Assembly environments (or as long as those environmentsremain separate).

CLOSING THOUGHTSIn my opinion, the Insert Constraint remains king in its general UIand extended use (driving the constraint, and so on). Obviouslythis constraint is only intended to handle a limited role in joiningtwo components. Its replacement, the Cylindrical Joint, is arsuperior in capability and options; however, it lacks the snap

needed to make the experience o using it daily as pleasant as theInsert Constraint.

Not all Constraints are reproducible as Joints. Te angentconstraint, as with the cone-ace used in the example shown inFigure 12, cannot be related using a Joint.

Tere is nothing bad about Joints per se, though users mayexperience a rough spot or two initially. Id like to lose the gentlemotion that they exhibit when the initial placement is achieved,and replace it with the neck-snapping pop and the audible soundassociated with Constraints.

We reer to joints in our daily lives, and generally expect a jointto perorm a specific task. For example, a ball joint on a car andan elbow on your arm are singular joints doing a specific job. Tissingle joint concept (removing the multiple constraints requiredto ully constrain two components together) is possibly the bestpart about Joints, and antastic rom the respect o organizing andmanaging the assembly.

Te more I use Joints, the more I appreciate them. For an initialrelease, I think they are well developed and, or the most part, well

implemented. Tere is no reason why the next release will not beeven better.

Whats in the uture? Eventually I expect that Constraints willdie away, as will Joints. Only Relationships will remain. Teseparation between the Assembly and Simulation environmentswill continue to blur, and Joints (or Relationships) will no longerneed to be translated between environments, but instead simplyexist as is. (Tese are just my expectationsnothing verified orstated by Autodesk.)

John Evans is an Autodesk Certified

Inventor Professional living in theFlorida Panhandle, where he providestechnical troubleshooting at Gustin,Cothern, and ucker, Inc. His careerthrough the Aerospace Design, manu-facturing, and maintenance spans24 years and includes a tour in theUSAF. John now works as a designconsultant and author from his com-pany John Evans Design and managesthe blog Design and Motion, wherehe combines his passions: Autodesk

Inventor, simulation, and motioncontrol. He is a regular attendee ofAutodesk University and has recentlyjoined ekni Consulting as a contrib-uting author for the Creative Inventortraining series. He can be reached [email protected]

Figure 12: Tangent Constraint.

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Jos Alves da Silva is an accomplished ull-time reelance 3D character artist with abackground in, you guessed it, architecturalvisualization. In act, he holds a degree in

architecture. Breaking out o the proverbial box,he captures the attention o the CG realm with great lighting,

composition, execution, and characters that scream created byan expert. He offers tutorials, kits, prints, and more online atwww.artofose.com. I am glad to share his comments, observations,and insights about lie as a reelance 3D artist, the industry, and3ds Max.

Q: Can you describe your transition rom architecturalvisualization to 3D art?

A:Te transition was quite smooth. Ater finishing my degreein architecture, I started a company dedicated to architecturalvisualization. It was the natural result o the usion between

my interest in 3D and the architecture degree. Even though meveryday job was related to Architecture, I loved character desigso my ree time was spent developing those skills.

I always used 3ds Max or architectural visualization, but itoolset was also great or character creation. I could work in bot

worlds without changing my main sotware.

In 2009, I won the First Prize Master Award at CGSocietyXXIV Challenge, the biggest online contest or 3D illustration. Aa result, I was under the spotlight or some time. It was a chancehad to grab, so I decided to dedicate mysel ull time to characteand that is what I have done since then.

Q:Te world is saturated with incredible artists using 3ds Mabut you continue to stand out. Is there a secret to your success, ani so, are you willing to share it?

by: Brian Chapma

Interview with

the Artist

Brian Chapman presents a Q&A with

Jos Alves da Silva, who gives insight intolife as a freelance 3d character artist

Figure 1: Silvas award-winning Mouse Love

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A:I am not sure! One o the things that might help is the actthat I strive to be original in my creations. I try to avoid trendsand develop my own aesthetic style. A certain uniqueness is veryimportant to stand out rom the crowd.

