Introduction to Project Explorer for Civil 3D

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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Hi there.

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Welcome to Project Explorer for Civil 3D.

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My name is Stacey Morykin.

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A little bit about me, I have over 20 years

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experience working with Autodesk infrastructure applications

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in both private and public civil engineering practices

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within the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

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I am an Autodesk expert elite.

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And I'm currently employed as an engineering technology manager.

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In this session, we're going to learn how to review, modify,

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validate, and report information from your Civil 3D

00:37

model using Project Explorer.

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First, we'll give a bit of an overview

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about Project Explorer, talk about some

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of the key benefits, where it fits in your design process,

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and how to access and install.

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Next, we'll navigate the Project Explorer interface,

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show you some right-click keyboard shortcuts,

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then we will review, edit, and create Civil 3D design objects,

00:59

including alignment profiles, some corridors, pipe networks,

01:02

and feature lines.

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Last, we'll generate some output, including some object

01:07

sets, layout, and report, exporting to 2D,

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and giving you some options for creating and exporting reports.

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Here is a detailed list of topics

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included in this presentation.

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So let's get started by talking about Project Explorer, what

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it does, and why we use it.

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Project Explorer is an easy to use

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visual interface that enhances model review editing

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and creation.

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You can only use it in Civil 3D.

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It is only for Civil

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It really provides an efficient single interface

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for working with both objects and sub-objects

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with inside Civil 3D.

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You can also quickly generate custom data reports

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and export 2D drawings generated from Civil 3D designs.

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Some of the benefits of implementing

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Project Explorer for everyday Civil 3D workflow tasks

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will be presented next.

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In the next two demonstrations, I'm

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going to show the typical workflow tasks for reviewing

02:09

and editing a roadway corridor.

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In the first video, we'll demonstrate default Civil 3D

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objects.

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Take note to the number of picks and clicks

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and different access points that you will need to do in order

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to accomplish these tasks.

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In the second video, we're going to do that same workflow,

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but we're going to use Project Explorer.

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Take note in a second demonstration how there

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are less clicks and picks.

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And the detailed design parameters

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are more streamlined and easier to access.

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So here's Civil 3D tasks without Project Explorer.

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We're going to take a look at the alignments, specifically

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Second Street.

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We have two profiles, an existing and a finished grade.

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If we go to the alignment properties,

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we can see the station control, masking,

02:59

point of intersection, constraint, editing, and design

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criteria within the properties window.

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If we go to the geometry editor in this dialog box,

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we have open up a second dialog box in order

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to see all of the parameter constraints.

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For Superelevation is yet another interface and dialog

03:21

box, where we then have to go into a tabular editor

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and take a look at all of these start and end stations

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for our Superelevation.

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In this demonstration, we'll do those same tasks,

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but we'll do it with Project Explorer.

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So from the command, we're going to type in Project Explorer

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to open up the dialog box.

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You notice the alignments at the very top?

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We're going to go to Second Street again.

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If we scroll down a little bit, you'll

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see the existing surface as well as the finished grade surface.

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And below that, you'll see the calculated stations,

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those alignment entities in one easy tabular format.

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We can then go over to the Superelevation critical

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stations and take a look at all of those individual parameters

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in a tabular method as well.

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So as you can see, Project Explorer

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consolidates all of those dialog boxes

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into a single interface in reference

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allowing you to quickly see, edit,

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modify any of those parameters.

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So that is one of the key benefits

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of using Project Explorer within your Civil 3D projects.

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So again, some of the key benefits, just an overview,

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it will streamline your review, editing,

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and reporting of your Civil 3D design objects

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in a single interface.

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It is a modeless dialog box, which

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means it'll float over or beside Civil 3D.

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You can work within your Civil

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space and still have the Project Explorer dialog box open.

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All of your Civil 3D objects and sub-objects

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are easily accessible and can be edited directly

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within that dialog box.

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Some of the design reports or data

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reports that we can export range in popular formats

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from Excel spreadsheets to PDF to text files.

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And that design data can be exported

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to 2D drawings through Project Explorer as well.

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You can also configure the Project Explorer

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and save it for a shared consistency

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and improve the report automation

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throughout your team.

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So the user interface can be configured to suit,

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and you also get some warning tool

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tips for areas of the design which might not

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meet specified rules or design standards the same as you would

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in typical Civil

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So there are a wide array of tools for reviewing and editing

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pipe networks, such as multiple part swap tools and pipe run

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editors.

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So next, let's talk about navigating the Project Explorer

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interface specifically.

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After you install Project Explorer, which

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is a separate install, it can be launched from the add-in ribbon

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in CIVIL 3D 2020 and 2021.

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So you will have to go to the add-in ribbon tab

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in order to launch Project Explorer.

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If you are using Civil 3D

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is located on the home tab.

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So in any version, you can enter Project Explorer at the command

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line, and that interface will appear.

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So here's what the interface looks like.

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At the very top, you're going to get a graphical interface

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for objects that could be viewed in profile or section views.

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In the mid portion of this dialog

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box is where you'll see the object list.

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So it'll list your alignments, parameters, et cetera.

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And then at the very bottom is where

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we view our sub-object list or the specific parameters

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of those.

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So at the very top again is the graphics interface.

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This display depends on the object type that we're using.

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So for profile views, you could see alignments, profiles,

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feature lines, pipe networks, et cetera.

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With section views, you'll be able to view

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assemblies, some sample lines, some corridors.

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And then in your list views, you'll

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be able to see surfaces, parcels, points, and blocks.

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So the plan view is not included in the interface.

