Do you use BIM 360 and AutoCAD products? Do you have the Autodesk Desktop Connector installed? If so, there is a new update. This may not be news to you as there are frequent updates, but this one is somewhat unique. Please read on.
The new Reference Explorer provides the ability to visualize all files in a dataset as well as the relationships between the files before or after uploading to the cloud.
Resolved Issues:
DST files will not open, and content is incomplete after the DST file is saved to the workspace, or when synced from the cloud.
Increased the number of concurrent files in download workflows to increase performance.
Fixes, and of course new features are included with this update. Here are the release notes. Read on to discover what’s new.
Fixes
There have been many defect fixes and you can read about them here. The one notable item I’ll describe here is about feature lines. Some users have experiences them magically disappearing from some drawings. Here is an excerpt form the documentation:
“Errors that will lead to missing feature line issue are automatically detected and fixed when opening a drawing. This operation will only run when Civil 3D detects a potential error in the drawing.”
Use the Insert Points at Crossing Locations command to insert PIs or elevation points on crossing feature lines in the same site.
Use the Set Grade/Slope Across Feature Lines command to edit the grade or slope between vertices on two or more intersecting feature lines.
Use the Set Corridor Baseline Elevation by Reference command to set the elevation of a point on a feature-line-based corridor at a given grade or slope from a specified location. This command adjusts the elevation of the corresponding PI on the corridor baseline accordingly.
Autodesk Collaboration (BIM 360):
Support has been added for reference templates and sheet set data files.
ArcGIS:
Refresh an ArcGIS dataset in your drawing so that it matches the ArcGIS dataset online and add new Civil 3D objects to ArcGIS.
Pipe Networks:
Gravity network analysis has 2 new settings:
Pipe Length Type which you can use to specify the pipe length type to use for the analysis calculations.
Conservative Travel Time that you can use to specify whether the minimum velocity or the calculated design velocity will be used to calculate the pipe section time if the design velocity is smaller than the minimum velocity.
Digitizing plan documents is only as effective as your ability to access them as you work. Digital dashboards in Bluebeam Revu make it easy to do both
While completely digitizing document management remains among the construction industry’s determined priorities, the challenges of truly becoming fully digital don’t stop there.
Once a contractor completes its transition from paper-based workflows and processes to a 100% digital document environment, the next challenge often is determining the quickest and most efficient way to facilitate the proper distribution of plan documents to all project stakeholders during its lifecycle.
Even though having an entirely digital document management system is inherently more organized and efficient than a paper-based one, issues around folder structure, file access and viewing permissions are tedious and painstaking problems to solve.
Enter digital dashboards.
A digital dashboard is a visual interface that allows for easy access and navigation to a project’s digital document ecosystem. Whether someone is working in an office, jobsite trailer or in the field, digital dashboards allow all project participants a simple way to find, access and view relevant plan documents at the point of need—without having to navigate complicated folder and file structures.
Digital dashboards are especially powerful for users of Bluebeam Revu, as the platform’s features for viewing, marking up, storing and collaborating on construction documents are made even more optimal by adding the proper visual interface.
Michael Echave, a senior AEC technical specialist with industry consultancy ATG USA, is a big advocate of digital dashboards. He’s worked with clients in a variety of subsectors in the industry as they seek to finalize their digital document transformations by integrating visual interfaces to make project documents more accessible to workers spread across big and complex jobsites.
Keep the end in mind
According to Echave, there are many ways to create a digital dashboard to serve as a project’s document and reference materials navigation hub. Essentially, a dashboard is a hyperlinked page in itself where designers can create buttons and other interface elements to lead users to find plan documents stored in folders in a platform like Studio Projects in Revu, Bluebeam’s document storage capability.
“You want your end goal in mind when you start to build a dashboard, and then you start peeling back those layers,” Echave said.
There’s also a lot of flexibility in where dashboards are built. Of course, Bluebeam Revu is one option, using the markup tools to create navigable buttons that link to subfolders within Studio Projects or other document storage systems.
An ATG project dashboard homepage.
Once construction professionals have determined the program they’ll use to build the dashboard, it’s important to determine how many layers of navigation the dashboard will include. Dashboards can be as simple as having one homepage with several links to single-layered subfolders, or they can include several layers of complex subfolders that lead to different types of documents and reference materials, such as websites or other online resources.
What’s more, a project may have multiple dashboards. For instance, field workers might work off a simplified dashboard for easy access, while engineers, designers or architects in the office may decide to have a more complex dashboard at their fingertips.