During my career I had the opportunity to work in almost everyposition o the 3D creation pipeline: concept, modeling, textures,

materials, lighting, animation, hair, rendering, post production,editing. Maybe this experience shows when I develop somethingrom start to finish.

Q: Youve received numerous awards or publishing your workonline. Can you explain how those awards help?

A: When you receive an award and are picked among all thesubmitted images, your image is highlighted and presented in amore visible place on these sites. Tis privileged visibility brings

more views to your work and a higher probability o being seen bya potential client. However, the awards are just a side effect o a jobwell done. We have to ocus on delivering the best possible work,and then good things happen!

Q:Can you describe your process or your creations?

A: In personal projects, the most important thing is to find astory worth telling. Creating 3D images can be a time-consumingtask. I I am going to invest much o my time I want to be sure Istay motivated through the process and end up with a piece I canadd to my portolio.

Ater finding that idea, I usually start by sketching the maincharacter and explore it in 2D. Ten I proceed to block the scenein 3ds Max with simple primitives, just to get the eeling o theoverall composition. I also start working on the lighting and definethe areas in which objects are more visible in order to make thecomposition stronger.

I will then start detailing the areas that are more important or theviewer. Ten its all about adding detail and making every elementcoherent with the story I want to tell. Despite being 3D, I tend tothink like a 2D illustrator.

Q:Describe a typical workday as a 3D artist using 3ds Max.

A: During the character modeling stage I tend to jump a bitbetween sotware. As a character artist, I have to deal with a loto organic modeling and in that case I use a sculpting sotware(like Mudbox or Zbrush). When I have to deal with hard suraceor model a base or the sculpting sotware I use 3ds Max. I jumpbetween the two oten in order to use the best o both tools: the

interactivity o sculpting with the precision and polygon editingtools o 3ds Max.

When it comes to assembling the final scene and dealing with thecameras, lighting, and materials, I use 3ds Max. For the renderingI can use the DirectX viewport i I am working in real time gamecharacters, or a non-real time renderer like mental ray or Vray i Iam working or a film or illustration.

Figure 2: Silvas Boxing Kangaroo

Figure 3: Silvas LilB!

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Q:What improvements would you like to see in 3ds Max?

A:Actually some o the improvements I have wished in the pasthave already been implemented in 3ds Max like improved stability,aster viewport interaction (with Nitrous), improved modelingtools (Graphite modeling tools), and even the possibility o usingvector images as textures have been included in 3DS Max 2014

(which I have wished or years!).

As a character artist, I would like to see the hair system improved.Te Hair & Fur solution is a bit obsolete and very time consuming.Tere are new technical approaches to hair modeling which speedup the process that could be implemented. At the moment, I amusing the Hairarm plug-in or hair creation.

I also wish that Autodesk keeps refining the data transer betweenapplications. It is very useul to be able to share a model/scenebetween 3ds Max and Maya. It would be great i mental raymaterials and its render settings could also be transerred. I use3ds Max, but it is not unusual to work with teams that use Maya

and it would be very handy.

Q:What are your avorite eatures in 3ds Max?

A: When I started using 3ds Max, no other sotware couldimport CAD drawings so easily, model with millimetric precision,and render with quality, all in one package. I guess that is why it isso widely used or Architectural Visualization.

My avorite eatures still have to do with these capabilities. Tepolygon modeling tools and the Graphite toolset provide plenty ooptions and solutions when it comes to modeling.

Te modifier stack logic is very dear to me as it allows me to easilykeep a models history and go back and make changes that willpropagate along the stack. It is extremely powerul.

Te CA rig system is another o my avorite eatures. It is highlyversatile, as you can easily create a rig or very different creatures,no matter how many heads, limbs, or tails they have. Also love itsanimation layer capabilities that allow me to store different poses.Te speed o the Nitrous viewports was an immediate avorite asit handles a lot more polygons than the previous solution. It makesthe task o handling heavy meshes a lot more comortable.

