Here at Ideate, I’ve been looking over the new features in Civil 3D 2016. There is a new dialog box “Link to a Data Shortcut” which makes updating and using data shortcuts even easier.
You can find this new function on the manage tab in the data shortcuts panel, as seen below.
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| Image: Select the Manage Data Shortcuts button to access the Link to a Data Shortcut dialog box |
You can use this box to see repair data shortcuts and to replace data shortcuts.
It’s most useful improvement is to replace drawing objects with a different data shortcut. As an example, let’s say you have a corridor built on one alternative of a road alignment. The alignment comes from a data shortcut. The same road has a few other alignment alternatives in the file that has the original alignment. You’d like to switch the alignment in the corridor to a different alternative for analysis. In previous versions of the Civil 3D you would have to create a data reference for the alternative alignment and then recreate the corridor, which is a multi-step process.
Now you can simply replace the alignment that the corridor was made with the other alignment through the Link to a Data Short Cut dialog box. The column on the left represents the objects that exist in the drawing. The column on the right are the objects in the data short cut project. You simply select the alignment on the left that you’d like to replace. You then select the alignment on the right that you’d like to replace it with and you select the link button in the middle. This replaces the old alignment with the new one and the corridor is automatically updated. Refer to the image below.
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| Image: Link to data shortcut dialog box being used to replace an alignment. |
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Kate MingAEC Application Specialist
Kate is a California licensed civil engineer with a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. Prior to Ideate, she worked at a multinational company for four years doing general civil design on large infrastructure projects. She is versed in roadway, rail, utility design and site development. She also has experience with utility demand analysis and Low Impact Development plans. As a Civil 3D Autodesk Certified Professional Kate provides training and support for Civil 3D, AutoCAD, and InfraWorks.
