Sometimes it is necessary to save a Civil 3D 2012 file for another user that is running an older CAD version of AutoCAD. Civil 3D 2012 provides two menu items that both appear to be able to accomplish this however, they don't produce the same results. If you are in a 2012 drawing and select "Save As" "AutoCad Drawing" from the application menu, you'll see a pop up window where you will be able to select a file name and a file type. Saving a CAD file to an older version using this method will allow you to open the file in an older version of CAD but you may not have all of the Civil 3D 2012 settings available.
The first indication that this has happened is if you see this notice when opening a Civil 3D 2010 drawing.
"This drawing was created with a newer version of Civil 3D. All entities created by Civil 3D within the drawing are in a proxy state. Additionally, all commands, settings, and displays of Civil 3D are disabled for this drawing."
A better way to save a 2012 drawing to an older version is to use "Export" "AutoCAD DWG" from the application menu. From this menu select a version that matches or is closest to the one that will be used to open the CAD file. Using this method should preserve all or most of the commands, settings and displays from the newer version. Maybe the next release of Civil 3D will resolve some of these version compatibility issues.
Thanks,
William
Monday, April 9, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Complimentary Civil 3D Training
Wed. April 11, 2012
12:00pm - 1:00pm CT
Sponsored by Eagle Point software
Eagle Point Software invites you to join us for a complimentary training class* on how to grade a site in AutoCAD Civil 3D.
Attend "Grading Groups" to learn:
• How to use feature lines and grading groups to create a proposed surface.
• How to create the proposed surface automatically and how that surface is dynamically linked to the grading group.
This in-depth look at grading groups provides information that is extremely helpful when designing
*This is a live, instructor-led class delivered via GoTo Meeting.
12:00pm - 1:00pm CT
Sponsored by Eagle Point software
Eagle Point Software invites you to join us for a complimentary training class* on how to grade a site in AutoCAD Civil 3D.
Attend "Grading Groups" to learn:
• How to use feature lines and grading groups to create a proposed surface.
• How to create the proposed surface automatically and how that surface is dynamically linked to the grading group.
This in-depth look at grading groups provides information that is extremely helpful when designing
*This is a live, instructor-led class delivered via GoTo Meeting.
Acronym Online
http://acronymonline.org/top-ways-government-utilizing-autocad-software/?elq=fe80d13ca13b43b484896f6f1117e2b7&elqCampaignId=90
Friday, February 10, 2012
New source for AutoCAD training
Global eTraining by Digital School offers training materials for AutoCAD and AutoCAD Civil 3D at reasonable prices. The courses are not instructor led but instead are a collection of training materials that when purchased are available to you online for an entire year to use at your own pace.
The options available are as follows....
Full Course Library $845 per user
Guided Option $525 per user
Flexible Option $395 per user
Certification Option $149 per user
Compare this to DC CADD which can cost up to $1000 per person for one 4 day instructor led course.
This might be a good alternative if training budgets are tight.
You can get more detail on what is offered with each option by following this link to the Global eTraining website.
http://www.globaletraining.ca/autocad/index.php
Thanks,
William
The options available are as follows....
Full Course Library $845 per user
Guided Option $525 per user
Flexible Option $395 per user
Certification Option $149 per user
Compare this to DC CADD which can cost up to $1000 per person for one 4 day instructor led course.
This might be a good alternative if training budgets are tight.
You can get more detail on what is offered with each option by following this link to the Global eTraining website.
http://www.globaletraining.ca/autocad/index.php
Thanks,
William
Monday, January 30, 2012
Autodesk Certification Day
On February 10th, 2012, Autodesk will be offering discounted certification exams for a select group of 2012 products. These include.....
• AutoCAD 2012
• AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012
• Autodesk Inventor 2012
• Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012
The normal cost for these certification exams is $75 for the Associate Exam and $125 for the Professional Exam. However on February 10th Autodesk will be offering these exams for a $25 registration fee and because SARA is a subscription customer you get $20 back.
That means each exam only costs you $5. This is a great deal if feel you are ready to take one of these exams.
The Associate exam is 60 minutes long and is multiple choice which requires a score of 77 to pass and obtain your certification.
The professional exam is a 90 minutes long hands-on exam using the Autodesk software and requires a passing score of 80. To obtain the Certified Professional certification you must pass both exams.
Upon successfully passing, both your name and certification number gets listed in the certified professional database and you receive a digital certificate and logo.