Regardless, Echave said every dashboard will include a home page that features different links, or “actions,” that serve as clickable buttons. These buttons bring users to different subpages that help them refine their document search. Buttons can lead to PDF documents or entirely different applications or websites. The image below is an example of an ATG digital dashboard home page:
Each subpage will include more interactive links, allowing users to navigate to even more subpages in the dashboard. The free storage in Bluebeam Studio Projects makes the possibilities of layers and subpages virtually endless.
Critical steps to building a dashboard
Pick a background
Digital dashboards can be elegantly designed with compelling visuals or made simple with solid color backgrounds. Consider who the user will be for the dashboard when determining its design. Workers in the field may prefer a more straightforward design, Echave said, while architects or design professionals may find more complex design elements more engaging.
Echave said when building dashboards, he typically uses an 8.5 X 11 for his border size. Then he inserts a logo.
Use markup tools
Next, Echave advises using markup tools such as rectangle, ellipse or polygon to place shapes that are colored and filled.
Ultimately, this is the opportunity to consider how the dashboard’s subpages will be organized, which will inform the layout of the home page. Also keep in mind that the homepage will also serve as a template for the different subpages.
Create links
Using the text box markup in Revu, create links to different subfolders. Echave said images can also be used as links. Make sure that interactive icons and clear fonts are used as well, Echave said; this keeps the dashboard visually appealing for users.
With the layout complete, add links to the static actions. For instance, the area highlighted in the image below will never change in any of the dashboard’s subpages. Users can also add static popup windows.
Copy page to add multiple subpages
Once this initial template is built, it can be copied via the thumbnails panel in Revu. Echave said to create as many subpages as needed to organize the digital dashboard. Users can also save text boxes or any markup into the Tool Chest as a custom Tool Set to allow users to replace them later on or on future dashboards.
Once the outline has been copied for the dashboard’s intended page count, Echave said users can then start to reorganize each subpage, such as Site Plan and Submittals.
After all subpages have been reorganized, Echave said it’s now time to add the link to the text boxes or images.
Avoid broken links
Avoid broken links by double-checking that every link works. One thing to keep in mind: if links go to local files on a computer, other users won’t be able to access them. Cloud-based storage like Studio Projects in Revu is ideal.
When using Studio Projects, Echave said it’s important to set the proper project folder permissions. Project partners who do not have access to Revu can use a free 30-day trial to collaborate in the dashboard; after that, Revu will convert to view mode, allowing users to continue accessing Studio.
Finally, if dashboards are created in Studio, construction professionals can send out email invitations to different project partners, giving them access to the digital dashboard.
Maintain throughout project
Once the dashboard is fully deployed on a project, Echave said it’s critical that it is maintained throughout the project’s duration. Keep it updated by refreshing it with the latest documents while ensuring that no links have been broken along the way.
Do you use more than one CTB file when printing in AutoCAD? More than 10? 40? What if I said you really only need 1, the Monchrome.ctb file? Read on to find out how…
If you already understand CTB files, feel free to scroll down to the heading “Do This Instead”.
Let’s look at what we have to work with:
1.AutoCAD users use various colours.
2.Typically, the colours used are chosen from this 256-colour “Index” palette.
3.Those colours on the screen don’t always print that colour.
4.Linework need to print to varying widths.
On-Screen:
Printed:
CTB files are the intermediary between the drawing on screen and the final printed product. If one is not used, what you see on screen is what is in the print. They are used to transform what is seen on screen to what is displayed in the print.
Many AutoCAD users rely on several CTB files to print documents to various regulatory standards. Here is why…
The City of SolidCAD requires a sanitary sewer layer to be red on screen but print black and thick (1mm).
The District of Cansel requires that same sanitary layer to be red on screen but print red and not so thick (0.7mm).
42 other standards exist and a unique CTB file is required for each of them.
Here is the SolidCAD CTB file:
Here is the Cansel CTB file:
THESE ARE NOT REQUIRED!
Yes, that was a little tongue-in-cheek. Sometimes you’re sent a file and you just need to print and use the available CTB. But if you have the time, inclination, and desire to make things a little easier on yourself, understand it’s possible.
Do This Instead
The solution here is actually very simple. Follow these steps.
1.Set the line weight properly for the layer based on the regulatory body standard.
2.Use the out of the box monochrome.ctb file. This file prints all 256 Index colours in black.
