workflow and dwg file setup

[MKH-VB]

guys, I am having a heck of a time figuring out a good workflow with c3d.  Typically I have created a "base" file.  Connecting the dots from my survey crew drawing all data from the survey. Within this base I would create a surface, pipe network, alignments, etc.   I then xref this dwg to my "sheets", using the dview command to rotate the base to match the viewports needed.  As my projects get larger, this seems to be an a "not so good" way of working, especially if I want to use c3d labels.

I'm wondering how everyone else is doing this?  I can create a data reference in my sheet using my base file, but if the pipes are shown in my base, and in my sheet, I have them on top of each other.  Hope this makes sense.  Just looking for a little workflow guidance here. Thanks

[samir_rezk]

Hi @MKH-VB 

I know many will disagree with me, but a simple rule I follow is to never Xref Civil objects (parcels is the only exception)! If a drawing contains Civil 3D objects then it is prohibited from AutoCAD’s Xref functionality! Design and base drawings either contain only AutoCAD objects or only Civil 3D objects (never both together in the same drawing!) this set up enables me to data reference the Civil 3D objects whenever needed, and compliment with Xref for AutoCAD planametric line work for context.

For a base survey, I would create the surface and utilities in one file and an additional file containing only 2D line work of the existing conditions. Then in the design or sheet file use data reference and Xref to bring the data together and label as necessary.

hope this gives you an idea to consider!

[Anonymous]

Agreed. We xref the 2D basemap, the property and R/W lines and the new street lines (we're the water utility and the street designers provide us a simple dwg with proposed street lines). Everything else is data ref'd in and display controlled by the style.

You should get familiar with using view frames and sheet creation, along with sheet set manager. There's no messing with DVIEW, everything is automatic. The only thing I ever do out of the ordinary is in the paper space viewport (*only* - not in model space) set the UCS to be parallel with the view frame for annotation purposes.

[jroot]

Call us what you will (old-school, simple, etc.) we do everything all in one drawing. No Drefs, no xrefs.  We mostly do plats, condos and site plans and while some DWGs can get quite a few alignments and profiles in them - and the DWGs can get upwards of 30 MB - our machines can handle them no problem. 

Workflow:

Engineers start a basemap and concept design.

Surveyors go topo, topo gets drawn in Survey Department.

Engineers take it from there with construction design/plans.

Back to surveyors at staking time to get coordinates for field crews.

We very rarely have the need for 2 people to be in the same DWG at the same time.  When we share a DWG with a client, they also get everything in one DWG (unless we strip it down).

[MKH-VB]

@jroot that's pretty much how we are doing it...problem is we like to use notes in paper space, and as the dwg get busier with c3d data, labels are hard to use when you xref them in from the "base".  It was easier to draft when it was just "texted based" notes.  I'm an old guy too!

[jroot]

We do our proposed notes in paperspace too.  We gave the Pipes program a go but just can't get the labels to look as nice in plan or profile.  

[Anonymous]

Taking the time to set up decent label styles will save you a ton of time and be less prone to error since the machine is doing it.

I work at a city where several agencies or departments design collaboratively. It goes something like:
Survey

Field Survey where all shots are shown, the EG DTM built, and existing pipe network modeling happens, etc. They don't necessarily do alignments.

Basemap which is the field survey cleaned up and labeled and reduced to 2D

Ownership - property lines

Streets

Alignment drawing

Corridor drawing

Street linework drawing.

Sewers

Sewers drawing that has pipe networks in it

Water

The water distribution design.

Traffic Engr

Signage, striping, electrical, etc.

Every department published data refs. We (water) data ref in the sewers so we no there are no conflicts. We have styles set up so that the sewers appear the water plan sheets how *we* want them to. There are no xrefs involved except as mentioned in my last post. I hate xrefs, they dog Acrud down way to much. Data refs work great. We get all the surface data available to us, but don't have to look at or accidentally select a contour (i.e. entire surface) because we do not want contours on water sheets - we just want the dam pipe to be 6 ft down. And of course everything is dynamic.

We all use plan production tools and sheet set manager extensively - to plot entire or partial plan sets with title blocks populated automatically, etc. We have templates set up so that much of the labeling is automatic. We don't use a streets or sewer template to do water plans. We have tool palettes set up for standard notes, symbols, pay items (yes we use QTO too, and it's great when set up and used properly), etc. we use a bootstrap startup lisp that sets all the support paths, etc. to networked locations. we run a regedit tool to make sure everyone uses the same catalogs.

In other words, we're paying $thousand$ for this big box of tools and it is my intent, as water CAD manager, that we use every one of them that we can.I want it fast, accurate, easy, foolproof and such that we have consistency across the utility no matter who is doing the plans.

I do a lot of work in the background on CAD manager stuff.