Civil 3D workaround : Corridor Surface Boundary "Add automatically" option not showing although it should

So you have a corridor made of sub assemblies that should expose one or more codes for adding boundaries automatically but this option is not offered although it should.

Watch for locked layers. Assemblies, alignments, profiles, targets, superelevation views, surfaces whatever may be related to the corridor and its surface.

If all unlocked then check this.
Set boundary to Corridor extends.
Rebuild corridor and watch the Event viewer.
If there is a warning that "could not apply mask (0) to corridor due to crossing polygon" then try this.

Set Corridor frequencies to another much larger value.
Apply.
Now the option for Adding automatically should be available.
Select the desired code.
Apply and rebuild.
Reenter corridor properties and change frequencies back to the previous values. Apply and rebuild.

Add automatically is still available and everything is working fine.

Yet another workaround.
Autodesk is unintentionally training our brains to prevent failure due to aging. Or maybe our brains are about to get burned because of all this over the years searching for workarounds, tricks and things like these trying to make their software to work as expected.
We should also not neglect all those extreme feelings of frustration, surprise, anxiety, desperation and finally...triumph that comes with situations like these.

Civil 3D bug : Modifying sections views offset sampling & minimum elevation

Say i have some cross section views.
There are some cases that i must do the following actions for the Civil 3D section views to match section views made by another design package.
First change the minimum section view elevation.
Next change the section view offsets.
I watch that surface maximum offset values are updated as reported at the section properties.
But graph is not informed and offsets remain !

Sample line group properties, Sections, Sample more sources, Remove, OK and then Add again does not work.
Also closing and reopening the drawing does not work.

Workaround is to swap the actions order. First fix the offsets and next fix the minimum elevation.

For any already existing wrong graphs the only way to show all is to manual or by custom software set for each one cross section view the SectionViewProperties, Elevations, User specified, Maximum value to the value of the Automatic one.

AutoCAD & Civil 3D : My custom tips, tricks, workarounds and knowledge

Problem : Civil 3D alignment labels do not change next to scale change
Workaround : Select the non responding objects. Set them in another layer. They will adapt scale at once. Set them back to the previous layer.

Problem : autoCAD LT 2011, where is the SheetSet manager
Answer : Sheet set manager was included in the next version. No SSM for this version.

Problem : Plotting to DWF does not use the selected ctb file.
Cases :
1.Works fine when publish through SheetSetManager for Single Sheet printing but fails when trying Multiple Sheet.
2.Does not work at all when in autoCAD LT 2011
Solution for all cases :
Copy the desired ctb file to the default Plot styles folder.
Tools->Options->Plot and Publish->Plot Style Table Settings->Add or Edit Plot Style Tables...
Opens the default Plot Styles folder

SAC : strings, enums and math

In Subassembly Composer is possible to refer to the Math library of Microsoft Visual Basic.
But it is not possible to use simple functions such as CSTR or CDBL. No further library can have a reference.

Also Enum.value results to a string value. It can be used in Switch. But it can not be used as a string in a point code ! To do this you must DefineVariable (string) and finally assign the variable to the point Code !

Codes are capable of direct strings or direct string variables. 

VB net Serialization : ShouldSerialize boolean function (not in MSDN)

When serializing a property it is possible to include it or exclude it using the boolean function ShouldSerializeXXXX where XXXX is the exact name of the property !
In MSDN there is no straight reference to it.

eg

<SXS.XmlAttribute(AttributeName:="desc")> Public Property desc As String = String.Empty

Public Function ShouldSerializedesc() As Boolean
   If desc = String.Empty Then Return False Else Return True
End Function

Civil 3D Trimble Link Road export tip. Feature lines unchecked. Point empty coding.

When exporting a Civil 3D Corridor to a Trimble sensor using Trimble Link the apropriate Corridor Surfaces must have already been created.
But no Cross Sections will be exported if Surface is created through Links that the Feature Lines at the two edges of each Link are not checked !
This also means that uncoded points can not create a Trimble Link exportable surface !

 

Trimble TGO GPS site calibrations tips (2)

Beware of the rotation units GON vs Degrees.

On site calibrations can be saved to TGO Coordinate System Manager as Sites and get used to other jobs.

Adjustments is only for Trimble. A site calibration can be reproduced as Datum with TGO GPS calibration as 7 parameter. Original on site job required.

Trimble TGO GPS site calibrations tips (1)

In order to manipulate Trimble GPS calibrations using TGO it is absolutely critical to keep original controller's JOB containing the on site GPS measurements for calibrations.
Or else only a point to point (*.csv, *.txt) transformation is possible.

TGO does not import a job other from controller. So copying a job to another media is useless!
eg It is not possible to import it from a desktop backup! But this backup should exist so that it can be copied back to controller and import it from there!

Civil 3D custom subassemblies created with previous versions of SAC may not work as expected when imported to later C3D versions

Custom subassemblies created with previous versions of SAC may not work as expected when imported to new c3d versions (although if already in a drawing of a previous c3d version will work fine when opened with later version!).
I met such a case. All previous version subassemblies worked fine except one! Worked fine when opening a previous version dwg file already containing it. But did not work if imported from scratch to a later C3D version!

Civil 3D custom objects export to autocad not exported. Two cases.

Case 1 : object is set on a layer that is frozen.
Civil 3D custom objects layers should be turned on and thawed so that they are exported to common autocad objects.
So custom model views that work with layers frozen are a problem.

