Top 10 Autodesk® Land Desktop Tips and Tricks - AUGI · Top 10 Autodesk® Land Desktop Tips and Tricks ... Drawing Path, and is set in the AutoCAD Options – Files tab. Land Desktop

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Top 10 Autodesk® Land Desktop Tips and Tricks

This popular class from last year returns with an all-new list of exciting and powerful features from the Land Desktop/Civil Design/Survey suite. Some are new to 2006, some are old favorites, but all are guaranteed to continue raising the bar for power users. A must-see for all "Landnuts"!

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About the Speaker:

Gary Rosen - Electric Pelican Ink - Landnut Video Training

Gary is president of Electric Pelican Ink CADD Consulting Services, and is a 25-year veteran of the civil/survey industry. He has spent 18 of those years working with Softdesk and Autodesk CADD software. Gary spends most days providing on-site consulting and training to "Land Nuts" in New England. Also known as Professor Landnut, Gary develops a variety of training materials including books, the latest of which is Learning Land Desktop 2006. He has also authored a line of training videos, an online civil/survey CADD help system called "Ask Professor Landnut," and courseware for [email protected]

Top 10 Autodesk Land Desktop Tips and Tricks

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An Opening Thought

Anyone using Autodesk Land Desktop or Softdesk Civil for a long period of time is sure to have their own top 10 list of so-called tips and tricks. These are some of mine, I hope you find them useful.

1. Using Projects, Prototypes, Templates, and a Warehouse .dwg

Projects

The proper use of Projects in Land Desktop is one of the key elements to successful implementation of the software. Projects are collections of files that store the critical design data for every job you work on with Land Desktop, including points, surfaces, alignments, parcels, and description keys, to name a few. Within a single Project, you can have as many surfaces, as many alignments as you like, but you can only have one point database. Any number of drawings can be associated with any given project, and by doing so, have full access to all design data and settings. This method of working allows a potential for creating much smaller drawing files, as the pertinent data is stored externally. As soon as you create a drawing, and associate it with a project data set, you have access through that drawing to all of the data that exists in the project that has been created prior. We could say that Land Desktop is project-centric as opposed to drawing-centric.

As stated, LDT Projects are collections of specific data. Engineering firms use the term “projects”, they say they have a project they are working on, and there is a similarity there, but there is a distinction. LDT is talking about a project as a project data set, as a place to store data.

Settings

The next thing to understand is that LDT, Civil Design, and Survey work in an environment that is controlled by literally hundreds of settings. These settings control everything that these applications do, the way the things look and the way they behave. For example, if you station the centerline of a road, does the stationing appear parallel or perpendicular to the centerline? If you are going to generate contours, what layer will those contours appear on in your drawing? These are just 2 examples of the hundreds of settings that control the way Land/Civil/Survey works.

For each drawing file Land works in, the settings are stored in files that have the same name as the drawing, but with a .dfm file extension. A drawing called 1001-Base.dwg, has a file created by LDT called 1001-Base.dfm. The .dfm file stores all of those hundreds of settings, which control how that individual drawing functions.

Since it would be extraordinarily inefficient to reset these settings for every new drawing, LDT provides a method to save these settings and apply them to new drawings. These are called Prototypes.

Prototypes

Prototypes are Project Prototypes, and are essentially Projects with no data, only settings. When a new Project is started, a pre-defined Prototype is assigned to it. Prototypes can also be assigned to existing Projects. Then any new drawings created for that Project start with their initial settings, based on the Prototype, already in place. Existing drawings can have Prototype settings loaded “after the fact”. These capabilities of the software can aid greatly in the pursuit of enforcing standards.

Land Desktop 2006 ships with 10 Prototypes that you can assign to your projects, or use as a model to create your own. They are divided into Imperial and Metric units, and further into design and survey categories.


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Detailed information about these Prototypes can be found in the C: Program Files\Autodesk Land Desktop 2006\Help\_company_set\documentation and C: Program Files\Autodesk Land Desktop 2006\Help\_ncs_set\documentation folders.

