Autodesk Survey Products

[#1]

Does anyone know of a way to automatically lock all C3D points on either exit or drawing open?  Or even a checkbox somewhere to do this?

Problem is we have a few users who just forget to lock them.  We do not use vault and are not planning on using vault.

Tony

[#2]

Tony

Well the easiest answer would be preceded with a question. Do you normally place your points onto similar point layers?

If so, then I would suggest creating a script which would lock your point layers.

You could also have your _All Points point group set to Object Locked, by default. I am unsure what issues you may be experiencing in order to restrict your users to point access, but there's a few options for you.

HTH

Richard W. Reid, Jr. PLS

Solutions Specialist

AutoCAD - Civil 3D - Map 3D - ESRI - Google

AutoCAD Civil 3D Implementation Expert

[#3]

Thanks for the idea, Richard.  In this case, for what I am trying to achieve locking the layers actually provides too much protection as you can't even grip edit a label if the layer is locked.

And it appears (from the experiments I just performed) that selecting "Object Locked" in the Point Group Properties does not actually lock the point and its data but just the point group properties.  I created 2 groups (PG1 and _All Points), added my points to PG1 and selected "Object Locked" in both.  I was still able to grip-edit move the points.

Automatically locking the points on open allows for label manipulation through grips (without the accidental grabbing of the point grip) while still protecting the data.  Plus, the layer method poses the minor issue of needing to unlock the layer thus freeing ALL the points on that layer.  It is much easier and safer datawise IMHO for a user to right click on a point and only unlock the one point which may need to be edited or deleted without the possibility of messing up another point.

We are currently setup where all of our field data is in drawings that our read-only to non-survey users.  Point locking is just one more way to protect our surveyors from themselves.

In the end, perhaps a combination of all the could be incorporated to fully protect (or over-protect) our data.

Thanks again.

Tony

[#4]

Any reason you do not convert the points to "survey points"? This would provide the survey point protection enabled within the survey database, protecting the survey points from being edited (even by surveyors) within the Prospector or even within the DWG.

[#5]

Eventually we will.  We are about to upgrade from 2009 to 2011 and even though they were told LDD is going away, the survey guys have done nothing but continue using LD Companion for the last 2 years.  Only very basic processing has been done in Civil 3D and not much of it. 

Unfortunately, I am not a surveyor and do not know all of their procedures.  I am pushing the survey databases for data management by trying to show our surveyors that it is similar to the LDD database, only they need to manually put in some of the data. 

I hope I can get a procedure down in the next 4 weeks...nothing like waiting until the last minute.... 

[#6]

I have an issue with this as well. I use the Survey database when importing points and it works great. However, when I have to make new points, say a shot from offsets, or an invert measurement from the lid of a sewer manhole, I have to manually lock the point(s) or do another import event into the Survey database. This is a bit cumbersome. Point groups that have "object locked" seem to only lock the settings for that point group, not the points themselves. Locking the layer does not allow for label manipulation. If there was a setting to automatically lock the points you create it would be welcomed. Perhaps it already exists, but I have not found it.

-Ian

[#7]

I think the best scenario for both instances would be to use the survey database functionality. This will create that new "class" of point (a survey point) which will not allow you to move or edit the point.

I have a client who also has a script which shuts off the survey toolspace upon open - thus removing access to the toolspace and editing possibilities. In this way, they have effectively removed the interest to the users. What users don't see, they usually won't go looking for.

Perhaps in future versions we might have a point locking feature.

Might one of you submit that in to the Wish List section?

HTH

[#8]

I asked this same question over on the C3D boards and ended up answering my own question.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/AutoCAD-Civil-3D/Automatically-Lock-Points/td-p/2732049

You can add the following script to the ACADDOC.LSP which loads with each drawing:

(command “lockpoints” “all”)

This works amazingly well....on 2011.  Won't work on 2009 as "lockpoints" doesn't exist and "aecclockpoints" isn't recognized.

[#9]

What do you use the new point for in the case of the invert of a manhole? 

If it is used in labeling, you could use user-defined property classifications and expressions and not have to create a new point at all. 

[#10]

Yes, I use the new point for a label of the invert. I think it also might be useful for an engineer to snap to when creating a pipe network, but I might be wrong about that. I have tried different ways of doing these invert labels and haven't found one I like yet.

But I would like to know more about user defined-property classifications. I have used some basic exrpressions for some point labels, like a curb lable with a +0.5' hike in elevation from a flowline shot. I don't have the cuts to the inverts in the point shots, so I think that limits my options.

Lately I have just been manually editing the text of the manhole shots with a calculated invert since creating new points in the drawing is so cumbersome: make a point, change the label style, add it to the survey database so it doesn't get moved, etc. If I could drop points in and have them automatically be logged into the survey database, as they were in LDD, that would be something.