Template upgrade to 2018

[sjgoessling]

Looking to update our template from everyday use on 2015 to 2018. I'm not overwriting just wanting to do a saveas for 2018. I've never looked, but is there a proper procedure for doing this, especially when dealing with Survey Database items. Thanks.

[Todd_Rogers · Accepted solution]

Just open it in 2018, do a save as and you should be good to go. Keep in mind, with survey databases, it will prompt you to upgrade them if you open them in 2018.

[kzD1219]

"Just open it in 2018, do a save as and you should be good to go. Keep in mind, with survey databases, it will prompt you to upgrade them if you open them in 2018."

I have a question about this.  We have a 2017 Civil 3d template with of course autocad settings and civil 3d point settings.  If you open the template in civil 3d 2018, do the Toospace prospector settings migrate without any issues?  There are a lot of things set up in our 2017 templates and I don't want to have to set up all the civil 3d settings all over again in 2018.

[M_c3d]

Toolspace settings - do you mean pipe network catalogs or styles and default styles etc?

In terms of upgrading a template I normally;

• open the new template,
• set the old template as the cad standards
• get it to check and change all the civil 3d layers in the new template to that of the old template (colour). 
• I then do an import styles and settings command a few times to get it all set up correctly.

Going from 2017 to 2018 was problematic, because the UKIE template was updated to the BS1192 layering convention, which meant i had to rename all the old template layers to match the new template layers before doing the layer switch over using the layer standards check.  There was a lot of mistakes in the OOTB 2018 UKIE template and it means that I will probably need to go through the layer renaming pain again when r2019 comes out.

[kzD1219]

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@M_c3d wrote:

Toolspace settings - do you mean pipe network catalogs or styles and default styles etc?

In terms of upgrading a template I normally;

• open the new template,
• set the old template as the cad standards
• get it to check and change all the civil 3d layers in the new template to that of the old template (colour). 
• I then do an import styles and settings command a few times to get it all set up correctly.

Going from 2017 to 2018 was problematic, because the UKIE template was updated to the BS1192 layering convention, which meant i had to rename all the old template layers to match the new template layers before doing the layer switch over using the layer standards check.  There was a lot of mistakes in the OOTB 2018 UKIE template and it means that I will probably need to go through the layer renaming pain again when r2019 comes out.

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The settings and default styles.  We have custom civil 3d points, description keys, labels, all that good stuff that needs to be converted.  

[M_c3d]

Those are template specific not version specific, if you do as @Todd_Rogers suggests and save your template up this will work, or if you do as I suggested in my last post this will also work.

[AllenJessup]

Not to contradict any of the advice here. After having a few problems with templates updated using Saveas. I started by opening the OOTB _AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS template for the new year and using  IMPORTSTYLESANDSETTINGS to bring in most of what we need. It's not perfect but seems to yield a cleaner template. But maybe others don't have a problem with junk collecting in the template. I think I was using the Saveas method from 2009 to 2015.

[M_c3d]

I agree with @AllenJessup I much prefer a clean template that is created from scratch for each new version

[sfore]

If he would simply do a 'saveas' of older version template in newer version C3D, then 'Standard' style will be the only style shown for any new features that may have been added.

I made that mistake going from I believe 2010 to 2011 when Lidar classification styles were added. I didn't have them. All I had was 'Standard' style. There were other styles too where only 'Standard' style was shown in settings. It may have been appurtances or pressure pipes. So I had to open up the shipped template (_AutoCAD Civil 3D (Imperial) NCS.dwt) and drag over all the styles I didn't have to give me a basis to start revising what I needed.

By doing a 'saveas' of the new shipped template, then importing styles and settings from old template into new template will ensure that he has any new features/styles added. It's a cleanup pain but will ensure he has all styles, any new pipe materials etc..... I try and keep the majority of the style names the same so my old style (names) replace current styles. Of course I can't do this for all my styles because I have so many that's not shipped by default.

I will admit its a cleanup pain with styles and layers but produces a clean template with all the latest.

[klugb]

I agree with Allen and the others about NOT doing a save as. It will cause problems down the line, especially when you switch DWG  versions like 2013-2018.

One problem with the method of importing styles & settings is that you don't get everything. We have custom parts lists that don't come over and a fair amount of custom expressions that have to be recreated in the new template. You end up with a more stable template, so it's worth it.

[M_c3d]

I missed the most important step from my process, I insert my old template as a block into the new template and this brings in the part lists;

• open the new template,
• Insert the block into the new template
• set the old template as the cad standards
• get it to check and change all the civil 3d layers in the new template to that of the old template (colours). 
• I then do an import styles and settings command a few times to get it all set up correctly.

[kzD1219]

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@M_c3d wrote:

I missed the most important step from my process, I insert my old template as a block into the new template and this brings in the part lists;

• open the new template,
• Insert the block into the new template
• set the old template as the cad standards
• get it to check and change all the civil 3d layers in the new template to that of the old template (colours). 
• I then do an import styles and settings command a few times to get it all set up correctly.

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So you just make a block of your 2017 template, no linework drawn or anything in it?  Then insert it, do you explode the block once inserted into a new template?  Is that even possible if it is blank? 

This sounds like what was previously done by another that isn't working here anymore.  I will definitely be testing this out.  There are so many civil 3d points, codes, label styles, and things I am not even aware of that have been put in these templates that it would take to long to set up everything all over again. 

[M_c3d]

I don't block it;

1. I simply insert the whole drawing (2017 tempalte (.dwt) saved as dwg) as a block into civil 3d 2018 template(doesn't need the explode option ticked).

This brings in all the styles, parts lists etc.

2. I then set the old template drawing as the cad standard and do a layer colour check for the 2017 template versus 2018 template and change all the colours to that of the 2017 template.

3. I then do an import styles and settings (3 or 4 times), yes this will bring the settings in again but crucially it will set the default settings for all the styles you inserted in step 1.  It seems to take multiple times to set everything rather than just 1 time.

I've done this on every version for many years and it has never failed.

It became complicated in UKIE 2018 as I had to rename all the 2017 dwg layers to that of the UKIE 2018 template (they changed to suit BS1192).  It will probably need done again in 2019 as they were wrong in the OOTB UKIE 2018 tempalte.  But if you're not from the UK you won't need to worry about that.