Prototypes can also be used to setup custom folder structures.

Templates

Templates can be used when creating new drawing files to start them off with various drawing system variables and/or AutoCAD named objects, such as layers and text styles, already in place. These files are basically AutoCAD drawing files with a .dwt file extension. The location of Template files is known as the Template Drawing Path, and is set in the AutoCAD Options – Files tab.

Land Desktop 2006 ships with 12 drawing templates that you can use to create new drawings, or use as models to create your own. They are divided into Imperial and Metric units, and further into design and survey categories. Detailed information about these templates can be found in the C: Program Files\Autodesk Land Desktop 2006\Help\_company_set\documentation and C: Program Files\Autodesk Land Desktop 2006\Help\_ncs_set\documentation folders.

Land Desktop 2006 looks for templates within the C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\Autodesk Land Desktop 2006\R16.2\enu\Template folder. Land Desktop 2006 ships with 12 templates. The aec_i and aec_m are the standard imperial units (decimal feet) and metric (meters) templates. The apwa_i and apwa_m templates incorporate the American Public Works Association standards. For detailed information about the other 8 templates, review the documentation in the C: Program Files\Autodesk Land Desktop 2006\Help\_company_set\documentaion and C: Program Files\Autodesk Land Desktop 2006\Help\_ncs_set\documentation folders.

The Warehouse Drawing

The other key ingredient to enabling standardization across the user base is the creation of one or more “warehouse” drawing files designed to be used in conjunction with Design Center. Blocks, dimension styles, layers, layouts, linetypes, table styles, text styles and xrefs can be added to a drawing simply by double-clicking or dragging and dropping the needed item(s). The key is that using this method you get what you need when you need it, as opposed to including every possible item you might ever need in a template and having a lot of unnecessary items in every drawing. Think of Design Center as Just In Time CADD standardization.


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2. Using Description Keys

Description Keys are an excellent feature of LDT that enable 3 significant functions; based on their Raw descriptions, points can be placed on user-specified layers, points can automatically insert user-specified blocks, and Full descriptions can be generated that are different than the raw descriptions initially assigned to the points. The following are the steps involved in creating and implementing Description Keys.

Land Desktop 2006 ships with a number of Project Prototypes that contain Description Key files. You can use these as is, or edit them to create your own set of Description Keys.

Create Description Key File and Description Key

Points – Point Management – Description Key Manager

Make new Description Key file

Add Description Key


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Add a new Point Label Style to use new Description Key File.

Text box should be empty.

“Turn Off Marker Text” should be unchecked.

In the Description Keys area, (lower right), pick the new Description Key File from the drop list.

Pick OK.

Go to Point Settings – Insert tab – make sure “Use Current Point Label Style” is checked.

Reinsert Points to the drawing, now using Description Key Matching.

Points – Insert Points to drawing –

Zoom to a point with the Description used in the Description Key.

Observe Point – LIST point object and symbol block

The Description Key inserts the specified symbol on the Point, and places the Point and the symbol on the layers specified in the Description Key.

3. Using XDRefs


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XDRefs are used to link the Project Point Database to other user-defined databases using Point Numbers as the key field. Data from these databases can be used as alternate Point Data, such as Elevations or Descriptions, or as a source for Point Labels.

First, you need an Access database with the first column storing a field of PNO, just as in points.mdb. The rest of the columns can store any other data you want associated with the point. One good way to get started is to use the SampleUserdb.mdb that is stored within the UserDB folder inside the COGO folder of any LDT project. You can edit this file to store your data, just leave the first column alone.

Make XDRef

Points – Point Management – Xdref Manager

Add new XDRef

Give the XDRef a Name, and specify the File, Table, and Column where the data is stored. The database specified must have a first Key Column of “PNO” to link the records with the Points in the Project Point Database.

You can have as many columns of data as you want, but each one needs to be set up with it’s own XDRef. Once the XDRefs are defined, there are two major functions that they can be used for. First, you can make Point Groups using XDRef Overrides. These point groups substitute the XDRef data for the point descriptions, elevations, or point names, (if your points.mdb was initially created using point names).


