Working with featurelines, what is best practice to use with staging?

[mvanitallieTWCFH]

All,

Per my snip below, I have a large site that I am working on with multiple stages. Total model design is completed and I currently have all feature lines on the same layer with a few different 'sites' as needed to address grading constraints.  

I am asking for what the collective group sees as the best practice to document stages from the completed whole model.  See snip for the area I would like to isolate out from the other feature lines.  This is an issue when showing the entire site, stage 1 works only, I would not be able to freeze off the feature lines from the future stages as they are all on the same layer.  Additionally, I did not use 'sites' to isolate stages.

I know there are approximately 23,574 ways to do this, but looking for an example workflow that suits multi-stage commercial sites.

Thank you!

[BrianHailey]

I'm not exactly sure what it is you're trying to accomplish. Is this a phasing plan (where you want to show the grading for phase one of the project as proposed and then on another sheet show phase one as existing and phase two as proposed) or are you using the feature lines as production linework and you simply don't want to see some of them?

And you're close, there's actually 23,575 ways to do it, you forgot about the way that @jmayo-EE does it.

[MichaelH13]

Typically, features lines are not plotted. At least, it's not a work flow I've seen done in my office.

What I've seen done is using hatching and boundary polylines to show staging. Each stage on its own layer of course. Then, if you have stages that creep into other drawings, you just grey out that layer in a viewport override. 

[mvanitallieTWCFH]

Thank you @BrianHailey.  This will be a phasing plan as you have noted but I was trying to find a way to use the feature lines per phase.  

Sounds like I need to not have my feature lines in the production drawings as the best method.

[mvanitallieTWCFH]

Thank you @MichaelH13 ,  I do not think I will be able to use my feature lines in the production drawings.

[Neilw_05]

I typically put all fl on a common no plot layer as you are doing. There are exceptions such as when they are generated by the software such as gradings, corridors, etc. That workflow typically involves having the plottable line work as 2D elements in a separate dwg or on plottable layers. To address phasing, our layer standards schema provides ways to classify them by phase so they can be stylized as needed in various scenarios. Surface models can be clipped using the crop function to create dynamic sub models from the master design model (learn about cropped surfaces in the help system). Part of the workflow can include inserting xref's multiple times using clipping and masking techniques to control their stylization for the phases. There are numerous options for annotation (i.e. in xref vs. live in the sheets), using shortcuts, etc. As a general principle, you want the dynamic labels live in the sheets in order to deal with conflicts, page orientation, etc. Thus using shortcuts is a key part of the workflow. The big challenge then is how to control the phases with shortcuts. For example, how do you control which pipe network parts come in for each phase? You don't want to create separate networks for that scenario. Thus you will probably have to deal with it using styles within the sheets. Ultimately you will have to figure out the details for your specific project.

I'll share a tip I learned from a tech at ATG about using shortcuts on phased projects. If you need to access shortcuts that are used in other phases or projects, you can temporarily set the shortcut folder to that project, create the references, then change the folder back to your current project. Those objects in the other projects will remain dynamic even though they are not in your current project. Run some tests to see how it works. 

[jmayo-EE]

I don't think we do anything outside of the C3D best practices box, but generally speaking we do not want to load our grading designs into our productions sheets. We typically start projects with a 2D base plan (one for existing, another for proposed) to work out horizontal design before going vertical. These 2D drawing have no civil 3D objects. They are basically filled with nothing but 2d plines, survey symbols and maybe zone zoning tables. These 2d drawings go into the production drawings with existing and design surfaces come in with data shortcuts. As for phasing I would typically have one dwg per phase. If it was a very small project we may use one file with different layers for each phase.

John

[tcorey]

I'm surprised to hear you aren't using sites. And the feature lines are all on the same layer. Separate them with Styles, I guess.

[mvanitallieTWCFH]

Thanks Neil, that is a great tip regarding using different Data Reference folders and xref multiple times in the same production drawing.  I did not know that was possible.

I like the idea of creating a separate style for pipe networks in future stages.  This will help me a great deal on this project.  Thank you!