Q:What do you believe the uture will be like or 3D artists?

A: As a character artist, I guess that the main tendencies arethe progressive reduction o technical barriers and interaceintererence, with the artist getting closer to his or her subject andhaving to spend less time dealing with technical parts. Te artistwill be able to dedicate more time to the art subject disregardingpolygon limitations, UVs handling, or topology issues.

Te other is the elimination o render time. With all this GPUpower, the tendency will be or everything to be real time. No morewaiting or Global Illumination, Subsurace Scattering, Caustics,

Reflections, etc. We will be navigating, modeling, and animatidirectly on the final renders.

Q:Do you have any advice or artists who would like to ollowyour ootsteps?

A: With the tendency o sotware tools to become more usriendly and interactive, the technical barriers will all and the artwill prevail. So it is very important to empower the artist, whi

means gaining/investing in art knowledge. Some art competenclike color theory, composition, anatomy, or acting are timeleSotware will keep evolving and changing (and we have to leait) but knowledge o art undamentals will always be present your work.

Q: Is there anything else youd like to share with AUGIWoreaders?

A:In the last years I have written several tutorials and articlesyou would like to read those tutorials, I have compiled them insection o my website so that everyone can find them. Look in tFor You>utorials menu at www.artofose.com

Brian Chapman is a long-time mem-ber of AUGI and Senior Designerfor Slater Hanifan Group. SlaterHanifan Group is a civil engineer-ing and planning firm dedicated tosuperior client service with locationsin Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix,Arizona. Brian can be reached [email protected].

Figure 4: Silvas The Hairy Old Guy

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AutoCAD Map 2014

STEP 2: CREATE OBJECT CLASSEShis is where we create an object class orin this casepropertydata. An object class is nothing more than an XML ile. Beoreyou begin, however, you need to have administrative privileges. odo so, Map has created Superuser (not case-sensitive) with thepassword SUPERUSER (case-sensitive). You can either keep thatlogin or create a new one. Just make sure you give the new user

superuser privileges. o login, simply click on the Map Setup tabon the ribbon and click Map on the ar let. From there simplyclick on User Login. Make sure, too, you have the ask Pane open(MAPWSPACE: 1).

Once youre logged in, click on the Map Explorer tab on the askpane. Right-click on Object Classes and New Deinition File.It will automatically take you to the older in which your currentdrawing is saved, and you name the ile however you want. ClickSave and youre ready to go. Youll notice that nothing haschanged in the ask pane, but thats okay. Once you create thedeinition ile, Map automatically loads it.

Next we need to create an object class. In this example, I want tocreate a parcel data object class that contains a parcel number andland use.

First, pick the entity rom which you want to copy, right-clickon Object Classes and click on Deine Object Class. he irsttab shows the type o entity it is (see Figure 2a). In this case its apolyline. Checking this limits the application to that object class topolylines only. hat could come in handy i your drawing containspoints and text and you dont have to worry about accidentallyselecting one o those when applying the class to new entities.

Next click on the Properties List tab (see Figure 2b). Here you cancheck the properties you want to include in your new data as wellas add a range (or example on a waterline, you can limit it to 4-24or size and PVC, DI or type). You can also add new propertiesto the class i need be. Simply click on New Property and give ita new category heading and name as well as data type such as text,integer, or real values.

Figure 2a: Define object class

Figure 2b: Properties List tab

Figure 2c: New definitions

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Pay particular attention tothe Deault under PropertyAttributes. When you picked theentity on which to base the objectclass, Map assumes that the datao that object is the deault. Youmay not want that, so I wouldleave the Deault property blank.Otherwise when you classiy newobjects, each one will have thesame data attached to it. Not ahuge deal since youll have to addthe new data either way, but atleast i its blank, youll know thatit hasnt yet been edited to includethe proper data.

Once youve modiied,included, and added all theproperties you need, simply click

Save Deinition.

You should now see your newdeinition appear below ObjectClasses (see Figure 2c).