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Secondly you can create Point Label Styles using XDRef data as a source for label text.


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4. The Road Design Sequence The key to using the roadway design functionality in Civil Design is understanding the entire sequence, the

order in which the steps must take place, and which steps must repeated when making edits to the design.

Generate EG Surface

Define Horizontal Alignment

Edit Horizontal Alignment

Generate Profile

Add Proposed FG

Edit PFG

Save edits and create annotation and labels


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Sample Cross Sections

Define Design Control

Process Cross Sections

View/Edit Sections

Check Volumes

Generate Roadway Surface

5. Empty your drawings The power of LDT lies within its ability to access external project data from within any drawing attached to

a project data set. This allows you to do a large amount of design work from within relatively empty

drawing files. The benefit to this is taking advantage of the enhanced performance of AutoCAD when it is

not tasked with managing a large drawing file. Very little external data needs to be graphically represented

within a drawing for LDT to access and utilize it. Efficiency through drawing management is the mantra

here.

6. The Grading Wizard

The Grading Object and the Grading Wizard are key features of LDT/Civil Design. Any line, arc, 2D or 3D

polyline, open or closed, can be used to establish a “footprint” for a Grading Object. You can even use

one Grading Object as the footprint for another, creating a nested effect. Once created, a Grading Object

can be selected and a right-click cursor menu can be accessed to control all of the parameters applied to

it. You can add, delete or edit slope tags, target regions, and vertices.


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7. Using Pipes

Let’s start with the essentials.

First, in the Autodesk Land Desktop and Civil Design applications, Alignments and Pipe Runs are different things. Very different, in fact.

Alignments are Defined from the Alignment menu.

They are 2D, and so have no vertical component.


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They can contain line and/or curve segments.

Alignments can be automatically annotated with Stationing labels.

Offsets can be automatically generated from Alignments.

When combined with a Surface, Profiles can be generated from Alignments.

Pipe Runs are defined from the Pipe menu.

Pipe Runs contain a horizontal and a vertical component.

They can contain only line segments.

Pipe Runs cannot be Stationed.

Offsets cannot be generated from Pipe Runs.

Profiles cannot be generated from Pipe Runs.

Pipe Runs must be Associated with Alignments to be automatically generated in an existing Profile.

Pipe Settings control all aspects of working with Pipes. There are Pipe Settings and Node Settings, Drafting Settings, and Design Settings.

Pipe graphics are generated in either Conceptual or Finish Draft modes. Always work with Conceptual first, and then add Finish Draft.

Always Define Pipe Runs from the high elevation, down, regardless of which direction the Associated Alignment is Stationed. Go with the flow.

When combined with an Alignment, a Surface is used to generate a Profile.

When combined with a Pipe Run, a Surface is used to set the Rim elevations.

Here is a bulletproof sequence for working with Pipes:

Determine what Surface(s) you have to work with. An “existing ground” Surface is typically used to generate a Profile, but a “proposed conditions” Surface will be required to set the Rims of the pipe run structures. If you do not have a Surface, make one from something. Sometimes for a pipe project, only a string of shots is collected in the field. Connect them with a 3D polyline, offset it to each side, and Build a Surface from the 3 3D polylines.


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Decide if the Pipe Run and the Alignment are to be horizontally identical. For instance, are you going to Associate the Pipe Run to the centerline of a roadway, in which case each node of the Run will defined by a Station and Offset from the Alignment, or are the Alignment and the Pipe Run going to be horizontally identical. In the latter case, any change in the horizontal location of the Pipe Run by definition requires a redefining of the Alignment, and the generation of a new Profile. In the former scenario, changes to the horizontal location of the Pipe Run do not require a new Alignment definition or a new Profile generation. In either case…

Define the Alignment.

Generate a Full Profile.

Check Pipe Settings and adjust as necessary.

Define a Pipe Run. Turn a Surface On to set the Rims. When Saving it, Associate it with the Current Alignment.