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It is assumed to be visible in your drawing canvas.

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So Project Explorer window is more or less

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like I mentioned previously.

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So you can freely move between the Civil 3D window

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and the Project Explorer.

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All this information is live project data

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from the Civil 3D model.

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So Project Explorer will update automatically

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when something is modified or added to the Civil 3D model.

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Inside of Project Explorer, we do have some right-click menu

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options.

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And these options will vary depending on the objects

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and where the right click is actually initiated.

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So in the preview window versus the object

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versus the sub-object, click location

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gives different functionality.

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Functionality is directly accessed

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through streamline tasks for objects and sub-objects.

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So you can zoom or pan to selected objects.

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You can access those Civil 3D properties.

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Similar to the right-click options

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that you would have in the tool space,

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it's just now in the Project Explorer.

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So right clicking on something like the Front Street pipe

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network, you'll see an example of some

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of the right-click options that we

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have here for this, including setting descriptions, setting

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the parts list, label styles for the structure,

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as well as the pipes for this particular pipe network.

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We can also swap parts.

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We can set rule set.

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So all of those same options that we

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would get in a contextual ribbon or in the tool

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space in the Prospector, we do get here right

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in the Project Explorer window.

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So exploring the Control key and selection highlighting.

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If you use the Control key to highlight selected objects

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in the drawing canvas, you can also

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use the Windows item selection method like Shift and Control

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to highlight items.

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And then those columns can be sorted.

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So a complete list of all the keyboard shortcuts

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can be found in the Project Explorer help window.

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So let's talk about the interface

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a little bit, some of the object views,

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the right-click functions, and the preview window options.

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So I'm going to go ahead and get into Civil 3D here.

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I'm going to type in Project Explorer from the command

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prompt so that way I can open this up--

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open up the dialog box here.

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So at the very top, I'm going to go to the alignments tab.

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If you noticed, there's a bunch of tabs

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over to the right, specifically assemblies, corridors,

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some point group surfaces, feature lines.

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We've got our parcels, our pipe networks, our sample line

09:58

groups, AutoCAD blocks.

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At the very least here, we have objects sets.

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So you notice that all across the top

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is all of our Civil 3D objects in each individual tab.

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So if we click on assemblies here,

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you'll notice that we have quite a few assemblies

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already defined.

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And instead of right clicking in our Prospector

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and going to the properties, we have all of the properties

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here for this assembly.

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So again, we can make modifications or edits right

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from the Project Explorer.

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So if we right click on First Street here,

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we can also zoom to that specific alignment

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in our drawing canvas.

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By clicking on First Street inside of Project Explorer,

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we'll select in the drawing Canvas.

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Again, we're going to zoom to second street here.

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And if we click on Second Street,

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notice how it highlights in our drawing canvas.

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Let's take a look at our pipe networks

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here, specifically Second Street North.

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If we click on that pipe network,

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you'll notice all of our structure names

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at the very bottom here in our sub-object list.

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We have all of our structure names,

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as well as our pipes and our pipe runs.

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So if we select multiple, then in our object view area,

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we can view that at a particular scale.

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So let's change it one to one so we can take a look at what

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that exaggeration is.

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Maybe one to five, so we get a little bit more

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of an exaggeration.

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We can also show and hide texts, minimize or maximize

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our zones, et cetera.

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So next, let's take a look at the alignment interface example

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which shows some of the object and sub-objects for alignments,

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some Windows-like selections, and then, again,

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the Control to highlight in the drawing.

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So for our alignment tab, we're going

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to select on Second Street in our sub-objects list here.

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We're going to scroll down to our calculated stations time.

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And we're going to take a look at our curve intervals,

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our spiral intervals with our northing and eastings are.

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And you'll notice that we can also reorganize the column

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headings if we need to if we don't

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like to view it in that way.

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Let's take a look at our alignment.

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And it is so you could see we have several lines and curves.

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All of those specific lengths starting

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to end stations, northing and eastings.

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By clicking on one of those sub entities within that alignment,

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it will select that in our drawing canvas.

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We'll be able to view right in our drawing canvas, where

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we are in our tabular editor here with inside Project

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Explorer.

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So let's take a look at the alignment PIs, same thing.

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If we wanted to select them, it would

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select in the drawing canvas.

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We also have some right-click options specifically here,

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as well as the Control.

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So by holding down the Control key,

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you can select multiple objects or sub-objects at a time.

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In this case, the alignment PIs.

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And lastly, we'll take a look at the Superelevation critical

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stations.

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Again, by selecting the sub-object in this editor,

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it will select it in the drawing canvas.

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Holding down the Control key will

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allow us to select multiple.

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And again, all of these will highlight

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in the drawing canvas.

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In the next example, let's review some violations

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from rebuilding a corridor.

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All right, so at the very top, we're

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going to click on corridor tab so

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that we would get into that portion of the Project Explorer

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interface.

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We're going to select on Second Street.

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You notice how it's red, and we have a warning symbol there?

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If we right click and rebuild corridor,

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then we can rebuild our corridor right from this interface.

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Pretty easy.

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In the next section, we're going to review, edit, and compare

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using Project Explorer.

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So we'll go through two examples specifically, one for corridors

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and one for pipe networks.

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So to edit, compare, and create objects in Project Explorer,

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there are some important user interface items.

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One is to create icons.

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This example is a create alignment and profile.

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The next portion here displays some view options.

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There's a wide variety of profile view options.

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If you're familiar with Civil 3D, that's well known.

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And then also there are some other objects

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that could be used for comparison to the far right

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there.

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So there's a dropdown list of relevant objects.

