Archive for Pipes

Underutilized Profile View Graphics (HATCH)

I’ve found, while working with customers, that one very useful component of profile views has been underutilized since its addition in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010. This component I’m referring to is the profile view hatch. The initial perception users have of this component is that it is only used to show cut and fill locations between an existing surface and a proposed surface. But, that’s not the only use. When creating multiple proposed surfaces that are based on material (ie. Paving), this component adds an additional dimension to profile views. Reviewers and contractors can now see an added entity that helps in deciphering the vertical scale and location of underground utilities. In this post I’ll share with you an easy way to use this graphic which will add more meaning to your profile views.

See the rest of this post…

Read more

Grip tricks (AutoCAD and Civil 3D)

Sometimes the simple tricks are the best tricks!  This post discusses grip editing in Civil 3D and vanilla AutoCAD.  These are fundamentals for creating and editing content but some are not ‘in your face’ and go unnoticed by even the most seasoned of users.  Check it out and let everyone know which you did, or did not, know (comments section).

Read more

Return from SSA

In the last post on Pipe Network Part Matching, we discussed what happens to the STM parts as they enter into the world of Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Sewer.  For now let us say we completed the design and the analysis.  Ultimately, we don’t want to hand the technician the reams of paper that was generated or take the dialog boxes and manually mark up plan sheet in Red Sharpie.  Pens are cheap, but come on!

We want to preserve that precious time and data and seamlessly import that analysis back into AutoCAD Civil 3d. 

Read more

Pipe Network Part Matching

Kevin Clark did a post earlier this year on “When a Pipe Network Structure isn’t a Pipe Network Structure”.  Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis (SSA) uses the STM file format as the mechanism for exporting a Civil 3d pipe networks out for consumption with SSA and the return trip back into Civil 3d – these settings within the command setting become critical.   Kevin’s focus was on Civil 3d 2010 and what it did during the export to Hydraflow Storm Sewer.   Let us take it one step farther – Autodesk Storm and Sanitary Analysis.

Read more

Don’t Be Encased in Manually Drafting

One of the main benefits of using object based design is having the ability to make the “drafting” a much more efficient task or bi-product of the design. A basic drafting entity shown on plans is the location of concrete pipe encasements. These encasements are usually required when utility crossings don’t allow for enough vertical or horizontal separation or if the fill height is too shallow and may need structural support. A typical concrete encasement on a sanitary pipe is nothing more than a concrete poured surrounding, a minimum of 6 inches thick around the pipe, for a required minimum length. When they are needed to be shown on both plans and profiles, I see many users taking a lot of time to draft these concrete encasements “manually”.

Civil 3D gives us users another, (not so obvious), option. In this post, I’ll share with you an idea of using the Pipe Network tools to give us a better, (I think more fun), way to add these encasements to your projects.

Read more