Import the Pipe Run into the Profile, in Conceptual mode.

Edit the Pipe Run Data, at least to assign names to the nodes, and to set the calculation method, Downstream to Upstream, Upstream to Downstream, or None.

Edit the Pipe Run Graphically to manipulate the Inverts of the nodes and/or Slopes of the Pipes.

Generate Finish Draft graphics in the Profile.

Generate Finish Draft graphics in the Plan view.

When Editing the Pipe Run horizontally, use the appropriate LDT/Civil Design tools, not AutoCAD. The Conceptual Run in the Profile will then update automatically. The Finish Draft will have to be regenerated.

8. Using the Vertical Alignment Editor The enhanced Vertical Alignment Editor that was introduced as an Extension to R3 has some excellent

capabilities. The vertical alignment in your drawing is highlighted while the editor is open, and through

right-clicking, you can access a powerful set of editing tools that allow you to make changes to the

alignment through screen picks in your drawing.


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There is also a very useful calculator built into the editor that can be used to help calculate vertical curves

based on AASHTO design criteria.

9. Using LandXML and the Report Generator

LandXML is an exciting new way to store civil data in a universal format. These files can be used for a

number of purposes. You can use them exchange data with other civil/survey applications, you can use

them to convert civil data from one unit system to another, such as Imperial decimal feet to Metric meters,

you can use LandXML files to archive your data, and you can use LandXML files to generate reports.

First, you must Export your project data to a LandXML file.


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Next, you can open the LandXML Report Generator application that ships with LDT.

In the Report Generator, choose the LandXML file. The data contained within the LandXMl file is

displayed.


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Then, choose the Form you want to use to generate the report.

10. Using Multiple Surface Cross Sections You can generate some very useful cross sections depicting multiple surfaces with LDT. First you must of

course have multiple surfaces defined in your project. Toggle Multiple Surfaces ON. Then in the Multiple


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Surface Selection dialog box use the shift key to select the surfaces you want to be sampled and displayed

in the cross section viewer. Pick OK.

Now draw a line or polyline in the drawing where you want to sample. Select the line, right-click, and pick

View Quick Section from the cursor menu. The multiple surfaces will be displayed with different colors.

The section can also be imported into the drawing as actual linework. In the Quick Section Viewer, on the

Utilities pulldown menu, pick Import Quick Section.

To add a grid, under the Terrain pulldown menu, under Sections, pick Grid for Sections. Follow the

prompts, and when asked to Select the Desired Section Datum Block, pick the block at the left end of the

section.


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Set up the horizontal and vertical spacing as desired. Use the LAP keyboard macro to set the layer colors

and linetypes for the grid and the section lines.

A few more favorites if we have time…

11. LAP, YE

12. Extract Civil 3D Data

Civil 3D stores all of its civil data within the drawings themselves, rather than in external files like Land

Desktop. This command is designed to extract the data within a Civil 3D 2006 drawing to a Land Desktop

2006 project folder.


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13. Polyface Mesh views of Surfaces with 3D Orbit

14. Road Output utilities

15. Object Inspect

16. Point Tables with new AutoCAD Table Objects

17. Parking layouts with dynamic blocks

18. Point Groups Note: Land Desktop 2006 ships with a number of Project Prototypes that contain Point Groups. These

Point Groups are named and have descriptions, but do not have any defining parameters set, and so are

merely intended to provide you with some ideas to get you started.

19. 3D Visualization First we will learn how to generate a new Surface representing only part of the Surface EG1. Next we will make another new Surface representing EG1 with a hole in it of exactly the correct size and location for the first new Surface to fit into. Then we will generate polyface meshes of the two Surfaces on two different layers. This allows us to then assign different colors to the layers, and then view them, shaded, in 3D, and the areas will be easily distinguishable.

Make a new layer called “2D outline”. Draw a closed 2D AutoCAD polyline somewhere inside the EG1 Surface. This polyline could represent an area of contamination, a wetland area, or the location of an existing or proposed lot.