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In this example, we can add some existing surfaces

14:53

to compare to design data.

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So a little bit about editing objects in Project Explorer.

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It instantly recognizes if objects can be edited.

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Items that are displayed in purple color

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can be edited with a double-click.

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So things like object names, descriptions, and styles

15:09

can easily be changed.

15:11

Sub-object values can also be changed.

15:14

We can also edit more than one object

15:17

at a time using Shift and Control

15:20

as in Windows selections.

15:22

And then some examples of that would

15:23

be changing styles, swapping some part sizes or pipe part

15:27

sizes, or changing some referenced objects.

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This is much easier to accomplish in Project Explorer

15:34

than in classic editing as this is just

15:36

our one stop shop for editing and making modifications.

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So when we use the compare to extend the power of editing,

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only relevant objects will be listed in the compare

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to dropdown list.

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So some of these examples would be comparing point or block

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locations to alignment stations or comparing some link codes

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in corridors.

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So just a little bit of a note about using

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compare to alignment objects, the offset distance

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is displayed when Control is used

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and the compared object is an alignment.

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So there may be some icons including a small warning

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symbol and bold red font.

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Tooltip shows detailed information

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that can be edited in Project Explorer.

16:20

Here are some more examples of violations for alignments.

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So the profile start and end station

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falls outside of the station range.

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Your alignment or profile entity is not tangent,

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or the alignment or profile entity violates one or more

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of the rules that you have assigned in your design check

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set.

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So let's take a look at corridor editing efficiency.

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Let's head into this corridor example.

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So what to watch for in this next demonstration

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is how we save time compared to traditional editing

16:50

methods with direct access and multiple edit capabilities.

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So we're going to talk about the corridor

16:55

tab versus the assembly tab.

16:57

And then any changes in the subassembly

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will result in the corridor collection

17:00

violation of out of date.

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And then we can quickly rebuild it

17:04

while still maintaining and remaining in Project Explorer.

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So let's take a look at this example really quickly.

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So scrolling through stations has no lag.

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And using Control and "zoom to" to find specific sections

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in this drawing.

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Let's go ahead and get started.

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So notice at the top, you're still in corridors.

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The far right here, we're going to compare to EG.

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We're going to go to a specific station along that alignment.

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So notice how we could just scroll using our mouse

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wheel or our down or up arrow.

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We can scroll through and take a look at all of those sections

17:45

pretty quickly and easily.

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She's very nice.

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We can also zoom in and Zoom out of the display

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window at the top there.

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If we right click, we can zoom to that specific station

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or pan to the start.

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So again, a section editor reviewing tips.

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Select Control on your keyboard to see

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stations and drawing plan view.

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Or you could click and just scroll with your mouse wheel

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as another quick trick.

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So next, let's view some link shapes and points

18:43

in the corridors.

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So allow us to easily identify design intent or omissions, how

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we can compare this function in corridor model review.

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It gives us the subassembly objects to reference,

18:53

so things like points, links, and shapes

18:56

in our subassemblies.

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So again, we're still in the corridor tab at the very top

19:02

here.

19:05

We're going to click on one of our corridors, First Street.

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We have an error.

19:09

So We want to make sure that we rebuild all of our corridors.

19:13

So we can either right click or we could use the button

19:15

at the top.

19:17

The right hand side, we can find specific links.

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In this instance, let's use the data link.

19:28

So if we look at the data link, that's

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going to be everything at the very, very bottom

19:32

of our entire assembly here.

19:37

If we want to take a look at the shape codes,

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we can select that from the dropdown.

19:42

And let's take a look at the subbase here.

19:47

So again, that's our shape code.

19:48

It gives us our subbase shape and then

19:51

our specific point codes.

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Right now, it's highlighted as the back of curves.

19:55

As you can see in that view, it's highlighted in yellow.

19:59

If we take a look at the sidewalk out,

20:01

then that point code shows highlighted in yellow.

20:05

So again, really, really easy to pinpoint our point link

20:10

and shape codes with our subassemblies.

20:13

We don't have to guess or go through a bunch of help

20:15

documents to find out what those codes are.

20:19

So next let's talk about a corridor editing example.

20:22

Several corridor editing tasks, again, all in one interface.

20:26

We can quickly make name edits.

20:28

We can change some region assemblies.

20:30

We can edit those subassemblies.

20:32

We can update the corridor and a note

20:33

about transitions and the need for targets

20:36

to ensure smooth transitions.

20:37

So we can also set some targets in here as well.

20:41

So let's take a look at this example really quickly.

20:44

We're still in the corridor.

20:45

We're going to select First Street here.

20:48

As you could see, we have three regions.

20:50

So if we double click on that, we

20:52

can change the name of that region.

20:56

So we're going to change that to Start.

20:58

The second one, we're going to do Middle.

21:00

And then region three here, we'll name that End, right?

21:04

OK there.

21:07

So the start and end stations for each

21:09

of our regions and the assembly assigned

21:12

to that specific region, if we want

21:15

to change that, we can just simply click on the assembly

21:19

there.

21:20

And then choose a different assembly for the middle region

21:23

there.

21:23

And click OK.

21:25

And we will have to right click and rebuild so that way it

21:30

updates our drawing canvas.

21:33

Perfect.

21:38

So if we go to our assembly tab here,

21:41

let's take a look at our wider road

21:43

full section that we need to make

21:46

some modifications to this.

21:48

So we're going to click on that subassembly.

21:51

And instead of that lane Superelevation

21:54

being a value of five, we're going to increase it to seven.

