Civil 3D 2019 pipe network not syncing descriptions

[ggrembowiec]

We have noticed that if a description is edited in the core file for a data shortcut of a pipe network. It will not update the description in the file the pipe network is data shorcut'd into.( In this case the plan). Nor will it notify upon a save to synchronize references when changes are made.

[wpagl452]

Hi @ggrembowiec. Thanks for your post!

This may be due to an issue that the development team is aware of and working on. Can you verify what service pack of 2019 that you are using? Am I correct that data changes like pipe invert elevations or structure rim elevation changes sync ok?

[ggrembowiec]

The update pack used on Civil 3D 2019 is:AutoCAD_2019.1.2_Update_64bit.exe

AutoCAD_Map_3D_2019.0.1_Update.exe

C3D_2019_2_Update.exe

The files being used were all from the 2017 version of Civil 3D and saved up to Civil 3D 2019.

I was hoping you could tell me whats going on. Right now the data shortcuts for pipe networks are working inconsistently. If the core file of the data shortcut is saved, it will not prompt for synchronization 75% of the time in the data shorcut'd file (plan sheet). Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't prompt and even after a sync it won't update anyway. Or closing and opening the data shorcut'd file (plan sheet) to reread the core file won't work all the time. After fiddling with this process until it does read the core file, eventually, the only thing that will not read/update are the descriptions for all components of a pipe network for structures and pipes labels for whatever component you have changed in the core file, which never happened in older versions of Civil 3d these would all remain updated to what the core file had. Names of structure or pipes, descriptions of structures or pipes, inverts are being difficult to display but eventually update, structure swapping still showing old structure, anything a smart label can read from a pipe network is not reading. Even adding a synchronizereferences command lisp in the acaddoc.lsp file to see if it would work initially and this also does not work. Is the update pack the problem, this is a big deal to the company to resolve since all our pipe networks are linked to the plans by data shortcuts.

[wpagl452]

Thank you for providing that information; I have added this case to the Development team's ticket for this issue as it is the same issue.

In my testing however, descriptions would sync if a change was made to the pipe or structure data. For example, a change to a pipe description would not sync by itself, but a change to a pipe description and invert would sync both. In any event, it is not behaving as expected as descriptions should sync consistently. 

Unfortunately, since the ticket is still being looked into by the Development team, all I can do at this time is recommend using xrefs for pipe networks or using an earlier version like 2018. We don't believe this issue exists in 2019.0, but 2019.0 has another issue with pipe networks regarding rules that should be avoided. 

I certainly understand the gravity of this issue and empathize with you as I used data referenced pipe networks often when I did design. I will do my best to update users regarding the status of this issue. 

[ggrembowiec]

What is the bug with the rules on the 2019 release? We do not use the rules in our networks for design. Please explain the problems with the original release no updates of civil 3D 2019? And is this the only bug found on that release? I am more inclined to uninstall for the company if this is the only functionality problem, unless the rules will jack up existing and new pipe networks, as long as the updating works, the rules are small potatoes to  the entire functionality not working.

Unfortunately your suggestion as a work around's will not do. We are receiving files from clients in the most recent version 2019 because of Autodesk's release and push to stay updated. So we would have to continually save down to 2018 to actually work on them?

We have been using pipe networks since 2010 that's years of plans created using data shortcuts that the pipe networks are linked to a core file which everything is read from. There is no way to use the pipe network as an xref as an option everything is smart labels in the data shorcut'd file for plan sheets.

If it is working in the 2018 & 2017 versions why not recover the coding to put into  2019 and release as an update at this point?At least as a temporary solution, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[wpagl452]

Here is a link to the article describing the old pipe rules issue. Essentially, a reference template issue was causing pipe rules to be reapplied when the user did not want them to be. If you choose to use 2019.0, I would recommend backing up files with pipe networks to be safe.

Yes, to work in 2018 you would have to save down. Those years are backwards compatible, but it is an extra step. I understand that this is not ideal.

I cannot speak to the coding decisions of the Development team. 

[ggrembowiec]

Okay thanks for the suggestion to down grade. We just upgraded to Civil 2019 so we will not be going this route because of the high volume of 2019 files received. We will also stay with the current updated version of 2019. Please inform when a breakthrough does happen with this and we will continue with the workarounds.

[daniel.lench]

Winston, I do not believe you should mark this issue solved. The suggestion is only a work around. This issue has blown budgets on small jobs and negatively impacted our profit on to many others.