STEP 3: THE FUN PARTNow that youve created your new deinition ile and object classes,its time to put them to use. In this example, Im using the City oMandans city map, which is a basic CAD drawing. I want to createa system similar to Bismarck to the Mandan drawing.

Once you open the drawing (i you exited out o AutoCAD, youwill need to login again). Go to Map Explorer on the ask pane andright-click on Object Classes. Next click on Attach DeinitionFile and choose the ile you want.

We next want to classiy speciic objects. In this example I want tostart with the subdivisions. Luckily, they are all on a Subdivisionlayer, so I isolate it. I then right-click on the appropriatedeinitionin this case Subdivisionsand choose ClassiyObjects. (Note: all o these commands are available on the Createtab on the toolbar in the Drawing Object section.) A dialog popsup asking i you want to include and/or exclude certain objects(see Figure 3a).

hese options can be quite handy, as was mentioned earlier in thdiscussion about excluding text or points and excluding objecthat have been previously classed so you dont accidentally overridexisting data. Once I check/uncheck what I need, Im asketo select the objects I want to classiy. In this example, I chooeverything on the Subdivision layer.

Figure 3b shows the data now attached to the subdivision boundarNotice that there is some data that will need to be modiied sucas the township, acreage, and year. his is why its importanto double-check the deaults when creating the deinition ilNevertheless, it is now easy to make the appropriate changes tall the polylines.Once all the data is added, I can now export out as shape ilor other GIS ormats to share with others. Another good use deinition iles is you can now share the data with the companrom which you stole the standards and they dont have to makany changes on their end to make the new data it in their systemhe deinition iles also prevent extraneous and incompatible darom entering other systems.

Andra Marquardt is a ProfessionalLand Surveyor in the State of NorthDakota, and has worked for omanEngineering Company since 1996.She has used AutoCAD beginningwith Version 9, and currently uses thelatest version of AutoCAD Civil 3Dand Map.

Figure 3a: Classify Objects dialog box

Figure 3b: The results

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AutoCAD Civil 3D 2014by: Christopher Fugitt

Ive spent the last hour pondering the content orthis article. Ive scanned each o the tabs lookingor an article that will inspire passion to comeup with a whole article. In scanning the Home

tab o the AutoCAD Civil 3D ribbon, I noticed theCreate Corridor command has been decreased rom a drop downinto one button. Would that be big enough news or an entirearticle? Probably not. I move on, continuing my search or a topic.

he Output tab catches my attention, more speciically the ExportIMX and Export to Civil View or 3d Max Design. I recall longago writing blog posts on Autodesk Inrastructure Modeler (nowAutodesk InraWorks) and exporting to 3ds Max. I think maybe

I can recycle the content into this new article. I decide against it,but then start to think about why I havent used these products.

DATA AND USABILITYMy irst obstacles are data acquisition and usability o the sotwarein utilizing InraWorks and 3ds Max. My current design workconsists mainly o small residential and commercial projects. Myee doesnt usually include the time to go to government GISwebsites to ind the data near the project site. Oten, the customerdoesnt care about the inormation. hey are more interested ingetting the approval or their non-controversial projects permits.

Since I dont use the InraWorks and 3ds Max sotware oten,remembering how to do things becomes problematic. Do I wantto spend hours attempting to remember how to set up the daylightcorrectly in 3ds Max? Probably not. In my case, the sotware

I spend hours downloading onmy slow Internet connectionsits unused.

WHERE IS THE

CONTROVERSY?I think I get the thought processo InraWorks and 3ds Max.InraWorks provides a quick and

easy way to use GIS data or survey data to get a preliminarydesign that provides a picture o what the design may look likein a SimCity type appearance. 3ds Max provides a robust tool to

Speak Up!

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visualize the data, providing a picture or movie o what the projectmay look like once complete.

I can understand the use o the tools or controversial projects oras a sales tool to get people to purchase a home or condo. Providingthe inormation may alleviate peoples concerns on certain projects.But how many projects require this level o display? We are, inmost cases, going to build the actual project ater the design occurs.Do we need all these tools?

