• Autodesk Civil 3D
• August 26, 2020
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1. Civil 3d Training
2. Civil 3d 2017
3. Civil Autocad 3d

What’s new in Civil 3D Discover the newest features in Civil 3D® civil engineering design software. Note: Some features of Civil 3D are available only through the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Collection. Civil 3D is a civil infrastructure design and documentation software. You can streamline tasks, maintain consistent data, and respond to changes quickly with Civil 3D. Apr 16, 2020 Civil 3D 2018, 2019, and 2020 can all work with drawings created and/or saved in Civil 3D 2021! 2 – Corridor Interoperability with Infraworks Many of you have used Infraworks to develop a conceptual design of a road or site prior to bringing that model into Civil 3D to perform the more detailed design.

Ready to get started? Download a free trial Buy now System requirements for Civil 3D 2021 Operating System 64-bit Microsoft® Windows® 10 64-bit Microsoft Windows 8.1 See Autodesk’s Product Support Lifecycle for support information. Processor Minimum: 2.5–2. What’s new in Civil 3D Discover the newest features in Civil 3D® civil engineering design software. Note: Some features of Civil 3D are available only through the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Collection.

Fresh off the heels of the release of AutoCAD 2021.1 is none other than Civil 3D 2021.1. Like the AutoCAD update, the Civil 3D 2021.1 update introduces general fixes to the software while also adding some handy new features too. Traditionally the fall update, or “little-r” release as I like to call it, introduces several handy new features, but nothing spectacular. I find Autodesk traditionally saves flagship new features to the spring release when we advance to the new version number.

A pleasant surprise to me with Civil 3D 2021.1 is the introduction of what I consider a flagship new feature in the form of Project Explorer. With it, you will gain several new ways to interact with, modify and report upon the design elements that comprise your model. Moving on from Project Explorer, we find several smaller, but no less handy new features introduced to Civil 3D. For me, my favorites are the new Feature Line tools, but the work you do will undoubtably influence what your favorites are. Let’s jump in to explore some of the features you will find inside Civil 3D 2021.1.

Civil 3D Project Explorer

The flagship new feature of Civil 3D 2021.1 is Project Explorer. If you have followed Autodesk news over the last year, you may recall that Autodesk acquired Project Explorer from 3AM Solutions in the UK. As a point of reference, 3AM Solutions is the same company Autodesk acquired DynamiteVSP, now known as Civil View, from back in 2010.

Project Explorer gives you a whole new way to review, analyze, and edit your project. With it, you can explore model elements without worrying about the documentation overhead of Civil 3D. For example, you can review the profile and cross sections of a road design entirely in Project Explorer without touching profile views and section views.

Additionally, Project Explorer provides several simple, but often wished for features. Among my favorites is the ability to set a constant pipe run slope. Beyond that, Project Explorer also extends the conventional reporting abilities of Civil 3D. With it, you can generate customizable reports, generate dynamic AutoCAD tables (not to be confused with Civil 3D tables) from Civil 3D data, and more.

From my limited beta use of Project Explorer, I really like what I see. This is undoubtably a tool that I am excited to put into the hands of the end-users I support to see how they begin integrating it into their daily workflows.

A few things to note about Project Explorer. While Autodesk is advertising it as part of the Civil 3D 2021.1 update, it is not part of the Civil 3D 2021.1 download. Instead it is a separate download and install. The reason for that is Project Explorer is only available to subscribers of the AEC Collection. If you only subscribe to Civil 3D as an individual product, Project Explorer is not available to you. Additionally, for those with multi-user licenses, you will likely need to generate a new license file to gain access to Project Explorer.

Civil 3D Feature Line Editing

Beyond Project Explorer, some of my favorite features inside Civil 3D 2021.1 are the Feature Line enhancements.

New Insert Points At Crossing Locations command.

Civil 3D has long placed a split point PVI where two Feature Lines intersect. While this has helped make sure intersecting Feature Lines share a common elevation, split point PVIs do not allow you to edit or specify an elevation. The new Insert Points At Crossing Locations command will insert a regular PVI or Elevation point where two Features Lines intersect. As a PVI or Elevation Point like any other on your Feature Line, you gain all the same editing capabilities as the other PVIs and Elevation Points in your project.

New Set Grade/Slope Across Feature Lines command

Think of this as a supercharged Similar to the Set Grade/Slope Between Points command. Where the Similar to the Set Grade/Slope Between Points command is limited to a single Feature Line, the new Set Grade/Slope Across Feature Lines command allows you to set the grade or slope across multiple Feature Lines. The only requirement to make this work is the Feature Lines must share a PI or Elevation Point at their intersection. This is where the previously mentioned Insert Points At Crossing Locations command can come in handy; placing those PI or Elevation Points if they don’t already exist.