22:01

Let's also take that basic sidewalk

22:03

with there, that buffer area that's selected in the view.

22:09

And let's update that to 3 and 1/2.

22:13

Awesome.

22:14

Great.

22:14

So you noticed that the cameras didn't really update.

22:17

That's because we need to go back to the corridor,

22:19

and we need to rebuild like we typically would

22:22

it through our Prospector tab.

22:23

So once we rebuild, then our drawing canvas

22:27

updates with our modifications and edits.

22:30

It's a really, really quick and efficient way to make edits.

22:35

So next, let's talk about some pipe network editing benefits.

22:39

So what to watch for in these upcoming demos--

22:43

the sub-object tabs for structures, pipes, and runs,

22:46

both structures and the pipes, some direct editing

22:49

of values and some depth examples.

22:52

Defining pipe runs for long or short runs within the network.

22:56

Editing some pipe runs, setting a constant grade example

22:59

while holding start or end elevations.

23:02

Also, swapping multiple parts all at one time

23:04

with multiple selection.

23:06

So first, let's take a look at editing

23:09

the values that are in purple working with some pipe run

23:12

concepts.

23:13

So in this example, we want to change and select the pipe

23:17

network tab at the very top.

23:19

We're going to take a look at the First Street storm.

23:24

So notice we have all of the purple values

23:26

for our structures.

23:27

We've got all of our pipes here under a separate tab

23:32

and then the pipe runs, again, under another tab there.

23:44

So this particular structure, we're

23:46

going to control the sump depth here.

23:50

So you see, our sump depth is currently

23:52

set to zero for all of these.

23:53

Again, if we double click, we can either type in a value

23:57

or we could use the arrows to increase.

24:00

Hit OK, and our sump depth value is updated

24:04

as you can see in our preview window at the top there.

24:08

Let's go ahead and change that back to zero.

24:10

And again, our pipe network updates instantaneously.

24:20

So if we select multiple structures at a time,

24:23

we can modify all four of these at once.

24:27

So we're going to go up to this Edit Pipe Run.

24:30

We could take a look at those structures, specifically 36

24:36

through 39.

24:37

Yep, so we're just changing our view so that way

24:39

we see structures 36 through 37.

24:42

So just one single run, or we could see the entire run.

24:50

So we'll change that back to 39 so we

24:52

could see all four structures in the three runs there.

24:55

And we're going to go ahead, and we're

24:57

going to edit this pipe run.

25:09

So we want to hold the pipe run start elevation.

25:13

We're going to set the pipe elevations by invert.

25:18

We're going to make sure that our pipe runs

25:19

slopes are all the same.

25:22

So we can modify any one of these parameters if we need to

25:26

or if we want to for this entire run.

25:29

So let's say, we want to change the slope of this entire run

25:32

here to one instead of 1.47, so we'll type that in and hit OK.

25:38

Now, you could see all of our slopes are set to 1%.

25:42

And then it adjusts our elevations accordingly.

25:45

So now, we're going to go back to including the structure 35

25:48

there.

25:49

And we are good to go.

25:51

So in the next example, we're going

25:53

to edit multiple structures specifically,

25:55

swapping parts and adding our reference alignments.

25:58

Let's go ahead and kick this off.

25:60

So in this particular example, we

26:02

want to compare it to the finished grade of First Street.

26:06

So as you can see, we've got all of our structures.

26:12

We've got some STORM superstructures here,

26:17

So if we select all of those, we can right click and swap

26:22

all of our parts.

26:23

We can set the reference alignment for all of these.

26:26

So we'll go ahead and do that.

26:29

We'll set the reference alignment to First Street

26:32

and hit OK.

26:33

Now, all of our inverts and our stations

26:36

should adjust accordingly now that we are

26:39

set to a specific alignment.

26:41

Then it will update our stations.

26:49

So for First Street, we're going to right click.

26:51

And we could quickly report or export the 2D AutoCAD DWG file.

26:57

We can also set some plan styles and label styles accordingly.

27:03

So a little bit about some increment values--

27:05

getting more granular to design details,

27:07

we can use this to compare an incremental value

27:10

to examine pipe cover along a specific run.

27:12

Incremental values can be set for a variety of sub-objects

27:15

that are displayed in profile views.

27:18

So let's go ahead and take a look at this example.

27:21

So for our pipe runs here, our intervals

27:23

are set to value of 10.

27:28

So if we select on a particular structure, reference depth,

27:35

surface cover depth.

27:36

You notice that at the interval of 80, 90, or 100, that

27:42

cover depth increases slightly.

27:44

So we could see if there's any dips, any existing grade, where

27:48

we don't have adequate cover along that pipe run.

27:51

It looks like we're OK, but we can

27:54

use Project Explorer to take a look

27:56

at those specific interval details.

27:59

In this next portion, we'll talk about using Project Explorer

28:02

to create objects.

28:03

And in this example, we're going to be creating some feature

28:05

lines.

28:06

So things to watch out for in these demos,

28:08

again, we're going to use Control

28:10

to see feature line vertices in both preview

28:12

and drawing plan view.

28:14

We're going to create a feature line from object with inside

28:17

of Project Explorer.

28:19

We're also going to compare this to an existing surface

28:21

to understand the design intent a little bit better.

28:24

We're going to edit those elevations directly.

28:27

And just so you're aware, notice that they are in purple.

28:30

So that means we can edit them.

28:32

And we're going to use the Shift select and right click

28:34

menu to edit multiple elevations for constant elevation, as well

28:38

as constant grade.

28:40

So the workflow to create a design

28:42

object directly in Project Explorer,

28:44

we're going to use compare to existing surface.

