Civil 3d 2016 Link to a Data Shortcut Dialog Box

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. 

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.



Image: Link to data shortcut dialog box being used to replace an alignment.

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Kate Ming

AEC 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.

Solution to a Surface not Syncing in Sheets

The Problem

While on tech support I came across a case where a surface was not automatically updating when opening a sheet drawing. The person had created a design sheet set using the Civil 3D sheet creation function. He then had an issue with the surface contours and labels not automatically syncing when he batch plotted. The plot would be missing the surface contours and labels. He would have to go into each sheet drawing and manually synchronize the reference, which for a few files is fine. When you have upwards of 5 sheets, it is a pain to have to open each drawing and synchronize the surface reference. It’s much easier to just run a batch plot. Unfortunately, it is a known issue with Civil 3D that the Autodesk development team is working on. In the meantime, there is a work around. 

The Solution

What you will need to do is add “SYNCHRONIZEREFERENCES” command to the startup lisp routine (ACADDOC.lsp). The ACADDOC.lsp file is invoked every time a drawing is opened, and thus the synchronize references command will run each time a drawing is opened. The acaddoc.lsp is something that needs to be created because it is not out-of-the box customization. You can use notepad to create this file if it was not already created by your company as part of the software install. It requires lisp coding. I recommend putting the file in the following folder location "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2015\Support”. 

Additionally, you cannot run a batch plot in the background for this solution to work. 

Information about Auto-Loading and Running AutoLISP Routines.

More information from Autodesk support. 

For more information on Autodesk products, continue to check out our blog. Additionally, visit our website for information on training and consulting for the various products Ideate services, visit our website.

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Kate Ming, P.E.
Ideate AEC Application Specialist

Kate is an Application Specialist at Ideate, Inc. and a Professional Engineer with 6 years of industry experience. At Ideate, Kate provides training, consulting and technical support services for our customers.