New Set Corridor Baseline Elevation by Reference command

Similar to the Set Feature Line Elevation by Reference command, the new Set Corridor Baseline Elevation by Reference command allows you to set the elevation of a point on a feature-line based corridor at a given grade or slope from a specified location. While I haven’t seen too many people adopt Corridors for full parking lot design, I have noticed more feature-line based corridors for various site elements. For that, I see this new Feature Line editing command to be a great addition to Civil 3D.

Pressure Networks

Civil 3D 2021 was already a big release for Pressure Pipes, but Civil 3D 2021.1 extends that even further. Among my favorite Pressure Pipe additions is new Add/Move/Remove Vertical Bends. With it, you can interact with vertical pipe bends the way you probably always expected them to behave. You can place bends, move the bend by sliding its location along the pipe run, and if you remove the bend, everything heals back in place. This simple functionality has long been a pain point of mine when using Pressure Pipes in Civil 3D, and certainly a feature that will make Pressure Pipes more useable for users.

Fixed Issues

Beyond the new features found inside this release is a lengthy list of issues Autodesk has fixed. You can find the complete list of issues fixed by consulting the Civil 3D documentation, but some highlights include.

Autodesk Collaboration for Civil 3D

First introduced to Civil 3D 2020, Autodesk continues to make improvements to Collaboration for Civil 3D (formerly BIM 360 Design and Collaboration for Revit). While the initial introduction of Collaboration for Civil 3D added essential functionality to the software, it did omit some important functionality. Civil 3D 2021.1 closes many of those gaps by adding support for Sheet Set Manager data files (DST). Now when you upload a DST file to BIM 360, all sheets that are part of that Sheet Set will also be uploaded to BIM 360.

In addition to the new Sheet Set Manger functionality, Civil 3D 2021.1 also adds support for Civil 3D Reference Templates. If you are using Civil 3D Reference Templates on a drawing you upload to BIM 360, the Reference Template will also be uploaded to BIM 360. Likewise, as others open that drawing, the associated Reference Template will be downloaded.

A Note about BIM 360

To continue using BIM 360 services after installing Civil 3D 2021.1, you will also need to update the Autodesk Desktop Connector application.

In Summary…

Project Explorer is something I would consider a major new feature for Civil 3D. While I wish its licensing was a little less confusing for Civil 3D users, it is a feature I am pleasantly surprised to see added to the “little-r” release. While I hoped the tool would be added to the 2021.1 release, I did not expect to see it until the 2022 release in the spring.

Beyond that, the Civil 3D 2021.1 update is what you are come to expect of the fall update to Civil 3D. Autodesk has added several small but significant new features to the current release of the software. As such, I see the update as one worth taking the time to download and install on your machine.

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For me, the Feature Line tools are among my favorite new features found inside the release, but it is likely you’ll find your own favorites. Go give Civil 3D 2021. 1 a try and let me know what your favorite new feature is in the comments below.

YES!! Another release of Civil 3D, just as you probably finished installing the latest 2020 “fix”. That was somewhat sarcastic, but I do see some much needed improvements to Autodesk Civil 3D 2021 and all other 2021 products. Anymore, we can’t just look at what’s new in our hero product, but all other complimentary products as well, so I will briefly mention a few of those.

Version Interoperability

Typically, the first question asked is about prior version interoperability. The AutoCAD format for 2021 is also the 2018 format they previously introduced. Meaning you should have no problem going back and forth between 2018, 2019 and 2020. The only exceptions to Civil 3D objects would be the newer Civil 3D object/features will not go backwards, but this shouldn’t be a problem.

New and Enhanced Pressure Network

One of the bigger changes in Civil 3D 2021 is the introduction of path-based pressure networks, and multiple enhancements to the overall Pressure Network workflows. For those that do a lot of subdivision work, or complex pressure systems, you will really like these changes!

• Pipe Runs – This is a fantastic change to how pressure networks are created and modified. I wish they would do this for gravity networks now. Your pressure network can still remain as one entire network, but you can have separate “runs” within the network. This is great for subdivision development and will make your network much easier to manage.
• Paths – Fittings can be added and updated automatically when grip edited or moved. For example, if you have a 45-degree bend, and you grip edit a portion of a pipe, that bend can now change to the proper angled bend! Very cool addition.