First, we need 2 new Surfaces, because we do not want to alter the EG1 Surface itself. Goto the Terrain pdm, pick the Terrain Model Explorer. In the Terrain Model Explorer, right-click on the Surface name, EG1. On the cursor menu, pick Copy. A copy of Surface EG1 is generated by LDT, and called “Copy of EG1”. Right-click on the name of the new Surface, and rename it to “Area of Interest”. At this time, in all ways other than name, Surface EG1 is completely identical to the Surface now called Area of Interest.


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Under the Surface name “Area of Interest”, pick on the word “Boundaries”. The Outer Boundary that was defined for the EG1 Surface is displayed on the right side of the Terrain Model Explorer. Right-click on the Boundary listed on the right side of the Terrain Model Explorer and pick Remove on the cursor menu. On the left side of the Terrain Model Explorer, right-click on the word “Boundaries” under the Surface name Area of Interest. On the cursor menu, pick “Add Boundary Definition”. Pick the polyline you drew. Enter a Boundary name of “Limits”, and define it as an Outer Boundary. When prompted whether or not to “Make breaklines along edges?”, press Enter to accept the default, <Yes>. When prompted to “Select polyline for boundary”, do not pick it again, just press Enter. Because you added a Boundary, you have altered the TIN data, and so the Surface must be re-Built. Right-click on the name of the Surface, Area of Interest, and on the cursor menu, pick Build. In the Build Surface dialog box, make sure the check box to include Boundaries is selected, and pick OK. Right-click on the name of the Surface Area of Interest, and on the cursor menu pick Surface Display, then Polyface Mesh. In the Surface Display Settings dialog box, make sure the “*_” is entered in the Layer prefix box at the top. Pick OK. Accept the default to “Erase old Surface view?”. A polyface mesh of the new Surface is generated on a new layer called “Area of Interest_SRF-VIEW”. Change the color of this layer in the Layer Properties Manager. Now we need another copy of EG1, this one to represent the area not covered by “Area of Interest”. Turn off the layer “Area of Interest_SRF-VIEW” so that it will be easier to pick the polyline you drew earlier. In the Terrain Model Explorer, right-click on Surface EG1, and on the cursor menu pick Save As…to create a new Surface and make it Current at the same time. In the New Surface dialog box, enter the name “EG1-Unchanged” for the New Surface name. In the Terrain Model Explorer, pick on the word Boundaries under the Surface name Unchanged. Note on the right side of the Terrain Model Explorer that there is already an Outer Boundary. This is the one that was defined for the original EG1 Surface. Right-click on the word Boundaries, and on the cursor menu pick Add Boundary Definition. Pick the polyline that you drew earlier. Enter the name “Area of Interest” for the new Boundary. Define it as a “Hide” Boundary, and respond “Yes” to the question of whether or not to “Make breaklines along edges?”. When prompted to “Select polyline for boundary”, do not pick it again, instead press Enter. Re-Build Surface Unchanged and generate a polyface mesh.

The polyface mesh of Surface “EG1-Unchanged”.


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Note that this mesh has a hole in it. It is also generated on layer “EG1-Unchanged_SRF_VIEW”. Change the color of layer “EG1-Unchanged_SRF_VIEW”. Turn on layer “Area of Interest_SRF_VIEW”.

The two areas as separate Surfaces, viewed from Plan View. The two areas are now represented as separate polyface meshes on separate layers. View the Surfaces with the AutoCAD 3D Orbit command, with flat shading. The site now shows the unaffected area with one color, and the area of interest with another.

The two Surfaces in a shaded 3D view. This simple technique can be repeated as many times as necessary to generate new Surfaces to represent different areas within a single original Surface. The same technique can be used to generate new Surfaces within the first generation of sub-Surfaces. Show Boundaries Show Boundaries redisplay Surfaces geometry in enclosed areas within a Hide Boundary. If you want the larger Surface area to show in a yet smaller area within the perimeter of one of the new sub-Surfaces, define a polyline for the area as a “Show” Boundary in the larger Surface. The process would involve the following steps: Make a copy of EG, the original overall Surface. Rename it to “EG-unchanged”. Make a second copy of EG, rename it to “Pond”. Define an interior polyline as a Hide Boundary to Surface “EG-unchanged”. Name it “Pond-bound”. Define the same polyline as an Outer Boundary to Surface “Pond”.


