Twenty and Six

So, in today’s “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Vault” class, I mentioned that the City of Dallas has (had?) a requirement for sewer profiles at 20 and six. I offered a copy of Mastering Civil 3D 2008 for those that could discern why. I promised I’d tell after the exhibit hall closed, so here you go. Login and read on for the answer.


Now, I’m getting this information fourteenth hand from over decades of practice, so I can’t swear to it’s veracity. The story goes that the engineer that was performing much of the City review years and years ago didn’t like to rotate his scale during plan review. Take a look at your typical engineer’s scale, and you’ll see that the 20-scale and 60-scale edges are on the page at the same time.

It’s been decades since plans were reviewed that way, but it’s the standard because it’s always been the standard. Amazing how we can get stuck doing things out of habit instead of thinking through. Don’t let the same happen to you with your C3D transition. The next time you’re faced with a style you can’t make, or a label you don’ t like, ask yourself: Am I doing this because I have to, or because I always have? The answer can make a world of difference.

Thanks to all of you that were in class, visited the booth, and simply said hello. It’s getting to meet so many people that share our enthusiasm that makes the beating of Vegas worthwhile. We’ll be posting all of our data, papers, and other stuff over the next week. Right now, it’s time to ride the red eye. Have a safe trip home!

5 comments

  1. Joshua.Modglin says:

    Interesting!!
    Man you had me stumped.

    BTW, great class – however I was not convinced that Vault is the best future for data SHARING (sorry 🙂

    Unfortunately, it is the only option for most companies currently. It will be interesting to see the future of the data sharing and shortcuts in general.

  2. No one said anything about Vault being the best option for data sharing. Vault References and Shortcuts both work. In the current incarnation, Vault is a superior UI.

    Where Vault excels is in solving enterprise level problems, not CAD problems.

  3. Kevin Stockwell says:

    that question drove me nuts!! I couldn’t figure it out!

    I really enjoyed the Vault Class. One of the most useful classes for me all week, It helped my decide to go with Vault.

  4. BethU says:

    Funny how the answer always seems to be because we are stuck in our old ways…I thought we could only apply that to the wonderful old surveyor’s in our lives?! My goal has yet to change…I hope still to change one surveyor at a time ;~D