Civil 3D Profiles are not dynamically updating

[ggrembowiec]

Why is Civil 3D not dynamically updating a profile of a surface profile that I know I have modified to look a specific way based on a created surface...the alignment is a data shortcut into the drawing along with the surface cut is a data short cut... the surface profile is made in this drawing and I am not getting the updated when the surface cut is changed in the source file and of course validated in the current drawing... the only bootleg way I have gotten this surface profile to update is by going to the profile properties switch it from dynamic to static, then back to dynamic... then all of a sudden it will update to the correct surface look. This is a major problem considering Civil engineering plans are all based on profile elevation and stations. Our company is considering switching back to 2010 becasue of this bug.. The whole purpose of data shortcuts is to have an updated version always of the current design.. Has anyone figured out this problem... and no regen and regenall / validate does not fix this issue.)

[Anonymous]

Based on what's written, I just want to make sure you are synchronizing references after the edits.  Validating will only check to see if the link is valid.  

Also, can you please provide which version you are currently using?  

[ggrembowiec]

Civil 3D 2017- Tried with and without the most current service pack. Also, my wording was off, I did mean synchronizing within the drawing I was working in- if I type command line "SYNCHRONIZEREFERENCES" five minutes later it will show the correct profile. So here is the thing, we setup these data shortcuts to update through out our plan sheets, if someone were to edit/update a surface all alignments would always show the most current surface, so essentially going in and syncing is useless because if we were to publish sheet set we wont have the most updated information shown in the plans because someone has to physically open the drawing and command SYNCHRONIZEREFERENCES  which already takes a decade and it seems like the only things that are not updated is surface profiles. This cannot be the work flow because highway jobs typically will have about 150 drawing sheets that would need to be opened every time there is a surface update either with an existing  surface topo or a proposed surface.

It's an extremely strange bug. I did more testing yesterday, turned on the surface tin for even more clarity to show what I mean and I had made a hole in the surface where  the alignment is cutting the surface and saved the base model drawing where the data shortcut and surface is located. Now when I opened the sheet drawing were this problem is happening I am visually able to see the surface updated with the hole but the alignment is not re-cutting the surface profile on the brand new open and is not showing the hole in the surface in profile, it is acting like the surface is still the same before the edit. ( there are no yellow sync exclamations marks either- all are shown as updated)

[ggrembowiec]

Also, I had tested out an old solution which is add this command to the Acaddoc.lsp- It does work, but with a very timely price, running this command on a drawing open is now taking minutes to open drawings.. If there was a command/lisp that only updated the surface profiles on an open that would be the solution because from what I can tell everything automatically updates correctly and always had in my experience when you open a drawing that has had data shortcuts modified since the last time you have opened it.

[Jeff_M]

@ggrembowiec, welcome to the forums!

I see from your images that your drawing has at least one pipe network in it. Is that network also a Dref and the source drawing is the same as the surface & alignment? If so, this a known issue with only a few viable solutions.

You've already done the least favorable option, forcing a sync of all references.

The other is a better solution, but not easy to do when you already have existing design as you have. The solution is to place the pipe network(s) in a separate dwg. Keeping the pipe networks in a dedicated dwg then allows the normal synchronization at dwg open without the need to force the sync.

There have been many discussions of this since this issue first reared it's head c.C3D2012, SP2. Here's the first that I know of:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-civil-3d-forum/anyone-have-some-drafting-supplies/m-p/3875595...

[ggrembowiec]

The pipe networks are all drefs into the drawing shown. Each individual named pipe network shown is its own separate drawing per that utility. Actually every dref has its own drawing. Is that what you are suggesting to do?

[Jeff_M]

Yes, that is what I suggested. I did leave out one piece...do not also Xref the pipe drawing. See that other thread I linked to, it has more detailed steps to take.