I vote for back charging autodesk for loss of productivity, on this issue and so many others.

I've heard of a new product that may take me away from Civil 3D forever. Hope it pans out.

Until then, whats the timeline for a real fix?

[wpagl452]

Hi @daniel.lench, I agree that only having 1 button results in confusion with these matters. I have asked for more buttons on forums (ex: an "In Progress" button) and haven't gotten them. That post was marked as a "solution" because it mentions that the development team is still looking into the issue which reflects the current status of the issue. When the issue is fixed, I will update this forum and change the "solution". 

As a former designer myself, I certainly understand your frustration. If pipe networks are a large part of your companies workflow, I would recommend using 2018 as there have been several issues in 2019. 

This issue is still listed as unresolved so it is difficult for me to give an estimate at this time. Wish I had better news.

[daniel.lench]

Everyone is on 2019, really want to keep moving forward. Are there different levels of seriousness relating to bugs and developers allotted time?

[wpagl452]

Yes they attach a severity level to issues. Their resource allotment takes this into consideration as well as number of cases associated with an issue and other factors. I know that they are well aware of this issue and working on it.

[mconway]

We have taken to renaming the Pipe Network as changes are made in the Source Model (ie. add a number to the name) before saving. For some reason, this forces the Referenced drawings to recognize the need for Sync. 

I admit that it's a work-around but, until Autodesk fixes it. It's a viable technique.

[ggrembowiec]

Can you please screenshot where to add the number to the name of the network.

[ssomers]

I just ran across this issue for myself and was disheartened to find that it's a known bug with no fix. For me, it was the pipe name that was not syncing, and therefore I could not reference the pipes to my pipe table.

I tried the trick suggested above to rename the network, and after renaming the network, sure enough, the bubble popped up notifying me it needed to sync, but after updating the shortcut to the new name, the individual pipe names still did not update. 

I switched back to 2018 and it's working fine. This is frustrating!

[daniel.lench]

Yep, it sucks.

lost profit from

• trying to work through the issues
• implementing workarounds like deleting the reference and then adding and relabeling it again
• looking for answers that don't exist
• reinstalling 2018 (we are responsible with licensing) and then updating and patching 2018 (Autodesk needs to have an up to date and patched installer)
• countless meetings about what and why the program utterly sucks and looking for alternatives. (Yes, alternatives to Civil 3D. Just wait people, the future looks bright  )

[sfore]

Winston, I often wonder if any of these cases are really being addressed by the development team.

If they are, what kind of update can original forum author expect to receive back noting specific fixes or status, especially when a Defect ID# has been assigned by Autodesk? We spend our company's dime letting Autodesk know about these issues that once worked? It would be nice to be informed of status.

What about Defect ID CIVIL-23809 associated with a separate Pipe Rules issue that I posted about a while back HERE? Although, I have a work-a-round, but it involves extra steps I've never had to perform before with renaming structures. Not a big deal and it's pretty quick to rename structures/pipes but my last project involved a main trunk line over 27,000 ft long plus 141 spur lines. It can be time consuming with projects of this size. And YES, I do have all applicable updates installed with 2019 and also, NO reference templates are attached. My case was confirmed by Autodesk as being a defect. It worked in 2016. We skipped from 2016 to 2019 back in the fall and it was noticed by me then.

I've been a supporter and used Civil 3D since 2006. I've noticed a lot of 1 step forward, 2 step back themes after 2010 with certain features being broke in latter versions from previous versions. Unacceptable!

[wpagl452]

I know that when we say that the development team is working on it, it might seem a bit like a black hole. While I don't have much insight into the specifics of how they work, I can say that they do exist and are examining these issues.

If you have a known issue that you would like a status update on, I'd encourage you to contact us by creating a case and providing the ID number. The forums are not always updated by Autodesk employees.

With regards to Civil-23809, I would point you here. It looks like a fix may have been released. Let us know if you have issues applying this fix.

[sfore]

Nope the new dll file doesn't work. I just followed steps on replacing the new dll file and re-tested in new drawing as well as the previous drawings I tested with Autodesk. It's even worse than before. In the profile, pipes automatically go to 0 elevation with 0 slope while structures go to surface. Now, I also get a ton of errors with every placement of a structure and when applying rules.

I've inadvertently hijacked this thread, so I will reply to my original thread.

[sfore]

Update: The dll file did work but I had to unblock the file in properties. See pic.

[ggrembowiec]

Sfore what did these steps solve? Just pipe slope issues and pipe going to zero?