28:46

We're going to rearrange some column data for northing

28:48

and easting preferences.

28:50

We're also going to set some constant grade

28:52

and constant elevations.

28:53

And we're going to edit the name and elevation values.

28:57

So again, at the very top, we're going to go over

28:59

to the feature line tab.

29:08

Notice we have a feature line in our drawing canvas here.

29:12

So we're going to go ahead and we're

29:13

going to create a new feature line from that object that's

29:16

in our drawing canvas.

29:19

So just like we normally get the prongs.

29:22

We're going to select online.

29:23

And we're going to create a feature line.

29:25

Now, put it in Site 1 here.

29:28

We're going to assign elevations.

29:29

And go ahead and click OK.

29:31

So our elevations are going to come from our surface.

29:35

And I don't want to insert immediate grade breaks.

29:38

So once we click OK, you see that now we

29:41

have our feature line created.

29:45

I've got a few PIs or points of index along our feature line.

29:52

So then we can modify these elevations if we need to.

29:55

We can also compare that to our existing grade surface.

30:00

So you notice if we need to make modifications to our feature

30:04

line and compare it to our existing grade,

30:06

we can edit those elevations accordingly.

30:11

So let's go into our layout options here.

30:13

And let's set the column layout for feature line points

30:19

to include our point index, our northing and eastings.

30:25

We'll move the northings up.

30:28

Let's also include some elevations, some grade ahead.

30:35

Let's compare the elevations too.

30:41

So we could change the name.

30:42

Remember, purple text means that we can edit.

30:45

So we're going to edit that and call that the FG elevation.

30:49

And let's move that up a little bit in this list.

30:55

So as you can see, because we changed our layout options,

30:58

we now have our point index, northing, easting elevation,

31:00

and our FG elevations here in our sub-object editor.

31:09

If we multiple select by holding down our Shift key,

31:13

we can right click, and we can set a constant grade

31:16

between those feature lines.

31:17

So we can hold a start point.

31:19

We can set a specific slope or grade, rise or run.

31:23

Let's go ahead and set that to two.

31:26

And click OK.

31:27

Now, you see we have a constant slope of two between those two

31:32

points.

31:34

We're going to set our constant slope with the next one.

31:37

So we'll right click again.

31:39

And this time, we will set it to zero.

31:47

So now, we go flat across.

31:50

Let's set the first elevation to 34 specifically.

31:54

So I'll hit Enter there.

31:56

And we'll double click on the last volume,

31:58

and we'll enter in 34 there.

32:02

Well, let's change the name of this feature line.

32:04

So if we double click, we'll call this EARTHEN DAM.

32:11

Perfect.

32:12

So as you could see, we created our feature line,

32:16

set the elevations, and changed some names

32:19

all through the Project Explorer interface.

32:22

If we go back to our Prospector tab,

32:23

and we go to our site in our feature lines,

32:25

you'll see we have that same feature line right there.

32:28

So we can select it in the tool space

32:30

similar to how we just created it in the Project Explorer

32:34

interface.

32:35

So next, let's talk about creating some custom reports.

32:38

In this section, we'll talk about object sets,

32:41

customizing columns, and saving some report and table

32:44

configurations.

32:45

So particular steps for report generation-- everything

32:48

is controlled and configured with inside the Project

32:51

Explorer interface.

32:53

So we're going to create a name and object set.

32:55

An object set is really just a collection

32:57

of objects and sub-objects that we can report on.

33:00

We're then going to choose the object action.

33:03

So that's going to be the output file

33:05

type and the specific behavior.

33:07

Notice we have a variety of file types

33:10

that we can apply an action to.

33:13

And then select the layout style.

33:15

So we can use an existing layout,

33:16

or we can customize this format and configuration.

33:20

And then we're going to select the report form style.

33:23

So to create a feature line stakeout report,

33:25

we're going to place the report as a dynamic table

33:28

in the drawing.

33:29

We're going to select the alignment for the compare to.

33:32

Then we'll customize the layout column display

33:35

and create a new object set.

33:37

Just go ahead and kick off this demonstration.

33:40

So again, we're still in the feature lines.

33:42

We're going to click on that EARTHEN DAM

33:44

that we just created.

33:46

And this time, let's compare it to First Street.

33:50

Yeah?

33:51

We're going to compare that to the First Street alignment.

33:57

So we're going to reset our interface layout just

34:00

to get it back to default configurations of that layout.

34:04

And we get all the information.

34:08

So once we do that, you'll notice that we are now

34:11

comparing it to First Street.

34:13

So here's the compared station, northing and easting--

34:18

so for the first point of index along our feature

34:23

line there to our fourth.

34:30

So let's go ahead and change some of our layout options

34:33

again.

34:34

Let's set the column layout for the feature line points.

34:37

Let's uncheck everything.

34:39

And this time, let's do our point

34:41

index, our northing and eastings

34:45

Let's put the northing up.

34:48

We'll also add in the elevation there.

34:53

We want to include the compared station and the compared

34:58

offset.

34:59

Just X and Y, I don't think we need Z at this point.

35:03

And for compared station, we'll change that name

35:05

to Center Line Station.

35:08

And compared offset, we'll set that to Center Line Offset.

35:14

OK, we're good.

35:17

So we'll go ahead and click OK there.

35:19

And then notice how now in the sub-object list

35:22

we just have showing what we need.

35:27

The last tab on the right there is the object set.

35:30

So if we go ahead and we create a new object set,

35:33

we're going to give this object set a name.

35:35

Let's call it Featureline Stakeout

35:40

from the center line there.