[ggrembowiec]

Yupp, read the thread and I do not have any xref'd pipe network files or any civil 3d dref's as xref's  in that drawing only 2d linework as xrefs. So there is no way to cause a possible loop of dref with xref. The one thing that does ring a bell is that these drawings were originally created with civil 3D 2010 and were converted to 2017. Except, this was never an issue in v2010.

If you couldn't tell we upgraded to the current Civil 3D this year- as for most of the time, I wouldn't quite be calling it an upgrade as for a Civil firm.

[Jeff_M]

What about the design files? Are the pipe networks ever xref'ef and Dref'ed into the same drawing? Not sure if this would be the cause, just trying to think of other scenarios that would stop the auto-sync at dwg open.

[ggrembowiec]

In the design files there should be no doubling up of the same file as a dref as well as xref. I know that the drefs are viewed in other design files because of pipe crossings.. if we were doing proposed storm say.. all existing utilities which would be dref'd into the drawing in order to see elevations of the pipe crossing for accurate storm design in profile along with existing topo surface and proposed surfaces. Any Civil 3D elements we use are strictly only civil 3D for drefs. If we want to show items in plan view we only use 2D linework in xrefs.. This is also in part that the styles for civil 3D elements do not work as quickly or as well as simple 2d line work would for line types/ fading/xreffing on and off/ and sheet size..etc.. The biggest negative of this is.. say you need to move a utility because of an error of its location er something..you would have to change it in two places..once in the 2D linework drawing and once in the civil 3d pipe network drawing of that utility.

-Also I don't know if I mentioned this but everything is syncing perfectly fine except for the dref'd alignment's "in drawing surface profile" of a dref'd surface

[Joe-Bouza]

Changing a DS profile from static to dynamic sounds suspect? I never see any available options to modify a DS object in a referencing drawing. Interesting

[ggrembowiec]

The profile is not Dref'd.. its a Dref alignment with an in drawing surface profile with a dref'd alignment.

[BrianHailey]

When you originally sent me the drawings, I was able to replicate the issue, the profile would not update unless it was changed from dynamic to static and then back again. Between classes and presentations, I've been looking into this and I just tried it again today as I was going to send a support request up to Autodesk and it seems to be working just fine. The only thing I can think of that I changed on my system between the testing was I installed the AutoCAD (not Civil 3D) service pack and the Map 3D service pack.

[ggrembowiec]

That is interesting, I've maybe switched twice in my lifetime to the basic CAD mode..Not much use for the original anymore. But are you suggesting to use service packs on Basic and the Map workspace... but still work in the Civil 3D workspace? I thought Autodesk just releases one service pack for all?

Or, is something just not jiving in the Civil 3D realm and everywhere else it works as it should?

[ggrembowiec]

Also if you could link me to those two packs, if separate. I will give it a go and test it out. I am definitely getting tired of the wait time on a SYNCHRONIZE REFERENCE for every drawing I load, just for the guarantee of accurate information from these drefs.

[BrianHailey]

Autodesk used to bundle all the AutoCAD and Map 3D service pack fixes in with the Civil 3D update but that changed fairly recently. Now, there is one AutoCAD service pack for all AutoCAD based programs and then, on top of that, are the vertical application fixes (such as Civil 3D). The service packs are available through accounts.autodesk.com. If you don't have permission to access them, you'll need to talk to your account manager. They should also be available via the Autodesk Desktop Application which should be available in your Windows system tray (that area down at the bottom right with the clock).

[piermattei]

Did you try flipping the section from dynamic to static and then back to dynamic?

[ggrembowiec · Accepted solution]

(Command "SYNCHRONIZEREFERENCES") added to the  Acaddoc.lsp ... is a lisp routine that runs on default when any drawing opens is the solution that had worked 100% of the time.

[piermattei]

That solution is not applicable. I am in the xref. There are no xrefs. The profiles and sections do not update

[ggrembowiec]

That is not what this thread is about. If you read the thread its about datashortcuts (D'refs) not automatically updating. If you are having this problem you should post it as a question elsewhere.