BROKEN FEEDBACK LOOPI eel I might be rambling. What exactly is the point o this article?Do I really think you would ind why I dont use InraWorks and3ds Max in my current worklows interesting? O course not.he point o the article is to indicate that I believe the civil designsotware development eedback loop is broken. (Admittedly, thisconclusion is coming out o nowhere, much like a plot twist in anM. Night Shyamalan movie.)

In the last ive months I have interacted with numerous users oCivil 3D. In most cases Im describing some part o either Civil 3Dor the hydrology tools that come with Civil 3D such as HydrolowExpress, Hydrolow Storm Sewers, or Hydrolow Hydrographs.In doing so questions about the sotware invariably come up.Usually these questions pertain to whether the program can doa speciic task in the users current worklow. Oten the answeris yes, the program can do it and Ill cover it later. Other timesit is a no, and sometimes the no can lead to an improvement inthe productespecially i their questions lead to an improvementthat is eventually incorporated into the program.

Rarely do these questions revolve around visualization o the

model. In act, InraWorks and 3ds Max sotware products donteven come up as an answer to the questions. In looking at the pastreleases o Civil 3D, it appears to be getting ewer developmentdollars as more goes into InraWorks. Im sure there are customerswho were vocal and were asking or InraWorks. In my experienceI havent come across any o those people.

So that got me to thinking, why did Autodesk choose to spendmillions on InraWorks and not improve the core Civil 3Dunctionality? My guess is the eedback loop is broken. Mydeinition o a eedback loop is where sotware developmentis perormed, the user utilizes the sotware, and then the userprovides suggestions on how the process could be even better with

improvements in the sotware.

DISILLUSIONEDDuring these interactions I ind that people are reluctant to provideeedback to the people in a position to aect the change they areseeking. hey appear to be disillusioned with the process o theeedback loop. Some indicate they could provide the suggestion,but why, when it would take years, i at all, or the change to occur?Others see the value in the change, but since they are not doing thework its not worth the eort to send an email or pick up the phoneto try to get the change to happen. Still others are close to retirementand see no personal beneit to request the change.

ASK FOR IThe point o this article is to attempt to get you to ask or theatures required to do your job with Civil 3D. I you dont inutility in InraWorks or 3ds Max and wonder why Civil 3D doeshave the capability you desire, make sure to ask or those eatureEncourage your coworkers to ask or the eature as well. Reac

out to those at other companies and encourage them to ask or teature you want. I might not agree with the eature request, sucas the one or InraWorks or 3ds Max, but I suspect I would insome o them immensely helpul in my work.

MY REQUESTSIn conclusion, here are my requests in no particular order. A curramp design process would greatly improve my design. Curamps are at nearly every curb return in the United States anrequire grades set by the Department o Justice. Currently it islaborious process o using eature lines to set the grades arounthe curb return since a corridor object doesnt have the ability model a curb return.

he user interace o the Hydrolow Storm Sewers needs a majlook. I dont particularly like the OK button to have the ability go to another pipe/inlet in the Data dialog box. Especially whethe OK button wont activate because I selected a text box anchanged a value in a manner it doesnt like. While I like playinvideo games, I dont think the correct location or playing a videgame is in a hydraulics program. Please let us enter a numbinstead o orcing the use o adjusting a spinney wheel and thepressing a blue button up or down to get to a desired slope, pipsize, or other value.

I think I have mentioned this beore in past articles, but civinrastructure BIM objects would be great. Civil 3D appears to bmissing many o these eaturesthe curb ramp mentioned abois one example o this. here are many other examples, but I thina walk outside would do a much better job o showing objeccommonly designed by civil engineers.

I suspect the architects have had much better ortune in BIMproducts since the sotware was most likely designed in a buildinwhere the sotware developer could quickly recognize there are, act, doors, windows, walls, and other applicable building objecor a designer to model.

Christopher Fugitt is a civil engineerwho has worked in both design andconstruction. He is the owner andblogger at Civil 3D Reminders andcurrently provides civil engineering-related services through his company,Civil Reminders.

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