How to print hat sanitary layer in red when the CTB file prints all colours black, you ask? Well, I didn’t say the CTB prints all colours black, just the 256 Index colours.
3.When colour is required set the layer colour, not to one of the 256 Index colours, but to one of the 16.7 million True Colours.
4.You need to print a grey shade? Again, choose a True Colour; just choose a colour at the very bottom. Use the slider on the right to control the shade.
You see, the CTB file does not control the output of True Colours, only the 256 Index colours.
Working on a job that requires numerous PDF files to be collated into one manageable document? It’s easy with Bluebeam Stapler.
What is Bluebeam Stapler? Among other things, it’s a tool that helps users combine individual PDF documents into a single PDF. It can also batch convert a variety of document types, such as PDFs, Word docs, and Excel spreadsheets, into a single PDF file.
If you’re working on a job that requires numerous PDF files to be collated into one manageable document or master file, and you’d like those files to be added to or amended, Bluebeam Stapler makes the tasks easier.
Settings and the organization of the individual PDF files can be saved as a stapled job for future use, saving time and resources.
Illustration by Nico Abbasi
Making life simple
Once a file has been established, updates to individual PDFs—which would usually involve creating a combined PDF again—can be done by opening up the previously created staple job, organizing the documents in the way you wish, hitting “staple”—and voila.
Using Bluebeam Stapler helps your working life be more straightforward. It means not having to worry about slip-sheeting individual PDFs into the original PDF to replace outdated pages.
It’s really useful when compiling a large document, such as a calculation package comprising many component PDFs.
Easy to use
The system’s interface is easy to use. One of the easiest ways to use it is “drag and drop.” You can take the files that you want to combine into a single PDF, select them, drag them over to the window, where you will see the normal Bluebeam combined PDF dialog.
Naming PDFs using a numerical prefix makes identifying the files easier, as does showing the date that each file was last updated.
Once you have everything where you want it, you just hit “staple.” The system automatically combines those PDFs, uses the file names of the individual PDFs and can bookmark those for you. Settings are also saved.
If you want to update a couple of these files in the future, all you need to do is open up the file using the staple job file. It will automatically combine all those files in that single PDF again.
Combination benefits
You can create a master file, which will have a combined PDF package and can be easily bookmarked for future use. You can have as many or as few bookmarks as you like.
Combining PDF documents used to take hours, not least when a document had possibly hundreds of individual PDFs that needed to be brought together.
Using Bluebeam Stapler speeds up the process and helps increase efficiency. It’s that simple.
Autodesk has released the latest version of their Civil Engineering package, Civil 3D 2022, and its partner in crime, Infraworks. Click to peruse the Autodesk Documentation. Recap 2022 has also been given some new features. Read on for some notable features.
Civil 3D
Grading Optimization: Takes the parameters that you have specified and generates, very quickly, an optimal grading solution. After installing Civil 3D 2022, you’ll find sample files in the folder C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Grading Optimization 2022\samples.
Connected Alignments: Supports complex curve groups, offsets from parent alignments, curves larger than 180-degrees, and calculates the cross fall of the associated profiles.
Project Explorer: Pressure networks are now supported. Multiple languages are now supported.
Infraworks
Road Decorations: Allows users to add decorations to component roads or linked corridors from Civil 3D. The InfraWorks model will display the features more quickly compared to previous releases.
Decoration Library: Now users can create more realistic landscape environments to add to the model context.
Bridge: Provides for the definition of full-span complex parametric 3D bridge girders.
Model Builder: Enhanced with a new and streamlined interface to provide a more consistent experience and improve usability.
Recap
Scan to Mesh: Select all or a portion of a point cloud in ReCap Pro 2022 and have it create a low, medium, or high-quality mesh. This was included in a previous version as beta software, but it was removed. It is back!
CTC Software has been preparing to release updates to our AEC tools for Revit 2021. This release launched May 4th and affects most of our AEC offerings. HIVE has undergone a massive update, streamlining all aspects of user interaction and management. Our software suites have all been built to work on the new Autodesk 2021 platforms, and the SuperDoor Configurator and Casework Configurator content packs have been upgraded for 2021 as well. All of these tools will continue to support the 2017 versions of Autodesk products and newer, so they will also fit into your workflows for any version from the last 4 years. Additionally, the Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Productivity Pack content files have been upgraded to 2019, containing hundreds of updated families and a lot of new features and improved workflows. These tools are purpose-built to support your entire workflow from beginning to end, putting the right tools in the right hands so all team members gain efficiencies every day.