35:41

We want to give it a description.

35:43

We certainly can.

35:44

And for this object set action, notice

35:47

how we have a bunch of different things

35:48

that we can report to, PDFs, documentation,

35:51

but we can also export to an AutoCAD table.

35:55

So that's what we were going to do.

35:57

Obviously, we're going to set it to dynamic.

35:59

So that way, it updates as we make changes.

36:01

And we're going to use the layout of the Project Explorer

36:04

window that we just set.

36:06

So let's go ahead and pick an insertion point

36:08

on our drawing canvas.

36:10

I'll pick right here.

36:12

Looks good.

36:15

And we'll give that table a name.

36:17

We're going to call it that object name.

36:19

So it'll be called our feature line object name.

36:22

And we're going to use the default table styles.

36:26

So now, we have an object set name.

36:28

We're going to add our objects to this object set table.

36:32

We're going to go to our feature line.

36:34

So we're going to add this EARTHEN DAM feature

36:36

line that we just created.

36:39

So once we click OK, you'll notice

36:41

the table reflects exactly what we see in our sub-object list

36:45

here in Project Explorer.

36:47

So we're going to use the object table.

36:49

We can uncheck that.

36:52

So now, we just get the sub-object table that we want.

36:58

If we want to compare that, we can go ahead and compare that

37:00

to First Street here.

37:03

And once we add a comparison, you

37:05

see our table automatically updates

37:07

to include our comparison.

37:10

We also changed that to CL Station and CL Offset.

37:13

So you notice the difference there

37:15

that it added to our table.

37:17

We did go through that demonstration pretty quickly.

37:20

So in this next session, we'll talk about the specific dialog

37:23

boxes and things to look out for when creating and using objects

37:27

sets.

37:28

So again, an object is just a collection of Civil 3D

37:31

design objects that are used to create reports, tables,

37:34

spreadsheets, or even 2D drawings.

37:37

Defining object sets enables us to be consistent and automate

37:41

that output generation with just a single click.

37:44

So they are received within the drawing

37:45

and can be added or edited or deleted.

37:49

And there is no limit to the number of object sets

37:52

that you can have.

37:54

So object sets are generated in a variety of output.

37:57

The actions are assigned to each object set.

37:60

And this determines the resulting output

38:02

that's created.

38:03

So the output specifically are things

38:05

like text files, Excel spreadsheets, HTML files, PDFs,

38:09

documents, tables in Model Space or a Paper Space,

38:13

and then also some 2D AutoCAD drawing files.

38:16

So creating an object set specifically,

38:19

you can do this in one of two ways.

38:22

Inside of the Project Explorer interface,

38:24

you can navigate to the Objects Sets tab.

38:27

And then click to create the Object Set button.

38:31

Or you can right click on any object in the Project Explorer

38:35

window and select Add to Object Set, Create Object Set menu

38:41

item.

38:42

So again, one of two ways to create that.

38:44

Once the object set dialog box opens, the name must be unique.

38:50

And the description is obviously optional.

38:53

And then you need to set the object action or action type.

38:57

So actions can be assigned and generally

38:59

used to automate a process.

39:00

This parameter determines how the action should be

39:03

triggered, manually or dynamic.

39:06

So if it is manual, you will have to actually run the action

39:09

button in order to update whatever that action is,

39:13

whether that's a table or an export to another document

39:17

or a 2D file.

39:19

So some file output related options.

39:21

Filename can be typed, generated from variables,

39:24

or a combination of both methods.

39:26

When you are using the generate report action,

39:29

an output path must be specified.

39:31

And then a report style is required

39:33

to define the page parameter.

39:35

So you can use a default one or you can use a specific report

39:39

style.

39:39

Some similarities on the AutoCAD table related options,

39:44

you do have to pick an insertion point.

39:46

It's in the top left corner of that table.

39:48

So wherever you select in your drawing canvas

39:51

will be the top left-hand corner of your table.

39:53

The text for the title cell can either be a type

39:56

or it can be generated from a list of variables,

39:59

or it can be a combination of both methods.

40:02

And then again, the table style is required in order

40:05

to define that table parameter.

40:06

You can use a default table style for object sets,

40:09

or you can select a specific table style.

40:13

Adding objects to an object set was pretty easy.

40:17

Again, there are two different methods for adding objects

40:20

to the object set.

40:21

The first way is, again, navigating to the Objects Sets

40:25

tab, clicking the Add Objects to Object Set button, which

40:30

is just that green plus symbol there.

40:32

Or you can right click on any object in Project Explorer

40:36

window and select the Add to Object Set menu item.

40:40

And then select the relevant entry for your object set.

40:44

So just a little note here, an object set

40:46

can contain any number of object set items.

40:50

And it can be reordered, duplicated,

40:52

and removed from an object set.

40:55

So very versatile.

40:57

So let's also take another look at customizing columns.

40:60

We went through that pretty quickly in the demonstration.

41:03

So we'll talk about it in depth here.

41:05

So customizing columns helps you refine

41:08

what data you're reporting on.

41:10

We can arrange the date of you with the column

41:12

values that are needed.

41:14

So an existing grade and finished grade profile example

41:18

or a retaining wall example, you can select the compare objects.

41:22

And you can also customize those columns in any order.

41:26

You can edit the headers.

41:28

And you do have the ability to save and reuse that file

41:31

and reset it to default if need be.

41:33

You could also do some one-time exports from the right click

41:36

menu and the reporting history.

41:39

So changing from the default columns to custom columns,

41:42

let's go ahead and kick off an example here,

41:45

a little demonstration on how to do that.

