The update / upgrade process of C3DTools is done differently than the rest of our products. Instead of building a collection of tools that are released together annually, we develop and test each tool in house and include the new functionality right away. End users can choose when they want to download the new tool(s) by either running our Check for Updates (from the web) periodically or by downloading a replacement complete install (MSI file).
Read More →
A common desire for Civil3D users is the ability to export the contents of the civil tables, which are not standard CAD tables. However, the copy to clipboard approach results in an image that (while better than nothing) will not allow data extraction by other applications. We’ve had this capability in our C3DTools add-on for years but since everyone doesn’t have a budget for add-ons, we chose to chip this one off as freeware.
When we worked up our procedure for importing Lidar into Civil3D a couple months ago, we realized there were way too many steps and way too many hoops to jump through. Hoops preparing the data, through Recap to prepare a RCP/RCS, through Civil3D creating a point cloud, and finally creating the surface. Highly trained professionals have more important things to do with their time than spend it like a well trained circus animal jumping through hoops, so we did something about it.
AutoCAD has a long history, and we go back all the way. Our primary developer started using AutoCAD with version 1.0 on the original IBM PC with a 10mb hard drive and CGA graphics (now we have mp3 files larger than that). Here is a detailed history, including corresponding drawing versions, .NET framework used, etc.
We have been receiving support issues ranging from program files being invisible (as in saying it can’t find a file you know is there) to outright alerts of our code being a virus. These have of course turned out to be false positives, a failure on the part of the antivirus software. A company that’s been in business for nearly 30 years does not produce viruses.
You may receive an ESRI Shapefile collection from a GIS user for a data source in generating a surface. This is typically a ShapeFile Type 1 (Point) or Type 2 (Polyline) which contains the XY values in the .SHP file, along with the elevations in a field of the associated .DBF file.
You may have noticed that when you try to copy named objects in Civil3D (or use the same name) that it will append a (1) to the name. What you might not have noticed is that if the string case of the named object varies, Civil3D will let you create what we consider to be a duplicated name !
We sure that by now everyone has heard about the deadly Corona virus. One natural response is “how close is it to me”. As it turns out, Johns Hopkins University has utilized (as of February 11, 2020) ArcGIS to produce a nearly real time map.
There are times within every project where something (or many things) can gum up the works and slow your group’s productivity. The question is how prepared you are tor them in advance and how you react when they do happen. When you hit a snag and one or more team members end up spending hours doing repetitive tasks, do you dare bill for all that time?
When gravity and moisture begins to work on steep slopes (disturbed or natural) the results are often less than optimal and slides occur. This can present the need to install anchor bolts and plates going from the loose surface to a more stable rock strata underneath. Boreholes can help determine the location of the stable strata, but from the surface it’s not readily apparent how far (on a given slope) you will need to drill to reach the stable member. Read More →