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Draw a second polyline inside the first. Define this polyline as a Show Boundary for Surface “EG-unchanged”. Define the same polyline as a Hide Boundary to Surface “Pond”.

The 3D geometry and the 2D geometry below that created it. Object Projection The final visualization tool we will cover is called Object Projection. It is simply the projection of 2D drawing geometry onto a 3-dimensional Digital Terrain Model, a Surface. New geometry, in the form of 3D polylines, is created in the drawing, on it’s own layer. These new polylines are essentially “lying” on the Surface, like strings, directly above the original 2D geometry that was projected. They will not vanish if the Surface is viewed in a shaded mode, but will if the model is rendered. When rendering, anything that cannot “reflect light”, does not show, but all drawing geometry is visible in a shaded view. Type “PLAN”, then press Enter, twice, to return to Plan View of the World UCS. Type “SHADEMODE” and set this variable to “2”, for 2D Wireframe. Turn off the polyface meshes. Set Surface “EG” Current. Generate a 2D polyline Surface Border for Surface “EG”. Make a new layer called “Lotlines” and make it current. Draw some lines, polylines, arcs, and circles within the “EG” Border.

Some 2D Linework added inside the Surface area. Single Objects, or groups of similar objects, such as all lines, or all arcs, can be projected to a Surface by selecting the objects and right-clicking. On the cursor menu, there will be a Project Object command. However, if more than one object type is selected simultaneously, this option will not appear. In that case, use the Object Projection command in the Surface Utilities area of the Terrain pdm. Goto the Terrain pdm, Surface Utilities, Object Projection. Select all of the 2D geometry you have drawn. Right-click, on the cursor menu pick “Project Object”. In the Project Object dialog box, accept the default name “3D-Proj”. Pick OK.


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When prompted at the command lien whether or not to “Erase old projection layer?”, press Enter to accept the default, “Yes”. In the Layer Properties Manager, change the color of the new layer “EG_3D-Proj”. Choose a color that will contrast with the colors of the polyface mesh layers already generated. Turn the Surface View layers back On. You can use the filter “*SRF-VIEW” to list them all. View the drawing with 3D Orbit, Shading Mode - Flat Shaded. You will be able to see the new 3D polyline “laying” on the Surface, but it may not appear as a continuous line. This is because the 3D polyline is so close, vertically, to the polyface mesh, that it is intermittently disappearing beneath the shaded Surface. If it is raised 1 or 2 feet, vertically, above the Surface, it will appear continuous when viewed with the shaded polyface meshes. Isolate the “EG_3D-Proj” layer. Type “M” to invoke the AutoCAD Move command. Select all of the 3D polylines. Press Enter when prompted to select more objects. At the command prompt “Base point or displacement”, type “0,0,1”. Press Enter, twice. The objects are moved 1 foot vertically. Turn the polyface mesh layers on again. View the drawing with 3D Orbit, Shading Mode – Flat Shaded. The projected linework should now be visible.

Caption: 2D linework projected onto a 3D Surface. If it is still not fully continuous, try raising it another foot at a time until it is. There are many site features that can be represented in this way, such as paint lines on pavement, lot lines, or wetlands boundaries, to name just a few. The level of visualization discussed in this section is not photo realistic, but it can be far superior to 2D representations for communicating the topography of a site, both existing conditions and proposed design. Photo realism can be attained if the process is taken to higher levels with more sophisticated rendering applications, either within AutoCAD itself, or in 3D Studio VIZ or MAX, or with any number of other products available. In LDT 2004, the AutoCAD engine, AutoCAD 2004, allows the shaded views we have generated in this lesson to be plotted as they appear on the computer screen. To generate plots of shaded views in all previous versions of LDT, it is best to save them first with one of the numerous, low-cost, screen capture applications available.