41:47

We're also going to configure the data

41:48

fields needed for the report.

41:52

All right, so back in the Project Explorer

41:54

from our last demo, you see we have a huge table here

41:57

with lots of information about our EARTHEN DAM feature line.

42:01

At the very bottom there, you will see the layout options.

42:05

By clicking that, we can set the column layout for feature line

42:09

points specifically.

42:12

We can also go ahead and open an XMPT file that we

42:16

have saved from previous.

42:18

We're just going to go ahead and select OK there.

42:21

And now, everything that we had checked and organized

42:24

previously, we're going to go ahead and use it here again.

42:28

So you could see the table then updates automatically,

42:31

because we have that option set to dynamic.

42:35

So saving some custom report settings,

42:37

we can change from default columns to custom columns.

42:39

And then save them as the XMPT.

42:42

So I just showed you an example of how

42:44

to open that saved XMPT file.

42:49

This demonstration will show you how to actually create

42:52

that file, so that way you can pull it up again

42:55

at a future time.

42:56

So once you have it saved, you're

42:58

going to right click on that object set name.

43:01

You're going to right click and go

43:02

to the Object Set Properties.

43:05

Within the Properties dialog box here,

43:08

you're going to make sure that you give it

43:10

the appropriate name.

43:11

And we're going to export, make sure that action is dynamic.

43:16

But this time, we're going to use a specific layout style.

43:19

And we're going to select that feature

43:21

Center Line Station and Offset.

43:25

We already have our insertion point picked.

43:28

We're going to use a specific table style.

43:32

And we're going to edit that style.

43:35

So once we edit that table option style,

43:39

make sure that all of our parameters are set.

43:42

Maybe let's change something here to Ariel.

43:46

Yeah, we definitely want to force all of our texts

43:48

to uppercase for sure.

43:52

We're going to add a title row.

43:54

I think everything is OK there.

43:56

We can set some background colors if we want to.

43:59

Set that to a lighter gray so we could see the text.

44:10

Perfect.

44:10

Go ahead and hit OK there.

44:13

And now, we're going to give our file a name.

44:16

Call this ALL CAPS AERIAL GREY CELLS.

44:22

Go ahead and click OK there.

44:24

And now that we have that specific table

44:26

style set and saved, we can go ahead and click OK.

44:30

Now, if we want to use that specific table

44:32

style at a future time, we can just call and open

44:36

that particular style.

44:38

So we're going to go to the Object Set Properties.

44:42

We're going to go ahead and edit that style again.

44:46

And you could see we now have that

44:47

set to our previous XMPA file.

44:53

Let's go out and make some changes to that.

44:55

We're going to set the data and rows, columns to some block

44:59

text.

45:01

We're going to update that table style and hit OK.

45:04

Now again, that automatically overwrites and saves that table

45:07

style that we had set.

45:09

So in this next session, we'll talk

45:11

about some reporting and table styles and that display.

45:14

Setting precision in civil engineering data displays,

45:17

we can also set that unit precision slopes, angles,

45:20

and directions.

45:21

The station and chainage set in the drawing settings

45:24

when greyed out in Project Explorer layout options.

45:28

So just something to note there.

45:29

Let's go ahead and take a look at this demo

45:31

that we have set up.

45:33

So we are in the Alignment tab.

45:35

We're going to take a look at the First Street

45:38

alignment, the FG First Street.

45:40

We're going to take a look at the symmetric parabolas.

45:46

Notice how we have a high and low point

45:48

station for both of these.

45:54

It looks like we have three parabolas.

46:03

All right, so that's a Sag that we have set at a length of 50

46:07

with the end station.

46:09

And let's go ahead and select that last one, which is a Sag.

46:15

We're going to go ahead and change the layout

46:17

options there.

46:19

Underneath the General tab here to the right,

46:22

we have some general display options.

46:24

So here is where we can change those decimal places to three

46:29

for our elevation and general.

46:31

We're also going to change our grade and slope format.

46:35

But we could change that from percent to rise run.

46:38

But in this instance, we'll keep it to degrees, minutes,

46:41

and seconds, percentage.

46:44

And we'll use the formatted section values.

46:47

So then in our table, we would expect

46:49

to see our elevation set to a precision of three

46:52

automatically.

46:58

So if we were to right click and look at our drawing settings

47:01

and take a look at our ambient settings

47:03

and the precision for our stations,

47:07

it is still set to a precision of two.

47:10

We can set that to three.

47:12

Go ahead and hit OK there.

47:14

And you notice that our high and low point stations also

47:19

change the precision there.

47:23

If we go back into our layout options

47:25

and we go to our general settings,

47:27

we're still at three there as well.

47:32

So Project Explorer tables tiles are controlled with the Project

47:34

Explorer, not AutoCAD or Civil 3D

47:38

as you just saw in our previous example.

47:40

You can save the XMPA file for reuse.

47:44

Project Explorer must be open for changes

47:46

to actually appear on your table style.

47:48

So the style elements are color based.

47:51

They're not AutoCAD based.

47:52

So white does not change to black

47:54

when display settings change.

47:56

And use background color to avoid invisible tables.

48:01

So next, let's talk about some report settings and files.

48:04

So understanding the report settings and files,

48:07

objects sets are held in the DWG.

48:10

And they can be included in DWT or template files.

48:14

The layout columns and report columns

48:17

and the specific outputs are all stored within that object set.

48:22

We can also save and reuse for consistency and automation.

48:27

Notice how the specific layout style is set with the file

48:31

format as an XMPT file.