Contact CTC or one of our partners for more information about the 2021 updates to our tools!
HIVE specifically has had major changes to the user interface of the content management system (CMS). Many of you have provided feedback after extensively using the currently released HIVE system. We listened! The new HIVE has a major facelift, and the HIVE management portal on the web has been overhauled to make management easier, and to provide you with analytics for organization-wide use of CTC tools, project performance metrics and insights into how your teams are searching for content in the CMS. As always, we strive to develop our tools alongside you, so you and your teams can work efficiently. This update will be available May 11th. Feel free to share your experiences and ideas for how we can continue to improve.
The other productivity tools in the software suites are all updated to work on the Autodesk 2021 platforms as well. This year we have decided to make sure that we support 5 version of Autodesk products, since we know many of our clients have projects with long lifecycles. While Autodesk may not officially support 2017, we felt that we should continue to make our tools available for that release since some of you have let us know that your projects are still being managed in that version. This new 2021 release of our tools will have the ability to communicate with the HIVE management portal so you can have a better understanding of the return on your investment this next year.
CTC has 3 major Revit-based content packs. The two that install into the ribbon are the SuperDoor Configurator and the Casework Configurator. These, like our other suites, will be supported on Revit 2017-2021. The other content pack, the Mechanical Electrical Plumbing Productivity Pack (MEPPP), has been heavily updated in its latest version. It will be supported on Revit 2019-2021 with the actual content delivered in Revit 2019 format. We made this choice since most of the projects starting fresh in your firms will be on 2019 and later. We did not see value in building on older versions, as existing projects in production do not see huge benefits in transitioning standards mid-production. This MEPPP update has seen further standardization of the parameters used to help align our pack with metric users. The first release will be in Imperial units of measure, but a metric pack will be coming soon. This release saw heavy formula updates and further removal of unit dependencies. The lighting fixtures, electrical equipment and mechanical equipment have seen major updates, improving face-based and level-based hosting in a single family, and general ease of use. Many other categories have been touched as well, to ensure a uniform workflow and general consistent use. SuperDoor Configurator and Casework Configurator launched May 4th, the MEPPP will be available May 11th.
Do you use BIM 360 and AutoCAD products? Do you have the Autodesk Desktop Connector installed? If so, there is a new update. This may not be news to you as there are frequent updates, but this one is somewhat unique. Please read on.
Read the official Autodesk documentation for all the details. Below are the notable changes. Note that some of these changes may affect your Autodesk references and some IT configurations. It is recommended that you discuss these changes with your IT department and/or CAD manager prior to installing.
Due to the rebranding of BIM 360 to Autodesk Docs, the local folder will be renamed to Autodesk Docs from BIM 360.
If your files contain supported Desktop Connector file references, their paths will be automatically fixed to the new folder. Should your files contain references that are not supported by the Desktop Connector, those that contain a full path, their paths must be manually fixed by the user.
Opening files in the Recent section may not open due to files being moved to the new folder.
BIM 360 local cache files found in %userprofile% are moved to:
Do you need to censor something in your Matterport Tour, say a family photo, signage, license plates? Inside your Matterport Account, in the Edit Mode of a Showcase model, is the Blur Brush.
The Blur Brush is brand new and we couldn’t be more excited to show it off. Many of you have been patiently waiting for this tool to help boost privacy and control over what to hide in your Matterport spaces. This, however, is only the beginning. What Amir covers in this video is only version 1.0 of the Blur Brush. As the tool develops, we’ll be adding new videos and linking to them from here.
Architects love using Lumion for one important reason — it breathes life into rendering.
Lumion makes the process feel like a natural part of your craft, helping you produce beautiful results with ease at every phase of the design project. Its elegantly simple workflow guides you through a rendering experience peppered with moments of unexpected joy.
Whether for design development or the big client presentation, Lumion 11.3 continues to enhance the rendering process by bringing architects and the art of rendering even closer together.
No longer will you need hours of frustration and guesswork to produce compelling images and videos of your project.
With Lumion 11.3, the flow of ideas from your imagination to the computer screen encounters so little friction that rendering becomes an effortless tool in your design toolbox.
Show the life and emotion in your project, and enjoy the process along the way. Learn more about how Lumion 11.3 changes the relationship between architects and rendering.
Watch the recording of the webinar by SolidCAD’s product specialists Samuel Plante and Stephane Faulkner and learn all you need to know to get started with Lumion visualization software.
The webinar covers the overview of Lumion software including some of the new features from the latest release.