It's a great way to let your employer and others know that you possess the CAD skills that set you apart from the average user.
• AutoCAD 2012
• AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012
• Autodesk Inventor 2012
• Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012
The normal cost for these certification exams is $75 for the Associate Exam and $125 for the Professional Exam. However on February 10th Autodesk will be offering these exams for a $25 registration fee and because SARA is a subscription customer you get $20 back.
That means each exam only costs you $5. This is a great deal if feel you are ready to take one of these exams.
The Associate exam is 60 minutes long and is multiple choice which requires a score of 77 to pass and obtain your certification.
The professional exam is a 90 minutes long hands-on exam using the Autodesk software and requires a passing score of 80. To obtain the Certified Professional certification you must pass both exams.
Upon successfully passing, both your name and certification number gets listed in the certified professional database and you receive a digital certificate and logo.
It's a great way to let your employer and others know that you possess the CAD skills that set you apart from the average user.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Exporting to shapefile
Since our last upgrade to arcmap 10.0 took place I've started having problems exporting shapefiles from Autocad civil 3D 2010 and 2012 to ArcMap compatible files. Using "mapexport" in Civil 3d to export my polygons worked without any problems when sharing between Civil 3D 2010 and ArcMap 9.* but not with this newer version.
Trying to add your shapefile into ArcMap 10 will produce a window with the following message....
"Open Failed"
"Error opening feature class"
"Number of shapes does not match the number of table records"
The file should be repairable by using ArcCatalog however files with this type of error are not even accessable by ArcCatalog. The best solution I've found is to use a program called "shapecheck.exe" When running shapecheck you'll be asked for the path and name of the shapefile needing repair. After selecting the file follow the onscreen instrucitons to "Build SHX" then "Check DBF" and lastly selecting quit to exit the program.
Running my shape files through this program takes only a couple of seconds and results in useable shape files with no known issues or problems. At this point I am not sure if this is an isolated problem with my installation so I haven't made this repair program available on our server. If you are having this same problem with your shape files please contact me so I can provide you with a copy of shapecheck.exe
Thanks,
William
Trying to add your shapefile into ArcMap 10 will produce a window with the following message....
"Open Failed"
"Error opening feature class"
"Number of shapes does not match the number of table records"
The file should be repairable by using ArcCatalog however files with this type of error are not even accessable by ArcCatalog. The best solution I've found is to use a program called "shapecheck.exe" When running shapecheck you'll be asked for the path and name of the shapefile needing repair. After selecting the file follow the onscreen instrucitons to "Build SHX" then "Check DBF" and lastly selecting quit to exit the program.
Running my shape files through this program takes only a couple of seconds and results in useable shape files with no known issues or problems. At this point I am not sure if this is an isolated problem with my installation so I haven't made this repair program available on our server. If you are having this same problem with your shape files please contact me so I can provide you with a copy of shapecheck.exe
Thanks,
William
Friday, September 9, 2011
Civil 3D 2012 text hotfix
A new discovery in Civil 3D 2012 is text that cannot be modified. I experienced this the other day when trying to label and dimension a CAD drawing. The text was immune to all efforts to move, erase, rotate, etc. the text was somehow locked into it's current state. It would dissapear after executing the command but reappear after a regen. If you experience this problem I recommend using this hotfix to return the text to an editable state.
1. At the command prompt type DTEXTED. (This is the dtext editor mode selector.)
2. Type 1 & Press [ENTER]. (Setting the dtext editor mode 2 = new dynamic edit
in place mode & 1 = classic edit text in dialog box.)
3. Type AUDIT. Press Y to fix all errors. (Forces Civil 3d to stop locking items
& use new mode)
4. Save your drawing and now you will not have the problem with the locked out
text.(Object was open for read = error)
Dont forget to run the Audit command after changing the Dtext editor or the changes wont work.
Hope this helps.
1. At the command prompt type DTEXTED. (This is the dtext editor mode selector.)
2. Type 1 & Press [ENTER]. (Setting the dtext editor mode 2 = new dynamic edit
in place mode & 1 = classic edit text in dialog box.)
3. Type AUDIT. Press Y to fix all errors. (Forces Civil 3d to stop locking items
& use new mode)
4. Save your drawing and now you will not have the problem with the locked out
text.(Object was open for read = error)
Dont forget to run the Audit command after changing the Dtext editor or the changes wont work.
Hope this helps.
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