48:34

But generating the specific table style

48:37

is an XMPA table style.

48:40

Different file formats, so the layout style is an XMPT.

48:45

And the table style is the XMPA.

48:48

Both can be saved and reused for consistency and automation.

48:53

So in this slide, what we're showing here

48:55

is that the layout style is still an XMPT

48:58

but the report style file format is an XMPR.

49:03

So again, a little bit of a difference

49:04

between report styles, table styles, and layout styles.

49:09

So next, let's talk about creating some quick reports.

49:13

So everything is, again, controlled and configured

49:15

in Project Explorer.

49:17

And there are two methods for creating instant reports.

49:20

You can right click or you can copy-clip in a tabular data

49:25

view.

49:27

So this example, we're going to show the copy-clip

49:30

for quick reporting.

49:32

We're going to export the highlighted values for use

49:34

in external applications such as Notepad or Excel.

49:40

So again, we're going to hold down

49:42

Control to select multiples.

49:44

Right click, and we're going to copy you to a clipboard.

49:47

Then if we go ahead and open up Notepad or Excel,

49:50

we could just right click and hit paste.

49:52

And there is all of our information

49:54

that was in Project Explorer.

49:56

Very, very easy to copy and paste from Project Explorer

50:01

into an external application.

50:04

So what file types can we generate from the reporting

50:08

in Project Explorer?

50:09

We can do a number of them.

50:11

We can report to a text file, PDF, document.

50:15

We can make the static or dynamic reporting.

50:18

Just so you're aware, dynamic resorts for tables in drawings.

50:21

So dynamic is for the tables in your drawing.

50:25

And dynamic changes happen only when Project Explorer is open.

50:29

So you use the default layout for reporting fields

50:31

or apply a custom layout style to set the desired columns.

50:36

Let's next talk about exporting Civil content to 2D AutoCAD.

50:40

So when we export to 2D, we can generate 2D versions

50:44

of our Civil 3D designs.

50:45

This generates a DWG file containing 2D Civil 3D content.

50:50

The result is small and efficient file size.

50:53

And we can use some quick exports to 2D AutoCAD files

50:57

or object sets.

50:59

And we could use those object sets

51:00

to create reusable configurations that's

51:03

saved with the host drawing.

51:05

So if you know that you're going to have to repeatedly export

51:08

to 2D to send off to a client or another stakeholder

51:12

on the project, you can set up an object name or an action

51:16

to do this and to export at particular milestones.

51:20

In this example, we are going to include

51:23

in an object set, a surface, parcels, alignments,

51:26

pipe networks, and blocks.

51:27

So when we export this to a 2D drawing file,

51:31

we are going to include all of the surfaces, parcels,

51:34

alignments, and pipe networks, as well

51:36

as the blocks in that export.

51:39

So again, we are in the object sets portion here.

51:42

We're going to create a new object set.

51:44

We're going to call this one plan development to 2D DWG.

51:50

The object set action, we're going

51:51

to export to 2D AutoCAD file as a DWG.

51:57

We're going to keep that all as default. The output path,

52:04

we're going to place in a specific location.

52:06

Now, we have that object set.

52:09

So next thing we want to do is we

52:10

want to add all of our objects, all of our surfaces alignments,

52:16

et cetera.

52:18

So we're going to choose, first, our alignments.

52:20

We're going to choose our First Street,

52:22

Second Street for our surfaces.

52:27

We're going to choose just our existing.

52:33

And our pipe networks, we're going

52:35

to include our First Street Storm, our Second Street

52:38

Storms.

52:40

And for parcels, let's go ahead and right

52:45

click and check all of them.

52:51

And our AutoCAD blocks, we're going

52:53

to go ahead and choose our A_LAMB_400,

52:56

and we're going to hit OK.

52:58

Now, all of those objects have been added to our object set.

53:02

So when we run our selected action,

53:06

it will export all of those to 2D DWG.

53:11

So we can go ahead and open that file now.

53:14

And now that we have it open, you

53:16

can see that this is the name that we gave our DWG.

53:19

And everything within our DWG file

53:22

is 2D, no longer 3D objects.

53:26

So all of our surfaces, our contours are now polylines.

53:30

Our structures and pipes are just

53:32

polylines and block references, arcs and lines,

53:36

no longer any 3D data.

53:38

In summary, Project Explorer allows

53:41

us to review, edit, and create Civil objects

53:44

in a single location.

53:46

It is modeless dialog box displays graphically

53:49

and tabular design data.

53:51

You can easily configure the user interface as you saw.

53:55

Definitely has some pretty robust reporting functionality.

53:58

And just the fact that it will generate a 2D drawing

54:01

export of Civil 3D objects and designs is highly beneficial.

54:07

Some additional learning resources.

54:08

If you want to learn more about Project Explorer,

54:11

you can get some in-product help with the Project Explorer

54:15

tutorials.

54:17

There is also an Autodesk infrastructure YouTube channel

54:20

here.

54:20

So there's a couple of links here for you to use.

54:23

There's also an Autodesk Customer Success Hub.

54:26

If you head on over to customersuccess.autodesk.com,

54:30

there are a number of courses for you to review and learn

54:35

more about, including Project Explorer.

54:38

Last, I would highly recommend the Project Explore topic

54:42

from Jeff Bartels.

54:44

There are two parts to his Project Explorer review

54:48

that you can check out there.

54:50

Highly recommended if you want to learn more

54:52

about Project Explorer.

54:55

Thank you for joining us on this session.

54:57

I hope you found this beneficial.

54:59

And I thank you for joining me on this session of Project

55:02

Explorer.