Data Shortcuts Reimagined - Give us a New Box

[ceethreedee.com]

Data shortcuts are so critical to performance but also functionality/production within Civil 3D. However they haven’t even got their own bloody window!

Here are a number of amazing features you could add to data shortcuts that will blow everyone’s mind.

Firstly move the data shortcuts section out of that crappy little section in the prospector tab. Maybe give them their own tab?

Lets take a look below at what a better Data shortcuts system would look like

1.. Allow Corridor Linework etc., sites/Grading Groups, and Cogo Points Groups to be Data Shortcuts. We are all sick of copying this stuff manually into production drawings. The modelling environment always looks different to the finished drawing production environment!

2. Allow Filter. Search Functionality

3. Provide Find/Replace Naming functionality that actually renames the objects in the drawings they have been referenced into. Or fixes the paths similar to “data shortcuts manager”

4. Display the Current working folder as well as a drop down to access previously used working folders

5. Data shortcuts tab

6. Project Folders displayed as well as sub folders for objects that can be created

7. Set default styles for objects so that when they are referenced you don’t have to select it.

8. Allow objects to be exported to other formts from the data shortcuts window. Maybe Sent to IMX, LandXML etc.

9. If you spend more time looking at this there is even more you can add. Hopefully this gets the creative juices flowing though.

Ps. Why your at it. Can you change this set working folder box so we can actually paste a path into it

[troma]

Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.

#1 the ability to shortcut featurelines and cogo points

#7 default styles (should defualt to the style it's on in the source drawing) WOW yes please!

You said to get the creative juices flowing.

It seems mine flowed in a slightly different direction. In my idea I got rid of the working folder and project folder altogether. Perhaps this could be an option too. But I certainly agree they should get rid of the stupid little browse box and give a normal Windows dialog, so we could paste a path. Maybe even have the 'Places' sidebar like the regular AutoCAD 'Open' dialog.

[ceethreedee.com]

I had even more crazy idea of just doing away with the data shortcuts entirely. Either having a models section built into sheetset manager. Or having some sort of DB for each project for civil 3d objects. So no matter what objects you create they are accessible for sharing right from the get go. Obviosuly you would need some sort of filtering method to not show surfaces that are used for temporary targets or production.

So kind of like having a Sheet Set for Civil 3D. But in a way that is kind of what the above becomes.

At the same time i don't know why i bother sometimes. We will all be working only in Infraworks in like 5-10 years and Civil 3D will be dead,

[Anonymous]

While talking of re-designing the interface for data shortcuts, I'd like to request that in the ribbon drop-down (and other places) to put the sequence for creating shortcuts IN ORDER from the top down. Why is the first thing you must do placed in the third position down in the listing? (I have asked this question for years without anyone ever giving me a reasonable reply). The sequencing could also prompt for the next step, which as always been unclear as well. I know how to set up data shortcuts now, after many repetitions, but try explaining it to a newbie! The Help pages are also very long-winded and non-sequential. They could use an overhaul too that would reflect the sequece of events.

[dsimeone]

Hi folks - This Idea has expanded into a number of requests related to Data Shortcuts. However, the core requirement at the start has been addressed in a combination of AutoCAD Civil 3D 2016 and 2017. The improvements include:

1. R2016 - Data Reference Manager - This provides the new, expanded UI where users can better view and manage DREFs (as well as objects in the drawing). Users can also add/change reference paths...
2. R2017 - this includes the multi-select, drag/drop, etc tools that were added to streamline creation of DREFs. Also, when adding multiple DREFs we use the default style (#7). DREF corridor is in R2017 (#1a)

I'm not trying to be sneaky in anyway by accepting this and we agree that there are open "sub" Ideas in this Idea. In order for us to properly manage the Ideas (prioritize, track) we request that they be posted as specific Ideas. I think some of the Ideas in this post could be a single Idea, but DREF of Points (1b) and Feature Lines (1c) are very different requests than a DREF UI.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I agree 100%.