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Plan Production Automated Sheet Updating

6 REPLIES 6
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Message 1 of 7
TCCompany
1485 Views, 6 Replies

Plan Production Automated Sheet Updating

BLUF - Rewrite the code for plan production which will allow dynamically updating of sheets when alignments change in view frames.

 

As I understand Autodesk's mentality when it comes to the design process while creating sheets (as applies to utility (water/sewer/storm projects); All the design work will be done in model space in a base design drawing. Once a design is completed and the alignment and pipe networks have been reviewed and approved (in an AutoCAD environment mind you (my boss doesn’t use AutoCAD), not on paper) users can use the plan production tools to automatically create sheets quickly and print them out to be stamped and sent out for construction.

 

The reality of the design process; At varies stages of the design, say 20%, 50% 80% 100%, drawings needs to be printed out and reviewed by your boss (sheets need to be already created).  At which time alignments and pipe networks will shift (problem 1 for plan production tools). You then go back into the base drawing make those edits and reprint. At some point you will need to add labels and calls that reference detail sheets. Currently plan production allows to associate pipe network labels only. So lets say you used plan production to create sheets, great. Now you have to go into each sheet that was created and add required profile and miscellaneous labels and details references, great, now my sheets are all set. Oh by the way I have, say, 50 sheets. Now I submit my work to my boss, client or review agency for their comments and of course there are changes to the alignment. Great I make those changes in the base drawing, and, I now have to delete all my previously created sheets (work and work=time=money) that were created with plan production and start from scratch labeling everything all over, granted, not the pipe network labels.

 

This is because, when you make a change to an alignment in the base drawing the stationing changes in the view frames, the sheets do not update automatically. So basically use plan production tools if you think your design is perfect and will require no changes from conception through completion (which includes record drawings). It seems Autodesk missed the mark with this tool, hopefully it will develop in the future.

 

Solution;

 

1) Rewrite the code for plan production which will allow dynamically updating of sheets (not recreating sheets) when alignments change in view frames.

 

2) Create the profile views in the base drawing and then xref those profile views into the generated sheets. This will allow for much easier and stream lined annotating.

 

What do people think?

 

Jake Americus, PE

Project Engineer

 

6 REPLIES 6
Message 2 of 7
pyroclast
in reply to: TCCompany

YES TO NO 1 PLEASE!

 

For us, and probably many others, a project is dynamic during the whole design process and also in the construction process. Our vision is to use the same model from the first idea to the finished construction and during that time, things will change. We have tried a workaround and have used two different alignments. One unchanged for the viewframes (and the profile views...) and one which represent the pipe network to be used as data in the construction process. The problem with this is then you have different stations, on paper drawings and in the digital alignment used for construction, for the same object. This is not good, easy to make mistakes...so we skipped this workaround...

We use the "2" and xref the profile views into the sheet, this mainly because when we deliver files to our customer we have both plan and profile in the same dwg. When you put many profile views in one base dwg, the file tends to be quite slow...

I also hope Autodesk will fix this and make the viewframes dynamic soon Smiley Happy

 

/Peter

Project Engineer

 

Message 3 of 7
Hammer.john.j
in reply to: TCCompany

PLEASE DO SOMETHING about PProd. Tools, it acts like an alpha program, i wouldn't even go so far to say beta.... it's the most crude aspect of civil 3d that exists....

John Hammer, LA/CADD Manager
Message 4 of 7
dnietubicz
in reply to: TCCompany

My boss does the same thing. I need to use plans production, because we work on roadways and he needs to be able to see the project before he knows what he wants to do, then he changes his mind like the weather.

 

I agree, it needs to be dynamic. I hate that I have to create a set a viewframes to see how they look, then erase them and start the whole process over if I want it to look different.

 

Doug

Message 5 of 7
Jeff_M
in reply to: TCCompany

I'll add my vote to requesting the the Sheets/Matchlines be Dynamic. I would further like to add the ability for the Matchline Mask to be updated with the stretching of matchlines. I have a road with many tight turns and with the current state of the matchline mask, I must turn it off in some Viewports. Otherwise it covers up a large portion of the road which is supposed to be seen on that sheet. Stretching the Matchlines via the end grips works great for the linework, but has no affect on the masking.

Jeff_M, also a frequent Swamper
EESignature
Message 6 of 7
doni49
in reply to: TCCompany

+1  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.

 

Oh -- BTW:  YES!  🙂



Don Ireland
Engineering Design Technician




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Message 7 of 7
erwebsite
in reply to: doni49

Yes, the view frames are not of much used when they are not dynamic. I would use them if the viewport would update when changing the viewframe location/angle. We do not know the final viewport location when first laying out plans.

 

-John

Civil 3D 2014
Win 7

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