• Pipe Run Profile Settings – If/when you base your network on a cover depth, the pressure network can now remain dynamic to a profile!
• Profile – Better functionality for pressure networks have been introduced, such as adding vertical deflections just as you would a PVI in a profile.

AutoCAD Platform Items

Here are few new things to look forward to in all AutoCAD platform products:

• XREF Compare
  • Similar to the drawing compare feature, you can now compare the changes made to a drawing file attached as an external reference (xref) in the current drawing. Any changes to the referenced drawing or a compared drawing are highlighted using revision clouds. (You can also uncheck this option prior to reloading your XREF, or change the variable to disable it).

• Drawing History Support – (Subscription Benefit)
  • If you save drawing files to a OneDrive, Dropbox, or Box account, additional versions of these drawing files are created as you work, creating a version history. The previous versions will be listed in the new Drawing History palette so you can compare them with the current version of your drawing.
• Trim and Extend
  • I must admit, I can’t stand this change!!Instead of having you select objects or boundaries for the TRIM or EXTEND command, the new “quick” mode selects all potential options by default.
  • To revert back to the standard way or using the Trim/Extend command, type in one of the commands and from the command line choose MODE, then switch to Standard.
• Misc Commands
  • BREAKPOINT – Allows you to break an object at a specified point
  • XCOMPARE – Compares an attached XREF with the latest state of the referenced drawing file, highlighting the differences with color within revision clouds.
  • REVCLOUD – Some nice enhancements to the REVCLOUD command which allows you to control chord length or modify a cloud.
  • XCOMPAREENABLE - Enables the comparison between an xref and the referenced drawing file.
  • TOUCHSCREEN ENHANCEMENTS - I’m not sure if this has been around a while, or I finally got a laptop cool enough to have touch screen capabilities, but there are a couple enhancements to the Pan, Zoom and selection.

Civil 3d 2017

InfraWorks Integration

• Add Bridges to Corridor
  • The workflow between InfraWorks and Civil 3D has been enhanced to add bridges into your corridor design.If these bridges are modified in InfraWorks, you can simply reload them in Civil 3D.
• Interoperability between Civil 3D and InfraWorks for Corridors
  • This enhancement has been needed for a while now! You can now create corridor component roads in InfraWorks from Civil 3D corridors. A corridor component road represents the designed corridor in Civil 3D and is read-only in InfraWorks.
  • When you bring a Civil 3D corridor into InfraWorks as a corridor component road, geometry for the shapes and links is created in the InfraWorks model.

Civil 3D 2020.1, .2 - Now in 2021

Most, if not all, of the 2020 update enhancements have been rolled into the software. Some of the following items below may be of interest and really help in streamlining workflows and enhancing design.

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• Use enhancements to the gravity network analysis including the support for multiple catchments per structure.

• Use the new drainage structure parameter mapping feature to map the parameters of Part Builder parts to parameters that are required for the Analyze Gravity Network command.

• Enhanced reference template features to manage styles and settings.

• The Manage Data Shortcuts command has been updated so you can specify a different data shortcut project path when the current path is still valid.

• Bring ArcGIS data into your Civil 3D drawings and save back, publish, and export data for use in ArcGIS.

• Export feature lines to LandXML files. This is a big benefit for survey and machine-controlled models.

• AASHTO 2018 design standards are included.

DYNAMO

DYNAMO for Civil was introduced in the 2020 release of Civil 3D and exploded with popularity!! The Dynamo Player has now been incorporated directly into Civil 3D, so no need for a separate install, and has enhanced capabilities for use within the civil space.

BIM 360 Document Management (BIM Docs) & Collaboration for Civil 3D

Now I know this is supposed to be an AutoCAD / Civil 3D article, but I really think you need to at least take a look at BIM 360 Docs and the new version of Collaboration for Civil 3D and what it can offer to you and your design workflow.

Three key features that I see, are file locking, file compare and versioning, and the utilization of datashortcuts.

Bryson Anderson wrote a great article in the February 2020 AUGIWorld magazine and explores BIM 360 Collaboration for Civil 3D in great detail.

Conclusion

I may not have covered all the features, and there may not seem like a ton of new features, but the new features and enhanced features will help in your everyday workflows.

I would love to hear from you regarding the new features and features you would like to see added or enhanced. So, feel free to call or email me anytime.

Shawn has been a part of the design engineering community for roughly 15 years in all aspects of design, construction and software implementations. He has implemented and trained companies across the Country on Civil 3D and other infrastructure tools and their best practice workflows. Shawn can be reached for comments or questions at awautocadcivil3dcm@augi.com.