Case 2 : object style has different visibility behaviour among plan,model,profile or section view
If for example a surface is presented through a style that triangles are off for plan view and visible for 3D view then if export takes place when in plan view triangles will not be exported.

SAC : My experience, my opinion

My final conclusion considering SAC is that it is only for very-very simple subassemblies.


It has development environ problems.
. Deleting input/output variables leads to freezing. Before deleting you should save or you loose everything until last save. The best way to delete is to save, close, reopen and delete.
. When it starts becoming "heavy" meaning lots of variables, containers, cases etc it responds very slowly. It is impossible to create a complex subassembly.


For someone like me that is used to VB.net...


...development environ is very annoying
.changing a variable's declaration name does not automatically change all its references
.cut and paste leads to renaming variables with _copy


...lucks of simple programming tools
.no arrays
.no loops
.no string manipulation
.variables are visible only after there declaration
.variables can not be private


It has bugs.
.enum size reducing leads to crazy behaviour


It lucks some functionality
.it is impossible to set the desired order for the user input values

Civil 3D 2014 : Corridor surfaces tips and workarounds

Creating corridor surfaces can be done by two main ways.
Feature lines and Links.

When created by links there are many cases that civil 3d jump from links to points that do not belong to those links.
So the best way to create a correct surface is to use feature lines.
But in this case when creating custom subassemblies you must assign codes to all points for all cases.
Another disadvantage is that there are cases that surfaces may end to points with various coding.

Another serious issue has to do with boundaries.
Selecting automatic corridor edges in most cases gives a wrong boundary.
Interactive works fine.
By object works fine.
The best of all is to select which feature lines to use.But it can not be used for all cases.

Civil 3D Survey : Tip : Least Square analysis error message "System error : could not invert matrix" workaround

In some cases when performing LSA solvation fails or produces some, not all, abnormal ellipsis errors.
I get a message "System error:could not invert matrix".

In this case you must not perform the analysis in one step through "Perform analysis...".

You can do it step by step.

First "Create input file"

Then "Edit input file".
Propably there will be some "Distance std error" that have no sense.
You can manually set them to a logical value.
For example i had automatically generated, some not all, values of...500000000000000.0000 (!!!) and i changed them to 0.0050.

Then save the altered file.

Finally "Process input file". Now it will propably produce no error messages and error ellipsis will be normal.

Survey database is not automatically informed if used those steps. So for the results to reflect in drawing and data a final step is required "Update survey database".

Remember that before all those steps if there is a previous not adequate adjustment it should be first reset.

Not only user must learn how to use properly the software but must burn his mind to find workarounds.

Too many hours lost in learning, testing, exploring options and searching for workarounds.

Civil 3D Survey : Critical Tip : Case of foresight measurement to an existing control point

If survey data is entered through Survey command window...
eg AD 112 23.7896 113.678 ,say that pt numbered 112 already exists as a control point imported to current survey database...
then you will be asked to overwrite or ignore. Ofcourse you must select ignore. Doing this control point coordinates are neither altered in control points list nor is survey points list and everything works fine.

If survey data is entered through setup and observation tables then you are not asked and overwrite takes place.
This means that coordinates are correct when viewed at control points list but when viewed at survey points list they have the observation values which is wrong.

In this case when a new station takes place for this point it will use the overwritten values!!!

A workaround trick to fix this is to open the control points table and do a minor change to eg points name. After this the coordinates at the survey points table are informed correctly!!!

Or else everything goes wrong from so on.

Civil 3D Survey : Critical Tip : I enter the correct survey data but angles, distances, everything is presented wrong.

One step before entering survey data.
Setup Equipment data is critical.
Watch out the angle direction and units, the distance units, corrections and slope or vertical property and so on for the selected Setup Equipment.
A good practice is to setup a new localized Setup Equipment and set it as default.

Civil 3D Survey : Critical Tip : Autocad ID gives me the correct coordinates but Survey Point coordinates are different

Through Toolspace->Settings Drawing settings->Transformation whatever zone may be selected BUT apply transformation settings should NOT be checked.
In such a case coordinates values using autocad command ID are different from those when points are imported to survey database because of the transformation!!!

AutoCAD dropdown layer list sorting

Some times layers in DropDown List are sorted and some times it does not.
Why this happens?
In case i have lots of Xrefs with numerous layers then MaxSort variable must be set to a limit that is bigger!

Leica RoadRunner TPS1200&Viva SmartWorx stakeout

I thought that when i enter a station and offset to stakeout then, what ever the actual station and offset are, the Delta Elevation result value is for the desired values.
In fact if the StakeOut is...
...X-Slope then it refers to the actual Station and Offset
...Stringline then it refers to the actual Station


I strongly wish there was an option for the Delta Results to lock on to the desired Station and Offset values. Carlson SurvCE does it. Also Trimble Access/Roads.

Trimble Link Road Export

When exporting a corridor from Civil 3D 2014 using Trimble Link, slopes are assigned this way.
If there is a slope assigned and a daylight exists then both cut and fill slopes assigned to template have this value.
If the template was made using Trimble GeoOffice or Trimble Buisness Center then it could be possible that fill and cut values were different.

Xrefs and time to save...

When lots of Xrefs are attached or overlayed, then when saving it is better to unload them all or else it may time consuming. Time is less when they are overlayed but still too much.